Hello Friends,
I have not written in a very long time and I am sorry to have been away for so long.
I believe I have a good reason to share with you all though.
Itzy Bitzy Farm has moved … and gotten BIGGER!
In October, my husband Don and I suddenly felt like things were going to change in our lives. Have you ever just sort of had a “knowing” that something was coming or a change was about to happen in your life? We talked one day and sort of half heartedly said we wouldn’t mind moving back to North Carolina, where we had lived and farmed for eight years. We had left North Carolina to return to my state of origin in Massachusetts in 2010. We left a big farm of 5 acres, well, big for us suburbanites, and went to a house on 1/4 acre in Southeast Massachusetts. Because of this, I was forced to learn and become expert in raised bed farming. I went from 2 acres of row crops and orchards to 300 square feet consisting of 21 raised beds. It was a harsh change that took adjustment. But it birthed many new skills and opened doors along the way.
I started holding workshops for urban dwellers and taught them how to accomplish small scale homesteading.
I began blogging for GRIT and Capper’s Farmer and a local publication, Edible South Shore. And I started raising my own flock of laying hens.
But even with these new doors opening I missed the potential that “acreage” offers. And the SNOW was a definite drawback. So after three years, we decided the South was beckoning to us to return. So we returned to our beloved North Carolina.
It all happened very suddenly and went as quickly as a hen running to the rustling of a sack of scratch!
And here we are, back in North Carolina living in a lovely house with two acres to play on. The prospects are endless and so are the leaves. But where others see leaves, I see compost!
I managed to dismantle and bring with me my 21 raised beds. They will be for our own veggies. The rest of the land will be used for my plant business. And of course there will be a new chicken coop and greenhouse.
As the homestead progresses and morphs from a caterpillar to a butterfly, I will share with you the journey and the steps. My primary goal once I learned about growing my own food and becoming more self sustainable, has always been to encourage and inspire others to live a homestead lifestyle in minimal space.
Stay tuned for the next chapter on our farm.
Follow Itzy Bitzy Farm on Face Book.
and follow our blog at www.itzybitzyfarm.com.
See you soon,
Susan
