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Holmestead Ridge - A Regenerative Farm
Приєднався 22 лют 2022
"Holmes" is a first-time farmer, over 50, using regenerative farming to help restore family land in KY. Follow along! IG: @HolmesteadingWithMeAndE
#regenerativefarm #farm #over50 #land #homestead #restoration #kentucky #permaculture
#regenerativefarm #farm #over50 #land #homestead #restoration #kentucky #permaculture
2024 07 25 Walking Through The Wash After Phase 1 Of The Cleanup
Creating silvopasture is not easy. This area I started to clear is steep and covered in small trees and brush. This is how it looks after phase 1 of the cleanup is finished.
Переглядів: 4
Відео
2024 07 25 Starting Guerrilla Silvopasture 101
Переглядів 242 години тому
Here are the basics of starting a guerrilla silvopasture: 1) find an area where a tree has fallen or a tree has lost a large limb. 2) clear out the tree/limb. 3) clear out any small trees/bushes in the area. 4) keep it cleared using a weed whip or grazing animals (preferred!).
2024 07 21 Walking Through The Wash Of The Next Clearing
Переглядів 914 години тому
Creating silvopasture is not easy. This area I am about to clear is steep and covered in small trees and brush. This is how it looks before I get started.
2024 07 21 The Twins Just Woke Up
Переглядів 2427 годин тому
Deerdre had twins this spring. I see them often on the Ridge. When I see them I just can't help but get some video.
2024 07 21 How Did This Get Here?
Переглядів 47012 годин тому
Things can end up in really strange places without any explanation. I found some broken glass in the root ball of a fallen red oak. How did it get there? All kinds of strange things happening on the Ridge.
2024 07 14 More Honeysuckle Has Been Removed
Переглядів 25116 годин тому
As part of the 1.6 acre project I needed to clear out honeysuckle bushes which were first cleared out about two-and-a-half years ago. They needed it again so I spent a couple of days clearing it out. It looks fantastic!
2024 07 20 Clearing The Last Stretch Of Fence Line
Переглядів 2719 годин тому
The honeysuckle I cleared out two years ago has grown back. Here is the last section I have remaining. This is how it looks after I clean it up.
2024 07 20 Improving The View From The Road
Переглядів 1921 годину тому
The honeysuckle I cleared out two years ago has grown back. Here is the last section I have remaining. This is how it looks before I clean it up.
2024 07 16 I Found A Fawn
Переглядів 33День тому
In the spring there is lots of new life on the Ridge. This spring we had twins born to Deerdre. Here is one I found hiding in the bushes.
2024 07 14 Revisiting Guerrilla Silvopasture One Year Later
Переглядів 6День тому
This area was created when three large trees fell in a windstorm in March 2023. In July, 2024, I began the clean-up process. Look at how it looks now. It just gets better and better.
2024 07 14 I Collected 45 Gallons In 45 Minutes
Переглядів 50День тому
Why let that water run off your land? Keep it and use it on your land. I collect rain water in barrels and use it to water my container garden. Check it out!
2024 07 13 Preparing To Attack The Returning Honeysuckle
Переглядів 4014 днів тому
Honeysuckle is an invasive species which is very difficult to remove permanently. This area was cleared of honeysuckle nearly three years ago and needs to be cleared again. Here is how it looks before I begin.
2024 07 06 Sector I: Major Changes Have Been Made
Переглядів 2014 днів тому
2024 07 06 Sector I: Major Changes Have Been Made
2023 01 21 Sector I: What It Looked Like In The Winter
Переглядів 1314 днів тому
2023 01 21 Sector I: What It Looked Like In The Winter
2021 10 23 Sector I: With An Intro From 2024 07 06
Переглядів 2421 день тому
2021 10 23 Sector I: With An Intro From 2024 07 06
2024 07 07 The Valley Is Becoming Silvopasture
Переглядів 9121 день тому
2024 07 07 The Valley Is Becoming Silvopasture
2024 07 06 The Next Phase In Transforming The Valley Before
Переглядів 10221 день тому
2024 07 06 The Next Phase In Transforming The Valley Before
2024 07 06 Tour Of The Backyard From The Cistern
Переглядів 1521 день тому
2024 07 06 Tour Of The Backyard From The Cistern
2024 06 27 Post Mortem On The Red Oak Limb
Переглядів 57Місяць тому
2024 06 27 Post Mortem On The Red Oak Limb
2024 06 23 I Was There And Watched It Fall!
