Showing posts with label dirt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dirt. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Top 10 Things 4-H has Taught our Family

Top 10 Things 4-H has Taught our Family


We are beginners here.  This is our fourth year in 4-H, and at the end of every year we always say, "We won't do that again," or "Let's do that again!"  We look back and laugh at certain things, and sometimes we talk about favorite barrows the kids showed.  I know when we get to year ten, our list will be different!  Raising kids on the farm is very rewarding.  Raising kids on the farm gives them a first-hand experience of many life-lessons. Some lessons are rewarding, some are hard.  

I spent my summers growing up in the barn and at livestock shows.  My friends showed livestock, we worked together and hung out together.  In my first year of 4-H, I use to tuck my jeans in my boots. Not sure I would repeat that fashion statement today, but by my tenth year, I owned different colored jeans, like black, red and a pair of striped jeans. Jeans went over my boots by then. Things change.  One thing that hasn't faded is the memories I had of that week at the fair.  I remember where we stalled, the judges and the friends we made that week.

TOP 10 THINGS 4-H HAS TAUGHT OUR FAMILY

  1. Hard Work Pays Off   This pertains to so many things. Practice makes perfect. It is very evident who has worked hard on a project on show day. It is noticeable as soon as the animal enters the ring.  If you want it bad enough, you will work for it.
    Chores, 4-H

  2. Work Hard, Play Harder Fair time is a great time to kick back and relax and have a great time.  We always feel like we can relax the day after the show.  Then we enjoy watching the beef and dairy shows the end of the week.
    4-H Beginner Showmanship Winners
  3. Deadlines Deadlines are very important. Register for 4-H, deadline to register your animals, record book deadlines, and state fair deadlines. One day, your kids will have deadlines with their jobs, and hopefully these skills will help them meet their deadlines.
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Crystal Kellner
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Friday, April 29, 2016

How is lawn soil different than field soil?

How is lawn soil different than field soil?


In the last post. We talked about leveling out our front yard.  After the construction machinery left, there was lots of sand and ruts in the yard.  We brought in sand to fill in the holes, and leveled the yard, and raised the height of the yard.  The next step was to select a soil that would work the best for our climate and could grow grass quickly.

When you think about an "ideal" soil for our front yard,  you think of a top soil that is black.  Selecting a black top soil could be very expensive choice.  We picked a sandy loam soil for our top soil.  A loam contains about equal amounts of clay, silt, and sand. It is a very fine soil and a couple shades darker than the sand, but not a dark soil.  It is a very fertile soil and sandy loam drains well, but keeps nutrients.  Loam soil is ideal for vegetable farmers.  The best farming soils are said to be right here in the Midwest.  This would be an ideal soil to also find in the fields. The soil would be easy to work with tillage equipment and maintain good nutritional values when it is managed correctly.





The next step to creating a front yard is bringing in the dirt. After many piles of dirt, it was time to spread it out and prepare it for seeding.





Next time we will talk about the type of seed we selected for our yard.




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Crystal Kellner
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Friday, April 01, 2016

Leveling out a new yard. How to you prepare?

Leveling out a new yard. How to you prepare?


One of our projects this spring is prepping the yard for a complete makeover.  Last fall when the house was completed, we decided to wait until spring to put down top soil and seed the lawn.  The past winter did not bring many snows.  As a result, the sand was exposed for most of the winter.  The sand blew all winter.




From this picture taken last summer, you can see there is some major work to do to the yard.  This picture was taken before the windows and siding were installed.

You can also see we received too much rain last spring as well!


This area was worked a few time by the contractors, using a small bulldozer.




The black line is a sealer  on the foundations wall. This needs to be covered up to protect the foundation..


The first thing to do is prepare the area.  We have already raked the sand, picked up sticks, stones, rocks, glass from old mason jars that were from the old house, and other remains from the construction.


We were welcomed home the other night with loads of sand.  Why put more sand on top of sand? Sand is a cheaper filler than dirt, and we have some areas in the yard that need to be filled in.


There is a lot of sand that needs to be added to the back of the house.  This spring we will concentrate on the front of the house.


So, bring on the sand. Pile it up.


I see a few loads of dirt in our future!









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Crystal Kellner
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