Sunrise Farm Project

Daily Tasks

I run my life with patterns, and I have found that doing the morning chores really is my favorite time each day. Waking up and working through the sleepiness is the hardest part of the process, but greatly helped by having the same thing to do.

Each day starts with pouring coffee (as one does) so it has a chance to cool as I make breakfast. Eating the products of the farm is the point and breakfast is the easiest. About the time I finish the dog is eager to take her walk and the chickens start making noise the moment they hear us outside. Weigh and pour the chickens food, open the garage door for the wife to take kids to school later, and shovel the snow. The dog has decided it’s too cold by then and its back in to get the second cup of coffee goodness. Then clear the breakfast dishes, make lunch and then it’s back outside to go to work.

The afternoon chores are not as patterned but it is the same list every day. Check for eggs, and make sure the chickens are ok. This is usually when we find we are missing birds from predators (counting birds in the dark is a struggle). The kitchen scraps are taken to the compost or to the chickens and finally back inside for chores there.

If the night is due to be particularly cold or there have been predators taking chickens or any other particular concerns there may be a final late evening trip out to the coop to shut the door to the chickens run, give them a extra serving of cracked corn, or turn on the heat lamp. The cracked corn helps the birds keep warm and we haven’t had any birds freeze with some corn and the heat lamp (even in -10 F).

While this sounds like a lot, all three combined less than 30 minutes– unless there is a heavy snow. The days I don’t have to leave for work and can work outside while the sun rises have been a true source of peace. Slowly moving around in the predawn dark while the animals (domestic and wild) wake up around me is an experience increasingly rare in our modern world.

Beer-flavored Sawdust

I finally finished making test beer flights last month so I can share the pictures of each stage of making them. I know this has been a long time coming and I hope there will be more soon.

This is a project that I get to make from tree to board to rough project and then finished flight with makes it very satisfying. The trees are grown and harvested nearby, sometimes from our own property and milled by a nearby friend. The rest of the work is done in my barn that doubles as a woodshop in the fall and winter months. In some cases, the lumber has never been out of a 1 mile radius, except when we deliver the finished product to the customer.

Here is the milled lumber in the shop:

Rough board, without being planed or cut

It’s worth noting that after the board arrived in my shop, it had to “rest” for a month before I could begin. This time allows the wood to acclimate to the temperature and humidity and reduces warping as I begin sawing and sanding. If there isn’t this time, projects will start splitting and not fitting as intended even before anything is completed. I ran into this problem with a few projects last fall, and I hope to not repeat the mistake.

Rough board with outlines of 3 different flights

The first part was to plane the board and then draw my design. After that I cut the board into “square” pieces. Once in a more ‘square’ shape, I cut out each outline and sanded the faces and edges to both remove any rough edges for the cutting and soften the surfaces. I started with 60 grain and moved step by step to 210 grain sandpaper.

Custom ordered flights in the cut stage before sanding

Once the sanding was done it is time to do any finishing work such as woodburning, painting, or staining. I decided to use a beeswax mix on these. I think it helps the wood retain some natural texture and it doesn’t have a chemical smell. The wax also brings out the rich coloration of the walnut that was used in this set of flights. There are some brilliant variations in color that are hard to capture in a photo.

While I do use powered tools, I don’t use any guides so each flight is a bit different from the previous one. Sometimes this adds character I never could have planned out if I tried and other times it means I have to start over. But in the end, I truly enjoy the process of starting with a tree and going through the steps to make a finished product for my own home or for someone else.

Some Great Lakes beer with a few of the Great Lakes states

Featured in this post are a pair of custom flights that were ordered as a wedding gift as well as our “Pure Michigan” flights, four of which are currently available for purchase.

New Year, New Plans

The winter months are a good time to make plans for our more active spring and summer seasons. The biggest planning event is our vegetable garden relocation and expansion.

With the end of our farm field lease last fall, we made the decision to tackle large scale farm expansions. The first expansion is for our vegetable garden, which will be expanded to the scary size of one acre and relocated to get less slope and more sun. I am actively planning the layout and varieties for this new larger garden and am really excited about the potential of the new space.