Переглядів 23Місяць тому
2024 06 23 I Was There And Watched It Fall!
2024 06 23 I Was Wrong! This Will Become Pasture
Переглядів 69Місяць тому
2024 06 23 I Was Wrong! This Will Become Pasture
2024 06 22 There Is No Way This Will Become Pasture
Переглядів 73Місяць тому
2024 06 22 There Is No Way This Will Become Pasture
2024 06 20 Rainwater After 14 Months In A Rain Barrel
Переглядів 696Місяць тому
2024 06 20 Rainwater After 14 Months In A Rain Barrel
2024 06 19 Another Section Of Silvopasture Is Cleared
Переглядів 67Місяць тому
2024 06 19 Another Section Of Silvopasture Is Cleared
2024 06 19 The Next Section Of Silvopasture To Clear
Переглядів 17Місяць тому
2024 06 19 The Next Section Of Silvopasture To Clear
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if you live someplace like the northeast, yeah, it might have been from previous settelers!
We are in Kentucky and my family has owned the land since 1882.
Good video, Holmes.
Thanks. Not sure how good the video is, but the subject matter is pretty cool.
that glass is old. They don't make that color which I believe is Tourmaline anymore. Probably some target practice one day when that tree was just a little sapling.
Thank you for that input. I have never seen that color of glass either. Any idea when it stopped being produced?
@@holmesteadridge I guess it must be at least 50 - 60 yrs.
Thanks!
A process called Inosculation, so when the lignin of the bark erodes away from rubbing against itself and the layers of cambium are touching, they will self graft/ grow together.
That's amazing. It is the strangest thing to find when working in the woods.
We’re looking forward to seeing it in person someday Mr. Holmes.
Me too! Ricky, who lives across the road, has a John Deere Gator. I'll make sure you get the the grand tour.
Have you ever found our dog Tony’s remains? He went off one day and never returned.
Tiny? No, I have never found anything.
Honeysuckle’s are very hardy and bees love them
Looking good!!!
Thanks!
I got you beat. My does bring their fawns around to meet me. I will be hand feeding them very soon. My does have been bringing me their young to meet for over 10 years now. Hint: They love Safeway brand 5-seed bread.
That does have me beat. They are always hanging around but there is no way I can get that close.
Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on permaculture
I live in the forest too, and it’s so beautiful seeing all the beautiful animals come around😊
Thank you for your comment! Yes, I love the wildlife. I see something new everyday.
Beautifull
Merci! It is a beautiful place.
You’ve been busy!!! Lookin good!!!
I stay out of trouble that way. It will really look amazing when it is all finished.
At that perfect time of evening that you have caught in your video., As the sun is setting, and the tops of the trees are still illuminated….:. Is often my favorite part of the day
The wind settles, the sounds quiet, and the heat of the day begins to lift. I agree, my favorite part, too
Are you leaving the plants in the pots or will you transplant them?
They will stay in the pots. If I put them in the ground the deer will eat them.
Cool video! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for watching and commenting! Please continue watching the channel. I try to upload something every day.
Good short vidéo
Thank you! I hope it was informative.
Great idea for a fast, natural and effective way to slow the water and save your silt! Being temporary, though, I see 2 options moving forward: - As leaves and silt built up in your check dams, start adding seed and plants to those spots so the roots can take over before all the wood breaks down, thus keeping the effect you want. - Or go back one day and make stone check dams and let the leaves and sticks fall in on their own, letting nature take the work over for you.
Thank you for your comment! There are so many trees in this area I will have plenty of material to add to these check dams for years. I also plan to add spent hay in the future which will provide both a method to slow the water and add the seed you suggest. Great suggestions! Thank you!
When I first started composting years ago, I made the same key mistake you're making here: moisture!!! As small as this pile is, you either need to water it twice a week or cover it with a tarp. If the pile was at least 2 times bigger, the shear volume helps retain water in the center, thus perpetuating the thermal process. Tips on easy, super-dense nitrogen: your own urine, animal dung, acorns (ground up), Japanese beatles (other captured pests). The example with acorns, if you run them thru a leave shredder, a SINGLE cubic foot of this goes thermal on its own within 1 hour!!! No additives, no water, not even close to the cubic yard they suggest for thermal. It has so much fat and water in acorns that they go thermal in your wheelbarrow lol. Do your research, locate rich sources of free material in your local area that's available with each season.
