This was a BAD DAY on the homestead - The realities of owning land

Life on the homestead, and the realities of homesteading, is not always full of happiness and success. This is a day where I just kept discovering things that were broken and where things went wrong. This was a bad day on the homestead, by far my worse yet, but every bad day is filled with opportunities to learn and improve.
Useful & related videos 👇
Laying a tarp on our grain bed - a BRUTAL Day on the Homestead! • Laying a tarp on our g...
Building a GRAIN FIELD: Clearing & preparing land on the homestead • Building a GRAIN FIELD...
Storm damage repair: A day in the life of a homesteader in the Klein Karoo • Storm damage repair: A...
Homesteading is an incredibly rewarding journey that is filled with enjoyment and opportunity, but it is also pretty much defined by the up's and down's that you will experience on a homestead. This was just one of those days where there were little to no up's, or good things happening, and plenty of down's. This is mainly because of yet another incredibly strong storm that came through the area and left a path of destruction in its wake.
What were some of the things that went wrong on the homestead?
Firstly, the tarp that we laid down to get rid of some of the grass got completely ripped apart and blown away. This was tough to see because of how much time and effort it took to get this in place, so I guess that is a big lesson learnt.
Secondly, our storage shed, which I covered in a previous video I published on Tamakoa Homestead, broke yet again. One of the metal sheeting side panels blew off again, but this time the wind was so strong it blew the panel away completely. It was nowhere to be found.
Thirdly, part of farming, homesteading or owning land is needing to walk fence lines to look for damage and broken pieces of fence. This is really good practice and is something every homesteader should be doing regularly. On this day I discovered that 2 of the main posts holding the fence up had snapped at the base, probably due to weathering over time combined with the strong winds we experienced.
Please consider supporting my homesteading journey👇
You can support our Homestead journey & our work by buying us a coffee - www.buymeacoff...
Please consider supporting our homestead over at Patreon: / tamakoahomestead
Follow my other KZbin channel for great plant growing and sustainable living videos @MySustainabilityJourney
Please follow our journey on Facebook: / tamakoa.homestead
#homesteading #homesteadlife #homesteadhappenings

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Bad days are part of homesteading, farming and just general living and it is the way you deal with it that makes the world of difference. I would love to hear about some of your struggles and how you overcame them and turned them into something positive 🌻

[@garyleonard4009]

Remove rotten post and fit new and a bit higher. Good koop is deur koop 😅

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Great suggestion, thanks so much 🙏

[@garyleonard4009]

Maybe you can rip the soil once to prepare then just maintain and plant after the rain 😊

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Gary, you are spot on and I tried to get hold of a rotary tiller but I just cannot find one. I am going to keep asking around the community to see if I can maybe find a nearby farmer that can lend me a hand. My thinking has been a 1 time rip/tillage of the ground and then build on that. Thanks for your great suggestion 🌻

[@Homegrownexplorer]

Just part of living on a farm, go ahead and do a decent job replacing the posts. Thanks for the update.

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Yeah, I totally agree and I'm glad I was able to share it to show others wanting to possibly do this that it is not always moonshine and roses but that's it's a lot of ongoing work. Thanks for your suggestion on replacing the posts and for confirmation my initial thought 🙏🌻

[@pampotgieter7611]

Shame! This year has been a really tough year. Never experienced such strong drying winds as it has been this year. 💚🌿🌱👍👋

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Thank you Pam and yes, it really has been hard on so many people. I have seen some other homesteads and farms get absolutely smashed this winter. From flooding to freezing and winds blowing roofs off. I have also heard from many in these areas that they have never experienced winds and storms like this before so I am really hoping this is more of a once-off than a regular occurrence in the years to come. Time will tell though 🌻

[@rentiaanger]

Hi sorry about all your damaged 😢 The shed need some serious TLC and extra support. The fence i would just sister's the post, if you replace, you will have to retention the whole fence😮 Stay well and sterkte!

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Thank you so so much for your comment and suggestions 💚 this is 100% my concern because I would need to remove all the main horizonal support wires to replace the pole and hope that it all lines up again afterwards. Lots to think about to hopefully make the right decision 🌻

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Sistering is a good idea! Then adding boxing.

[@tamakoa-homestead]

@@SimpleEarthSelfReliance thanks so much! Someone else also mentioned sistering the posts so that is something I will most certainly look into. I am still pretty green when it comes to fencing, so do you mind explaining to me what boxing means?

