Category: Latest From High Reaches

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Latest From High Reaches

Kids Grow Up Fast

Baby goats are so cute. Nubian kids are especially cute with their long ears. But kids grow up fast.

Spring had her doe kid only two weeks ago. Already this doeling is leading the herd in the pasture. Spring has other ideas as she takes over to race the herd to the top of the hill for some perceived threat.

kids grow up fast as Nubian doe leads the herd at two weeks old
On her first day out to pasture, this two week old Nubian doe kid from High Reaches Spring kept up with the herd as they roamed around eting fresh spring grass, climbed a steep hill to browse at the top, came back down to explore the creek banks and then was still trotting along as the herd came in for the night.

This perceived threat was me. I wanted to take a couple of pictures of her little one on her first day out in the pasture. My chance came when the herd was coming in that afternoon as I didn’t want to chase the herd up the hill.

Playing Games

The two little bucks are too busy having fun to go out with the herd. This is a big disappointment to their mothers. They want to go out to graze on all that new spring grass.

All the kids like playing on the goat gym, but the little bucks are the most enthusiastic. One of their favorite games is standing on my shoulders if I sit down on the bottom step. This is only fun until they are about a month old and too heavy.

kids grow up fast and can soon leap up their own height
The goat gym may be old and worn, but kids still love to jump up and down the steps These two Nubian buck kids are only a week and a half old, but can already get up and down steps as tall as they are.

My kids grow up fast as they will be big goats. I’ve read about the goat yoga and know my kids would be a disaster by the time they were three weeks old and twenty pounds.

New Little Darling

Drucilla had a little doe. I can’t keep her and it hurts. She is gorgeous and polled. Her mother is a good milker, one of my best all time milkers.

Nubian doe kid
Born the night before this picture, this Nubian doe kid is already wanting to explore and is spoiled rotten. Her mother High Reaches Silk’s Drucilla stays next to her all the time. This will wear off in a week or so. By then this kid will off on her own much of the time.

For now this little one is my little pet. I have three months to cuddle and spoil her.

And then I will mourn that these fun kids grow up fast as they will be sold and leave with someone else.

There are several books about goat on this site. I would expecially mention “Capri Capers” and “For Love of Goats“.

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Lost Chickens

My chickens are a motley crew that spends much of its day out foraging for grass and bugs. So, when I received a report of lost chickens, I took it seriously.

These chickens were over the hill by the creek, a place none of my chickens had ever gone. This was suspicious.

Trying to Count Chickens

My present flock has 31 hens and two roosters. I went out and started counting. I found 29 hens and the roosters, so I had no lost chickens.

That meant there were strange chickens down the road from me. Where did they come from? Did they belong to anyone?

My nearest neighbors in that direction are a mile and a half away. They have no chickens.

Chicken Investigation

I put a scoop of scratch feed in a bucket and started off down the road. It’s a nice walk, even if I didn’t find any chickens.

And, there by the creek, I found these lost chickens. Four roosters. Why would someone dump out four roosters? Potential chicken dinners? Potential money at the small animal sale?

Herding Chickens

There was a time when I pounce on a chicken. I even ran down a fox one day to rescue a hen. I don’t do things like that any more.

Instead, I called these roosters and tossed out a little feed. They were hungry and came right over, not close enough to grab, but I was their new best friend.

We made it over the hill before I ran out of feed. I tried herding them, but they bolted up the hill. I went to get more feed and they went back to the creek.

Lost chickens found
These dumped, lost now found roosters are about a year old judging from their legs. Their spurs are not big. Their legs are neat and clean. They are nice looking roosters. The hens object to having six roosters arguing over them and have taken to hiding during the day or staying near the resident rooster who protects them from the newcomers.

Second Encounter

The next morning, I was headed into town. On a whim, I put a sack of scratch feed in the truck. And met the roosters on their way over the hill in search of their new friend, the one with food.

I parked the truck and started moving the roosters down the hill from handful of feed to handful of feed. We arrived at the barn gate and these roosters were glad to see all those hens.

