I can hardly believe it but we have been here a whole year. We haven’t made a lot of changes about the place. As we were new to this part of the country, I wanted so see how things happen naturally. As we start the new cycle, it’s time to put thoughts into action.
My priority for last year was to understand the pasture growth. We have hardly a flat spot on this red Georgia soil and when it rains, it runs straight off ….. taking the soil with it. Erosion is a big potential problem. The pasture is seeded with Bermuda grass. It does very well in the hot summers but is not, as yet, very dense. I’d like to increase the density to help slow the water flow. Over the last year, I experimented with different mowing schedules and it seems that the density increased more in the areas that were more frequently mowed. I will extend that area, I think.
One of the first jobs I had to do, last year, was to remove the leaves from the pasture. This would help with the acidity of the soil. Last year I was out there with a rake. On Monday, I was out there with a collection bag attached to the mower … much quicker! Then it will be time for the lime, weed killer & fertilizer routine.
On the animal front we have increased the Alpaca herd from 5 to 16 with 4 young ones expected in May. Lots more poop for me to scoop. We’ve gone from 3 barn cat to 2 and with the chickens we’ve been up and then back down to 8. After a couple of months break, they are back to laying again.
We have 25 chicks coming in April so I’d better get busy with the coops. Other new arrivals in April will be 2 bee hives ……. no, never done that before either!
A new year and a new adventure.