Nothing says summer quite like the sunflower! Sunflowers do triple duty providing beauty, attracting butterflies, birds, & bees as well as providing food for you & your livestock. If deer are a problem in your area, you will want to put up fencing. Deer fencing (7.5') works best for large areas. For a tight area where the deer can't really jump over the fence & into the growing area comfortably, shorter (4-5') fencing usually works.

Sunflowers can grow upwards of 14 feet. Give them lots of direct sun (6-8 hours), some wind protection, plenty of room & water to grow. They are extremely tolerant of drought & heat; preferring long, hot summers to flower well.

Sow outside: 4 to 6 weeks after average last frost, or up to 2 months before first fall frost.
Size: 4' - 10'
Hardiness: Annual
Sun: Full
Water: Moderate
Seed Spacing: 6”
Seed Planting Depth: 1"
Row Spacing: 30"
Days to Germination: 6 - 10

Hopi Black Sunflower Seeds

Cilantro is a main ingredient in Indian, Asian & Latin foods. Use a sprig of fresh cilantro in chicken soup or chop it up in Mexican dishes. Add it fresh or dried to meals using coconut milk & lime. Crushed coriander seeds (FYI cilantro seeds are called coriander) are commonly used in pickling spice, curry & chili powders, salads, eggs, pastries & breads.

To dry, cut at the base, lightly tie together & hang to dry in a cool dry location free from sun & bugs. Once dry store in glass jars. You can crush it by hand or add it a food processor (best to remove the stems first). Seeds should be harvested after they begin to turn brown & the outer coat cracks. Cut stem & place in a paper bag to collect the seeds. Rubbing the seeds will cause the outer shell to drop off. Seeds can be used as the spice coriander &/or saved to plant.

Direct Sow: 1 - 2 weeks after last frost.
Indoors: Not recommended.
Size: 12" - 24"
Hardiness: Annual
Sun: Full - Part Shade
Water: Moderate
Seed Spacing: 3 seeds every 6”
Seed Planting Depth: 1/2"
Row Spacing: 8"
Days to Germination: 10 - 15
Thin: When 2” tall, thin to 1 every 6”
Harvest: Foliage can be harvested any time.

I simply cannot resist the spicy scent of clove, lemon, & cinnamon when walking past my holy basil (aka Tulsi). Known as the Queen of Herbs in India, Tulsi is considered to be sacred & is grown outside India's holy sanctuaries. Holy basil is traditionally used in ceremonies, in food, & for tea. When made as a tea Tulsi is said to have many health benefits such as helping the body combat stress . Tulsi tea has a calming effect for overall well being. I like to combine Tulsi with raspberry leaf. The combination makes a refreshing iced tea that is also beneficial to woman's health.

Holy Basil is a pick & come again herb which produces well when heavily picked. Grows best in well drained rich soil. Sensitive to frost. Let your basil go to seed, it will easily self sow or you can save the seed to plant in a new location.

Basil Culture: 70-75°F.
Direct Sow: After all danger of frost, or start indoors 4 weeks before last frost.
Indoors: Spacing: 1/2". Thin: 2” Transplant: 3 - 4 weeks.
Size: 18"
Hardiness: Annual
Sun: Full - Part Shade
Water: Moderate
Seed Spacing: 3 to 4 seeds per 12”
Seed Planting Depth: Lightly cover seed (Approx. 1/4").
Row Spacing: 12"
Days to Germination: 5 - 14
Thin: To one plant when plants have 4 leaves.
Harvest: Approx. 10 weeks after sowing.

Dill is a self sowing annual in the carrot family (Apiaceae). It is a fragrant herb commonly used in pickling. The leaves & seeds may also be used in soups, salads, breads, dips, & fish.  The feathery fronds make a beautiful green filler in floral arrangements.

Planting dill in your garden will help to control aphids because it attracts many beneficial insects to the garden including lacewings & their larvae. Dill also is a source of food for the swallowtail butterfly so be sure to plant extra.

Don’t plant dill near closely related plants like fennel or coriander because they can cross pollinate. Because dill is somewhat tall & leggy with hollow stems, make sure to protect it from high winds.

Dill, like most herbs doesn't require frequent fertilizer. Here at Running Bug Farm we direct sow & never use fertilizer on any of our herbs but we do add compost to our soils to keep our soils healthy.

