How to Plant and Harvest Chives

Everyone loves herbs because it gives your food some zest and flavor.  And the one herb that a majority of people love (especially if you love baked potatoes) is chives.  Chives, if properly taken care of, can last for years. They can get as tall as 20 inches and every spring they will bloom a lavender color flower.  If you allow the flower to blossom fully, it is packed with seeds and can spread around your garden and then you will have chives growing everywhere.  You can even grow chives indoors.  And every 3 to 4 years, it is recommended that you split the chive plant up due to it will bunch together.

Chives should be planted in the spring and in soil that has the pH of 6.0 to 7.0.  In addition, they should be planted in full sun and in soil that drains very well.  If you are transplanting a chive plant, it is suggested that you wait 30 days until you start pruning the stems.  If you have started a chive plant from seeds, it is suggested that you wait 60 days until you start pruning.  When pruning the stalks, you can snip to about 2 inches from the soil.  In fact, you can harvest chives every month.  However, it is recommended to prune the plant only 4 times in its first year.  And if you get the lavender blooms you can even eat those.

When chives start to yellow go ahead and prune that stalk and use it due to it is starting to lose its nutrients.  If the stalk is completely yellow, go ahead and prune it and you can either add it to a compost pile or to the trash. Chives retained their nutrients when they are fresh but lose a good percentage of their nutrients when they are dried and stored.  And another tip for when you harvest chives is that you can freeze them as well.

Perennial Gardening

So it is the spring and this is the time when farmers and hobbyist alike go out and start planting their vegetables and fruits.  Most of the time you will see some of your bigger box stores, like Home Depot and Lowes, start some great deals on vegetables.  And most of the time you will see people with peppers, tomatoes, and other annual plants in their buggies.  However, have you thought about the sustainability of a perennial garden.

You might be asking what is a perennial garden, or what is an annual?  So basically a perennial garden is a garden that will come back year after year as long as you take care of the plants.  And an annual is a plant that you have to replant every year.  Some examples of a perennial are strawberries, herbs, and asparagus.  And that's just to name a few.  Other perennials are nut and fruit trees, berry bushes, or grape vines.  In our main garden, we have strawberries, herbs, and grapes.  In our yard we have some nectarine trees and will be expanding our orchard to some other fruit trees.

So your next question is probably, how long do these plants live?  And that is a great question.  Every plant has a different lifespan just like animals.  For instance, a strawberry plant can last up to 5 to 6 years.  So if you bought 4 strawberry plants this year and they are taken care of you wouldn't have to buy anymore strawberries for up to 6 years.  And this helps not only with a fresh fruit but savings in your wallet.  Asparagus plants can live up to 10 years.  So imagine getting fresh asparagus out of your garden every year for 10 years, now that would be awesome.  And to one up that is the grape vines.  Grape vines can last 50 to 100 years.  I know my mind was blown too when I read that.  Now image going to the grocery store and every month you are buying a 2 pound bag of grapes for $7.00, what would it be like if you had a grape vine that was established already.  That would be $84 that you could use on something else, and you would have fresh from the vine grapes.  Now one disclaimer on the grapes is that in most cases it take 3 years for the vine to become established, so for 3 years you will be more in likely buying grapes from the grocery store.

Most of your herbs are perennials, but herbs like basil, dill and sage are annuals.  Some of your herbs will live almost forever as long as you are taking care of them, such as thyme, rosemary, and tarragon.  Oregano can live up to 10 years as long as it is properly taken care of.

In a lot of aspects, a perennial garden can save people money and time.  Also, they will produce for several years.  I hope you have learned more about perennial gardening.  We look forward to correspondence and please feel free to subscribe and follow us.

Update on the Pig Pen Post from 2012

This is the update to our pig pen post from 2012.  The pen lasted 7 years until we took it down to move the layout of the farm around.  Cool think about it is that the area it was in had some of the greenest hay I have seen in a long time start growing there.  We now have our chickens in that area.  Stay tuned to that blog on how to build an affordable chicken coop. And thank you to everyone who has continued to support our blog.  

How to Build a Pig Pen

So today, I am writing to you about how to build a pig pen.  When deciding where to place your pigs, first you need to be able to clear the area where you want to house your pigs.  So once you have cleared your area, then you need to get your supplies together to start constructing the pen.  Here is the list of supplies:

(2) 4'x4'x8' pressure treated posts

(8) 8' landscape timber

(2) 1lb box of deck and patio nails

(16) 5/4x6"x12' pressure treated boards

(8) 5/4x6"x10' pressure treated boards

(3) 4'x8' sheet of plywood

post hole diggers

(2) hinges for a gate

(1) 1x4x8 pressure treated board

Now these supplies cost me $118.  You can buy any of these supplies at any local hardware or home improvement stores.  It is imperative to make sure that all of your boards are straight and not twisted or bowed.  

So now here is the steps that needs to take place to construct your pen.

