We’re expecting a day of rain here in the New York City area with temperatures rising into the upper 40s.
Although we’ve had a relatively mild winter so far, temperatures have been very erratic. In recent weeks, we’ve had both spring-like weather as well as days in the 20s. Last weekend, weather conditions were just right for us to get about four to six inches of moderately wet and heavy snow. The morning after, I ventured out to take some photos and to plow the four miles of carriage roads here at the farm. Using my trusted Polaris XP Ranger 1000 fitted with its adjustable snow plow, it took me about two-and-a-half hours to do, but I got the job done.
Enjoy these photos.
I love our Polaris vehicles. This Polaris XP Ranger 1000 has 80 horsepower – one of the most powerful in its class. It is easy to handle and helps with so many of the chores around the farm. Here I am about to plow the four miles of carriage roads – so much fun!
This view is of the soccer field or “Party Lawn.” During summer, it is my grandson’s favorite spot – I put out a regulation-size soccer net where he and his friends can play for hours. On the right, one can see the snow-covered roof of the old corn crib.
Here is a view looking through my fruit orchard that surrounds the pool.
Tucked away between the Equipment Barn and a grove of weeping willows is my pinetum. It includes pines, spruces, and firs, as well as other evergreens. In the foreground, a recently planted border of Osmanthus fastigiata.
Here is my stand of American beech trees. They are slow to grow but can live up to 300-years. It’s interesting how some drop all their leaves, while others hold onto them as long as possible.
Whenever it snows, I am always grateful for the stakes we put up delineating the carriage roads. We paint the tips of those stakes that mark the catch basins, so if needed, the side openings can be cleared.
Here I am driving and plowing the road down the Boxwood Allee draped in burlap. This vehicle plows wonderfully and gets into tight spots where a big pick-up truck wouldn’t be able to go.
These roads are also covered in gravel, so I keep the plow just barely touching the top of the snow, leaving about an inch of white cover. It still looks pretty, and the crowns of the roads are left undisturbed.
One of the most popular views at the farm – this one looking down the long and winding carriage road to the lower hayfields and the woodlands beyond. Majestic trees stand tall in the woodland, with smaller saplings growing below. This carriage road leads to the back hayfields and to my little woodland cottage.
This path between the paddocks runs from my Winter House and carport down to the chicken coops. Just inside both of these paddocks are younger linden trees.
Here’s a stand of dawn redwoods, Metasequoia, with their straight trunks – impressive trees by any standard, and beautiful in any season. Thankfully, the wind was not very strong, so none of the trees lost any branches.
The fencing is 100-year old white spruce fencing from Canada with newer cedar uprights to support it. I love how it casts shadows in the snow.
Here are four of my five donkeys – “Jude Junior,” Billie, “Truman Junior,” and Clive. They love this weather and have naturally thick coats that protect them in the cold.
They also love visitors, especially those with treats. Rufus, “Truman Junior,” and Clive are coming to the fence to say hello – hello my gorgeous donkeys!
The boxwood hedge surrounding my herbaceous peonies is well-insulated from the inclement weather. Several holes are left in the burlap for visiting birds. The peonies in these beds are also well-insulated with mulch to stabilizes the winter temperature and preserve the moisture through the cold months.
Here is the side entrance to my ginkgo and boxwood garden behind the Summer House. I am so glad my boxwood is well protected under the burlap coverings.
This apple tree was here when I purchased my home. It is one of several lined up behind the herbaceous peony garden. They still produce an abundance of apples every fall.
And here is the view of the ancient apple trees in one of the horse paddocks. In front are European beech trees, Fagus sylvatica, or the common beech – a deciduous tree belonging to the beech family Fagaceae and native to the woodlands of central and southern Europe.
This is the carriage road to my tennis court where we planted an allee of Marley’s Pink Parasol’ Japanese Snowbell trees and Styrax japonicus ‘Evening Light’. They all continue to do so nicely in this area.
And here’s a sweeping view of the horse paddocks taken with a drone. The straight lines bordered by the antique fencing crisscrossed with the burlap-covered boxwood in the allee look so pretty. Go to my Instagram page @marthastewart48.com for more of my photos. Enjoy the weekend.
Below, enjoy some of the short videos we took as I plowed the roads around my farm with my Polaris XP Ranger 1000.