In addition to the vegetables, we may also be growing the flock. We have enjoyed our first year and a half with our birds. The responsibility of caring for livestock has stretched all of us but seeing the joy of our kids feeding the birds snacks in the sunshine definitely outweighs the negatives. The bird expansion requires some new buildings once the snow is gone, but we are hopeful that we can successfully bring in some new members to our flock.

Our expansions don’t quite cover the breadth of our new vacated field, so we will also be working on additional projects in the fields to prepare them for future livestock expansions. The research is currently focusing on growing pasture lands and creating deer sanctuaries. Fencing and fast growing hardwoods are also on the research topic list. As some of the other expansion projects get crossed off the list, we’ll intensify our research to get the lesser priorities handled.

We’re excited to be tackling some bigger projects this year. I’m very excited about the new garden and will be sharing more about that soon.

Summer Projects

Here at Sunrise Farm Project, our conversations center around what we learned and how we can grow from the things we learned. This spring and summer, we took on a few projects that were new to us. Not all of them were as successful as we had hoped, and others we will improve next year and as we continue to grow.

Sprouts

Building indoor grow shelves and sprouting plants early produced mixed results. I have never grown tomatoes and peppers from seed, but in order to have heirloom plants, it was something I needed to try. Seeds grew, but the moving outside process (hardening off) and planting in the grow proved challenging. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the plants that survived and the plants that didn’t. As I continue to do more research, I will be trying a few different things next year, and hopefully build a better system.

Peppers and Tomatoes

My peppers almost seemed like a bust, and my tomatoes did almost too well. Somewhere in the middle summer weeks, with the heat and the rain, nearly all of my tomato plants took off, and I was never able to get them back under control. This led to an uneven tomato harvest, with huge plants, but less fruit than expected. Some of my plants were getting to be bigger and taller than some of my children, and required lots of extra staking. My one surprise tomato plant was the Chernobyl tomato. Producing a yellow tomato the size of a Roma, these tomatoes are prolific, still bearing into September.

The peppers were slow to take root outside, and for a brief time, I thought they weren’t going to survive. The Hungarian wax pepper was the first to recover, with a nice yellow-green fruit, and strong tall plants. My middle child was very excited to eat peppers fresh from the garden, and had quite a few for snack. My miniature bell peppers did finally start producing, and I watched them like a hawk, waiting for the first tiny fruit to come along. They are such a cute little pepper, great for little kid snacking or adding sliced into salads. Our orange ones did the best, though I think there’s a rogue purple one in the bunch. At the encouragement of some friends, I will be attempting to transplant and winter my miniature peppers indoors—stay tuned for that experiment.

Beans

Planted four different varieties this year—one was a dry bean variety that was poorly labeled in the seed catalog. I was attempting to create some color and variety in the earlier vegetables, and my varieties delivered. A classic green bean, a sunny soft yellow, and a funny purple striped variety called Dragon Tongue filled the garden from mid July into September. Once the school year started, it was a challenge to keep up, and had I planned better, we may have had better late harvests. I’m saving seed, and will try these varieties and a few more next year as well. Having fresh green beans to eat has always been a summer expectation of mine, and I want the little ones to grow up with that experience too.

Pumpkins and Squash

Two words: squash bugs. Destroyed all of my seedlings and made for a disappointing pumpkin patch this year. However, I did spend some time researching and planning, and with the vegetable garden move that we plan for next spring, I’m hoping I can keep the pests at bay.

We learned a variety from this year’s garden projects, and I’m looking forward to trying again next year. Next year’s vegetable garden will be relocated and enlarged to accommodate a greater variety of vegetables. I’m hoping to intentionally succession plant some of the faster producing vegetables to prolong the harvest. And we have a few surprises up our sleeves as well.

Stay tuned for the fall harvest and cleanup!

A Finished Cabinet

After several delays because of weather (needed varnish-friendly temperatures), I have finished the small side-board/cabinet that was commissioned earlier this year.

The top is made from reclaimed wood set up in herringbone pattern. We then used an epoxy coating to seal and finish it. The paneling and frame were made in such a way as to not distract from the interest of the herringbone top. All parts were stained per the request of the recipient.

