One of the things we are most frequently asked is “what passion flower would be best?”. So today we are going to look at how to select an appropriate passion flower. “Best” is always going to be subjective to your specific wants and needs, but this is how to evaluate what we have vs what…
How To Help A Sheep With Bottle Jaw
If you own sheep or goats for any length of time, there is a good chance that you will encounter bottle jaw at some point. As a small ruminant owner, it is essential to know what it is, and what to do about it. Bottle jaw is a puffy accumulation of fluid below the chin…
How To Prune Stone Fruit Trees Like Peaches Or Cherries
A few weeks ago, we took a look at how to prune apple trees. Today we are going to look at how to prune stone fruit. Stone fruits are things like peaches, plums, and cherries. They grow differently than apples and require a completely different pruning strategy. Before we get started pruning a peach tree,…
How To Build A DIY Automatic Waterer
Are you sick of dragging hoses and carrying water? If you’re like us, the answer is a resounding YES! Have you have frequently wished you had automatic waterers? But also felt like upwards of $1k per waterer was unaffordable or unjustifiable? Particularly if you’re rotationally grazing and need waterers in many locations throughout your farm….
How To Prune Blueberry Bushes
If you have the right soil, blueberries are one of the easiest to grow fruits. They can live for 50 years or more, require little care, have no pest or disease problems to speak of, and can easily be grown as no spray fruits. They are so easy to care for that many people never…
Using Jump Gates To Help Your Livestock Guardian Dog
If you have a livestock guardian dog, or are thinking about getting one, you may know that the logistics of getting everything to work can be tricky. One issue you may come across is how to give your dogs access to different areas of your pastures without letting your livestock run loose wherever they want….
How To Prune Apple Trees
Today we are going to take a quick look at how to prune apple trees. While it is true that your apple trees will produce fruit without pruning, you will get better, easier to pick fruit if you prune the trees. Ideally apple trees should be pruned yearly. Young trees will require little to no…
The Best Round Bale Feeder For Sheep
In a previous article we wrote about the no waste hay feeders we use with our flock. These feeders were designed to hold small amounts of hay like square bales or hay that we peeled off of round bales. But what if you have enough sheep and equipment to warrant the labor savings of feeding…
How To Prune Kiwi Vines
Last year, we looked at how to prune grapes, brambles, and some ornamentals. Now we are going to continue our way through our orchard and take a look at how to prune kiwi vines. It is essential to prune your kiwis every year. They are a massive vine that can quickly get out of control…
Slashing Your Feed Bill With Locally Sourced Feed
I’m sure you probably already know that feeding livestock can get expensive. This is particularly true if you are feeding high production animals that cannot perform off hay or pasture alone. A small flock of sheep eating 1-2lb/head a day of grain will burn through a 50 lb bag of feed in no time. What…