Wow! Great info! Thank you! The compost pile you see is less than 20 feet from a Red Oak which produces multiple cubic feet of acorns. I am literally surrounded by oak trees. I have never heard anyone mention them as an ingredient for compost, before. I will use your expertise and make a video in the future. May I mention your UA-cam handle in it?
Compost pile update. Good lord I'll watch anything.
Thanks. Keep watching. New stuff happens all the time.
I’ve a whole mess of stuff on my channel……..
I have watched a couple of your videos on the three sisters and will be back for more.
I am happy to hear that. My last video, I “lost” a subscriber. Can’t please all the people all the time I guess, but if you stop back let me know how I can make a simple garden experiment more interesting!
Yeah, they do drop off from time-to-time. I will absolutely make suggestions if I think something can be done better.
👍
Thank you!
I was under the impression that water was necessary to keep it going. I have made a couple large worm bins to handle my compost . Instructions by “captain Matt” about the flow through worm bin. At the end of last season, I was so excited to see the black soil that I dumped out of the cans…. It might not be for you but it was easy and the worms reproduce in the can so when I add it to my garden I’m adding thousands of worms
I have thought about vermiculture but it requires a little more effort than I care to put forth at this time. Composting, as I do it, is a much more hands off process and, generally speaking, produces more compost. I add water to the pile when necessary but by adding additional green material (kitchen scraps) there is usually not much need for water.
@@holmesteadridge you must live in a rainy climate. There's still green stuff growing. Where I am, everything is brown and dead, unless it is being watered, as we have 0 rainfall from March or April until October or November. Compost piles that aren't watered will sit for years.
Vermiculture is the next natural step for the full compost process. 1 to 2 weeks after your pile finishes it's last thermal cycle, you will have fungi moving to continue the process. It's this fungus and it's byproduct that worms eat directly. Most biomass needs to go thru the worm/insect process to be bio-available to plant roots.
Thank you for your comment! Where are you located? In our area of Kentucky we receive about 42 inches per year. Our dry months are July-Aug-Sept. We have had an inch or so in the past 36 hours, so that has been a blessing.
Thanks for the comment. I am very interested in vermiculture. I hope to add that piece of the puzzle in the future.
Yeah, it’s definitely weird for healthy branches to just calm down like that without a storm. I think I mentioned in your last video same thing happened at my place. Since then I came across one other limb that looked healthy down and one of my customers properties. I think maybe there’s just been a lot of new growth and they collapse under their own weight?
I really am without a logical explanation. The tree seems healthy. There was no obvious problem with the branch, itself. We had adequate rain during the spring. We had a dry June, but I don't think that would have any effect. Just a weird situation.
Every time I hear that “first time homesteading over fifty” my attention is peaked and I’m glad to be back. My tree shed a huge limb, almost hit my neighbors. Her description of the sound and experience was very similar to yours. I think that all the new growth and rain actually weighs down these old trees a bit to much. I agreed to remove my 300 year old tree after my neighbor’s experience and it doesn’t feel wonderful. City life is much different and not better.
I started using "over fifty" as a way to set myself apart from all the "kids" in their 30's and 40's who are doing this. Hopefully it will inspire others who are not-so young to give it a try. The video I show tomorrow is after I cut the branch up and get a look at the break, a "post mortem" of sorts. In a few days I will post another video of an ash tree, which has been dead for years, which finally fell. I heard it fall also. Not sure what the tipping point is for these trees but there have been a bunch of them over the past few years on Holmestead Ridge. Thanks for watching!
Happy anniversary
Merci!
Happy Anniversary to the 5 acres from 1974. I remember when Mom and Dad bought that land.
Yep. I was 7. It was an exciting time. I wish I had worked at keeping it clear back then. Well, maybe starting in the '80s. it would have made my life, now, much easier.
So much work! Don’t over do it buddy, keep the updates coming!
Thank you for your comment! I have about 24 acres to turn into silvopasture. I have years of work ahead of me. I pace myself and I will definitely continue the updates. Thanks for watching!
What is a silviopasture?
Thank you for the question. Silvopasture is pasture which includes trees. The trees provide shade so the livestock are not in full sun all day and allows them to graze instead of all of them clustering under one tree for most of the day, or worse, having no shade at all. With silvopasture there is enough sunlight getting through to grow grass and enough shade so the animals can graze in comfort. My job on Holmestead Ridge is to clear enough trees so we have the correct balance. It's a big job!
