Priorities.
Help!! Winter is coming and Jeff and I have a list as long as my arm of things we want to accomplish. Will someone with some experience please please direct us!! Here is a partial list (we add new things everyday it seems) of things we want to get done here. Help us prioritize.
Electricity to the barn
Water to barn
Remodel chicken shed into office for Jeff.
Fall garden - raised beds.
Plant orchard
Plant berries
Privacy bushes by the road
Fence and gate at the road
Fix leaky pond
Plant the pasture in clover and legumes
Broiler chickens
Goats for milk
Cow for milk
Electric milker
Move milking stanchions to the barn.
Muck out barn (do we really need to remove the poo?)
Pool
Remove pet cemetery (don’t ask)
Hay for the animals
Animal trailer
Woodstove
Rabbits
Rabbit cage
Fish for pond
Fix the rickety deck
Bird houses
Bat houses
New supports for the grape vines
Nesting boxes in the barn
Root cellar
Screen door
Whole house fan
Piggies
Piggie house
Duck house
All of these things seem worthy of our time. All of these things need to be done eventually. And some of these things definitely need to be done in the spring but I am spinning in circles trying to prioritize. What if I plant a fall garden and then wish I had used that time and money to buy rabbits instead? I mean, what if?
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Sheesh girl, take a big deep breath. That wasn’t deep enough, do it again!
Ok. First, remember this, the world will NOT end if you didn’t even do one thing on that list. There you have it, anything more is icing on the cake. :) You youngin’s, think ya gotta have it all right NOW. You crack me up.
I’ll come back and proritize the way I see fit.
OK, here’s my input! :)
Put all the waits and wait till springs on another list and reprioritize and hit it when the other stuff is done if ya have time! LOL!
Electricity to the barn DO IT
Water to barn OTHER TEMP ALTERNATIVE?
Remodel chicken shed into office for Jeff. HOW URGENT THE NEED?
Fall garden - raised beds. WONT’ DIE IF DOESN’T GET DONE
Plant orchard PLANTING CAN BE FALL OR SPRING
Plant berries FALL OR SPRING
Privacy bushes by the road SPRING
Fence and gate at the road IF NEEDED, DO IT, IF NOT, WAIT
Fix leaky pond DUCT TAPE, BUBBLE GUM????
Plant the pasture in clover and legumes ASK EXTENSION AGENT
Broiler chickens WAIT
Goats for milk WAIT
Cow for milk GET ONE, JERSEYS ARE PRETTY!
Electric milker DO IT THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
Move milking stanchions to the barn. UP TO YOU
Muck out barn (do we really need to remove the poo?) SAVE POO FOR GARDEN
Pool WAIT TILL LATE SPRING
Remove pet cemetery (don’t ask) NOT ASKING!!
Hay for the animals YUP
Animal trailer WAIT TILL SPRING UNLESS WILL BE NEEDED BEFORE THAT
Woodstove YUP, GET ON IT
Rabbits WAIT
Rabbit cage WAIT
Fish for pond WAIT
Fix the rickety deck IF FOR SAFETY, DO IT NOW
Bird houses WAIT
Bat houses WAIT
New supports for the grape vines DO IT, SO THEY DON’T BREAK
Nesting boxes in the barn DO IT
Root cellar WAIT TILL SPRING
Screen door WAIT TILL SPRING
Whole house fan WAIT TILL LATE SPRING
Piggies WAIT
Piggie house WAIT
Duck house DO IT
“Remove pet cemetery (don’t ask)”
You can’t write that and not expect questions!!
I think I would first focus on getting the house livable and safe, since the kids can’t play outside as much in the winter.
At the same time, I would plant a fall garden in containers so you don’t have take the time to prep the land now.
I would tend to the needs of the animals you have already purchased and not prep for any more until that was taken care of. Storage for hay and shelter for animals in the barn would be a priority. Electricity is very helpful and nice, (and my husband, who is an electrician would do it first, I’m sure) but it’s not essential. There are strong flashlights and floodlights that could serve one season, if needed.
Water to the barn may be even more important, depending on if hoses will reach. Who wants to carry buckets of water in a snowstorm? If a hose will do, I’d wait till spring.
I would probably put the woodstove on the among-the-first-to-do list, for heat during the winter storms when the lights might go out.
