Welcome to our Mini Farm
Thanks for coming to check our our Mini Farm!
What is a Mini Farm?
Well, I am not totally sure the technical definition, but for us, it is our escape from our long days in the city and a chance to enjoy our little slice of the Earth. Our Mini Farm is located in Katy, Texas, although there is a lot of influence from many other places. Some of our Mini Farming is experimental, and others have been long-researched.
Danielle, (otherwise to be referred to as "me") grew up in the suburbs of Denver, Colorado and spent a lot of time in the Rocky Mountains, which, until I found myself in Texas, I think I really couldn't appreciate. I miss the quiet drives up through the aspens, spotting mountain goats on high mountain passes, and just being able to experience wildlife that I just can't get to from Texas. My husband, Aaron, grew up just a couple of miles from where we live now, but enjoys (tolerates) a trip or two back to the mountains every year with me and our little guy.
My husband and I find living with a little bit of room is the best for us. Since we are city-dwellers Monday through Friday, we can't be too far away, so the compromise is our 2 acre Mini Farm. We have a small garden, tended to by mostly me, a pond, which falls into his area of responsibility, and a butterfly habitat that is a shared responsibility between myself and my little man, who is currently 5 going on 30.
The Butterfly Habitat
Several years and a few moves ago, I bought a milkweed plant. I had no idea what to do with it or anything about the butterfly life cycle. A couple of years later, I bought some painted lady butterflies on Amazon and we raised them and let them go, which was a great learning experience, but really wasn't as immersive as I would have liked. I bought a couple more milkweed plants and found some yellow and black caterpillars on them... my friend Jim sent me to a few YouTube videos (links below) that walked me through what I am supposed to do. Then, one day shortly after, I made the plunge and raising monarch butterflies became my favorite hobby.
A lot of this blog will focus on our adventures in raising monarchs, with a little bit of the other Mini Farm activities. I have found that this little hobby has become a passion - not just for me, but also for my son. He has learned about the entire life cycle of monarchs and most importantly, he has learned the importance of being gentle with creatures. It is a ton of work, but thanks to my friend Jim, YouTube, and a few Facebook groups, I think I have a pretty good handle on it. I am no expert for sure, but I am learning every day.
The following links are to the MrLundScience channel on YouTube, which is where I learned my techniques. I recommend checking them out of you are interested in this exciting hobby.
Part 1 - finding eggs
There are many other videos about caring for milkweed, finding milkweed, how to handle sick caterpillars and deformed adults, and what to do in emergency situations. Facebook has many communities for raising monarchs and you can find local chapters by talking to your local nurseries.
Beware! Once you start, I am not positive you will ever turn back.
The Garden
In the garden is mostly hot peppers, which is something I enjoy more than I should. My husband found an abandoned boat a few years ago and had intended to fix it and make it float again. Luckily I was able to talk him into making it into a raised garden for me instead! He cut the bottom out, we added some dirt and soil, and boom - the SS Mini Farm was setting sail. Right now, we are growing a few different types of tomatoes - some popped up in the compost pile, so they will be of the "surprise" variety. Also, we have banana peppers, jalapenos, habaneros, ghost peppers, scorpion peppers, and scotch bonnets (I know I have a problem!) To round off the crazy peppers, we also have peas, lettuce, basil, and green onions. Mostly, we have the makings of some great salsa!The Pond
The pond near the back of the property is FULL of fish - and turtles. We aren't sure of everything that lives in there, but we are sure that there are lots of sunfish and catfish. Everyday around 7pm we head outside to feed them and they all come to the spot and scoop up the food (I will post videos!) Some of the catfish are enormous - and during feeding time you can see lots of whiskers poking out of the water as they scoop up the food like vacuums. There are a few turtles, including one red ear that I have named Turbo after my favorite speedy Disney character. We assume that that there are a bunch of snakes as well, but we don't let that deter us. After all, they keep away some of the unsavory guests. This is also host to a few visitors including cranes, egrets, wild ducks, and the three ducks who live next door. Late in the evening we regularly see deer come by along with skunks, possums (opossums if we are being technically correct), and tons of bugs.
Thanks for stopping by to read about our Mini Farm Adventures. Please email any questions, comments, shout outs, or your experiences to MalinowskiMiniFarm@gmail.com.
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