The beginning of a new year is always a nice time to get a jump start on spring cleaning - we’re getting so much done here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Earlier this week, I decided it was time to tackle another storage space, my stable hayloft - a large loft above the horse stalls where we keep bales of hay made right here in my fields. The area is also used to house various building materials, screen doors, and several large ornamental planters. Getting things back in order is always so energizing - I love projects like this. If you’re looking to get organized, be sure to read my latest book, "Martha Stewart’s Organizing: The Manual for Bringing Order to Your Life, Home & Routines.”
Enjoy these photos.
Here is my stone stable. It houses my five magnificent Friesians, my Fell pony, and my five donkeys. On the second floor is my hayloft that extends the full length of the building.
The hayloft can be seen from the stable’s entryway through the big double barn doors. Netting the area keeps the birds from getting trapped in the loft.
Here is a view out of one of the windows of the loft. This window looks out onto the great Boxwood Allee, which is now completely enshrouded in burlap. This year, I decided to cover the boxwood using burlap on top of the same metal frames used to make hoop houses – strong industrial steel ground uprights and purlin pipes. These materials would not only provide the necessary support for the burlap but would also accommodate the growing boxwood. I ordered all the piping from Growers Solution, a family-owned business in Cookeville, Tennessee.
On one side of the hayloft, we store lots and lots of hay for my horses, which I grow and bale right here at the farm. If stacked carefully, the area can hold more than 2000 bales.
On the other side of the hayloft, I store various moldings, window casings, screen windows, door screens, etc.
I also store some of my stone planters here during winter. It is always important to store or cover all outdoor planters because freezing temperatures can crack or break them.
This loft has high ceilings and lots of windows. It needed a good cleaning, so the outdoor grounds crew began at the top and worked its way down. Here’s Phurba dusting one row of windows. Hay creates a lot of dust, so this is done on a regular basis.
Fernando cleans another window and the hayloft doorway.
This is the view looking out one end of the hayloft, at the grove of crabapple trees – now completely bare until they put on their colorful show of springtime blooms in May.
Next, Phurba moves downward and dusts the walls.
Meanwhile, I decided we needed to create a dust barrier between the hay side and this storage side of the loft. I instructed the crew to create a wall using industrial size tarps. Here’s Chhiring securing the tarps to the ceiling and to the sidewall surfaces.
The tarps, which are large sheets of strong, flexible, water-resistant or waterproof material, are pulled taut and then bolted to metal strips along the edges.
The tarp covers as much as possible all the way around.
I still wanted easy access from one side to the other, so Chhiring placed a durable, self-adhesive zipper down the center of the space where the tarps meet. These zippers can be purchased at hardware stores individually or as part of a barrier-making kit.
Here is a view of the finished tarp wall – it looks terrific. This is an inexpensive solution for separating a space.
Here is a view from the other side – the zippered doorway is easy to use from both sides of the tarp wall and will definitely keep a lot of the hay dust contained.
The crew organized all the moldings on the shelves, making sure they were stacked according to length and type.
I keep the moldings stacked horizontally to keep them from bowing.
To further protect the wood, a piece of industrial-size plastic is used to cover them, while still allowing proper air circulation.
For these heavier pieces of lumber, we place wood brackets every 16 to 18 inches to prevent warping and moisture.
Everything is kept off the floor. These window casings, already painted in my signature Bedford Gray, are sitting on a wood base. It is crucial that any stored wood be kept free from dampness.
Screen doors are housed in specially made storage boxes, so they are well protected during the off-season. Screens should be stored either by laying flat or standing upright, in a dry area where the temperature is kept fairly constant.
The same storage box design is used for window screens. I store all my screens for all the houses this way. This will keep the screens off the floor, away from dampness and dirt.
Wood stakes are also used to keep my valuable stone pots from resting directly on the floor.
Phurba gives the floors a good, thorough mopping.
Carlos and Helen stop for this quick photo after the tarp wall is completed, all the hay is stacked, and the floors cleaned.
The hayloft is now organized. As the old adage goes… a place for everything and everything in its place.
I have some new feathered friends here at my Bedford, New York farm.
Last weekend, I attended the 2020 Northeastern Poultry Congress in Springfield, Massachusetts - a poultry show held every year at the Eastern States Exposition Center. The event features three-thousand birds, including large fowl, waterfowl, turkeys, pigeons, Guineas, and of course, a variety of wonderful breed chickens. I attended the show last year and had so much fun, I couldn’t wait to return. It’s a great way to learn about these fascinating birds and to build relationships with knowledgeable, passionate breeders. I purchased two Rhode Island Reds, six Partridge Plymouth Rock Bantams, two White Plymouth Rocks, two White Cochin Bantams, two Sumatras, four Faverolles, two Brown Parlor Pigeons and two African Geese.