Unhappy Chickens

My flock was settled. The two roosters had an uneasy truce helped by the fact one was very old, for a chicken.

Now four new young roosters have moved in. The six compete for the hens. They serenade the place all day.

My original rooster feels threatened and gives chase whenever he can. Even the four new ones fight and chase each other. They are no longer lost chickens.

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New Little Goats

Five months have rolled by since my girls entertained Augustus. Doe goats have little use for buck goats unless they are in season much to his disappointment. Now is the time for new little goats.

Getting Ready for Kids

The does get ready by eating well and getting fat. Their udders swell with colostrum. The kids settle leaving space under backbones and tailbones.

I get ready by having old towels, clean kidding pen, clipped fingernails and plain soap. A bottle with nipple is waiting. Although I don’t normally bottle raise kids, it’s so much easier to milk colostrum into the bottle and feed the kid than to try to get them on a teat.

Then We Wait

Spring, Juliette and Natasha waddled out to pasture and back in. They laid around chewing their cuds. They showed all the signs their kids were due any time.

The new little goats were in no hurry. Days went by. We continued to wait on these already spoiled brats.

first of new little goats
High Reaches Spring had this adorable little Nubian doe kid early in the morning. By the time I was done milking, this little kid was out enjoying the sunshine.

New Little Goats Arrive

Spring’s kid came first. Surprisingly, she had a single doe kid. I’d expected twins. We accept what arrives.

This new mother, although she’s had kids before, is a nervous doe. She was not going to stand still to nurse her kid or let me milk into a bottle. At least she didn’t bite me as one did once. Milk stands insist on obedience.

One is Not Enough

This little doe is up and walking around. She eats well and will have nursing down pat by her second night. Spring has settled down and is enjoying motherhood.

But one kid has no one to play with.

Juliette indicates she is willing to add some new little goats to the play group. Are they? We’re all waiting. And the little doe has a little buck kid as a playmate.

Bittersweet Time

Those new little goats are so cute. They grow up so fast. For years I would look them over deciding which ones to keep.

Now I watch them grow, pet them, play with them. And let them go. Age catches up with everyone including me. No new goats will join my herd. But I will still enjoy those little spoiled brats for a few months.

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Reading Gardening Books

The weather is so inviting, warm and moist, perfect for gardening. It’s still February. So I’ve gotten out and am reading gardening books.

Some I own and keep on my book shelves like “Grow Your Own Chinese Vegetables”, “Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening” and The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book. These are now mostly for reference and refreshing the memory.

Others are from the library. Each spring these come off their shelves and get displayed on a table to tempt gardeners like me.

reading gardening books gives container ideas
Peppers tend to cross with each other. The most infamous are hot and sweet peppers so the fruits are cooler or hotter than expected. In my case, I have several varieties I like to grow and save seed from, so I want to grow them separately. Containers let me do this. These are an early Macedonian sweet pepper with great flavor.

Gardening Books Considerations

Gardening in the Ozarks isn’t like gardening anywhere else. Many of the books available come from other places, Vermont, Illinois, Michigan. Others are about fancy gardens I have no time for.

When I read one of these books, I have to evaluate the advice from the perspective of the Ozarks. The effects of climate change are playing havoc with gardening schedules as well.

Why Read Them?

Take the book I’m reading now “The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible”. It’s written for northern gardeners with short, cool growing seasons. The Ozarks has a longer, much hotter season.

What I take away from this book are ideas and advice about using containers in the garden. I’ve got several and I’m still learning how to get the most from them. Reading about them lets me find out some answers without making the mistakes.

Container gardening with tomatoes
Containers keep plants separate, allow targeted fertilizing, keep weeds at bay except for grass growing around the container, and let me put plants wherever I want. Keeping tomato vines in check is challenging.

Why Use Containers?

Originally, I used containers for special peppers I wanted to keep away from the bell peppers I grew in the garden. There are four pair set up around the house and yard.

These are cattle lick tubs and will hold one tomato plant of four pepper plants easily.

Now I have three tubs in the garden along with two raised beds which are permanent containers and a long metal trough. Other than growing peppers and spinach in these, I don’t know much.

