I grew up on a small-scale dairy goat farm. We raised kids for auction and milked the does to provide milk for our own family. Then I went away to college and got a job, but I always missed living the farm life. So in 1996 I started my first garden in an empty lot next door to our apartment building. As college students we didn’t have a lot of money back then so I cleared the lot with a shovel and a hoe and hand-carried water in a watering can. I have grown a backyard garden ever since then. Spring 2020 I finally made the leap and got our first backyard animals, besides a cat, to make it a farm. We started our flock with 6 chicks. Two Buff Orpingtons, two Barred Rocks, a Speckled Sussex and one Ameraucana. Our flock is just 4 months old and we are still waiting for our first egg, but so far it has been a great adventure with our backyard farm and garden.