TRURO — There are catalogs full of gardening toys to consider at this time of year. You can start to imagine that, if only you had the right apron, swivel-headed […]
On the Landscape
HOMESTEADING
Sorrow and Joy on Buttercup’s Birthing Day
Two lively kids comfort a doe and her homesteaders
Last summer our sweet Nigerian dwarf doe, Princess Buttercup, gave birth with remarkable ease, which is typical for her breed. I barely noticed that she was in labor before her […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Bonsai Brings Untamable Nature Close
With fearless cuts, a caretaker tends the conditions for healthy growth
My introduction to bonsai was an encounter with a collection of straggly little junipers in pots in a friend’s yard. The plants were root-bound and malnourished, and they had taken […]
FARM & GARDEN UPDATE
Birthing Suite
Princess Buttercup, here in her birthing suite, is in good company, in spite of being separated by a fence from the other goats. Goldie Hen has stayed close by her […]
HOMESTEADING
What to Expect When Your Goat Is Expecting
It’s kidding season on the Outer Cape
At first, it can be hard to tell whether your doe — your female goat, that is — has gotten pregnant. For those new to animal husbandry: don’t expect a […]
PLOTTING
It’s Time to Start Planning and Planting
Seeds, soil, and other steps to get your vegetable garden underway
The earth is coming alive. Beneath the oak leaves that I pile on my garden plot every fall, I am beginning to see the first sprouts of green. Garlic is […]
PEEPS
Easter Chicks, the Easy Way
Because a few feather-footed fowls are good for flock diversity
Though our “Cogsie,” a.k.a. Rooster Cogburn, has been proudly prancing and mounting, he and our hens have not yet succeeded in producing any new chicks. I know they’ll get there, […]
HOMESTEADING
Birds Do It. But It’s Hard to Explain How
Crowing and squawking and going broody for spring chicks
The days are getting longer and lighter at last, heralding the season of birds and bees. When it comes to those of us with yard birds, it is time to […]
ON THE LANDSCAPE
Lichens: A Love Story
Everywhere, intricate, multicolored couplings take hold for dear life
There’s a bend in the road on the way to the dump in Wellfleet. The road winds through a low, wet area, a tributary of the Herring River. As far […]
HOMESTEADING
Ode to a Chicken, or a Goat
The primal love we feel for farm animals is co-evolutionary
How do you measure your love for a chicken? Or describe that warm-fuzzy you feel when your goat greets you with a headbutt? I’m not sure. But I want to […]
HOMESTEADING
Be Prepared for Predators
Don’t let the foxes, hawks, or fishers savage your henhouse
Every backyard chicken farmer must face the fact that some animals around us see those friendly hens as prey. On the Outer Cape, our flocks are up against a long […]
WINTER INTEREST
Hydrangeas Offer More Than Summer Romance
For some species, unpruned is picturesque
There is a stillness that lays itself over our gardens during the winter months. Without the vibrant greens of leaves and pops of color from flowering plants, we are reminded […]
HOMESTEADING
Could She, Would She Give You Goat’s Milk?
It’s not easy to make a match for your backyard doe
For some people, chickens are a gateway farm animal. You start out with a backyard flock. The fresh eggs are nice. So, you start thinking about producing something else, maybe […]
HOMESTEADING
For a Cozy Coop, Hens Don’t Ask Much
A draft-free roost and ‘deep litter’ will keep them dry and warm
We’re bundling up and our furry friends are growing thick coats, but what about our feathery flocks? How do domestic chickens get through the freezing winter months? I became a […]
HOMESTEADING
Getting to Know Your Flock
Some chickens are social butterflies that like to be scratched behind their ears
WELLFLEET — Most chickens on the Outer Cape are, like the rest of us, among the fortunate on this Earth. Instead of inhabiting large-production poultry farms, our backyard babies live […]
