Out to Pasture

I didn't realize that watching grass grow was going to be such a highly anticipated event - maybe it's because I've entered my 30s - I'm more keen to the various types of birds on the birdfeeder, everything hurts, and a lush lawn is more and more dreamy...

That said, our pasture is starting to sprout!!!

We've been squinting our eyes staring every day for little bits of a green haze over the pasture we cleared in the front yard last summer. The Homestead Husband seeded it using a pasture mix from Dirigo Ranch Feed & Seed at the start of spring after smoothing out all of the "black gold" from the horse paddock that he and my father and brother dumped and spread last fall.

The past week and a half it has done nothing but rain, which I am quite done with, BUT it has been super helpful with getting those grass seeds to drink up and take hold. The pasture is looking more and more vibrant green by the day!

We're working on pricing out the remaining posts and lumber for the fence rails, white paint to dress it up, and plans for a secondary shelter for the horses to graze and roam out front. This move will allow our back paddock time to recover. It needs some serious attention with drainage, low spots, thinning out trees, and maybe it too, will sprout some greenery. We're hoping to have the horses out front by mid summer if all goes well. The Bunkhouse is also filling in nicely, and will eventually serve as additional grazing space.

This weekend, we'll get rid of the remaining brush, cut and split the down trees for heating the homestead in future winters, and then it will be ready for the remaining fencing.

I am so excited to have the horses on some cleaner ground, and it will make for the best welcoming committee when pulling up to the cabin! This project is something we've just picked away and picked away at. I had no idea when we started just how many steps were involved with building a beautiful lawn from scratch. The ranch-hands have smoothed over the area with the tractor a number of times making it as level as possible. They've pulled sticks and stones, they've hauled countless dump-truck-fulls of manure and then strategically selected the right seed mix, and the exact days to plant. It requires some serious concentrated effort to get it right!

Will share an update when the grass really fills in and we've got some updated fence lines!

Happy Trails,

The Ranch Wife