You can harvest the fresh mature foliage any time & use right away. You can also hang it to dry in a location out of the sun with good ventilation. Once dried the flavor is greatly diminished.

To harvest the seeds, cut the seed heads at the base of the stalk when they have turned brown. Gather & tie in a loose bundle.  To avoid lost seed you can put them in a paper grocery sack & gently shake. The seeds will fall out of the flower heads pods & into the paper bag.  You can also shake the plants over a large bin to collect the seeds rather than using a paper bag.

For dill pickles, a whole flower head & leaves are typically placed in each canning jar. The dill heads should still be green & flexible. The dill flowers should have gone to seed, but the seeds do not need to be fully mature.

Sow outside: 1 - 2 weeks before average last frost.
Days to emerge: 7 - 14
Seed depth: 1/4"
Seed spacing: 2" - 4"
Thin:  12" - 18"
Row spacing: 18" - 24"
Height: 3'
Sun: Full
Leaf Harvest: 30 days
Seed Harvest: 60 days

As my homesteading skills grew, I started to get an itch to learn how to spin my own fibers.  After a few visits to some Etsy shops I ordered two different kits to learn how to spin on a drop spindle. Because we were only a wee hobby farm aka a farmette on close to two acres, we couldn't realistically get sheep so we decided to get an angora rabbit. The goal seemed simple enough. We had no idea what we were in for.

Our search was before social media sites like Facebook. We put up wanted ads on Craigslist. We searched on Google. We went to our local livestock auction. We found a Persian cat on Craigslist & adopted it. Funny how these things happen isn't it? The cat was a matted to the skin mess. We had to carefully cut away all of his fur.  In the meantime, one of our trips to the livestock auction presented us with a Jersey Wooly bunny.  Now we had a tiny fluffy bunny. Not an angora, but closer to my goal than a cat. Like the cat, the Jersey Wooly was matted. It took several days of coming home from work to get him cleaned up. My dad even helped me out one evening! He held the teeny little fluff ball while I gently worked out some of the mats.

I hadn't given up on getting a genuine angora rabbit. However this was proving to be incredibly difficult on Craigslist. We were contacted by someone asking us why we wanted an angora rabbit. We informed them that we wanted it for the wool so we could spin. Next thing we know our post was reported & taken down. We had no idea why this happened & put up a new request. It was reported & taken down yet again. What the heck? We posted yet a third time. When we checked Craigslist that day we saw that someone created a post on Craigslist telling others not to sell us a bunny because we wanted the rabbit for it's wool, that they even had proof. In their mind, we were going to kill any bunny we got our hands on. As you can imagine, we weren't too happy about this. Angora rabbits are not killed for their wool. Killing them for their wool is just plain stupid, never mind the ethical aspect of it. You can think of an angora rabbit as a unique breed of sheep. You sheer sheep for their wool, you don't have to kill them. We couldn't believe we had to defend ourselves on Craigslist. We made a post stating that, "Yes, we wanted an angora rabbit for it's wool.  That you don't kill them for their wool." This nightmare went on for several weeks. This well meaning individual just couldn't grasp that you didn't have to kill, nor did we wish to kill an angora rabbit for it's wool.

There is a good lesson in this. Do not assume you know what others motives are & do not assume you know everything. Hint: owning a bunny for less than a year doesn't make you an expert. Also, try to view the situation from the other persons point of view. We have become much to divided as a people. We have more in common with one another than we seem to realize. A little tolerance on all sides can go a long way & if we are really lucky, create a bit of empathy.

Amazingly, even with all the drama over our request, we finally got a bite from someone in Pennsylvania. This crafty lady lived in a castle. Okay, not really a castle, but a huge house that was built like a castle. Stone everything. It was amazing! Sadly, they had this amazing castle-house but hardly any land to speak of. Even so, this fiber loving lady had two of her very own angora goats tied up to graze in the shade along with a huge two story bunny barn. This barn was complete with it's own gravity fed watering system & a raccoon. You read that right, a raccoon. It lived upstairs with the water barrels. It hissed at us & backed into a corner. So not a friendly raccoon. We inquired about the rabbits safety. She reported that she had no issues with the racoon bothering the bunnies. Amazing. Personally, we would never take such a risk with our bunnies, but it seemed to be working for her. Again, amazing.