I’d plan the orchard and try to get at least some trees in this year. The sooner they are planted, the sooner they will bear fruit! Maybe make it a two stage thing, since you are pressed for time.
I envy you with all that land and all those fun projects to tackle! Take it slow and steady and it will all get done eventually!
I feel like I am always busy, but never get to half of what is on my list. You are definitely ambitious. Good luck. I am going to try to work right next to you on a similar list.
Wow, that is one hefty list!
I agree for the most part on what Norma said…
Do what you can as you can.
Mark off one at a time and eventually you will see where you are going.
Main things now… Take care of what you have. If the barn needs something for the animals you have right now… do that first.
At this point don’t fool with a fall garden, it is getting late. I mean if you really want to plant a few things you could… just don’t stress.
A woodstove, that would be a great asset come winter. Winters in MO are pretty chilly from what I hear from my Dad who goes up there to hunt.
Get you a few birdhouses at Walmart. My Shannon who is not the handyman Jeff is… :) Took a few old boards and nailed them together, dug me a hole, mounted the birdhouse on top of the boards and plunked it into the ground. My birds LOVE them!
Fun project for the kids.. the old gather pine cones and slather with peanut butter and then bird seed. Big hit every year around here.
Cover crop for the pasture IS a good idea, we are going to do that this fall too.
Get the barn capable for keeping some hay for the animals during winter, you will need this.
YOU GUYS ARE DOING WONDERFULLY!!!!!!!!
I am amazed to see all that you have done already and have been there so shortly.
Keep up the amazing work!
Love to you,
Chas
#1: Fence up front with gate: Jay would love to help with this
#2; I offered you 50 free privacy bushes, sheesh. You already have the manpower to dig the holes = remember? boys digging ditches? :-)
#3: woodstove
#4: RELAX and just do the things you absolutely need for this winter. The rest can wait until spring.
I have to agree with the previous posts. Get the barn set for the animals you have. Put in the stove to stay warm. Do other things over time. The only thing I would change is the bat houses, bats eat bugs, I get bit by lots of bugs, put the bat houses in now it is easy to do.
of that list? the very first and foremost thing on it would be to get the hay and get it stored properly! Hay becomes more expensive the closer you get to winter, and it becomes more expensive. Ours is in by mid/late July each year, and even the first week in August, we are having to huff and puff some years just to keep ahead of things.
Water to the barn, I would wait it out, we haul buckets all winter, not becaue we don’t have water outside, but because it always freezes here in MN…building and adding things? only do them if absolutely needed. If you find a great deal on a piggie tomorrow, then by all means, rush home and build something for it, but otherwise wait.
I would say to absolutely start the garden, it will supplement your food!
You mentioned an animal trailer, I would wonder what you would want or need it for at this moment. We have had large animals for 13 years now and just this year, for the first time, have we had a trailer of our own…it is much easier, but not impossible without. I actually “bought” mine with a goat kid that wasn’t any help to our farm…he was worth the price of a beat up old trailer that my dh rebuilt for under $200…watch those old farmyards in your area, you might find your own bargain when the time is right.
I would NOT start fish in the pond until next year, because you just won’t have the time this year and the experience to keep them going without a lot of fuss if that pond freezes…I haven’t kept them, but I watch my neighbor with her headaches, and decided that I don’t need them for myself, LOL!
Oh, and some of the things on the list aren’t so serious to do…like the duck house, around here, many just use a dog house or give them a corner in the barn with a heat lamp. That is NOT my preference because they are nasty mess makers, so we try to keep them outside. The trick I learned from one old farmer in our area, is to use an old pickup topper, cut a hole in the middle that is just big enough to run the cord for a heat lamp through it to hang it inside, and stack straw around the outside to insulate, leave an opening by the door so they can get in and out. This has also been used for chickens, pigs, and dogs with good success. Might be a bit ‘redneckish’, but it works and is VERY cheap (I love cheap!) and will get you by until you can have that handyman hubby build you the animal home of your dreams. Rabbits may often be bought with cages, and if they aren’t “winter-y” cages, they may do just fine in the barn to share heat with other animals.
My opinion on the poo? I would consider it, but would debate how deep it is, how nasty it is, how old it is, and how much more work it will be come wet, sloppy springtime weather… we always much out entirely in the fall, just before it gets really cold. Ideally, one would not leave muck in there, and clean out daily/weekly, but I don’t live ideally, and can’t honestly say that I know anyone else who does ;o)
If it were me my priorities would be the wood stove and the animals you already have. A woodstove is valuable in winter, and for the animals you already have, I would go ahead and make sure that the barn was ready for all the animals, get it cleaned out and set up for them as well as their feed/hay, you can never be too prepared with that.
