The late American steel magnate Charles Michael Schwab was quoted as saying: “I find my greatest happiness in thinking of those days in Homestead when I labored to bring a thing to perfection entirely by myself. In the evenings, I would go into the hills and look down on my work, and I knew that it was good, and my heart was elated.” Summer is without a doubt the time of year that a homestead is at its most beautiful. It is, however, also a time of extremely hard work. If you are prone to be overwhelmed by the sheer splendor of the warm sunshine, fresh air, and young lambs, calves, and chicks a few basic tips might make it easier to stay on track with your very important summer maintenance tasks.
Keep animal living areas clean
There is no denying that animal areas need to be maintained all year-round. Because you usually have more animals to care for in summer, you may have to do it more frequently. Clean living spaces not only decrease the risk of illness and injury, but also help keep your entire homestead looking and smelling its best. Clean your chicken coop of droppings every day and change your litter and scrub your feeders and waters at least once a week during summer to prevent a mite infestation. The same cleaning schedule can be applied to your rabbits and goats although larger livestock such as horses and cows may require a different schedule altogether.
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Inspect your gutters and siding
Your gutters are a very important part of your roofing system as they help to move water away from your home. It is essential to check your gutters every summer for signs of wear and tear to ensure that they will be in tip-top condition when the summer storms come. If your home is surrounded by a lot of trees that mess their leaves and branches in your gutter you may want to consider installing gutter guards that will significantly reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do. While inspecting your gutters you need to take a look at your sidings as well. If your home has wooden sidings you will need to inspect for insect damage and rot and be prepare to repaint it if necessary. Even your aluminum siding will more than likely be in need of a good clean in summer after the severe weather conditions experienced in winter and spring.
Weed your garden and your flower beds
During summer your most time-consuming chore is more than likely related to your vegetable garden. As your veg garden is one of your biggest sources of food it is important to keep it well-maintained. Apart from regular watering and weeding, you will also have to check for bugs and disease. You will also have to spend a fair amount of time weeding the garden and fertilizing it as needed. Your flower beds will also need attention during the summer months or they will become overgrown with weeds and lose their charm. If you battle to keep up with your weeding schedule consider using an eco-friendly herbicide to help rid your garden of unwanted vegetation.
Keeping your homestead in good shape requires a lot of hard work. Luckily not all the work has to be crammed into a single month or two as long as you stick to a solid seasonal maintenance schedule.
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