I have recently made some progress at constructing a rock wall for a terrace around my greenhouse. Also, this is the first spring where i am on schedule with my sprouting in the greenhouse. I am still not sure if i will have time to plant my sprouts out in the field or take care of them, though it is a major milestone for me to have sprouts in March this year. That said, everything is still a work in progress, and i have not finished some important work encapsulating the newly expanded crawlspace under the studio on the back side of the barn. On a positive note, the expanded perimeter seems successful as far as preventing the groundhog from chewing a hole into the floor joist space, though i have discovered that the expanded area traps more humidity from the ground, and so i have been working on-and-off this winter finish various details in preparation for laying down a plastic layer, and installing a dehumidifier. Also, on the to-do list is installing a 2-ton heat-pump with ducting. This project is behind schedule, and so it looks like i am going to be relying on a couple small window units again this year until i get the large unit installed.
I am sprouting chestnuts again this year, as well as an expanded variety of ornamentals and other trees species. The chestnuts i attempted to sprout last year struggled greatly, and while at this point i have done some research and think i know where my problem was, most likely involving proper drying and packaging method in the freezer, i was not able implement this change for last year's crop, and so i am simply sprouting multiple seeds per pot. I am also discovering that a mystery rodent likes to dig up the nuts in the pots, and so it is unclear how many survivors we will have, and how many if any seedlings i will have available for sale in the Fall. Still, i think progress is headed in the right direction so stay tuned, if not this year, then i plan to have seedlings for sale next year.
Also, i finally have my greenhouse in order and operating this Spring. I am not 100% sure yet, but i am hoping to potentially have a garden sales event in May after the last frost date here in Roseland. Alternatively, i may plant some things out and have a Melon stand around Fourth of July weekend. At the moment I am not entirely sure how it will play out since i might run out of time since i am juggling so many projects this Spring. That said, if it doesn't happen this Spring, i am hoping to have a garden event next Spring, and I would like to have various sales event's at other times of the year in addition to our annual chestnut harvest each Fall. I am still working on beeswax candles, though at the moment I am not satisfied with the test batches i was able to produce, and so candles are still not available yet.
The bees are already flying though, and i plan to do another honey harvest again this year, though it is possible it will be a smaller harvest than last year(we will see). I only have 3 surviving hives to start with this Spring as apposed to last Spring's 6 hives. I am hoping to do a better job this year, and avoid some mistakes i had last year the lead to a number of failed hives. In my favor, i don't have any large tree branches from catching swarms hidden in any of my hives this year, and I was able to find time last year to string up many of my empty frames with steel wire, and so i am hoping to have less problems with cross comb this year. The job is not done however, and i need to string up more frames again this year so that i will have frames ready for my splits this spring and hopefully again after the harvest this summer. The issue is that over time as i have melted down and recycled my old dead hives, i have destroyed the plastic inserts that go in each frame. Subsequently i have discovered that the bees tend to have some trouble orienting themselves without anything to act as a guide, and so recently harvest have become somewhat troublesome. Also, last year i was late doing my splits. I plan to split my 3 hives this year in April. I am also continuing to work on improving my equipment in other ways, though perhaps that is a subject to be dedicated to a post specifically for bees. As far as finishing up for Spring, i ams still experimenting with different summer coverings for my greenhouse. last year I covered it with a big blue tarp, though I am planning to experiment with a clear plastic drop-cloth this year.
I have flax sprouts, and i plan to harvest flax summer, though at the moment I am not sure what offerings i will have for sale in that respect. I am also hoping give nettles a go as i have learned they can be processed similarly to flax, though i am still waiting for them to sprout. Previously i tried Kenaf, though at the time i did not have the greenhouse ready, and it was pretty much a failure. It is my understanding that Kenaf is probably more suitable for lower latitudes than Blue Ridge Virginia. Now that the greenhouse is operable i may give Kenaf a 2nd go, we will see. Also, I have thought about hemp; it is a very interesting prospect since historically it played so big a roll during the sail-ship era, though at this point I have not gotten around to figuring out the necessary paperwork, and so hemp will have to remain on the back burner for now. I plan to apply for a kitchen license some time, though at the moment Tinkerland farm remains under the Virginia Small Farm Exemption. Here is the relevant info:
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/kitchenbillfaq.pdf
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/food-food-safety-and-consumer-protection.shtml
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/food-produce-safety.shtml
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/homefdapplication.pdf
https://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pdf/producesfty-FAQsheet.pdf
https://legacylis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?241+sum+HB759
So for now we will only be selling chestnuts from the farm, though I am hoping eventually to get the necessary permits to fulfill orders and make shipments in the future.
Also, on my big to-do list is to finish ironing out the kinks with my DIY chestnut harvester. Also, somewhere down the line i expect i will need to build a cold-room; this is probably needed sooner rather than later(not sure about how this works with the food law, i need to read more).
Finally, don't forget my aspirations in small-time lumber-jacking and artisanal recycling. And that is basically my business plan: offer a diverse selection of a whole bunch of different farm products, some of which are classified as food, though I'm not really sure yet which direction I want to go longterm. So far Chestnuts, our biggest product is not really very profitable, though i am hoping to change that with the equipment i am planning to finish building this summer, which should improve my efficiency and allow me to drop my prices, and hopefully increase sales. The last few years we have struggled to keep up with the harvest, and currently most of the nuts in our 10 acre orchard are going unharvested, or to the compost bin. I have some plans to try and grow mushrooms on the waste, as well as potentially growing other produce for sale. However, it appears I need to brush up on the law if i am to expand and reach profitability, as it appears the next step in growing the business is to build an approved processing facility. Alternatively, i can keep doing things on a small scale, under what i understand is an exemption for small operations and at the same time look for ways to diversify my offerings. I have heard about about various food business getting exemptions on the basis of historical importance. Here is one near me:
https://nelsoncounty.com/explore/woodsons-mill/
from 1992?
https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/062-0093_Woodson%27s_Mill_1992_Final_Nomination.pdf
this one?
https://www.nelsoncounty-va.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/December-12-2023-BOS-Packet.pdf
I can't seem to find it?
I guess i need to figure out how to get one of these exemptions(why can't i find it on google?). I am not sure if it would apply in my case though since the site was not known for chestnuts historically(idk, i should ask my mom, but i am pretty sure they grew apples and had various livestock). Chestnuts do however have an important historical significance, and it was considered a staple food up until the chestnut blight in the 1st half of the 1900's. Chestnuts are significantly different from the other nuts grown domestically, and i am not sure the the law is applicable in the way it is written? At this point, I have done a fair bit of research, and while there are definitely some good resources that exist out there, there does also exist significant discrepancies between current sources, and a lot of the knowledge on historic methods can be hard to come by.(Note to self: make a blog update on the chestnut operation.)
Anyway, about the potential sales event in May, I am not sure if it will happen or not. Time is just so scrunched, and it all depends on how well i juggle all the various other stuff that has to happen this spring. It is probably a Similar story for July. We could potentially be open for Labor Day though i expect i could also probably be in high gear getting ready for the chestnut harvest by that point. Whether or not i make any of these date's this summer, I do plan to post some updates from time to time with progress on the various projects hear around the farm. And i do hope to have more sales events at different times of year in the future.
Check back later.
p.s. here are some pics of how i made my 12" tall grow tubes out of 4" pvc pipe using two automotive pipe cutters and some shackles(it's less dust).
also, I am still battling the foot fungus. Hopefully towel-slippers will tip the scale.
