EEC Forest Stewardship

Winter is offering a final reminder of her cold nature as we head into the final weeks before Spring. The past few days, we’ve remained locked in below freezing temperatures. Water buckets were solid before the end of the day and needed constant attention. That’s ok, because both Brownie and Branwen are still holding their kids in; good thing, because today it was snowing and bitter out again. The temperatures are trying to warm up, but we’re continuing to expect snow for a few more days.

On the bright side, the precipitation is greatly needed on the landscape, and up in the mountains, we’ll have great skiing and snow pack! Keeping track of the moisture banking up at elevation tells me what kind of a summer we’re in for. Slow melting water will have time to soak into the ground, hard rain erodes away quickly, and does not soak in to replenish the aquifers, which feed my well. Cold weather also hampers the insect populations, that in turn saves many of our crops from pestilence, but might also be hurting beneficial insects like bees and lady bugs, along with ally predator insects like lacewings and wasps.

In the gardens, our cloche and cold frames vigilantly guard the overwintered greens like radishes and spinach. Other cold hardy edibles, including kale, will continue year-round production. It’s taken little effort this year for salad through the seasons. Other seeds sewn a few weeks ago during the warm period will have a shock if starting the germination process. Until the ground warms up, those seeds are sleeping just below the frost line. Mulch will help to keep them safe till the end of April.

More young native plants are moving into the kitchen garden this year. There will be vegetable production happening there too; including garlic, which was planted in a few months ago. This bed might just evolve into a nursery for young perennials. I will certainly want to propagate many established verities on the land already. The tree nursery is getting full, and my front garden does host more than enough space for my personal food production needs. When the raised beds are completed, they will host additional food growing space as the farm continues to expand to meet the needs of our community.

With the weather outside a little frightful, we’re taking time to plan for the warm up planting rush. I’ve enjoyed pouring through the permaculture and woodland living materials in the home library and online. I’ve been meeting face to face with principal networks who will be directing certain projects on the land later this summer, including some forestry which will require experience with a chainsaw I do not have. (aka massive  trees being harvested to prevent damage to outbuildings, along with the thinning of overcrowded groves on the farm. More to come on that front in July!

Right now there are lots of baby animals incubating away into March. By then, we’ll be ready for the day and night tending of chicks and kids. Hopefully the weather will allow for more red alder thinning and some log inoculation to boost our crop of edible mushrooms. The stream buffer fence build has slowed, though I hope to have that project completed by the end of March for sure. As soon as the ground thaws, we’ll be back to post setting and fence erecting.

 

Leafhopper Farm does not use a tractor, but sometimes, machines make light work. This truck brought several loads of biomass (brush and tree limbs) to the farm, staging them for a summer project in which we will place this organic material in our forest stands to cover eroded forest floor and encourage the renewal of topsoil and biodiversity.

It is always amazing to me that people need to get rid of biomass, and regularly send it to the dump or some other kind of land fill. It is also amazing to me that people chip large matter into smaller matter using a large amount of fuel and time to do something nature is quite good at on her own terms. But we like instant gratification, and the power over the natural world. Heck, I dug water features and plant all kinds of non-native species around the farm without hesitation. Humans love to manage nature.

This large mulch will fill in where the forests have fallen behind due to overgrazing. Without top soil, under-story vegetation cannot get a good foot hold. We’ll manipulate the environment by placing a concentration of biomass in the woods to act as a platform for mycelium. As the biomass breaks down, we’ll plant in under-story shrubs like mock orange and twin berry. We’ll introduce different strains of mycelium to encourage the mushroom decomposes of wood. In time, this brush will become black gold.

Moving all this material takes time, and machines, and people who operate those machines efficiently. We’re staging materials with one truck, hauling from location to drop point at the edge of my land where my neighbor is cool with me storing organic materials. Later this summer, we’ll have other trucks come to pick up the brush, moving it down to the forest on my land when the ground is solid for machines. We’ll also a few of the stands, milling the wood and piling branches on contour along the slope. Then we’ll bring in this stages biomass to fill in under the remaining trees in each stand.

