Starwood Acres Farmstead

08/14/2026

The goldenrod just started a six week countdown 🌾

There is an old farm rule that has been passed down for generations, and it holds up better than you might expect. When goldenrod first blooms, first frost is roughly six weeks out. According to the Farmers' Almanac, this old folk rule is surprisingly accurate across much of the United States, and there is real biology behind why it works as well as it does.

Goldenrod is not blooming on a whim or reacting to a warm stretch of weather. It is what botanists call a photoperiodic plant, meaning it flowers in response to shortening day length rather than temperature. As nights grow longer heading into fall, goldenrod picks up on that shift and triggers its bloom cycle right on schedule. Frost arrival is also tied to the same underlying seasonal clock, cooling nights and a lower sun angle, which is exactly why two things that seem unrelated on the surface, a wildflower blooming and the first hard frost, end up following a fairly consistent timeline relative to each other.

This is different from a lot of garden folklore, because it is not really predicting the future so much as reading a calendar the plant already has built into it. Temperature can shift bloom timing slightly year to year, with a hot summer nudging goldenrod to open a touch earlier and a cool one delaying it, but the six week gap between first bloom and first frost tends to hold up reasonably well as a rule of thumb rather than an exact science.

There is a bonus to this old rule too. Goldenrod is not just a seasonal clock, it is one of the most valuable late season nectar sources in the entire garden. It fuels monarch butterflies fueling up for migration and gives bumblebee queens the reserves they need to survive winter, all while quietly counting down toward the season's first frost.

Goldenrod is native and hardy across nearly the entire country, from USDA zone 2 through zone 8 depending on the species, so this is a countdown almost any gardener nationwide can watch play out in their own yard. If you spotted that first gold bloom this week, it might be time to start thinking about your last tender plants and when to bring them in.

01/23/2023

As baby chick season approaches and the price of eggs keep rising, I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to raise chickens themselves. Before people flock (no pun intended 🤣) to their local farm store and start buying all the baby chicks please consider the following 10 fun facts….

1. Most hens do not start laying eggs until 18-22 weeks of age (that’s about 5 months give or take)

2. For the first few weeks of their lives baby chickens need to be kept at a temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has went up. A 50lb bag of layer is over $20.

4. Chickens molt…what does that mean? Your chicken will become ugly and stop laying eggs for a period of time.

5. Chickens don’t lay as many eggs in the winter months.

6. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years.

7. Predators such as foxes, coyotes, neighbor’s dogs and even raccoons will hunt your chickens.

8. Chickens will p**p EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere so be prepared to clean their pen often or if they are free range be sure to check your step or look before you sit.

9. Chickens love to dig holes and destroy bedding around flowers in the yard, good luck keeping them from doing so.

10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from raising their own food in fact I think it’s great. However chickens are animals, animals that require attention and proper care.

So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7 on a dozen eggs double think your decision before you go gung ho on being a chicken farmer. Just do your research, it’s not like getting a fish 🤦🏼‍♀️

Sincerely,
A fellow chicken owner

09/10/2022

Before you complain about someone’s prices, you should buy a cow.

Before you tell someone their milk, meat, soap, cheese, produce, etc. is over-priced, you should buy land.

Buy land. Pay for infrastructure. Buy a cow. Train the cow. Pay to Feed the cow. Care for the cow. Learn to milk the cow. Actually milk the cow. Cry over milk the cow kicked and spilled everywhere. Cry over your sick cow while you sit up all night with the vet. Stay up all night with your cow.

Before you complain about someone’s prices, show up. Show up every day. Even when it’s 106*. Even when there’s a hurricane. Even when it’s hailing. Even when it’s freezing and your hands don’t work right. Even when you only got one hour of scattered sleep the night before.

This post is not to complain, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything. But it’s important that everyday people understand what they are paying for. Small farms like ours don’t get government subsidies. We pay for everything out of pocket. Before you make a comment about prices think this through. I genuinely believe people make these comments out of ignorance, not to be ugly or rude.

Farmers pay for their products with their lives. Time, blood, energy, emotion, no days off. Most of us don’t break even, much less make a profit. We do this because we believe there is a better way.

When you buy local, you pay for more than the soap or milk or produce in your hands.

Before you complain. Buy a cow. Or goats. or grow a large garden.

Just be mindful.

04/25/2022

04/02/2022

Time to feed chickens!

02/22/2022