Week 1 - Homesteading Journal (April 7-14, 2023)
Week 1 - Homesteading Journal (April 7-14, 2023)
Our weekly diary of homestead happenings.
We just wrapped up our first week here on the new homestead, so this is our first diary post. It was a whirlwind of getting out here, moving & setting up the RV and taking inventory on this property we had never laid eyes on before we bought it.
The Property
We bought this property at an online auction during the holidays. It was the biggest rush we’ve ever experienced, bidding against strangers on the internet for a piece of land we’d never laid eyes on. The win was exhilarating. We were set up in Arizona when we won and began making plans to turn around and head NE to start our new homestead.
Moving the RV
The RV had been set up at the local KOA while we closed on the property and got through Raz’s medical crisis. He was finally feeling well enough to move it out here on April 6th.
Taking Inventory
We spent most of the week walking around the property taking inventory of what’s already here, what we need to repair, things that need to be built and a general game plan of action for the coming weeks.
The Land
There’s just shy of 10 acres of land in our parcel. It ranges from hillside to creekside, with a spring at the top of the hill, another smaller spring head behind the shop, about an acre of it is in meadow with a garden & the orchard.
It is thick, old growth mixed forest of Shortleaf Pines, White & Red Oaks, towering Eastern Red Cedars, Alders, Sweetgum and trees we haven’t identified yet. Our first visit out here we were in awe. We’ve both been in love with trees our whole lives, we are forest people and this was a sacred moment for both of us.
The Garden
The garden is roughly 1/2 acre fenced off. No raised beds or any plantings that we’ve found. A hugelmound is probably the direction we will go this year. It’s late in the season to start beds, most of our planting will have to be for late summer & fall crops.
The Orchard
We used our handy plant app (PictureThis) to identify the trees we couldn’t figure out and put together our list of mature trees. There are 2 plums, 2 cherries, an apricot, a peach and muscadine grapes in the vineyard. We plan on adding a couple of apples and nut trees.
The Chicken Coop
There is already a very nice coop set up on the land. It needs a good cleaning, a few minor repairs and additional fencing. We should have it ready to go in the coming weeks for both our chickens and ducks to arrive.
The Shop
The existing shop is 40x20 with 16x20 being completely enclosed with a concrete pad, the right wing is open on 3 sides and the left is closed on 3 sides. It needs to be cleaned out and power washed. Raz is planning on turning it into his forge & studio.
Coming Up in Week 2
Raz is having heart surgery on Tuesday. He won’t be doing anything this week except recovering. I’m going to focus on: cleaning up the shop & working on the garden.
We’ll also be making decisions on a house. Raz wants to wait until after the procedure before we decide anything firm.
Have a beautiful weekend, y’all.