The truck helps us gather measurable vegetation for a very large scale mulching extravaganza. I cannot imagine how many wheelbarrow loads and pickup truck runs it would take me to move something like this. Understanding scale is very important as you plan projects. Sometimes you’ll have trouble fully grasping what kind of scale you’re working with until a project begins in earnest.

I’ve been calculating how much clay it would take to seal our pond, and discovered it would take over 200 tons of material. That’s a lot of truck loads, not to mention the machines it would take to properly spread and pack down the clay around the pond. We’re going to try more spot sealing this summer, with only a few truckloads of clay and minimal machine work. I’m sensitive to when and where large machines come into the landscape, and thankful they are available to help shift our limitations, allowing fast setting of habitat for future restoration here at Leafhopper Farm.

The cats are alert and playful at Leafhopper Farm. They’ve been cleaning up our vermin issues and establishing a strong territory to prevent future infestations. These furry friends are such a pleasure, bringing a whimsical style to the farm and socializing like butterflies with the entire community. Though they are cute, these cats are predator extraordinaire, and our resident bird populations are learning that the gardens and ground are not always safe to hang out in. Even the rabbits are learning to stay back, as Muir caught his first bunny a few weeks ago. Lucia specializes in voles.

The birds are not often caught now, as they have learned that the cats are here to stay. Lucia did catch an alligator lizard earlier this month during the warm spell, but I took it away and let her know that was not an appropriate snack. I do the same with birds, though they have not had many (only 3 that I’ve found the feathers of). As things warm up, their prey list will expand, but I hope that through diligent training, the cats will get the message on what to hunt and what to leave alone. It is possible to train a cat.

Though at this moment, Leafhopper Farm is veiled in frost, the awakening of the landscape to changing season cannot be lost. Grass is creeping slowly, turning the very ground into a rich carpet of supple snack-packs. Our goat herd lazily wanders across it, taking advantage of the fresh pasture growth, new energy for new life growing slowly in the bellies of our fat, happy does. As a comparison below, the twins stand together grazing. Bran stands in the background looking lanky like a teenage boy. Branwen stretches her neck out to that furthest blade of grass while her stomach bulges with the signs of her first freshening. Yes, it’s called “freshening”, when a young goat is bread for the first time.

Brownie is carrying her 4th round of kids in her five years at Leafhopper Farm. She was given a break last year, something I wish more breeders would do for their animals, and is now carrying a very heavy udder, along with what will hopefully be twins. For Brawnwen, her first kidding will most likely be a single drop. When an animal is giving birth, it is sometimes called dropping, as the baby animal drops from its mother’s womb into the world. It’s a very messy site, and full of dramatic pauses for those interested in observing. I try not to stare at the girls, as it’s stressful enough already. Brownie is very good at kidding, and I hope she passes the confidence on to her daughter Branwen. We’ll know soon enough! Both does are due to kid by the end of this month.

I know I’ve made a YouTube video about how goats are not grazers, but they will eat grass, and especially the rich spring growth. The grass must be supplemented by other fodder, as goats are browsers. That’s what makes the hedgerow cultivation on the farm so exciting! Hedges will bring a wall of eating! I wish more people would think about the use of vertical growing space for livestock. In Europe (where land is VERY limited) people have used vegetation in so many diverse ways. You would never see a wire fence in a pasture, only rock walls and hedges of edible space holding the animals in while feeding them. No barbed wire fence can offer anything close! Hedges are a lineage that reminds us of old world knowledge really being smart technology when fully understood and implemented. You must implement your ideas to fully recognize and understand them. Everything works out on paper, and looks neat, but on the ground, things are very different.

The ground at Leafhopper Farm is sprouting out new growth, and in the herb circle, the hazel planted last spring is now showing off it’s second year growth with small green buds and outrageous golden catkins. Hazel are some of the first shrubs to jump-start reproduction in the leafy world of hedges. Since they are such early budders, I wanted to use them as a foundation in this hedge. I just planted in young big leaf maples to join the deciduous theme. It’s often a challenge to create a hedge with both evergreen and deciduous plants; eventually, one will overtake the other. Usually, the evergreen wins and dominates with a tree structure. That’s not what’s best for hedging, so select well when setting your hedge.