She had a big beautiful collection of colorful bunnies. They were German Giant angoras. By the way, this is not a recognized breed. While they do still exist, they are far & few in between. There are now for the most part only Giant angoras. The original breeder is who this lady acquired her stock from. She gave us newbies some tips & we left with three bunnies & a fun assortment of fiber "toys" for our learning enjoyment. A proven (this means she has successfully reared young) red doe, a REW (Ruby Eyed White) junior buck, & a black junior buck or doe. Sorry, but I just don't remember the sex for certain. It was too long ago.

A few weeks after bringing these giant lovelies home, we managed to score a REW English Angora buck at the livestock auction on one trip & two junior English Angora does on another trip. Things were looking up! A few months later, I came across an ad for someone near my place of work who had English Angora kits for sale in rural NJ (yes, there is farmland in New Jersey!). This lady had a beautiful little piece of land where she also raised alpacas. She allowed her English Angora bunnies to live in outdoor pens. It was an amazing setup. Her bunnies were protected from predators, but still able to hop & dig about in the soil & grasses as they pleased. These were some happy bunnies. After meeting the bunnies she had for sale, I asked for the price on the whole litter. Yep, I was firmly struck with bunny fever. 

As time went on, I decided to sell the German Giant angoras. Aside from being huge, they weren't nearly as friendly (or cute) as my English Angora's. There was just something about the English that really spoke to me.

Our next big moment was when we moved to where we are now. Once living here, I bought some Satin angoras. The red, in a red Satin angora is an irresistible sirens song.  Unfortunately, the Satin's produced very little wool & like the German Giants, were not as friendly as the English. Even though I really enjoyed the color they brought to my fiber offerings, I decided I wouldn't keep the Satins. If you are looking for the lowest maintenance angora possible, you can't go wrong with the Satin. Just keep in mind that these were bred for both fiber & meat. They are hardy animals with personalities that are not nearly as docile as the darling English. During this time period I also acquired more Jersey Woolies & Lionheads. 

Jersey Wooly baby bunnies are utterly irresistible. Go to a rabbit show, you'll see. Next thing you know you are coming home with the most adorable little ball of fluff you have ever laid hands or eyes on. However, they, like the other rabbit breeds were not as easy to work with as the English. They are a dwarf rabbit & breeding them required additional knowledge so that you would have a quality animal. I didn't enjoy breeding them like I did the English, so once again I eventually decided not to keep them. If you think you might enjoy the Jersey Wooly, please do your research first if you intend to breed them. The dwarf gene is not something to be taken lightly. If you simply want a pet, then by all means, go for it!

I only had a few Lionheads. I kept them until they left this world for green bunny pastures. They were easy enough to care for, not as relaxed as the English, but fun while I had them.

Over more than a decade of working with fluffy bunnies taught me that I am an English Angora type of person. Now I only breed & raise the English Angora.  These beautiful animals are more work than all of the other angora breeds.  They have wool on every inch of their bodies.  They are sweet & easy to handle.  The journey was long, & I learned a lot along the way. I am still learning to this very day. I expect I will never stop learning. Or as I like to say, the more I learn, the more I realize I know nothing!

I am a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association aka ARBA. I more recently became a member of the National Angora Rabbit Breeders Association aka NARBA. I am always striving to improve my bunnies to the best that they can be.

I cannot imagine a life without them.

If you are lucky enough to get a bathroom at your auction, you probably wont feel so lucky once you step inside! - Homesteading: Adventures In Livestock Auctions

This is part five of our homesteading journey. If you would like to start at the beginning check out Homesteading: It Begins With Health.

Even though we already had several hens we decided we wanted to try raising chicks. Most of our adult birds were older & as a result didn't lay as good as younger birds tend to do. We also had a lot of folks asking us for eggs which was pretty exciting. After looking at all the chicken varieties shown in the Murrary McMurray catalogue, we finally broke down & decided to order a colorful assortment of female chicks. We chose Buff Cochins, Black Australorps, White Rocks, Buff Orpingtons, Silver Laced Wyandottes, Black Jersey Giants, Light Brahmas, Partridge Cochins, Rhode Island Reds, White Cochins, Golden Laced Polish, & Black Cochins.  Murrary McMurray conveniently allowed us to select a delivery date & gave us the option to vaccinate prior to check-out which was perfect. We decided to have the chicks vaccinated for Coccidiosis & Marek's Disease (We no longer have chicks vaccinated when we order them from a hatchery. We feel that if birds are raised in an optimal environment they will be a much healthier animal that doesn't require vaccination to survive what life throws at them.).  We then opted for a date far enough away that we would have time to prepare.