I learned about a variety of hinges, different ways to set in cabinet doors, and how to apply epoxy quickly and effectively. Many of these skills will come in handy as I continue to take on small commissioned projects as well as projects around the house.

I learned a lot about building strength while keeping a piece small and as light as possible. I hope I can build more like this one.

June Garden Tour

Early on in the summer, we had many plants in the green stage. Seedlings were popping up all over with some fruit and flower, but June was definitely about maintenance. Farming and gardening and growing things seems to be a lot about waiting.

Last year, we had a few potted herbs and vegetables, but we’ve doubled our back patio space with a few large raised beds.

amaranth
salvia
a mostly mulched flower bed, with rows of flowers peaking through
coneflower

Expanding the Flower Garden

There were a few projects we tackled last summer that were not expected to produce much success early on. The most surprising success was the roadside stand with little flower posies.

small flower posy — a mix of marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias

Success of roadside stand– Evan built it because we knew we would need it eventually, and he wanted the practice. Neighbors would occasionally ask what we were selling, and I was itching to get something going.
My flowers were a natural choice, as they were one of the few growing successes we had last summer. I waited in anticipation for the first flowers to bloom, and once they started, I started to assemble posies.
It was only a few bouquets each week to start, but at peak season, I was producing 10 to 12 larger bouquets. Pairing color and texture was a fun challenge for me, and encouraged me to start researching more.

More zinnias, they’re my favorite– As the season ended, I geared up to grow more. Starting with my current garden, I worked to save seeds for the following season. I knew off the bat that I wanted to grow more zinnias, as the variety of color and strength of stem makes them a really awesome cut flower choice. All winter, I poured over websites and catalogs, trying to decide which varieties to include, and trying not to go overboard.

cutting ground around the irises was a lot of work

Researching more flowers- amaranth, cosmos, greenery– I also knew it was foolish to invest in only one flower variety, so I started research. Based on our zone, and the traits I was looking for in my flowers, I bought seeds for amaranth and cosmos. Both plants offer a variety in color and height, plus promise the hardiness needed for a cut bouquet. The greenery is still something I am working on, though I will be trying some hardy herbs this year, and continuing to research other possibilities.

Moving the location and cutting ground– With a few new varieties of vegetables to add to the garden this year, I had to find a new location for the flower garden. An existing iris bed was expanded, twice, to accommodate my flowers for this year. As we are still in the transitional stage with this flower bed, I have an odd mix of perennials and annuals as a test to see if the soil and light is the right mix for my flowers.

a mostly mulched flower bed, with rows of flowers peaking through

Watching and waiting– The hardest part of gardening is the year-long cycle of hurry up and wait. As we reach the end of June, we are just watching, watering, weeding (sometimes), and waiting. Wondering if there is enough sun exposure. Hoping that it rains enough, or trying to get watering done efficiently. Keeping the weeds at bay so they don’t choke out the plants.

sunflower against a blue sky — one of last year’s sunflowers

Sprouting, Hardening, Planting: Getting the Spring Garden Started

After what was shaping up to be an unseasonably warm and early planting season, we had a few frosty mornings that kept delaying our planting. I was totally convinced that I was never going to get my garden in, and all my seedlings were going to die before I could transplant. Obviously that was a bleak outlook, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But now the warmth has returned, and this past weekend, I was able to get most of my garden planted.

This year’s garden has been nearly 5 months in the making. Back in January, I started planning the vegetable garden, perusing catalogs while also trying to keep from going overboard. I settled on 5 heirloom varieties of tomatoes, 2 varieties of pepper, 3 varieties of pumpkin, 3 varieties of beans, plus cucumbers, carrots, and summer squash. Compared to last year’s garden, I am being way more adventurous. I have never grown peppers or tomatoes before, and had to do a bit of research before I started them indoors. Our indoor grow setup was put to the test, and proved sufficient.

