Year Zero
June 26th 2025 - April 24th 2026
Buying a farm at the end of June was, in many ways, not ideal. We missed all the dates to get our garden started, it was too hot to plant trees, and all the animal auctions were past their prime for the year.
It also rose the question of how to count our time here. Many businesses follow a fiscal year rather than the calendar to figure their budgets, metrics, and planning. I’ve also read studies that suggest making resolutions in January is a terrible idea because our bodies and our world are hardwired for new beginnings in the spring. This makes sense to me, as I’m very much the type to begin new things with the start of warmer weather. Thus we decided to mark our time here by the start of the growing season. Therefore, the partial year from the time we took possession to the average last frost date for our area became known as year zero.
In the middle of January, when winter was at its peak, SAD was affecting us all, and we were stuck inside under piles of blankets, it seemed more optimistic to think of all the things we had accomplished rather than lamenting all the work going undone due to the cold and windy weather. Andrew and I took turns reminding each other of all that we’d accomplished when our spirits began to sag.
Our completed tasks for Year Zero include:
Cleared stuff left behind in house
Plumbing:
removed all old copper and galvanized piping and replaced with PEX and new valves.
repaired low water pressure and hot water odor.
Drained water heater and added electric anode rod.
rerouted bathroom vanity piping from single sink via floor to dual sink via wall.
Replumbed for shower
Repaired kitchen sink leak (the only interior plumbing that hasn’t been replaced, will be done with kitchen remodel)
Bathroom:
Removed trim/panelling/carpet
Gutted down to studs
Cleaned crawl space and added vapor barrier. Covered the hole for the old cistern.
Reworked hvac ducting on crawl space/added second vent to bathroom.
Rebuilt interior (reinforced floor and ceiling + new everything), added water closet
New closet/storage (in progress)
learned/ing new tools to cut down plywood, shelf pins, new saws, etc.
Trim (in progress)
Removed panelling and Re-covered walls (living room & dining room), closed doorway by stove & display cabinet opening
Painted bedrooms
Sealed water leak between old front room well pit and basement
Sealed foundation hole under front room closet
Re-drywalled half of front room + removed closet + vinyl plank flooring + added door for use as third bedroom
Refinished hardwood floors (living room, dining room, and 1 bedroom)
Vinyl flooring in second bedroom
Most of the house work was documented in this post.
Electrical:
upgraded electrical service from 100A to 200A, consolidated to single electrical panel in the house.
upgraded service to out buildings from 40A to 100A
replaced old outlets, switches and face places
repaired electrical junction behind wall by adding new outlet to front room.
Thuja green giants planted (15)
Replaced light fixtures in Living room and both bedrooms
Chickens (8) & Cats (4) moved into barn. Added 20 new chicks in early March. Also added 6 new girls in early April when my aunt retired from work and decided to also retire from raising chickens so she and the hubs can travel :).
Install new trim (Living room, dining room, bathroom)
Chicken outdoor run (and updated a couple of times thanks to the the dog and a hawk) & nest boxes
Purchased Camper
Situated
Skirt insulation
Propane solution
Graywater drain dug
Kitchen
New appliances
Removed trim & decorative pieces around window
Removed paneling and recovered ½ of walls + trim
Moved cantry cabinet to create island
Hoosier cabinet
Dishwasher
Replace garbage disposal under sink switch with button on sink
Drink station
Doorknobs & blinds, Painted hvac vent covers
Homestead mouse war: year 0 = victory
Heating
Furnace maintenance
Chimney clean/maintenance
Firewood & oil delivery
learn(ing) how to heat with wood
Septic:
Tank location confirmed
Leach bed location confirmed
Add exterior septic “clean out”
Sourdough started (and revived a few times)
Epic 2-hour bread recipe discovered. Working on mastering. Considering abandoning sourdough.
Houseplants hung and arranged. Pictures and clocks hung. Mounted tv and sound bar.
Found, bought, and moved in extremely heavy china cabinet (like Grandma’s)
Permaculture Design Certificate (detailed property map/plan)
Vinyl floor coverings (living room, dining room, J’s bedroom, redo bathroom)
Planning for Year One tasks including the small animal house, trees, backyard fun (zipline and pool), gardens, and more
Website, social media, and farm logo established
Gutters cleaned and extensions reworked
Basement water issues “dealt with”
Poorly constructed a basement wall leak diverter
Purchased inverter generator and backup pump in case of power outage
Panicked a bit and purchased bookshelves so that all of our books (both my own collection and what I inherited of my grandma’s) could be moved upstairs in case flooding does occur.
Planning better solutions for the future (in progress)
Shocked (treated) well water, created brown water, panicked, learned that bleach interacts with minerals and turns the water yellowish brown and—aside from looking nasty—its fine and fades after a week or two - fun stuff
Repaired(ish) “free” “lawnmower”
Removed evil tree (don’t ask)
Installed wooden beam in place of “arch" room divider
Clearing stuff left behind in garage & barn (in progress - barn nearly done)
Continuing to unpack and “settle in” (in progress)
Started spring projects - vegetable garden, memorial garden, chicken house and pasture, and backyard zipline. More to come on these projects soon!
We also realized, that in a lot of ways, the timing was rather perfect. While the weather was nice last summer and fall we were able to get a large amount of the house renovations done. Then we had the whole winter to adjust, settle, and observe. Permaculture techniques advise spending as much as 1 full year simply observing the site so that you are familiar with patterns, energy inputs, and other conditions before beginning the implementation phase.
Through this first winter of observation, we now know:
The majority of our wind comes from the west, that said wind is so strong we’ll need to plan accordingly when building structures and animal shelters, and we have a high need for windbreak trees.
40 degrees F is the threshold for working comfortably in the barn without additional heat, at least until we have more windbreaks to protect from the windchill.
Due to the winds - The position and set up of the barn is less than ideal. The animal stalls and doors are located on the west side of the building, which allows wind and rain to gust into and through their shelters, offering little protection from the elements. Their pasture/run areas are also located to the west of the building.
Where the water flows and pools. Despite how flat our property is, there are minor low spots that get pretty soggy and, thanks to our dogs, quickly turn into muddy pits.
The county zoning department disagreed with some of our original ideas and we had to make significant adjustments to the proposed layout of our property in order to comply.
The farmer who has been working our field has been using non-chemical methods since he took over several years prior, allowing us less concern about the chemical usage on our property and a head start for when we transition from field to pasture and food forest.
Some of these observations triggered modifications to our plans and priorities, allowing us a much more confident plan for beginning the real farm work in the spring.
On a lighter note, we had the pleasure of enjoying a few farm fresh produces that were already growing around the property.
Gooseberries
Blackberries
English walnuts
Winter radishes
Asparagus
There was rhubarb growing near the shed, but I feared we may have trampled it in our efforts to winterize the camper. Fortunately, it started to pop through and I was able to dig it up before it got good and dead. Hopefully it will take to the transplant in our new vegetable garden.
If we ever get around to spraying, there’s a few apple trees already established.
We found a few locals selling eggs and now have 12 hens of our own laying, which has allowed us to stop buying store eggs. As spring arrives, our daily egg count is going up significantly and we are starting to have enough to share.
And we have a freezer full of pork that, while we didn’t raise, we did help butcher. We even bought a slicer and sliced our own bacon!
All in all - not too shabby for year zero! We’re pretty excited to see what the first full year on the farm brings!