I’ve shamelessly mixed some of my hedges with evergreens, wanting to see if I can shape pines and firs like I can the coppiced maple and hazel, but the evergreens will not coppice, hence hazel being a highly favored hedge material instead. This young hedge is just taking root, and I’ll add more to the wall as it establishes.

Watching all the young growth on these plants shooting up invigorates my spirit! Winter has been long, but not that cold this year. Still, the dark days are slowly giving way to light in her great return to summer zenith, another year of planting to begin. With a heavy frost glazing the land today as I write, I take heart in knowing we’ll soon be celebrating the equinox, and ushering the warm seasons back with growing life and thriving song.

Down by Weiss Creek, an oso berry has been coming into bloom. Out ecosystem is generous, often showing off flowers in February. That is the earliest I’ve seen Indian Plumb blooming out, and I’m sure the cold snap has taken its toll on the eager new plants rushing the season. Many of my lovely new bulbs are out in full, even through the frosts. It is a pleasure to receive these early spring gifts, knowing there is so much to come as the days warm up and lengthen. This year the herbs really rallied through winter, and we’ve enjoyed kitchen sage and oregano all winter long. We’ve also kept up with greens again this year, enjoying mustard, kale, and chard through even the shortest days of the year. Plants are truly incredible! It’s humbling to see them returning to full glory each summer, only to turn back into shrunken stalks or wither to nothing on the surface, while just under the soil, root stirs on till another spring signals the upward push, back into the light of another season. Gratitude for these spring gifts, and the growth cycle for us all.

 

The black cockerels are revving up for Spring, and we’ve got eggs in incubation. The incubator can’t handle the weight of a full 24 eggs, but at 18, we’re in business! Our laying flock of hens is at about 40 birds, and that’s more than enough to full-fill demand for eggs in our small community of consumers.  This summer we’ll be at our largest production level ever, and I’m not sure, but with the egg co-op getting off the ground for sure this year (the egg washing equipment is online!), Leafhopper Farm might have enough eggs to sell a case!

Because these ladies are “pastured” (out all day on the landscape in a free-range electric mesh setup), they already have a “higher value” in the egg market. On top of that, we feed our hens USDA organic Scratch and Peck feed. That’s a second “higher value” tier, which our farm is proud of. The grain is our preferred brand not only for it’s organic certification, but also because it’s a loose grain. Meaning, there is no cooked pellet in the mix. Pellet grain is always cheaper, but at a cost, since it’s cooked, the grain has lost much of it’s nutrition. It’s also a glob of uniform feed, preventing the bird from selecting what she needs for her body at a given time. The Scratch and Peck grain has loose minerals, at least two different grains, legumes, and other seeds. Hens pick what they want from that spread and receive a balanced diet with pasture supplement.

The flock is starting to turn black, which makes sense with the rooster genes being all Ayam Cemani. We’ve now got three pure bred hens, along with a new young roo who will be kept for future breeding (he has yet to be named). This gives us 3 breeding roosters. It’s a great investment for the long term viability of this flock and I’m excited to see what the next generation will bring. I have noted that crossing Cemanis with Road Island Reds is not a good combination. It seems to favor the less desirable characteristics of both breeds, including smaller body and slightly exaggerated beak length. This is something to take note of, and will remove RIR from our flock.

The merans are laying now, pullet eggs are small, but yummy. I mix them in with the regular eggs, as my clients love having a few small egg servings, especially for breakfast. The larger eggs are favored for baking. Meran eggs are dark, almost chocolate, and will be when they are fully mature. In the picture above, you can see two wheaten merans and a copper too. We will not be buying new birds this year (I hope!), and our last chicks were all Cemani dominant, so black is taking over.

