July Update
Thankfully the middle month of winter is over, even though there is still quite a way to go until we start to warm up here. We have had many more frosts than usual this year and my fingers are crossed that the garden survives them. Most days, there is very little sunshine so the solar batteries aren’t getting topped up very much, which means that we are using the generator a bit more than usual.
Garden
Most of the garden is dormant for winter, so it looks fairly bare at the moment. As we have a country garden, our garden beds are quite large and weeding is a huge chore. To keep weeding to a minumum, I use my version of the no dig garden method. This entails spreading sheets of newspaper and layers of straw onto the garden beds, leaving a gap around the plants, so that water can get down to their roots. This usually needs topping up about every two years, depending on how thick the newspaper layer is.
This is what I have been mainly doing during July, so that the garden is weed free and ready in spring for further planting. Laying the newspaper and straw is a huge job, but worthwhile as it makes gardening easier in the long term.
Our other big job was to create a new vegetable garden. So far, it’s just been marked out and dug over, ready for soil improvers to be added over the next couple of weeks. By spring this bed will be ready for planting summer vegetables, such as tomatoes, capsicum and zucchinis.
I haven’t been doing any planting at all during July, except for some lettuce for the chooks. The chooks vege garden needs regular plantings to be added to keep up the huge supply and demand from our chooks.
Rainfall
Happily, we’ve had rain during July. However, the dam is still at a very low level
Chooks
As is usual in winter, the chooks haven’t been laying much. However. The one or two eggs a day we’ve been getting have been enough to keep us going. I usually give cartons of eggs to my friends, but that has stopped over the past few weeks. Chooks need a long period of daylight each day to lay eggs. With the days being much shorter in winter, there are always very few eggs. But this will change in the spring, when we will probably be inundated again. We will be adding a couple of chooks to our flock in a couple of weeks.
August is the last month of winter, but September can be quite cold here also. So we have a little more cold weather to suffer through, before the joys of spring arrive
I’ve always dreamed of living in the country and having chickens and a big garden. It must be so peaceful. #MLSTL
We love the lifestyle Kristin. Yes it’s very peaceful. Also very busy at times
Hi, Jennifer – I enjoyed reading your July update. I am not much of a gardener, but I greatly admire those who are.
I know that you have hiked the Camino, have you also hiked any of the Via Francingena? My husband and I are currently planning to hike the Italian Section of this trail and would love some extra advice.
Hi Donna I’ve only done Camino Frances so can’t give you any advice unfortunately. Via Franc is in my bucket list
I really enjoy having little glimpses into your farmsteading life Jennifer. We had chooks for years and there were always more eggs than we needed – except in Winter when their laying dropped right off.
I hope you get a bit more rain for that dam – we’ve been getting bucket loads in the West!
#MLSTL 🙂
The rain has finally arrived Leanne. I’ve been away for almost a week and it rained the entire time. Thanks again for visiting
Hi Jen, thanks for the update and I always love looking at the bush surrounding your property. So much space! Spring is on the way so hopefully that means warmer weather for you. Thanks for being part of the #MLSTL community and sharing with us. Have a great week!
Cannot wait for spring Sue. Really feeling cold since coming home from Qld
Wow! Hat’s off to you, Jennifer! I love the idea of your lifestyle, but I’m not sure I’d last long. I’m wondering if you had experience (with solar etc) before you went off-grid. I hope Spring comes quickly for you!!
We had no experience with solar at all Agnes. Learning as we go. Was a big learning curve at beginning but I think we have it sorted now
It’s great to hear how you’ve spent the winter Jennifer and preparing for the spring. You seem to relish in your off the grid lifestyle! #mlstl
We love it Deb. Thanks again for visiting
I’m in Texas where our summer is brutally hot at the moment, so I loved reading about your winter. If only I could send you some of our stored heat. Brenda #MLSTL
Pleased you enjoyed reading about your winter. Won’t be long and some will be complaining about the heat. Not me. I love the heat
Such an enjoyable read. We live in a somewhat rural area here in the US but I am so NOT a gardener. Thanks for sharing snippets of your life! #MLSTL
I’m not a natural gardener at all Donna. But I love it and that’s all that matters
Jennifer, I like the idea how you live but wouldn’t actually want to do it. lol We had a garden when I was a kid and it was a lot of work and then we canned and froze everything so we had the produce for the winter. Lot of work.
You’re right it is a lot of work. But we do love it.
I lived on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country for 10 years. Now that I’m back, living in the city, there is so much I miss about the country. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. Brenda #MLSTL
I’ve lived in the city for periods during my life but am always drawn back to the country. Thanks for visiting
Enjoyed reading your update! Looks like a lot of work but it would be so nice to live off the grid 🙂
Yes we love our Off The grid lifestyle