A time to plant....

I thought today I would put a picture first, instead of last. I like to include pictures, when possible, because I also love to read blogs with pictures. They really are worth 1000 words!

The two picture are of my first completed raised garden bed, hopefully one of many to be built this year. I know it looks like it was a lot of work, but I actually built the bed on a pile of dirt that was already present, comprised of topsoil I scraped off almost two years ago now, and has been turned into fantastic soil, full of roots, and very crumbly. On top of that, I added three wheelbarrows full of llama manure, which is about 1/2 straw. Into here, I will be placing peas, spinach, and brocolli, which I will attempt to grow through the spring. In the frozen north, planting before May is very unpredictable, but I think my choice of plants will give me success.
As stated in my last blog post, I want (need) to make some money this year, and the earlier I start, the better!

In other VERY exciting news, my son will probably make his earthly appearance at some point in the next couple of weeks, and my second full time job is getting stuff ready for that. We just need a bassinet, and to clean up the bedroom a bit more, some paint touch ups, and I'm READY!!!!!
That, and I'm ready to take a few weeks off. Seriously, I haven't actually taken vacation in two years, and that vacation was the first one in 9 years of marriage. Of course, we're not going anywhere, but I'm sure I can find lots of (garden) stuff to do. My plan is to tow the little tyke around with me in a carrier, get him used to the dirt and sun-shine. My kids are gonna be tough! My daughter has already shot a rifle three times, and she's just six.

As far as planting the big orchard....well, we'll see if I can spare that money. I really need to destroy some debt, and refill my propane tank, so we'll see. For sure I'll be putting up the wind turbine again (it's been windy every day here), and a fence would be terrific! I might have to make do with a couple rolls of snow fence tacked to some fence posts, and add some real boards when money allows. I don't care at this point, I know that things are going to be fine. We made it almost two years out here now, and we're all quite hardened to the scrimping. Raising a bit of our own food will help a bit, and raising our own energy will help a lot, probably to the tune of $300/month. Propane costs a lot, even with the 25% rebate.

Lastly, our good friends, who looked after our house for a bit this winter, and lived out here in a big trailer for a few months, have decided to put the farm thing on hold for a year, save some money, and get a real plan together. I will confess, it is a good idea. No reason to rush anything, but I know from experience, that they need to start formulating a plan RIGHT NOW! Time flies when you're having fun...

I wanted to end by giving some random bits of wisdom for anyone who wants to try what we're doing.

1. -30 C/F means water freezes solid till spring. Bury your water tanks, and insulate your sewer pipes.
2. When that contractor said "I think it should cost around $xx.xx", add 50% to that, and double the timeline.
3. Loving your neighbor is not a suggestion. It is a commandment for a GOOD reason!
4. No matter what, if the wife isn't happy, neither are you!
5. Children don't need toys, they need your time. Every good memory with family only makes for a stronger, more resilient teenager/adult.
6. Don't be smug because you are more independent and enlightened than the average city joe. God gives, and he can take it away too. Remember Job.
7. Six packets of the same seed is really too many.
8. A garden market/orchard/ranch will NOT turn a profit until the fourth year, IF you plan properly.
9. Don't till your garden. Throw down as much mulch as you can, and plant on top of that. Prairie soil is like cement to dig and till.
10. Plant trees around your house the first year.
11. Spend at least 3-5 hours each week learning. Read, listen, ask, and dig into information. It will save you in the end.
12. Conventional wisdom can often be thrown away if you look at how the real world works!
13. Change your tires when they need it. Waiting for that bald tire to explode on the highway can leave you stranded.
14. Recycle everything that can be used again. Avoid plastic.
15. Savor every moment. Don't be rushing around trying to "get stuff done", just enjoy the process of getting there!
16. Your pension will be worthless by the time you get it. Save real wealth, and hand it down to your children and grandchildren.
17. All wealth comes from the ground, and the sun. Paper is not wealth.
18. Never tell me "I don't think that will work!" unless you want to watch me kill myself proving you wrong.
19. 1% of ideas are totally impossible. 95% of ideas don't work the first way you try them. 75% of people give up after the first try.
20. It's not how much money you make, it's what's left over after the bills are paid that counts.