Enjoy these photos.
The Northeastern Poultry Congress holds its annual poultry show every January. Various breeds are exhibited and judged for ribbons and prizes. It is a very popular and well-attended event.
More than 1400-chicken breeds were shows – some with gorgeous markings and feathers. This is a non-bearded White Crested Black Polish pullet – a unique breed with its huge bouffant crest of feathers and v-shaped comb. These birds are sweet, beautiful exhibition birds and can be good layers in the backyard flock.
The birds are judged against others of the same color, sex, and age. They are also judged based on variety and breed. In the end, chickens compete against large fowl and waterfowl.
Prior to poultry shows, these birds are carefully bathed and groomed – every feather is in place.
This is a single-comb White Leghorn hen. This breed is very prolific – hens lay large, white eggs consistently almost every day.
Here is a Red Pyle Modern Game cockerel. This breed has beautiful red and white feathers and is known for its docile nature. They are very easy to handle and maintain and are very impressive show birds.
This large fowl is a Red Shoulder Yokohama. The Yokohama is a German breed, with unusual coloring and very long tail-feathers. The breed was developed in the 1880s from ornamental birds brought to Europe from Japan.
In this cage – a cream Brabanter. The Brabanter breed originated in the historic region of Brabant in the Netherlands. It is an attractive bird with its narrow, flattened crest, and its three-cornered beard. The recognized colors include black, blue, white cuckoo, gold, silver, chamois, and cream.
I also stopped to look at the fancy show pigeons. As many of you know, I also keep rare and unusual pigeons at my farm. This is a Silver Grizzle Back, known for the curls on the wing shield feathers.
These are Black Cayuga ducks. A Cayuga Duck is a medium-class domesticated duck breed that has been popular in the US since the mid-19th century. Cayugas are unusual and beautiful. They are also quieter than many other breeds, and are sometimes described as “sweet.”
My friend, Ari Katz, on the right, and his Wyandotte breeding partner, Tom Roebuck, won Reserve Champion of the entire show – second out of three-thousand!
Here is a closer look at Ari’s and Tom’s gorgeous award-winning white Wyandotte hen. The Wyandotte is an American breed of chicken developed in the 1870s. It was named for the indigenous Wyandot people of North America. The Wyandotte is a dual-purpose breed. It is a popular show bird and has many color variants.
Sisters, Heather and Laura Candea also had winning poultry – Rhode Island Reds. Rhode Island Reds were created in America in the late 1800s as another dual-purpose fowl, meaning they were used for their eggs and their meat.
The Rhode Island Red is also the state bird of Rhode Island – elected to this honored position in 1954.
Here is the large awards table at one end of the Mallory Complex in the Eastern States Exposition Center.
My friend, Christopher Spitzmiller, also attended the event. Christopher loves Golden Buff Orpingtons – in fact, he shows and breeds them himself. This year, Christopher brought home one Buff Orpington hen and one Ameraucana rooster.
Here I am with Christopher and one of my new chickens.
Unfortunately, Christopher’s rooster and hen did not want to share the same crate on the way home, so the rooster road “shotgun” on Christopher’s lap – he was quite happy the entire ride.
Ari, his friend Rachel and I stopped for a quick photo after loading up my car for my ride home. Ari and Rachael have known each other since they were very young. Rachel’s dad sold me six beautiful Partridge Rock Bantams and two White Plymouth Rock large fowl pullets.
Back at my Bedford, New York farm, I always keep the newest birds in the first coop, where they are most visible and can be kept separated from the others until they are fully acclimated to the new surroundings.
Inside the coop, one of my two white Plymouth Rock large fowl hens is resting comfortably – she looks like she feels right at home.
Nearby were these two new Partridge Plymouth Rock Bantams.
The rooster on the right is a Faverolle. The Faverolle is a French breed developed in the 1860s in north-central France. They are very unique looking with their muffs, beards, and feathered feet. These birds are very friendly and curious.
The Faverolle hens are beautiful, with snowy breasts and fluffy white faces. Their backs are a lovely honeyed salmon color with white lacing.
And this is my new pair of Brown African Geese – a breed of domestic goose derived from the wild swan goose. The African goose is a massive bird. Its heavy body, thick neck, stout bill, and jaunty posture give the impression of strength and vitality – they will all be great additions to my beautiful flock.
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