Testing out the new sprinkler for easier watering

As the weather got warmer, I hoped for early planting, but wanted to avoid last year’s seedling failure. Most of our vining plants were stunted, and it wasn’t until this spring that I realized a lack of hardening off was more detrimental to my plants than I realized. But we also didn’t have a great set-up for bringing plants in and out until the weather improved. This year, I just used spare boxes, and as seedlings became acclimated to the weather, they took up residence on the back porch. Per my research, hardening off seedlings that were sprouted under grow lights should take at least a week, as one gradually exposes the seedlings to more natural sunlight and the elements. I’ll be the first to admit that I was not super scientific about the whole process, but I’m hoping it makes the difference.

Many of my plants are direct sow, meaning that they are not planted until the soil is consistently warm and out of danger of frost. Of my vegetables, I didn’t sprout the beans indoors, and of my flowers, only amaranth was an indoor sprout. This past Friday, the weather was beautiful and I started to move my seedlings to the garden. Six amaranth plants and a variety of peppers and tomatoes went into the ground, intermingled with marigold seeds to help keep off some of the pests. The following morning, I planted carrots, all of my beans, and some of the vine plants. I sprouted a few of my vines inside, and they are still in the midst of the hardening off stage, but I hope to get them into the garden this week.

My green beans already starting to sprout

Over the course of the last few months, I consulted multiple websites and books for inspiration and help. My favorite resource has been the Family Garden Plan, a book that I found through one of my social media accounts. The experiences of other people have been really useful to me, and I appreciate social media for those connections. One of the biggest learning curves for me has been figuring out how to grow and maintain seedlings. I had to repot several sets of seedlings as they outgrew the original pot I had put them in.

I would love to answer questions about our set-up, or hear your story about starting seedlings indoors!

Woodshop progress

The last month has been busy. I planned last year to do most of my projects in the slower winter months, but my shop isn’t insulated which causes more warpage in the wood than I had expected.

I have been spending most of my time on two projects. First was a custom cabinet I was asked to make. The customer had been unable to find anything to the size they wanted that wasn’t pressboard “junk”. They also asked that there be no vertical support between the doors to allow for easier access.

I decided to use small pieces of reclaimed lumber to make a patterned top which took a bit more work but was worth it. With the side, back, and lower shelves made with single sheets and cut to fit inside the frame. The colors were picked by the customer but I did recommend adding a clear epoxy for the top to show off the patterned wood.

The second project that has been getting loads of time and work is a dining room table. It was ordered to a specific size 8×4 ft. The wood and stain selection was custom (although there is a shortage of selection lately).

I started with unfinished lumber and have spent a lot of time planing (smoothing the surface) and jointing (fitting the edges that meet so there isn’t cracks). Then I was able to start to peg and glue the boards together into a table top and apply a stain. I am satisfied with the results so far.

These two projects, given their collective size, have occupied both workshop space and time. As I continue to progress, we will be making decisions about insulation and timing for woodcraft projects. But for now, I’ll continue to make do with what is available.

Dirt Improvement

We had quite the date night this past fall: a trip to the hardware store for ground contact 2x6s and lots and lots of dirt.

the layers of soil, peat moss, compost, and mulch in our blueberry boxes

After my huge disappointment over the initial testing of our ‘orchard’ soil, Evan and I decided on building raised beds for our blueberry bushes. Twelve holes are now twelve little raised beds, filled with peat moss and a compost/manure soil mixture. It was really fun to reveal the very defined layers of the raised box dirt when we planted the bushes the other week.

Between the blueberry patch and the vegetable garden, our dirt has been astonishingly disappointing, and we are hoping our amendments in the fall will produce a better crop this season. The vegetable garden did not need as aggressive of amending for the upcoming season, but still received a layer of compost and mulch back in the fall.

Improving the soil is a slow process, and obviously only time will tell how much more work we will need to put into it. In order to keep the improvements coming, we are also more aggressively composting and mulching. Anything that doesn’t get fed to the chickens goes into the compost heap, and every few weeks the chicken bedding gets added in as well.

As we continue to test the soil and grow our plants, the literal fruits of our labor will be apparent. I am optimistic about the adjustments we have made since last summer, and am excited to see what sort of harvest we will have this year. Want to know more about our processes or just want to chat dirt and gardening? Leave us a comment or check us out on one of our social platforms!