Awesome! That’s amazing. Do you achieve this by only felling whole trees or do you prune them also? Sounds like there might be a certain element of danger to your plan
The Place look's like Giant Born Site ...with mother and father of course. Strong burning to you
I don’t remember that Rockwell being built. Who built it? I guess I was working my job and going to classes and didn’t pay any attention to it.
Chuck built it in the mid-to-late 70's. You probably didn't go down there at that time.
I was hoping for something a bit more scientific.
Thank you for your comment. I am not a scientist, just a farmer trying to do things right.
@@holmesteadridge I was thinking take a sample of water that's been stored for a long while.
Gotcha. I am using it for watering plants and not watering animals so it really did not cross my mind to have it tested.
@@holmesteadridge I'm running some through a sand/gravel filter to aerate it a bit.
Do you include charcoal?
A small silver coin in your water will keep alge and bacteria from growing also. It's a trick they used during the age of sail to keep water from going rancid during long ocean voyages... Could be a pre-1965 dime or a pure silver Tenth ounce coin or any silver coin larger.
Thank you for your comment. I have never heard that before. I appreciate the tip!
I’ve given up on thinking I can pull together a decent amount of compost unless I’ve been adding to it over the course of a whole year. Even after collecting all of last year, I didn’t have enough to cover my 600 square feet. No matter how much you think you have when it hasn’t decomposed, it will shrink down to barely anything when it’s time to use it!
It does not go far. Maybe focus on what you can make and use it in a VERY small area to improve that soil. That small area should require less compost the next year and you can expand your area. OR maybe just go with composting in place. Put the stuff you would normally compost directly on top of the soil around the plants.
Those trees with 'issues' look pretty healthy. I have seen many trees with bigger 'issues; doing just fine for a very long time. Established trees can have damage at the base and this does not mean the tree is ready to come down especially if the tree is not nearby a structure.
Thank you for your comment. Other than gaping holes at the base of the trunk the trees do appear healthy. My goal is to create silvopasture so many trees must still be removed. Those with the issues I described will be the ones I will remove rather than the larger, healthier trees.
I'm glad the greens worked. Slimy anaerobic decomposition is no good
It worked well and I think I will turn it again this week. Still has way too much brown stuff.
I am not looking forward to the day when the deer find my garden. The rabbits have been bad enough for me. Please follow along with my garden video I would love your opinion good or bad. Halfway through the Three Sisters Garden Experiment ua-cam.com/video/mocSAyGd-rc/v-deo.html
Sorry for the late reply. I have rabbits but don't see many in this area. I think the deer beat them to it. I will watch your video again.
Looks good Holmes
Merci!
Oh no!!!!!
Yep. Next year I will fence it in.
Now I’m looking forward to your torch video.
I think Christmas night might be a good time for that.
An entirely different ecosystem. Looking back at the old videos, it's a whole different place. There's room for the deer to run, without all that honeysuckle
It really is a different place and it will only get better with time.
A father's day well spent. Hope y'all had a nice time in the heat
We accomplished a lot. The heat was not too bad. Working in silvopasture keeps things cooler.
💞Wow💛💛💛🤍💛
Thank you for your comment!
Great video! I like the time comparisons your channel is doing and conversational nature of the post :)
Thank you for your comment! I try to show before and after videos and give updates on what I am doing on the Ridge. I just share what I am doing. I am glad you like it. Please watch the playlists for some really cool transition videos.
Three Sisters Garden Experiment ua-cam.com/video/xO-RpNtbz2Q/v-deo.html I’ve liked your video, subscribed and commented!
We need more videos like this.
That's what I was thinking!
Perfect
Thank you for your comment! It is working well. Please keep checking back to see updates. What I have planted so far are growing well. I just hope the deer don't discover the garden.
Looks amazing!!
Just wait until you see it in person!
add grass clippings and/or coffee grounds
Thank you for your comment! I did add more grass clippings. I hope it will work.
Run for your life!
It was frightening!
Run for your life!
Wow!!!! Is that the only turkey you have seen there?
It is the first one I have seen in a while but I have seen many more in the past. Not sure why this one is alone. Here is the link to a video I made last year: ua-cam.com/video/-hQUfGQTVgA/v-deo.html