Summer Chores Around My Farm
It’s late summer, and lots of regular maintenance and cleaning work is going on at the farm.
Supporting a working farm is a huge job. In order for it to thrive, animals and gardens need constant tender loving care. Here at my Bedford farm, we keep a running list of all the chores that need to be done at any given time, so it always looks and functions at its best.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Here at the farm today, temperatures are expected to be in the high 80s and even warmer tomorrow with no rain in the immediate forecast. We’re doing a lot of watering with our Gilmour Adjustable Circular Tripod Sprinklers to keep all the gardens adequately hydrated. I’ve been using Gilmour hoses and sprinklers for years – they’re dependable, durable, and easy to use.
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- This time of year, my gardeners and I walk through this vegetable garden every day to see what is growing and clean up what is needed. My pumpkin and squash crops are looking so lush and green. It is the first time I’m growing them around the perimeter of the half acre space. So far, the vines are growing very well.
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- And beneath the vines, look what is also growing – a very large pumpkin, and it’s only August! I am looking forward to a great pumpkin season this year.
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- On the other side of the farm in my large Equipment Barn, Pasang is doing some maintenance to the STIHL chainsaws he uses. It is crucial to keep them in good condition so they work well and are safe to use. STIHL’s most well-known tool is the chainsaw. STIHL designed and built its first electric chain saw in 1926 and 94 years later, it is still one of its best pieces of equipment. We use both gas-powered and battery-powered chainsaws.
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- Pasang inspects the teeth and the bar of the chainsaw to see what work needs to be done. This unit needs sharpening.
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- Pasang places the tool onto the vice. The chain itself needs to be sharpened if the shavings cut from the chainsaw become very fine and almost dust-like, or if the saw does not cut straight. If the teeth on the chainsaw chain become dull, the saw will not cut correctly or efficiently.
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- Pasang positions the file at about a 30-degree angle to the chainsaw teeth and holds it at about a 90-degree angle to the bar. He applies pressure as he files away from the teeth – two or three strokes per tooth. He does this for every tooth in one direction and then in the other, all the way around.
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- Behind my Summer House in the Sunken Garden, Josh is cleaning and weeding the formal beds. This garden is planted with American and English boxwood, ginkgo trees, smoke bushes, Siberian weeping pea shrubs, peonies, hostas, lilies, alliums, and other spring blooming bulbs. It is so beautiful here, especially in the springtime.
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- Here’s Fernando prepping my “Run-In” shed for painting. Before it is painted, it must first be thoroughly power washed and cleaned of any debris and mildew.
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- Cesar oversees all the care of my birds – the chickens, peafowl, geese, and pheasants. The birds respond well to him. Here he is talking to one of my male Golden Pheasants.
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- My foreman, Chhiring, continues the tedious job of mulching all the beds around the farm. Thankfully, I am able to make good, nutrient-rich mulch right here. We always have an abundant supply.
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- First he manually delivers wheelbarrows of mulch to the bed and drops mulch in sections.
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- He does this for each area before raking into level, two to three inch layers.
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- On this day, Chhiring completes the berry patches. It’s always a good idea to mulch the garden beds to help conserve and extend moisture, protect the soil from erosion, suppress and prevent weeds, moderate temperature extremes, and create a marker for landscape maintenance equipment.
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- Nearby, gardening intern, Matthew, works on the roses – trimming any dead wood and pruning them for height. Keeping on top of pruning tasks like this improves plant health, prevents disease, and encourages better flowering. I like to do this to all my roses two or three times a year.
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- Juan is keeping all my horses and donkeys cool on this hot day. Jude “JJ” Junior and Billie just had a refreshing shower after playing in their pasture.
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- It’s still mowing season! And while I have replaced many grassy areas with mulch to reduce the amount of mowing around my farm, there is still a lot of mowing to do. Adan is my resident mower. For narrow spaces he uses this STIHL RM 655 VS push mower.
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- Inside my main greenhouse, Ryan checks every plant to make sure it is properly watered. It is extremely important that all the plants are well fed and well watered. As I always say, if you eat and drink, so should your plants.
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- And in my Winter House, here’s Elvira polishing the silver for all the fall entertaining ahead. This is also another chore that must be done regularly to keep everything looking its best.
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- These pieces are very lightly tarnished – some pieces don’t even look tarnished at all, but it is always a good idea to clean silver a couple times a year, so it doesn’t develop a thick coat of tarnish that is harder to remove. Here, one can see what has been polished and what has not. I will share polishing tips in another blog. It’s always busy at my farm. I hope you’re getting lots of your summer tasks checked off the list too!
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