We‘ve been using the extra social isolation to knock out some projects, and a lot of exciting things have been happening! While there’s always more work to do and it can be overwhelming sometimes, it feels good to reflect on what we’ve accomplished. In no particular order, here are a few things we’ve been excited about:
1. A greenhouse! This was a project we started last year and didn’t manage to finish, but this year it was done just in time to bring all our plant babies and tropical friends inside for the winter. This is just the first, most basic iteration and it’ll definitely evolve over the years. So far so good though. It incorporates a lot of salvaged and donated materials, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped with advice and moral support. 😊 Madam Flop approves of this structure.
2. We started a bunch of seeds and have lots of new plant friends growing in the greenhouse (hierloom tomatoes, peppers, curry leaf trees, and various herbs). There will definitely be a plant sale in our near future! We may have some houseplants available too.
3. We got to paint and install a little seed library, so that community members can take take seeds, leave seeds, grow gardens, plant hope. 🌱🌻✊It‘s the first outdoor seed library in Caldwell County and it’s outside Tri Community Water in Fentress - next to the little book library. We had so much fun painting it and are thrilled to have this in our community. This is a @digtogetherusa project and the goal is to create a seed library for each major city in Caldwell County, with each library being a work of art painted by a local community member. Check out our Instagram @smalltownfarmtx for more pics of the ribbon cutting event.
4. The deer finally found our garden, and between the deer and the armadillos, it was time to get up a fence. We’re still working on final touches but the fence is up and it’s such a good feeling not to worry about everything getting dug up or munched overnight! We did learn something interesting though — deer don’t like brassicas (or at least they don’t prefer them). The deer stepped over and around all our kale and broccoli to get to the lettuce, chard, and beets. They chomped those hard, but they’re now coming back great. Looking forward to planning out next steps now that we have a fence to grow things on too.
5. We’ve been hard at work tweaking various recipes and making functional concoctions that incorporate herbs and veggies homegrown in our garden. A separate shop announcement for local pickup will be coming very soon. Thanks for all your well wishes and support! 🌱
6. Snow! We only get snow here every 4 years or so, and this was our first snow at this house! 😊Here’s a little snow couple we made just for fun. They're adorned with garden plants.