We ordered the book Success With Baby Chicks which proved to be a very smart choice. This book helped us to quickly identify problems & act upon them. We feel that we may have lost some of our chicks if it wasn't for what we learned while reading & referencing to this book.  If you are are looking to order your own chicks for the first time, I strongly recommend you read this book first.

In order to safely house the chicks indoors, we decided to use huge Rubbermaid type storage bins because they don't leak, are lightweight, big, & can be stacked inside of each other when not in use (nested). John custom made tops for them out of lumber, hardware cloth, plexiglass, & hinges. The entire top was removable so we could clean the bin, but he also designed it so that the plexiglass top lifted open thanks to the attached hinges. This design gave us quick easy access to the chicks. It made twice daily chores such as giving them fresh food, cleaning their water founts, as well as checking them for any problems like pasty butt much more convenient. These lids also kept the chicks safe from our many house cats. The cats loved to laze away the day watching their chick TV. If you chose to raise your chicks outdoors, you will need a much more secure method. I will discuss this in a future post as we now raise our chicks outdoors from week two nearly 99% of the time.

Half of the cover was made out of hardware cloth for two reasons, it provided air flow & enabled us to sit the heat lamp directly on the hardware cloth. As the chicks got older we then adjusted the lamp so that it hung from a adjustable chain so we could move the lamp further away from the chicks because their warmth requirements are reduced as they age.  The plexiglass half of the top enabled us to see the chicks as well as providing light & helped to keep the warmth inside the makeshift bin. When we made more bins, we opted to use hardware cloth for the entire lid because it provided even better air flow & we could use two lamps, one a red heat lamp, the other a regular 100-watt bulb. The chicks could then use either bulb for warmth. This method also helped us judge when it was time to remove the heat bulb & rely solely on 100 watt bulbs. If you choose this method, keep in mind that old fashioned 100-watt incandescent bulbs are no longer being manufactured, so stock up while you can.

Sure enough on the estimated delivery day, just like the hatchery said they would, our local post office called in the early AM to let us know they had chicks for us to pick up. We drove to the post office & were handed a cute little box filled with air holes. The chorus of very high pitched cheeps that greeted us was nearly deafening. With big smiles, we thanked the postal worker, then hurriedly headed home with our precious very noisy bundle. Once home we opened the box to see our adorable chicks. It was incredible to think over 25 bird were inside such a tiny space. Thankfully they were all alive. One seemed to be having some trouble, but otherwise all was well.

We ordered a product called Quick Chick (contains organic compliant vitamins & electrolytes to help get the chicks re-hydrated after shipping) & another item called Grow Gel (provides nutrition, hydration, & probiotics) to insure our chicks got off to a good start. We dipped their beaks in both before putting them into their newspaper lined home. Once they were all moving about, peeping, pooping, drinking & eating, we closed up the bin, secured the heat lamp & headed to work for the day. As you might have guessed that was a very long work day!  After all, who the heck wants to be in a concrete building when they have live chicks running about at home?

Every morning before work we quickly gave a visual check of the chicks while we refilled their feeders & chick founts. One of the things that never ceases to amaze us is just how fast chicks grow! The bin John made for them was more than adequate for the first week or so, but after that we discovered we already needed a second bin to give them more room. Using a second bin created the need for a third. We used the third bin to hold the chicks while we emptied out the soiled hay, hosed it down, & let it dry. In the meantime we washed out the feeders & water founts. We also checked each chick for pasty butt. Feces can harden on the back of a chicks bum. This is no small matter & it must be carefully removed. If too much builds up it can prevent the chick from defecating. Once the bin is dry we added fresh hay, replaced the water founts & feeders then returned each chick once we were done inspecting them & taking any necessary actions. This process became a regular part of our daily chores that we performed when we got home from work. 

An interesting thing to note: over the years we have discovered if we raise our chicks outdoors (usually by the time they are a week old, they can go outdoors safely with our outdoor setup), they do not get pasty butt. This seems to only be a problem when raised in an unnatural environment (indoors). 

