Last corn was eaten and it was a little tough. Only thing left is peppers a few tomatoes, brussel sprouts and taters. Pig was 198 dressed out.

I feel sorry for wasting foods. The walkabout neighbors won't take my free tomatoes and peppers I set out front with a help yourself sign. So many are hitting the compost pile that are picked or on the vine.
Tomorrow these fresh picked will be donated to the disabled. There might be a 1 here and there for sandwiches but the new soil was brought in today to start another project area. The garlic must be planted before heavy frosts.
We are really starting to prepare for the long hunker down ahead until spring. We have over 10 dozen ears of corn either frozen and canned.
Saturday morning I'm taking kids and grandkids apple picking at our local orchard. We will make applesauce and pies.Probably pick raspberries and maybe melons.
The homestead is a 7 day week with the help I've secured.
Winter is fast approaching and I will be in full outdoors mode in limited daylight hours until spring.

My 3 hogs liveweight were 225, 215, 180.
We have plenty pork.
45 chickens in spring, 35 in October.
Cow is hanging on the hook now for 12 days.
Venison is gone and last of striper went 2 weeks ago. I'd love to get some fat gills or perch to fry but no time.
We try to maximize and waste not.
Supermarket shopping is only for products we can't provide

With some free time form housework yesterday, I relocated some garden boxes and tilled the other 3 existing ones.
Another 2-3 weeks we'll plant our garlic.
Not sure yet how many but I have enough seed bulbs to do about 400 plants.
As they say, gotta make hay while the sun is shining.

last nights frost wiped everything out  only thing left is sprouts. Harvest squash and potatoes as time allows, getting ready for winter now. Tip up to river tomorrow to check it out

Well, it finally happened. We are thinking a Fisher got in the pen last night. 36 out of 40 were killed.
Sucks because we were gonna process them Saturday.

Wow, that is horrible... was it cold enough for anything to be salvaged? 

Don't know if a fisher would kill like that. I've never had one bother mine.... yet. It looks like raccoon damage. Either way it suxs. I'd set a box trap tonight if it was a coon it will be back

I lost 13 once and most were just killed . Weasel I think. I may go to the livestock auction Saturday to see if my Turkey are there. 2 other farms hit making 5 with animals stolen

The old farmers used to say that Weasels were like vampires - went to the throat for the blood and left everything else. 

Rich,a trail camera might catch a view as to what is killing those birds,then you can zero in on a solurion.

Got it all rototilled today. Any suggestions on a fertilizer to throw down for next season? 5-10-5 or something like that? I'm gonna try garlic this year too.

We use manure. Chicken, pig, cow . The garlic I mulch in with leaves and rake them up in the spring. It's getting harder for me to do stuff with the heart so I am going to cut back next year I think. Wife's company is giving out coffee grounds and shells so we may get a few thousand pounds to spread

Cow manure is , especially raw and not dried/ aged is very high in nitrogen and will probably burn plants.
A good thing I'd use would be dried blood or dehydrated manure for garlic, then I'd cover with straw or as Clint said, leaves.

Don't forget the infamous ”Mushroom Compost” A/K/A horse manure and sawdust.

Unless ya get it from a mushroom farm than it might consist of a combination of wheat straw, blood, horse manure and calcium.

Planted 50 cloves and mulched in . Dug 40 lbs of taters and the rest of the carrots. I have about 15 brussel sprouts to harvest yet. That's it. Feeling good the last few days. River check tomorrow