Last year I had leeks in one. They did well. What about this year? That’s why I’m reading some gardening books. Suggestions so far are for lettuce, carrots, bok choi and bush squash. The first three have possibilities. The last would be a mistake here in my garden.

And so the season begins.

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Choosing Tomatoes To Grow

Perhaps it would be easier if I grew the same kinds every year. Instead, I end up choosing tomatoes to grow each winter.

Winter? Yes. That’s when the seed catalogs arrive. Those seeds must arrive at my mailbox before the end of February so I can start my little transplants the beginning of March.

What’s the Difference?

All those pictures look so appealing. How do I choose which ones to grow? The first thing is determinant and indeterminant.

Determinant tomatoes grow to a certain height, put out all their blossoms, develop all their fruit and quit. This is great if you want all your tomatoes at one time for making sauce or salsa. It’s not great if you want fresh tomatoes all summer.

Indeterminant plants send up branches that keep on growing all season. Although these are called vines, they really aren’t as they don’t twine or have tendrils to hold them in place.

These plants blossom continuously over the season. Their fruit ripens a few at a time. I like this best, so I choose indeterminant plants.

first tomato not going to farmers market
This tomato will turn red. Tomatoes are a gardening favorite and choosing the right ones can be challenging. I found this Bonnie’s Best to be a nice tomato, but a bit on the small side.

Aren’t Tomatoes Red?

If you believe that, you’ve only seen them in grocery stores. Catalogs have them in red, pink, yellow, striped, blue, white and green.

My preference is for a red or pink, a yellow or striped and a paste tomato. This last is usually a long fruit with small seed sections inside reducing the amount of moisture and increasing the amount of flesh which is great for cooking.

A piece of tomato trivia: A regular tomato is 95% water, more than a watermelon at 92%.

The full flavor is found in the red and pink varieties. Yellow and striped tend to be less acidic and sweeter.

How Big?

Those huge tomatoes may be good bragging material, but they may not be the best choice. Cherry tomatoes make great snacks needing daily picking.

Bigger tomatoes can vary considerably. I prefer those with a mature weight of about a pound. These make nice slices or are enough for two salads.

Time to Maturity

Even a light frost decimates tomato vines. My season runs from May (to miss last frosts) to the end of September. That’s roughly 120 days.

If, when choosing tomatoes to grow, I pick one taking 95 days from putting in a transplant to first fruit, I’m not going to get many tomatoes. I try to stay around 80 days.

There’s a lot to consider when choosing tomatoes to grow. Those delicious fruit are worth all the trouble.

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Garden Planning Exercise

Spring fever hit early this year as weather vacillates between winter and spring. One way I cope is doing a garden planning exercise.

Such an activity seems essential. It often ends up being busy work.

Beginning

My garden is a mishmash of beds, raised beds, permanent plantings, unwanted plantings, outside influences and an eternal weed invasion. It helps to walk around to refresh my memory about the number and placements of the beds. I get to make a side list of things to do and prioritize them at the same time.

The walk around lets me remember how and what was planted last year, how it did and plan changes. Much of my planting is locked in now due to a couple of large black walnut trees.

schematic for garden planning exercise
A garden schematic doesn’t have to be to scale. All it needs to be is complete for all the planting areas. I have several permanent plantings: the flower section, garlic, walking onions, hollyhocks, Jerusalem artichokes and garlic chives. The bamboo thinks it’s permanent. The others are planting areas. The big question is how much I can squash into each area trying to remember the plants can get big.

Paperwork

Doing a schematic of my garden has turned out to be important. Somehow I keep miscounting the number of garden beds when it isn’t written down. Planting a nonexistent bed or ending up with an empty one makes a mess of any plans.

There are five beds down one side of the garden. These get leaves, walnuts etc. on them so no tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sunflowers or other sensitive plants can grow there. I can grow beans, squash and okra.