On another note: Leafhopper purchased some Barnevelder hens last summer, because the breed is rarer, Dutch, and I loved the look of the hen, so I wanted to mix in those genetics to the flock. I bought the chicks at Monroe Coop, and do not know who the breeder was. This is sloppy work on my end, as I am ultimately responsible for the ignorance of this issue. To make a long story short, the hens came from a bad breeder. I know this because two hens recently showed up with health issues attached to bad genetics. One hen was stunted, and having trouble with mobility, she had a sister with the same issues, and they both had elongated beaks with poor comb development. It was bad, and I culled both hens to avoid genetic contamination. The other 4 Barnevelders are great, looking healthy, and beginning to lay. However, the bad genetics could still be lurking in their genes, and it could continue to damage flock health in future.

In buying chicks from a breeder, make sure the person selling you animals is credible. This goes for buying and animals, from livestock to pets. Because of poor breeding practices, sick animals keep showing up and the contamination to healthy genetics holds back the breed. This can be catastrophic, especially when working with rare breeds, like the Barnevelders. This was a lesson in risky buying, something I won’t do again! Always take note of where your animals come from, and know the breed well. This helps you select the best breeder to buy from, investing in clean, healthy genetics for your future, and the future of the breeds.

Today we had some gusty weather, the signaling of a rough cold front moving through the area over the next few days. Being in the forest was unnerving, especially when the sound of cracking was heard. Keep in mind, most of the trees I filmed today are at least 60′ tall. Many of these gusts were clocked at over 40mph, more than enough force to send trees toppling over.

I watched this red cedar fall on the neighbors property. The tree fell so slowly, as though laying down for a nap. I don’t think it will be getting up again. When the winds come through like this, it really is hazardous to hang out in the woods. Sudden gusts, like the one filmed above, can send tops of large trees crashing down. Many of our larger evergreen trees shed branches in the wind. Some of these branches are sizable, and capable of impaling through the roof of your house, or car.

Luckily nothing serious fell at Leafhopper Farm today, but there were a lot of cracking noises in the forest, and another windstorm could easily finish felling what was started today. I’ll be keeping an eye on the trees as we plunge into freezing temperatures down to the teens with a chance of snow. Let’s hope there’s not another winds storm soon!

We’re already planting Spring crops at Leafhopper Farm. From radishes to Brussels sprouts, these little seeds were sewn under the cloche for protection against future frosts. I’m also shrinking the garden size by moving the lower fence back a few feet. This is to harvest any nutrient dense soil which has eroded down hill over the past few years. In setting back the fence and stirring up so much dirt, I might as well plant something, so I did; lots of hedge plants!

There are now roses, a shore pine, and kale dug in on the outside of the fence line. Hopefully, as these plants take, they will build a wall of green to keep any plant predators (like goats and deer) from getting into the garden. The new hedge will also bring native plants into the mix, encouraging better pollination and greater diversity in and around the garden.

New path stones have been set in the main walking trail through the garden. After slipping down a muddy hill for a few years, it was time to put in some good footing. The stones are loosely set in the soil and can be moved around as needed, because the garden is a fluid place where dirt moves often, and there are no set beds. Note all the spinach coming up in the lower photo (bottom frame).

To move the fence back, a lot of rich soil was moved up into the upper garden and piled, then covered with cardboard so the heavy Spring rain does not leech out all the great nutrients in that soil. Other soil was piled below the cloche for a new row, where the cloche will move next. It’s good to move things around in the garden from time to time; both to deter infestation, but also to rest some soil, giving it time to renew and refresh for better growing. You can also have bacteria in you soil that might be combative with certain crops. I know we have a leaf mold which usually attacks our squash plants in late summer. That mold is in the soil, and will get on the squash anyway. You can spend a lot of time worrying about it, or just plant enough squash to get the fruit you need and allow for some spoilage too.