We have found over the years that the best way to tell if your chicks are happy is to observe their behavior. If they are huddled in a pile on top of each other directly under the heat source, they are too cold & need more warmth. If they are as far away from the heat lamp as they can get, you can bet that lamp is much too hot. Happy chicks tend to sleep just outside of the heat lamp. They will go under it, but do not tend to stay there for an extended period of time. They will run around softly peeping, occasionally peeping in an upset manner (usually due to bickering with other chicks), eating, drinking, pooping & suddenly like a switch being turned off, sleep. They will sometimes look dead they way their little bodies lay while sleeping. Just watch them, if all is well, they will pop back up to cheep, poop, eat, & drink some more before conking back out. The more you observe them, the more you will be in tune with what is normal & what is not.

We must have done something right as newbie chick parents because all of our chicks survived. It wasn't until they were put outdoors that the trouble began, mainly from hawks but raccoons soon became a problem as well (I will save this topic for another post).   

We had a nice area built as a coop that they ran around in while we were at work. When we got home we let them loose. They happily ran about scratching & pecking at anything & everything. I even manage to train them to come like you would a dog or cat. I simply yelled in a sing song voice "Girls, come on girls!"  We would hear them squawk & next thing you know a colorful rainbow of hens would come tearing out of the woods knowing we had a treat for them. This worked beautifully when the neighbors called because the girls were in there backyard... again.  Looks like we need more fencing!

Up next: Our First Dairy Cow

Purple Podded Pole Beans are an Heirloom vegetable from the 1930's. The pods are flat reddish purple & turn green when cooked. If harvested young they are stringless, tender, & sweet. Plants grow to 6’ & produce heavy yields if the pods are harvested frequently.

Purple Podded Pole Beans do best grown on a support in the form of a trellis to keep the vines off the ground. You won't need to fertilize this crop in order to get a healthy yield.

Purple Podded Pole Beans prefer warm weather & soil. They should be grown when temperatures are over 68 F. Water at soil level rather from above as damp leaves may be susceptible to disease.

Purple Podded Pole Beans are of the snap variety with pods approx. 5" - 7" inches long. They are suitable for fresh eating, canning, pickling, sauteing & more.

Sow outside: 6 weeks before average last frost for a late spring/summer crop. In areas with a long, cool spring, make successive plantings every 10 days until mid-May.
Sow outside: into warm soil after the last spring frost. If you sow a section or row every two or three weeks, you can get a continuous crop.

Days to emerge: 3 - 6
Seed depth: 1"
Seed spacing: 2" - 4"
Seed spacing: 2" + for mature plants.
Row spacing: 36" - 48"
Height: 6'
Maturity: 65 - 75 days

Spinach is a vitamin-rich, dark leafy green that produces large yields in the correct growing environment. It is excellent for salads, cooking, & smoothies.

Spinach is a cool weather crop. It is great for spring & fall harvests. Spinach can overwinter in many parts of the country under cold frames or heavyweight row covers. It can withstand some heat but is prone to yellowing & bolting, so I don't recommend growing it in the summer. If you chose to plant during the warmer months, be sure to sow heavily because germination rates drop by half during warm weather.

Because spinach develops a deep taproot you will want to loosen the soil at least 1' deep prior to planting. The soil should be rich in nitrogen & moist. Moisture via regular watering helps to keep the soil temperature down. If your growing environment tends to be warm, plant your spinach in the shade of taller crops to protect it from the suns heat.

When spinach plants have four true leaves, add compost tea or fish emulsion fertilizers. Because weeding can damage the spinach plants roots, apply a heavy layer of natural mulch to suppress weed growth.

Spinach is a vitamin-rich, dark leafy green. It is excellent for salads & cooking. It is full of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, & anti-cancer nutrients. You can blend it into smoothies, juice it, saute it, steam it, add it to soups & salads, use it in place of lettuce in sandwiches, add it to potatoes & casseroles. The possibilities are endless!

Outer leaves can be periodically harvested as baby green or when older as mature leaves. You can also harvest the whole plant by cutting it off at ground level.

Sow outside: 6 weeks before average last frost for a late spring/summer crop. In areas with a long, cool spring, make successive plantings every 10 days until mid-May.
Sow outside: In the late summer for a fall crop.
Sow outside: In the fall for very early spring crop.
Days to emerge: 5 - 10
Seed depth: 1/2"
Seed spacing: 1" for baby greens.
Seed spacing: 2" + for mature plants.
Row spacing: 18" - 24"
Thinning: 6"
Maturity: 30 - 50 days