Hello & Welcome!
What do you get when you take two city ladies who chose a rural life
with space to grow the crops of their dreams
and keep a menagerie of livestock?
A steep learning curve.
Hi, I’m Melissa, the author of this little corner of the internet.
My wife Kim (chillin’ below with one of our LGDs, Barley) and I are first generation farmers who who got our first backyard chickens in 2010. If you know about Chicken Math, you probably have a pretty good idea of how we got where we are today.
Our original goal was to gain more agency over the food that goes on our table and we have been nothing if not humbled by the work… for better or for worse.
We’re tired, inspired, and full of determination.
We also believe that life is good… So.very.good… even when it is hard.
This space documents our journey from a tiny urban farm in the city to the gorgeous property we call home today and every twist and turn in between since 2011.
On this farm, as in life, we believe:
- Love is love
- Black lives & Indigenous sovereignty matter
- Healthcare is a fundamental human right
- Water is life
- No human is illegal
- Science & climate change are real
- Intersectional feminism is essential
- Truth & justice matter
- Kindness is imperative
You will find no Trad Wife shenanigans in this space and no unkindness will be permitted.
Act accordingly, please and thank you 🙂
About the Farm
Since early 2018 we have had the opportunity to care-take ten acres in a tiny agricultural village in Northern New Mexico where we raise:
- Nigerian Dwarf Goats
- Laying hens
- Muscovy ducks
- Blue Slate turkeys and
- Kunekune pigs
Their purposes are to eat weeds, aerate and fertilize the soil, and help us avoid the use of chemicals. The eggs and milk and meat are a lovely bonus, too.
The property boasts a small (60 tree) but diverse heirloom orchard and ~500 linear feet of raspberries and blackberries which we lovingly cultivate.
In addition to a handful of our own larger crops we also keep a Kitchen Garden and an herb garden.
There are big dreams in these pages, within our hearts, & just around the bend.
Want to dive deeper?
As you might imagine, with over a decade and a thousand+ posts under my belt, there is a lot of information that can be found in the blog archives!
The perfect place to start is on our 1/8 Acre Urban Farm page which outlines exactly how we transformed a tiny city lot into a thriving and abundant urban farm.
Next, you might want to hop around to some of my most popular posts of all time which will give you a good idea of where we’ve been on this journey, how we continue to learn with every bump in the road & small success, and where our hopes might take us:
- Sowing, Growing, and Harvesting Echinacea
- Homestead Hacks
- Garlic Powder DIY
- Backyard Chickens (keeping and care)
- Sowing Seeds – A Roundup of Inspirations, Ideas, & Resources
- Backyard Chickens 101 – Questions to Ask Before Jumping In!
- The Benefits of Urban Farming
- How to Pressure Cook and Old Laying Hen
- Urban Gardening – The Basics
Thank you for joining us on this ever-growing journey of ours, we couldn’t be happier that you’re here with us!
Grab a cuppa and stay a while 🙂
Onward,
Melissa
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
I used to be an Amazon Affiliate but am not anymore. I am still working on removing all of the links to the Amazon storefront so if you go back far enough in the archives, you might find broken links. Please pay them no mind.
DISCLAIMER
I am not an “expert” in any of the topics covered on this site, I am simply sharing our hard-won experiences and ideas for you to run with. I am not a doctor, lawyer, veterinarian. Please use the information gleaned from this site responsibly.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The photography featured on our website is the property of Ever Growing Farm (Melissa Willis) unless otherwise credited. Please request permission before downloading or reproducing in any way.
