What’s going on at CLF during winter?

As a woman who has lived in Florida for about 46 years, my first winter in SW Virginia has been amazing! SW Virginia usually has mild winters, but this year has brought a few snow and ice storms and some very cold weather (single digits). Nevertheless, when I took on the responsibility of farm life, no matter the weather, animals and plants depend on me. Personally, I love experiencing new things and taking care of the alpaca, goats and roosters during the winter has been fun!

I do a lot of research to see what works for others, but applying what I research into my own farm is the fun part. Right now Crazy Ladies Farm does not have electric or water running directly into the animal pasture. Water turning into ice overnight has been a problem for me. I have found that individual bottles half filled with water and lots and lots of salt works well to keep the ice in the 5-gallon buckets from forming too thickly. In each 5-gallon bucket, 3-4 salt-water filled bottles float on the surface. Even though some ice forms, it is easily removed in the morning so that all the animals have fresh water during the day.

Now that March has arrived, our attention is on Spring and starting our new growing season. We are so excited to increase our blackberry production this year by planting 100 new blackberry plants! We are continuing to create and grow them in our specialized wicking buckets and are upgrading the field! Since we are still new to growing blackberries in SW Virginia, we are unsure about the exact timing when blackberries will be ripe, but will definitely keep you posted.

We have also decided to grow additional produce this year: sweet potatoes, white potatoes, onions, and luffas. We will keep you posted about these, as well.

Winter has really gone by very quickly and there is much to do to be ready for the new blackberry plants arriving in April. We are really looking forward to Spring and Summer 2025!