[@jacquesjooste]

Honestly, this is not bad. It is a blessing. Rather now, before you start building. When those 80km/h gusts came through 2 weeks ago I was worried, and we are in a brick house. So take this chance and make your house that much strong. Plant those poles 100mm deeper. Make the roof beams 400mm instead of 500mm. Rather a little extra money and effort now and spare yourself lots of tears later on. Get those windbreak trees planted soon. Keep well bud

[@tamakoa-homestead]

@@jacquesjooste thank you so much for your comment I totally agree with you! I'm so incredibly happy that I didn't dive into anything and start building without going through all the seasons. After this winter I now know, as you said, to narrow spacing, make sure there is bracing and reinforce absolutely everything. I am saving trees wherever I go and have quite a few set aside but also been pondering the best options for the wind. I'm thinking poplar as there are lots of them in the area and they grow SUPER quickly. I have a handful of pine trees and then a bunch of indigenous trees. Are there any windbreak trees you would suggest? 🌻

[@jacquesjooste]

@@tamakoa-homestead nice, I think you are covered

[@SimpleEarthSelfReliance]

Indeedy. But, on a positive note, this was a freak one. On our personal weather stations, it hit the 5 year high. Last year we had the insane rains flooding. These things make your design and thinking better and stronger, and reminds you that nature will not yield. Hold on to your hat!

[@tamakoa-homestead]

I must say I am incredibly happy that I have not yet done any building or set up any structures as yet, having now been through a full year of seasons. I have now also seen how the local troop of baboons move which unfortunately means I am going to have to cage in my fruit orchard and veggie garden. It makes such a difference observing first before diving right in. It's also really interesting to know about the 5 year high on some dials. I am keen to see what this summer holds as last year it peaked at 49 degrees, which is really intense! Thanks for taking the time to share advice and insights 🌻

[@louiseswart1315]

We had 2 nights in a row at -2°C here in Wellington during that cold spell. Scheduled checks and maintenance throughout the year would fit our budget and time challenges the best.

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Wowzers that's proper chilly! I hope you didn't have any seedling damage. I know quite a few people that planted out mid Aug as we usually can here in the WC and got a lot of seedlings damage. This year the winter was really all over the place! Let's see what summer brings 😁🌻

[@louiseswart1315]

@@tamakoa-homestead I germinate indoors, then keep them out in the sun in daytime until they need to be potted up. Then I cover their outside shelf on very cold nights. I would have to plant out the peas and broad beans very soon.

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Nice! It sounds like you have your system all figured out to make it work for you. I love seeing how others achieve this - well done 🌻

[@neutonrenda2303]

Oh no, it looks like I've missed two videos. I have been having trouble with my phone, and the internet connection, but I'm hopefully getting a new phone this coming week. I'm definitely going to be watching the missed videos now. The wind is hectic, here outside of Cape Town as well, some days you can't do anything outside without getting sandblasted. I would replace the post, and if two have been able to break, I'd check them all out. Stay positive, you look like you have loads of ideas and energy. 👍❤

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Ah, thanks Neuton, all your comments and words of inspiration are so valued and appreciated 💚 You actually have a really good point there that I haven't yet considered, which is actually a really logical one and that is to check every pole now. They are pretty thick fence posts so I should be able to give them a really good shove without anything happening and if I hear any cracking or it breaks, well then I have proactively just saved some hassle. I'll definitely give that a go, so thank you for that great idea. Good luck with your phone and connectivity! I also had to make the switch earlier this year too and it's never great moving phones, but I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. Luckily you also haven't missed any of the build videos as I have some other very exciting tips up my sleeve that I want to share in the next week or 2 🌻

[@carolaustin123]

Now you know about the wind. Maybe put some wood across the bottom of your building and the top screw it on outside to keep your tin on. I'd put t posts and wire it. Its brutal wind there maybe now you know that rethink everything your doing to adjust to weather and save you keep doing it. You have no window edges to screw in. Have you missed putting up build videos as i haven't seen any? Im infused as you were in a tent last time. 😢

[@tamakoa-homestead]

Yeah, absolutely! I am very grateful that I haven't built yet and that I could see what a beating this shed took that was in the property when I bought it. It has showed me how I really need to do things properly and no corners can be cut. I have actually changed my mind on the build, which is SUPER exciting. I think it's an amazing change that makes a lot more sense. I'll post an update on that in a week or 2 for you. That means that luckily you haven't missed any build videos and that I luckily didn't build such a shocking structure 😁 Thank you for your support and I look forward to sharing all the exciting updates with you 🌻