The best day of weather in months and I took full advantage of it yesterday. First was to fix the gate handle which had broken the spring. I had to shorten a spring to make it fit but now the handle returns and the gate closes properly.
The winds were calm still before 10am so I went to spread the ashes. First was to dig out the fire pit which was rather deep in ashes.
They were wetter so spread a bit different, more like the grain spreads.
Another tub of wetter ashes got spread towards the greenhouse.
Then the fun began, the trash can full of ashes that were SUPER dry got dumped into the wheelbarrow.
This was the ash that got air suspended. It turned to a cloud that floated around the farm for a good 10 minutes after. Coated the garden really nicely though.
The last of the ashes covered the half of the pole garden.
About 10:30 I went out to the studio and found that the mud had dried so I took the chance to get the second coat on. I laid it on nice and thick and smoothed it out.
It is so thick but it has filled the void and massive unevenness and I will sand it all down smooth once the second coating is dried.
Next was the fence on the top garden to keep the dog out. It goes up easy with 4 fence posts and the fence that gets stored by the spot.
The hot tub needed topping off so I got the hose in it and filling while I did other tasks.
The irrigation all needed to be turned on so I got both valve boxes going which worked out as I needed to water the spinach seeded rows and gave the zone a 10 minute run.
2 slacklines went up for the boys. They are both rather short but good for them to practice on. I have the normal length line out but won't put it up until after the rains are gone next week.
The freezer in the coop was only about half full so I took the time to move everything to the studio. There is a fridge and freezer in it and I got everything moved to them then the freezer moved as well. It give me more space again in the coop and also reduces the power load.
The freezer had been there a while there were mummified mice beneath it.
I went for a hike up the hill to check on the upper property. The flowers are starting to bloom now and these super tiny little ones were growing in a sort of ring near the eagle's tree.
This flower was on the edge of the hill overlooking the valley.
DOT was working on the guardrail by where the creek goes under the highway and I am rather curios what exactly they did. The creek is still flowing high otherwise I would walk the tunnel to see. I still may if I toss on my tall boots.
These were popping up all along the edge of the hill as well.
The boys helped toss all the rocks and pine cones from the potato garden so I could get it tilled.
It took me about 20 minutes to make 13 passes and have the whole space tilled. It's a bit funky cross hilling the tiller as it wants to roll sometimes but I made it work. It's the only garden spot like it on the farm and also going to get planted very soon as I have oodles of potatoes to go in the ground.
I got my parts for the coop door opener!
I got the pulley installed on the motor with the wire for the door and headed out to the coop. I had to setup the tension on the wire then determine how many rotations of the shaft it takes to wind the wire up and open the door.
With the code right the new motor is more than strong enough to open the door. The difficult part is to get the latch to work correctly.
This little motor is a badass and has a ton of torque. The only problem now is that is releases when the power its turned off and the door shuts. I'd like to figure out a way to battery backup the setup so it won't let the door shut if the power is lost mid day. The door should open back up though when the power comes on due to my coding but...
The servo works but the pin side of the latch needs to be fiddled with today to try and get it to seat right and lock at night.
I had to adjust the chem levels in the hot tub which took a bunch of calcium and then a ton of ph up.
In searching for a dinner option I came across packs of Polish sausages in the freezer so I got a fire going in the pit and was able to burn a good bit of the pine needle pile in the process.
The dogs went on as the fire was burning itself down.
It was a bit warmer so the turkey chicks were all splayed out in their hut. They had ringed around the hot center of the heat lamp and it is rather funny to see how they flake out. The turkeys are all super cool and really mellow birds and I am trying to keep them that way so they grow up to stay super mellow.
We all headed out to watch the coop door close on the automatic timer and at 8pm the light sensor was well above the 600 mark and the door closed like it is supposed to. The only problem was the latch didn't close at the end. I have to fine tune the latch setup to make it work right, but it WILL work. This morning I will be out there for the 8am opening to watch and make sure it works the way I want. I got video of the closing but will put it with the opening and will post it today or tomorrow.
Got out to soak in the bit too warm water which had us in for less than an hour. The water was WAY nicer though after the filling and balancing. I spent a little time before bed playing with my new Arduino R4 wifi board which I would like to make the coop door opener board. I was rather beat after all that I did during the day.
Today is a lot cooler but likely no rain so I will still be able to work around the farm easily. I have to finish the top garden setup, the potato garden setup, fine tune the coop door, till the pole garden, work on programming the new Arduino, the boys have a pediatrician appointment this afternoon, I'll check the mud, then this evening will come up with something for dinner.
| 2024 Y/E Hive Goals | Goal | Current | +/- Goal | +/Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP | 30,000 | 25,005 | +262 | 81 |
| HBD Savings | 4,030 | 2,716 | / | 12 |
| Hive Posting Streak Days | 1681 | 1409 | / | 4 |
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Fleming Family Farm
FLEMING FAMILY FARM, LLC
Sustainable & Organic Methods | Heirloom Produce
All images are original works of Fleming Family Farm unless otherwise notated and credited.
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