1. Mark off your 10 ft by 24 ft area.

2. Dig your corner post holes 2 ft deep.

3. Cut the 4x4x8 posts to 4 ft lengths.  There should be 4 posts total.

4. Now put the posts in the holes.

5. Mark off the next holes on the sides by 4 ft increments which should be 5 holes on each side.

6. Cut the landscape timbers to 4 ft lengths.

7. Place the 4 ft timbers into the holes.

8. Now for the end sections, dig holes at 3.5 ft lengths.  (Should be 2 holes)

9. Place 4 ft timbers into the holes.

10. Nail the 12 ft boards to the posts.  This establishes the sides of the pen.

11. On the back side, nail the 10 ft boards to the posts on the end.

This establishes the three sides of the pen.

12. Cut the remaining 10 ft boards to 3.5 ft lengths. (There should be 8 boards at 3.5 ft and 4 boards at 3 ft)

13. Nail the 3.5 ft boards to the corner and middle posts.

14. Cut the 1x4 to two 2 ft lengths.

15. Construct the gate by nailing the 2ft and 3 ft lengths to form a gate.  

16. Take the hinges and screw it onto the 1x4 and one of the middle posts, making it swing inwards.

17. Nail the plywood into the back of the 10 ft section. This helps construct the shelter portion of the pen.

18. Place the 4 ft sections of the landscape timbers 3.5 ft away from the back wall.

19. Nail in the plywood on the top of landscape timbers and on the timbers on the back wall.

20. Cut the last plywood board to 4 ft lengths.

21. Nail the 4 ft sections to the sides of the shelter.

Now the pig pen has been constructed, you can put in at least two pigs into that pen.  Make sure you put in some hay into your shelter to help give warmth.  Pigs like to burrow in their bedding.  Make sure you keep the pig pen clean because they are very clean animals.

Life Back on the Farm

So in 2013, my family left the farm and went back to the suburbs of Savannah, GA.  At that time, we all thought farming was over with.  We decided to combine A and B Farm with our custom furniture line that we have been doing, Moss and Saltwater.  And now here we are 5 years later living at the farm again.  We have been here for over a year and life has definitely threw us some curve balls.  In the past month or so, my wife and I have been talking about becoming more self sufficient and starting the farm back up.  So today I am announcing to everyone who is reading this that we are going to start our micro-farm back up.  In addition to farming, we are still doing our custom furniture builds, which we will be posting items in our products page of this blog.

So what should everyone expect to see.  Well for starters we have two goats and are wanting to expand our herd to at least 10.  The second step is that we are planning on converting a quarter of an acre to growing vegetables and flowers.  And third, what is a farm without chickens, so we have to build a chicken coop and several raised beds and fences.  Stay tuned to what we are doing next and follow our blog.  Have a great day everyone.  

Handy Tools

Handy Tools

So I have been asked about what are some of my favorite tools that I use in the woodshop. My. It also answer is that I love all of my tools equally. Definitely not a Tim the Toolman Taylor answer right? Well this past Christmas, my wife and kids got me some pretty cool items. One of these items is a wristband that is magnetic.  I absolutely love this device.  So this device helps me when I am working on a furniture piece by letting me put all the screws or nails that I need on it.  So I will have everything I need on my wrist instead of having to search for them in a box or having to stop and reach for another item.  You can buy these at Walmart and they are called MagnoGrip Magnetic Wristband.  Definitely worth the money and will save you some time.  Stay safe my friends.  

A New Season

    So in life change is inevitable, something somewhere is going to change and we all have to adapt and over come it, right?  Well with that being said I am excited to announce that A and B Farm has now merged and changed to not only about self sufficiency but home decor with Moss and Saltwater.  Yes we will still post stuff on self-sufficiency, but we are going down a different road as well.

   Right now we are turning wood from trees that have fallen from Hurricane Matthew into amazing products like wine bottle stoppers and bowls.  Also, we have new products that we are now producing. We are making Entryway Tables, Coffee Tables, End Tables, and Custom Indoor Dog Crates.  These are just a few of the furniture pieces that we will be showcasing from use this year.

   I look forward to a great year ahead.  Take care my friends.

Working Together

In the past week and a half, I noticed how a community can come together for the good of everyone there.  I am speaking in reference to the events of Hurricane Matthew.  This storm barreled into Georgia, where the last major hurricane hit in 1898.  The communities in southeast Georgia needless to say were not prepared.  

During a time in our country where it seems that everyone is not working together or after publicity and fame, we needed to see togetherness.  Well the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, communities came together as a whole to help each other out.  Some areas did not see Red Cross relief or aid until seven days after the storm, so neighbors relied on neighbors.  

I remember a time when neighbors would help neighbors without being asked and not wanting compensation.  In my neighborhood I saw that come to pass.  There were days of seeing neighbors working together to cut up trees that had fallen from the winds and water soaked ground.  I saw neighbors sharing water and food.  This made my heart happy to see the togetherness.

When we work together as a whole, amazing things can happen.  It is important for everyone to be able to work together and help each other out.  Remember we are not here on this Earth alone, there are people who would be willing to help, if not give you the shirt off of their own back.  Take care my friends.