As the snow thaws, our winter dog sledding comes to an end for the season. The sleds are getting hung in the shed and gear is getting mended. We are getting feeling back into our fingers and toes and the frost buildup on the base of the yurt has begun to thaw. We are anticipating warmer days and summer activities like planting a new garden, getting a few chickens, and planning road trips, outings and camping trips. We are going to end-of-the-year programs, potting a few flowers and soaking in all the natural vitamin D we can. We are even getting to do homework outside these days.
As I begin to think about a garden, my short-term goals are very small versus my long-term goals. Someday I really would like to grow as much produce as possible that our family eats and I’d love to grow them from heirloom seeds. I’ve had a fascination with heirloom seeds for a few years and I am “drinking the kool-aid” on them. (See links below for reasons to invest in heirloom seeds). But this year we did mostly heirloom seeds from Seed Savers and part organic seeds/plants from Lowes. We planted green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, kale, a variety of lettuces and herbs and lots of beets. We are huge beet fans. So the garden’s in and fingers are crossed.
Few links to Seed info and Homesteading:
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/vegetables/heirloom-vegetable-advantages http://www.seedsavers.org/. https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/self-reliance/food-self-sufficiency-zm0z12onzkon )
Since we have one musher, ten dogs, two cats, three kiddos, and myself to feed we decided that having a few more mouths around would be a good idea. Five new hens made their way to me for Mothers Day. (I was the one who suggested this… what am I becoming?!) Since we are new to chickens , we wanted to get five different types of birds to see what we like. And boy are they fun! Kids are loving holding them and watching them grow. We are learning about dust baths and adding oyster shells to their diet. And we are really looking forward to gathering our own eggs at the end of summer.
As the temp outside rises and school comes to a close, the temperature in the yurt continues to climb and doesn’t show any sign of cooling. It continues to be ten degrees hotter inside the yurt than outside. With temperatures in the high 80’s it makes it very uncomfortable to be inside. I was not prepared for this challenge and I am really struggling with the heat. As we are finding out, the dome acts like a greenhouse and magnifies the sun and heat coming in.
So stay with me… I may need a hand to hold.