This year, there are a lot more crop plants volunteering from the soil. It warmed up quick here, and though the rains are sill very persistent, the weather has been staying above 40, even at night, and that’s signaling the seeds to germinate. It’s part of what motivated the first planting so “early” this year. I will also not be using grow lights to jump start the season. Last year, I did this with great enthusiasm, and ended up with only a few plants from the inside early start under lights to make it to maturity in the garden. Perhaps I should keep them inside longer, but I’ll use the cloche instead this year and see if it makes a difference.

I also did a little maintenance on the drainage in the garden too. A down spout from the roof catchment in the picture above used to spill out onto the driveway below. Now, with a little drain rock and some digging, I’m redirecting the flow into the new hedge bank below the garden. This new direction of flow invited the water to nurture plants we eat, rather than the lawn. It’s another experiment, and time will tell weather or not this shift in flow will work.

With all this warm weather, it’s tempting to put in the whole garden now, as a jump start on the season. But knowing Washington weather, we’re still in for some freezing temperatures before the end of April, and I don’t want to have to plant twice. There are cold hardy species which can go out now, but check a planting calendar for your area before putting in seeds.

We’ll also try more starts in the greenhouse, though keeping things watered is a challenge and I’m not putting irrigation drip in yet… or am I? 😉

As a Blue Blood Super Moon rises over Leafhopper Farm, a stirring resonates across shadowed landscape; life is stirring all around. Seeds, who slept through winter (it’s usually short here), have begun awakening to lengthening days and warmer nights.

February:

-Finish stream buffer fence

-Inoculate logs

-Kidding (Brownie and Branwin)

-1st garden planting

-Select eggs for incubation

March:

-Acquire lambs

-2nd garden planting

-Native plant instillation

-Finish raised beds

-Chicks

April:

-Incubate duck eggs

-Establish WOOFers

-Tree isalnds

-Harvest spring greens/flowers

-Gardens, gardens, gardens

-Pigs?

May:

-Build duck and hen houses

-Set up pig rotations (tilling swales)

-4th planting of garden

-Continue spring harvest

June:

-Focused garden harvest

-Preservation of fresh food

-5th planting garden

July:

-6th planting gardens

-Harvest garlic

-Continue food preservation

-Fish for trout

August:

-Water gardens

-Harvest early apples

-Monitor animal systems

September:

-Earthworks Project

-Fall garden prep

-Harvest fruit

-Canning

October:

-Butchering

-CREP site prep

-Mushroom Spring

-Hunting Season

November:

-Final garden harvests

-Woodland maintenance

-Cover-crops down

December:

-Mulching projects

-Tree island replanting

-Log inoculation

 

Leafhopper Farm is now a Washington State Forest Stewardship property! Liz Crain completed the six week class through Washington State University on October 31, 2017. The farm now has a documented forestry plan, meaning there is a written record of tasks and plans for the wooded and soon to be wooded areas of the farm. Because of the some what unique circumstances of Leafhopper Farm, including its permaculture design which bridges agriculture and forestry. The plan has many new features of forestry planning (such as mushroom cultivation) written in. There is also a lot of food forest talk, meaning nut trees mixed in with native under-story trees like vine maple which makes good tool wood (handles for shovels and chisels).

The Forest Stewardship Plan meshes well with the King Conservation District Farm Plan. Both are guided by county regulation, and encourage land owners to play an active part in maintaining the land for the betterment of future generations. These concepts are not unique to Washington, and I would encourage everyone with land reading this to take a look at what kind fo stewardship planning your county offers. It’s a great way to learn more about your property, take action in maintaining health on your land, and enjoying the financial discounts that proactively engaging with your land can bring. In King County Washington, you do not have to have a lot of acreage to receive great financial incentives. So, even you postage stamp nesters or even multi-unit homes can steward the property with intention.

At Leafhopper Farm, we strive to better the landscape through holistic stewardship. We do not use chemicals to enhance the soil, or feed our animals anything other than USDA certified grains from a local mill. Weiss Creek is getting a generous stream buffer, which will be fenced in this winter. The materials bought to build a goof fence are partially paid for by KDC in a cost share program. They will also pay Liz $20/hr for her work putting up the fence. It’s a win win for all, with the county getting a commitment from the land owner to protect the salmon bearing stream, while offering cash to pay for the fencing and labor, giving Liz a wage for her work! It will also ensure the long lasting protection of sensitive riparian areas of the land, enriching the salmon populations of Washington, and maybe even, the greater West Coast.

