Time for something new.

I began farm blogging, unfortunately not at all consistently, under the name Tennessee Farm Adventures. Until a year ago, I really did think that I was going to be in Tennessee forever. I cannot complain about the turn of events that led me to marry the most incredible bearded man and honestly, Josh is worth becoming an Alabamian for. I am already learning to love the state that is King of Cotton, full of red clay and snow white fields in the fall and folks who say "might could."

We are starting out our Alabama farm adventures right at the state line in Ardmore, AL. Ardmore is a town in both Tennessee and Alabama; our property is a mile into the Alabama side, close to I-65 and right across the street from a set of railroad tracks. Ardmore is a quaint town, where the tiny city hall has white rocking chairs on the front porch and there are locally run restaurants named Southern Fixins and Fried Green Tomato.

Our new home is a modest 3 bedroom house located on eight acres of land. About an acre of pasture is fenced in and almost livestock ready, there is another cleared acre or so surrounding the house, and the rest of the acreage is pine woods.

We still have our Five Points, Huntsville house to sell once we close on the new Ardmore house, but are hoping to begin building our farm homestead up once the old house sells. I have so much I would like to do - laying hens, meat chickens, heritage turkeys, pigs, dairy cow and calf, and of course a huge home garden - so we are trying to figure out how to prioritize farming goals. Most likely, the first order of business will be to install adequate fencing to get a Great Pyrenees rescue to use as a livestock (and Maggie) guardian. A few farm goals of mine for the next 1-3 years, in no particular order:

1. Set up two bee hives

2. Raise a batch of 25 meat chickens - possibly heritage breeds

3. Start a flock of laying hens

4. Raise a feeder pig

5. Get a dairy cow

6. Start a perennial herb garden near the house

7. Set up permanent (non-timber framed) raised beds around the house as the family garden

Our grand adventure is about to begin!