Hi from lower Alabama

msgoldielocks · July 26, 2014, 10:32:16 PM

Hello. I have an interesting story and I'm introducing myself before starting another thread with my questions. My husband and I have started a small farm and family over the past 4.5 years. We have a flock of 20 or so buff orpington chickens, 8 (plus some currently hatching) Bourbon Red Turkeys, 4 Nigerian Dwarf Goats, 3 rescue dogs, an adopted cat, and last but not least 2 daughters, 2.5 years old and almost 11 months.

We are working on self-sustainability, and have been organic gardening for 4 years, starting with a small 120 sq ft garden to now a 13,000 sq ft garden, plus about 5 raised beds, we do rotational cover crops that double as forage for goats/chickens. This is our first year that we've had enough crop to "put up" vegetables, so I had my mom come stay with us for a couple of weeks to show me the ropes in canning.

With all that, we have been talking about bees, of course. I have been saying for the past 3 years that bees are in our "5 year plan." I've said it a LOT. We have a year round herb garden, and this year planted a variety of herbs and flowering plants for the bees all over our property. I would love more than anything to go to our local beekeepers association meetings, the problem is, they are in another town and at the kiddos bedtime. It is generally not ok for mommy to be gone when it is time for the girls to go to bed, I also have to milk the goats at a certain time in the evenings so I'm locked in. Hubby has recently, because of current developments volunteered to start going to these meetings.

Aaaaaand.....the bees love us. They love our flowers and our blooming gardens, and our house. Yes, our house. One day we found a honey bee in the kitchen. No big deal, catch and release out the window. After about 20 or so, we start serious investigation and found that they were coming in by a kitchen window that had been replaced with a stained glass window. A few hours later, a SWARM moves in. Pictures to follow.

And for the rest of the story I will start another thread.

Intheswamp · July 27, 2014, 01:38:51 AM

Welcome to the forum, MGL, from another south Alabamian. It sounds to me like you're living the "American dream", good for ya'll!!! :)

Ed

tefer2 · July 27, 2014, 10:29:15 AM

Welcome to the forum Goldielocks. Nothing better than free bees!

msgoldielocks · July 27, 2014, 12:11:47 PM

Thanks y'all. I was too distracted last night to finish up. I'm in need of experienced advice on moving them.

msgoldielocks · July 27, 2014, 06:56:12 PM

I can't post links yet. But my next post is "moving feral colony to new hive on same property, how to and help"

LaurieBee · July 28, 2014, 02:16:46 AM

Hello msgoldielocks and welcome. I love your plan of being self sustaining. I would like to go in that direction but not sure my man would go for it. I'm introducing the ideas slowly. Best if luck to you.

GSF · July 30, 2014, 09:14:28 PM

MSG;

Welcome to the forum as well. I'm about half way up the state from you, 14.5 miles south of Clanton/Peach Park. There's a gardening forum and a farming/country life forum on this website as well. Very good reading.

Ditto on the self sustainability. It's gonna git mighty ugly before it gets any better I'm afraid.

msgoldielocks · August 02, 2014, 08:04:20 PM

It's so funny the different perspectives. I think it is the American dream, and feel like we're not doing enough and our friends who live completely different lifestyles think we are "extreme."

We aren't about conveniences,that's for sure. I cloth diaper my babies, grind my own grain, and cook 2-3 meals a day on top of all the other farm stuff. Some of my husband's friends laugh at us and tell us they used to live this way because they had to, not by choice.