For Liz, receiving the coveted Forest Stewardship sign is a landmark event she’s dreamed up since first becoming a land owner. It will be the first of many plaques she plans to work towards in her quest for conservation and biodiversity at Leafhopper Farm. Next on the docket for property improvement is a Public Benefits Rating System application (PBRS). This system adds up all the value added assets of your property, a salmon bearing stream for instance. Each asset has a point attached to it, and the more you have, the better your rating for public benefit. What do the points get you? Well, up to a 90% property tax reduction, which Leafhopper Farm does have the potential of earning. What’s the catch? You have to remain enrolled and participating for a full 10 years or you have to pay back the taxes, plus a 20% penalty. This sounds harsh, but it prevents people from making false commitments to the land.

Stewardship of place is about recognizing that the land is going to outlive you. Trees take several generations to reach maturity, rivers and lakes, streams and oceans will be flowing long after our blip in this living timeline. Holding the land in trust is an honor, and land ownership, though controversial for some, means responsibility and caring to me. My actions today will dictate the shape of things to come. There are also so many factors out of my hands, most of them acts of nature I cannot, and shall not attempt to dictate. May this wisdom carry on to future generations, along with the health and happiness already flowing freely from the landscape.

 

Leafhopper Farm has been growing for 5 full years now; on July 31st, we begun our sixth. It has been a wonderful unfolding of tended soil, grazing animals, and a budding community. Above is one season of growth in the Asparagus bed. I wrote about the lone stalk earlier this Spring, and now there are three additional friends joining to create a green party. We might get to harvest some in 2018. For now, the plants are encouraged to grow and seed as they wish, encouraging larger roots for greater production next year.

The growth of the farm’s Asparagus is a great metaphor for the farm its self; start small, grow slow, and keep adding every year. Highlights from this year’s growth include more goats (including a new buck), double our chicken hatching with help from the incubator, a farm manager, wildflower pollination stations, kittens, an outdoor kitchen, more community garden space, native plant instillation, raspberry patch, and much more!

The Cascadia Hops Humulus lupulus are looking great. I’ll have the largest harvest ever at Leafhopper Farm this fall. Young hop buds are full of sticky yellow resin located in the Lupulin glands, and the scent of its essential oil is overpowering. Hops are part of the Cannabaceae family, and are very medicinal in nature, like their other relatives. The past two years of harvest have produced great beer attempts. This year, they will also be dried and stored for use in future batches of bitter drink. The roots will then be relocated into their own space away from the front garden to allow them plenty of place to expand.

That expansion is felt at the farm this year, both in living space, garden space, and dreaming space; for the future of this land and the community enjoying it. We’ll host classes, students, teachers, farmers, activists, inventors, horticulturists, writers, WWOOFers, service men and women, children, feminists, mothers, fathers, grandparents, elders, story tellers, and guests still unknown. Weiss Creek is singing her song through our drought and the pond still hosts fish.

So much gratitude to all the people who use this place, from the two legged to the four legged, creeping ones, and the winged ones; all are here to grow with us, all will add to the web of life. Thanks for the chance to build this dream, together with so many others who support and share such positive energy. The land is ready to be asked for its blessings of abundance. Though stewardship, the earth gives endlessly to all who work with her in splendid harmony.

Parting Shot:

Muir caught a mouse this week, and reveled in his skill as a hunter. This is the original instructions for domesticated felines. He will be an invaluable support to the future growth of Leafhopper by keeping the rodents at bay.  Though his work, we have eliminated all toxic baits from the land to protect owls and raptors who also help to hunt  prolific vermin. The cats are new working animals we’ve teamed up with this year, and comforting when engaged in furry, purring cuddles.