Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Volunteer info update -August 2017

Several of our past volunteers have been bugging me to post more details about volunteering here on the farm. So here are our loose plans for the next 2-3 months. Things change along the way but this is our basic plan.

Firstly, the weather is a huge factor for us and since we have not yet had as much rain as we would like, need or expect, we will probably have a wet early October like the 1st year we were here.
A lot of the work we do is outdoors and so we are rather weather dependent. Definitely a case of making hay while the sun shines!

The 5 main areas in order of importance are:
-finishing our straw house and barn
-planting summer crops
-re-fencing the farm
-building a new chicken tractor
-upgrading the volunteer area

The house is well on its way but there is still a lot to do. 1 main wall of straw bales to erect, plastering, electrical, plumbing etc
The barn only begins after the house is complete.

This year I will be planting maize agian- as long as we get enough rain! Of course I will sow every other vegetable I can get into the ground. Some for food and market sales and some for seed production. Compost making is critical here.

The fences on the farm are terrible  and since it's not the most intellectual job, we are replacing it section by section.
It is really important as we grow our farm though.

The chicken tractor is a thorn in Jans side!  He says he is not building another 1. I need a bigger 1 to expand my flock of egg laying hens so am looking for handy volunteers to help me complete this.

Lastly, we have reclaimed bricks, pavers and a huge steel bbq and want to set this up for our volunteers. The cabin needs a small deck, ceiling boards and the bathroom needs some maintenance. We want to overhaul our caravan so we can accommodate 4 volunteers at a time. This area must be really comfortable and just fun to live in.

So these are my priorities. Lots of fun and games and great opportunities to learn many new skills. Come play!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Plastering and more

Sorry for the lack of progress reports but here are a few pictures to show where we are now. The internal walls are drywall on timber frames...