Three beds are in the back along with narrow beds along the shade house. This year tomatoes will be in the beds. Lima beans, butternut squash and sugar pie pumpkins will grow over the shade house providing shade for snow peas, Napa cabbage, Chinese celery, bok choi, beets, greens and leeks. In the fall rutabaga and winter radishes will move in.

The raised beds are listed for greens and carrots. One side garden will smother under monster squash, favorite of the goats. The other, away from the black walnut tree, will have sunflowers, tomatoes and peppers.

Undecided Places

Three beds are not assigned yet. I have another monster squash, watermelon, extra peppers, bush limas and mung beans going somewhere. Perhaps I will have winter melon too.

So much for my garden planning exercise. Now reality can take over.

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Winter Eggs

I like eggs and use them year round. That means my chickens need to lay winter eggs even though they normally wouldn’t.

Chickens are what is called a long day bird. This means they naturally lay eggs when the days are growing longer or are long as in spring and summer, then stop in the fall. Since chickens lay eggs to raise chicks, this puts hatching at the best time of the year.

Domestic chickens don’t usually raise their own chicks. Some breeds don’t get broody and try to set. Other breeds are a disaster breaking the eggs they try to set.

Columbian Wyandotte laying winter eggs
The Columbian Wyandotte hens settle down into a nest pretending they are invisible. They seem to like staying in the nest. Perhaps they are warmer sitting there. They do leave winter eggs behind.

Instead, domestic chickens are supposed to have one mission in life: laying eggs. That leaves the tie to daylength a problem for people like me who want winter eggs.

Using Lights

I have two ways to encourage winter production. One is using lights. This developed thanks to my goats.

Over the winter I milked after dark so the barn lights were on until long after the sun had set. Now I milk before dark, but walk out to turn the barn lights out later on. (This is one of the adjustments to getting older.)

Not All Lights Work

When the first energy saver lights came out, I put them up in my barn. Changing light bulbs out there is a nuisance and these were supposed to work for years.

Egg production almost ceased that fall. It didn’t start up again until mid-January with longer days.

I went back to incandescent bulbs and had eggs the next winter.

My next experiment was with Daylight LED bulbs. A friend assured me these do work. They didn’t for me, although I suspect I needed more wattage.

Rhode Island Red hen laying winter eggs
I find the Rhode Island Red hens are nervous and easily upset. This one was sitting quietly until I aimed the camera. She began to panic. I left so she would settle down again as I do appreciate those winter eggs.

Raising Pullets

My second method is to raise pullets each spring. If the chicks are hatched in April, the pullets should start laying about October into November and continue laying over the winter.

There may be other approaches that work. These two work for me and result in plenty of winter eggs.

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Snow Days

Weather forecasts said snow was coming to the Ozarks. The kind six to ten inches of white stuff enforce.

Up north in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, ten inches isn’t much. The big snow ploughs race over the roads and life continues.

In the Ozarks ten inches is a big deal as so much at one time is rare. There are no ploughs to clear the roads. There are trucks with blades to shove the snow to the sides of the roads where it builds into a berm and slowly melts.

Snow Falls

After dark, when I locked my chickens up for the night, flakes were starting to fall. The temperature remained a degree or two above freezing, so it didn’t stick on the ground. It did freeze to branches and electric wires.

More kept falling over night. The temperature didn’t drop much, so it was a wet, heavy snow.

In the morning four inches was piled up on everything. The temperature was slightly above freezing leaving gutters and roofs dripping.

birds waiting to eat
This year has brought a lot of finches along with the juncos and sparrows to our bird feeder. Purple finches predominate, but goldfinches are around too. They perch in a neighboring peach tree waiting for room on the feeder so they can swoop in for a sunflower seed or two.

Wet Snow

Heavy, wet snow is hard to clear. It sticks to the shovel. It crunches down into ice.

The chickens and goats had snow days looming. Neither likes to be out in the white stuff.

Wet snow on tree branches brought down trees downing electric lines for over 1600 residences. My barn lights went out leaving the chickens and goats in a dimly lit barn. They were not impressed.