Most of these I learned through the wonderful process of getting it WRONG the first/second/third time. Hopefully someone learns something from reading this blog post.

Springtime here?

So, I just noticed today that I have ONE follower for this blog! I suppose that means I should start promoting it a bit better, but I haven't got much time for it.
Whoever you are, thanks, hopefully I'll have more followers in time.

Really, really good news a few days ago. I was stressing about the mortgage, and how we're two months behind, and after a few phone calls to Canada Revenue, I (erroneously) concluded that they had lost my tax return. I called my mortgage girl, who is an awesome person by the way, and told them the stark truth.
She casually suggested that I defer my payments for some time...and I responded with "What, how does that work??"
Farm credit, being a government agency, apparently is not as bloodthirsty as most banking institutions. They can suspend your account for up to 12 months (adding the interest onto the balance) and you can pick up a year later where you left off. For me, that will mean that I can blast my way through about $15 grand of unsecured, high interest credit card debt, put up some solar panels, landscape a bit, build some fences, and plant Phase 1 of my orchard!
Why didn't I know about this sooner???
Plus, it turns out the Canada Robbery Agency did get my tax return, and they're putting it through right now! Cool.

After many notebook pages of drawings, here is what I'm going to attempt for the next couple of years.
2010 - I want to earn about $2000 this year, through whatever means possible. I don't think it's an overly lofty goal, I just want to show a bit of revenue. That will probably mean annual veg like peas, beans, cukes, and whatever melons I can produce, plus maybe a few berries or jam from the 50 or so 3 year old Saskatoon plants that I plan to purchase. Getting a basic website setup would be nice too, but that might wait for winter. Oh, and planting a whole mess of trees, some free, and some cherry/apples that I've been fancying. I also need to do a BIG water project and build a pond. It turns out we have an excellent low spot that is now full of water, and just needs some digging/forming and pipe laying to the house.

2011 - Planting more trees, and lots more Saskatoons (like 500). Getting some cattle might be a project for this year, if money permits. I hope to make about 7-10k this year, but it's not extremely vital. All the money I make will be reinvested in infrastructure and debt.

2012 - Probably the first year I might actually have a profit, but that's stretching it. Some of the Saskatoons planted in 2010 will be in full production, and some of the fruit trees will start producing this year. Income should be about $20 grand, hopefully the cattle thing will work out well.

2013 - Things should be really cooking by this year, with a 70% producing orchard/U-pick and all of my major projects done, including hopefully a new house. Income of 30-40k this year.

2014 - Orchard will continue to mature, and I will have been at my job for 6 years, making probably 90,000/year. All of my overtime and banked time will be devoted to the summer months. I will be hiring various church people to work in the orchard from time to time, providing a benefit for them, and taking less of my time as well. This will be the tipping point, where the business could become profitable enough to support me if I needed it to.

2015 and beyond - At some point, the debt we've incurred will be paid, and our expenses will be very low, thanks to renewable energy, our food production, and hopefully a large fuelwood forest. My major tasks will be planting a large enough garden to keep my family in food (I'm not going to be selling too many veggies) and streamlining my orchard and cattle/livestock production. Also in here you can insert my personal passion for teaching, where I start doing tours of our land for others, and teaching them to be self-sufficient.

Will these things work out? Probably not exactly the way I've listed them here, but these are general guidelines, and they say that writing your goals down is pretty important to achieving them. We've already come so far, learned so much so quickly, and yet there is much more to come!

Here are some photos of the land and my garden stuff.

A mountain of fertility - Llama manure! Unfortunately, the llamas are no longer present. 7 were taken away, and I had to shoot the one left behind after she jumped the fence and started roaming the countryside. Llama manure can be added to the garden right away, and does not need to be composted like cattle manure. I have about 2-3 yards of it, more than enough for this year.

A seasonal creek that cuts across our property. My plan is to put some trees along here, willows and poplars to soak up some of the water, and produce some wind shelter, and improve the scenery.
A picture from work. The van and the flashing lights should give you an idea of what I do for a job.

PostScript - My wife is at 37 weeks as of tomorrow. That means we could have a new baby ANY TIME NOW!!!!!