Everything else can be added as time goes on, for instance the rabbits, during the winter Jeff and the boys could work on getting the hutches made, it would give them something to do and then come spring your hutches are ready and you just need to aquire the rabbits. Privacy bushes/pond and such can definately wait till spring when the kids have been cooped up all winter and are ready to be out and into something, it would make a great spring project.
As far as the garden goes, alot of planning goes along way with the garden and I think if you were to rush getting your raised beds together now you might decide later that you really wished you did x or y differently. It can also wait till spring. Or once you get the house and barn in order, you guys could always work on plotting and setting up the beds to be ready for spring planting?
Of course these are just my opinions.
if you do the wood stove — you won’t have any time to do anything else on your list… because it’s wood cutting time. Ask me how I know. It’s on our schedule for Friday and Saturday this week.
If that isn’t your main source of heat — then wait until later on the wood stove.
I have no clue on the other stuff. I think I agree with your bushy friend. She’s offering to help — go with her advice. LOL
We have a small farm, and I always tell the kids the animals have to come first… So get that hay bought and stored, that’s crucial (or you’ll be paying way too much for it during the winter, and what will you do if you get snowed in and run out of hay?! That’s a reality where we live, so get your barn cleaned up and stocked) Electricity to the barn is nice, followed by water (so you can use the electricity to keep the pipes from freezing). Get the nesting boxes built and anything else you need (for ducks?) to get your critters through the winter. From there I’d go to the woodstove, and laying in a good supply of wood. I wouldn’t start looking at the rest of the list until that is done.
I agree with most of the suggestions and just wanted to add a reminder:
Buying new animals now means more animals you’ll have to feed through the winter. The price to care for the animals rise in the winter when there is little grass to feed upon. I’m sure this is not news to you, but just thought I’d throw that in there. Enjoy the ones you have!
I won’t prioritize the whole list for you and only touch on the things I’m familar with.
Broilers seem to do better in the fall (I am in a similar climate in Kansas), but are a lot of work because they go through so much water and feed on a daily basis.
Trees and shrubs transplant better in the fall, but could wait until spring. For privacy, however the sooner the better. Country people are gawkers in our area. We just had to cut down our privacy trees due to disease, so sad.
I just read in the Farmer’s Almanac fall temperatures are supposed to be above average in our area (Kansas/Missouri), so it might be a good year for a late garden. We’ve already been in the 40s at night here, so I am cherishing my tomatoes while they last. Maybe not a huge priority unless it’s just something you would like to do.
Water, depending on how far you are from the nearest water source bucketing is an option. Another thought is using black garden hoses. If you leave them layed out during the day the sun should keep them thawed except on the coldest days (then you could resort to bucketing).
Electricity to the barn, could a small solar light get you by? They have individual lights with small solar panels to power them. We may go this route for a couple of our outbuildings still lacking lighting. That is if lighting is your electricity concern.
I guess hay and woodstove would probably be up there on the list. Hay is expensive these days, but what isn’t, and you have to have it. Square bales are hard to come by here. Everyone uses round bales or large square bales (need a tractor to move them) because there are few homesteaders/small farmers left.
You all are doing great. We were and still are overwhelmed when we moved to our farm house (three years ago) and began “the list.” The list will never go away, such is the life of a homesteader, it will only change as time goes by.
Maybe you could start delegating tasks for the older kids. Holes for the shrubs for the privacy road block was mentioned. Maybe the garden could be set up like a community garden with plots for each child (I just reread this on your list and maybe you mean you need to build raised beds, but anyway an idea for later). Could the kids be in charge of milking (goat) until milker could be purchased?
Good luck with everything. I love keeping up with you and your family.
Katie,
Speaking from experience, I would start with milk goats, and then go to milk cow after one year of having milk goats. You may decide to bypass milk cows altogether. You do not need an electric milker with goats, unless you have more than 10 goats. You have plenty of kids to milk those goats. Build or buy several stanchions so that more than one goat can be milked at once. It takes me less than 10 minutes from getting the goat from the pasture to putting her back and straining the milk. I know a gal in your area with really great dairy goat stock, email me if you want her info.