Birds mob feeder on snow days
Our bird feeder is cobbled together and used year round. Visitors vary in number. Snow days bring in record numbers of birds. Cardinals, various finches, red-bellied and downy woodpeckers, blue jays, morning doves, titmice, chickadees, nuthatches and sparrows are common.

End of Snow Days

The next morning brought the electricity back on. The barn was again light as the chickens were still locked in.

The clouds broke up and sunlight turned the back wall of the barn warm. The goats stood around soaking up the rays.

Roofs began to melt off. Some pasture grasses were visible again. And the reason we moved to the Ozarks was reaffirmed: Snow only stays a few days.

Read more about Ozark nature in “Exploring the Ozark Hills“.

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Bad Weather News

Floods, tornadoes and such are definitely bad weather news. The pictures and stories about these are terrible.

In my corner of the Ozarks, these events are not happening. There is another, more silent disaster threatening.

Now, I am not a winter enthusiast. Snow is nice out the window from a warm room. Cold is to be avoided whenever possible.

That means our recent warm temperatures have felt nice. Walking and working outside without heavy coats on is great. Even in winter gardens need things done.

However, I would forgo this pleasure to stop the approaching ecological disaster.

Necessary Cold

Plants around here expect cold weather to last until March. They sit tight waiting for warm weather to announce the spring growing season. Warm weather like the last few weeks.

Greeting the New Year were wayside speedwell flowers spread across part of the yard. These bloom during any warm spell all winter.

Speedwell flowers not bad weather news
These Wayside Speedwell, Veronica polita, flowers may be small, but their summer sky look cheered up New Year’s Day this year. An international traveler, these are tough plants blooming when winter offers even a week of warm weather.

The daffodils and iris have started to grow over a month early. Both can take a lot of cold, but not common February temperatures.

Slippery elm trees are almost in bloom as are several maples, a month early. Flowers don’t survive really cold temperatures.

Many of the usual spring plants around the yard such as plantains, shepherd’s purse and white avens are looking like spring is coming soon. That does not bode well for the many spring ephemerals such as bloodroot and trillium.

Many plants are annuals. If they sprout now and get killed by cold before seeding, many will not come up again.

Trees with frozen flowers produce no fruit. Two of the last three years have seen few pawpaws for this reason.

Floods and tornadoes affect people as well as plants so these get bad weather news coverage. But the silent disaster of warm winter temperatures for weeks is bad too.

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Planning My Garden

Planning my garden is actually a waste of time. Every year I go over what worked and what didn’t last year and vow to change things this year.

Hah.

Every year I look over the crops I grew, which I liked, which were a nightmare. And I vow to make changes.

Hah.

Garden Changes

There isn’t a lot I can do to change my garden. The size and shape are finite. The black walnuts won’t vanish. Weeds will do their best to take the place over.

Planning my garden comes down to arranging which crops will go where. Even that is restricted by the black walnuts as these kill tomatoes and peppers.

Climate change has altered weather patterns. March is often too cold to plant even peas and potatoes now. Drought and flood alternate.

This sounds so discouraging. But, being a gardener, I persevere. And planning my garden is the first step.

planning my garden includes Zephyr summer squash
Zephyr summer squash is a favorite and will grow in my garden again this year. Last year the leaves werre huge and four feet high hiding the numerous squash near the ground, a few of which got too large. The goats didn’t mind as they love summer squash too.

What To Grow?

The monster squash was a problem last year. I don’t eat much of it. The goats adore it, getting it parceled out over the winter. So the monster vines will be back.

I’m trying a second kind of long bean this year and will need to add a trellis. The posts are there. I’m checking around for some wire.

Snow peas are a favorite. The last couple of years they don’t come up because of the cold. When they do, summer heat cooks them. This year I’ll try a short variety in my plastic-covered shade house.

The regulars will be back: red, yellow and paste tomatoes; sweet peppers; Zephyr squash; butternut squash; okra. Spring will be mizuna, napa cabbage, bok choi, cylindra beets, cabbage, turnips and lettuce. Maybe some carrots in the new raised bed.

It’s fun planning my garden. Now I need to finish mulching, weeding and setting up trellises so the garden can grow.