March comes in like a lion….err wait it was way more like a lamb, but now I feel like I was mauled by a lion!  So.much.gardening. I.need.a.massage.stat. I am super excited to share how much progress we made on our chicken and children’s food forest permaculture garden project and the rest of the happenings around “the homestead” this past month. Plus sitting down to write this blog post is a great excise to take a break, and I could really use one after the last couple weeks.

We really enjoyed getting outside this month as much as we could. 

Worked on the garden project. A lot. Early in the month we did some planting and put up our new fence to separate the back area from  our raised vegetable beds….got to keep those chickens contained and our veggies safe 😉

Avery helped me with this fun project, which was a gift for the moms who came to my Wild and Free Group gathering.  I was nervous and excited to meet other homeschooling moms from the Wild & Free community (an emerging group of mothers and homeschoolers who want their children to not only receive a quality education, but also to experience the adventure, freedom, and wonder of childhood.)

The event was amazing!!  I met the most beautiful ladies, on the inside and out, who I look forward to connecting with more. Plus, we had a ton of fun with my busy activity, making ourselves gorgeous spring flower crowns.

March is Chad’s birthday.  We surprised him with a trip to Sequim.  Of course the first stop was the Olympic Game Farm for the kids.  Sawyer kept screaming “animals! animals!” and had no hesitation when it came to feeding them.  He was however, terrified by the buffalo.  

And back to the garden project.  We literally worked on the garden in every spare second we had the whole month.  I was putting the pressure on since Chad will be returning back to school in April and I know free time will become a hot commodity once again.  I am so impressed at all the hard work he especially put in.  Here is a look at where we stand at the end of the month.  Onions, garlic, broccoli and cabbage are all growing well.

We used more of the cherry tree branch to make a tee pee for some snap peas, which we also interplanted with carrots.  Peas and carrots, carrots and peas.

Got the raspberry bed installed and planted.  Oh how I love this raised bed with the “firewood” sides.  The wood is from a maple tree that Chad’s parents had cut down.  He chopped all the pieces by hand, dug a trench for the bed and pounded all these in to create this bed.  I planted several varieties of red raspberries, some given to me by a friend and some from our old house.  Used garlic as a companion plant, which will keep the bad bugs away and acts as a fungicide.  Topped it off with some straw for mulch, a leftover goodie from our attempt at a straw bale garden last year (don’t ever do one of these). Just need to add the cross pieces and wire for the trellis.  I am drooling thinking of the fresh red berries now.

Got a load of wood chips to do the path.  Shoveling wood chips is a great workout.

We made ourselves a rustic wood round patio area under the hammock.  This project pretty much took a whole weekend, but the finished product is so worth it.

My favorite part about the garden so far is how it brings us all together.  The kids play and swing in the hammock while we work.  Sometimes they help, and sometimes I swing in the hammock (ah, my favorite part!).  It is already shaping up to be a magical place of dreams. 

Thanks for joining me again this month for an update on our life and adventures around the Brundage Homestead. Catch up on what has been happening the past few months here. 

What is your favorite part about our Chicken and Children’s food forest permaculture garden so far?  I would love to hear in the comments below!