Do your broilers in the spring.
Get your hay now.
Plant your fruit trees and bushes now.
Get your nesting boxes done now.
Wait on electricity and water in the barn.
Do a pig in the spring or next fall. They are easy, but you don’t want to get too much at once. When they get out they are really hard to get back in their area.
Wait on rabbits, it’s easier to get them going and keep them going in warmer weather.
Get your woodstove and wood now.
Ashley
I ditto everyone on the woodstove. When we had the really major ice storm two years ago some people in the country were without power for more than two months!
Also, it is so very important that you get your hay put up as quickly as you possibly can. In this area some years it can be very hard to find enough hay after fall hits and it can get very expensive!
I thought the idea of a container garden for fall was a good one. I liked the looks of Robyns. And besides, if you lose power for two months she’s an expert now on laundry without power. That’s the kind of friend to have while living in the country. :)
Enjoy your country life!
You are too funny:) We have been living out here (10 acres in central KS) for almost 2 years now, and our list is still at least that long:) Our first priority was the house because it wasn’t liveable. We lived in a camper inside the barn for the first couple weeks. Yes, I’ve lived in a barn, in the middle of winter:)
You need to get hay NOW!!! Hmm, so do we, lol!!! And a place of shelter for the animals. Electricity and water are nice, but that’s what you have all those children for, right? hehehe They are great at holding flashlights and hauling water:) This IS something that you are going to want/need, but might be able to wait.
Do you have other means of heat? Is it important that you have a wood stove now? It would be cheeper to buy that in the spring if you can wait one more season. That would give Jeff more time to cut wood too. We have a wood stove, but don’t have it put in (we had it from the last house). Our house is only 700 sq ft and we are afraid of burning up with a wood stove;) So we are going to wait until we can get the basement finished (read: liveable) before we put it in.
I would say wait on more animals. They tend to be cheeper to buy this time of year, but that is because they cost more to feed during the winter. Plus the amount of work to keep them goes up in the winter too, but you have many helpful hands, so that might not be a concern. And while it seems nice to have your orchard/garden started, you know you have lots of farmers markets and you-pick farms around to provide for now. I’d wait another season if time is tight.
If Jeff needs the office now to bring in money, then do it. If he can do without for now, wait.
If you are planning to build bat houses and bird houses yourselves (with the kids), do that over the winter and put them up in the spring. Building raised beds can be done over the winter too. Nesting boxes (your chickens will lay without them, but it is better to train them from the start to lay in the boxes. How old are your chickens?), and supports for the grapes too. Is there anything else that can be worked on over winter? (Maybe heat in the barn/shop would be a good thing:)
Planting the pasture would be great. It would give you a head-start for next spring’s animals. Do this if you can.
Trailer… I’d just keep an eye out for a good deal. Watch out for the floor of the trailer. It costs quite a bit to put in a new floor. Trailers do come up a lot at auctions and farm sales.
Animal cementary;) Well, is it a health hazard, or just plain nasty? I’ll leave that one up to you.
I know that didn’t cover everything. Most things on your list can wait. It is nice to get as much done as possible, but don’t kill yourselves. With any luck you’ll be there for years to come and there really is time:) Then again, my dh works full time, an hour away from home, so there is never enough time for him:)
Shannon
sounds like you are getting some help with prioritizing… now sit, relax and watch the sun set <3
Ditto on the hay…your steer will eat a lot of it.
Make sure your chicken have a good winter spot. I would want the electricy to provide a heat lamp.
I would wait on the meat birds. Butchering is enough work with it beinf too hot or cold. Believe me I know, so does Momma!
Getting the pasture planted is good. You will have a jump start on getting off feeding hay in the spings.
I would get as many trees and vines in the ground as possible. Save on the food bill.
I would wait on the garden. Everytime a lawn is mowed dump it in the garden. Also dump in as many leaves as you can get. Pile it high. If you get a good thick layer it will compost on the spot and smother alsot everything. It is so great to stivk a fork in the ground in the spinr and find good, soft soil. Overturning it all may not be needed.
If you must grow something I have a trick I leanred from a military wife who moved every 2 years. Get a bag of soil and plop it on the ground. Cut a few Xs in it and drop in your plants. Anything growing underneather will die. Next season dump the bag out on the spot.
Happy homesteading!