Black gold

Our chickens have been great workers for us on our homestead. We have moved them from one garden to the next utilizing their scratching skills and fertilizer to nourish our ground and help to build up the soil. They even helped to take down our summer garden once everything was harvested. Now, they have moved on to the lawn in a pasture rotation system following the pigs. The pigs plow the ground, the chickens till the ground and eat the pests, and we follow behind with minimal raking and laying grass seed. We are doing this in order to home fully turn our yard into a lush green pasture one day!

Now back to the gardens… Since the chickens have been evicted, and spring has sprung, it is now time to start planting. After a year of chickens in the garden and mulch being put down I am happy to say that we have a thriving soil environment rich with worm activity. It may not be clump free like the typical store bought worm castings, but the soil is moist, dark, and loose. Making it perfect for planting directly into the ground. This growing season is off to a good start. Hopefully our plants will be happy and produce better this year as compared to last year.