Gardening – Page 7 – My tiny u.p. farm

Farm updates Early August

August 4, 2015August 4, 2015Jen Powell2 Comments

I haven’t posted in over a week, because I went to California to meet my new niece. Before I left, this was my garden (taken on 7/23/15):

Here was my garden just before I left for vacation.

I came back less than 7 days later and my garden had exploded:

There is a pathway here, somewhere. The calendula has fallen over into it, because the squash plants are pushing it over, I believe.

My tomato plants were separated by the aisle, and they have decided to join hands. I had to re-separate them (it didn't work very well - I'll have to tie them up more). — My tomato plants were separated by the aisle, and they have decided to join hands. I had to re-separate them (it didn’t work very well – I’ll have to tie them up more).

I have tomatoes! They are getting pretty big, I didn't even see any fruit starting before I left. — I have tomatoes! They are getting pretty big, I didn’t even see any fruit starting before I left.

My tinier tomatillo plants are getting large now, and one has flowers. That gives me hope that I will have fruit this year. The largest plant has had flowers for awhile, and just keeps growing.

My Black Eyed Susan Thunbergia through the corn/sunflower jungle. I have some regular Black Eyed Susans and calendula planted between the corn, and those are getting very tall also.

One of my tall sunflowers. Just taller than me right now, and starting to form a flower.

I have peas! These need a couple more days and then I will pick them, there are several on the plant so I'm excited for a decent pea crop this year. I only got a few pods last year - the plants really faltered. — I have peas! These need a couple more days and then I will pick them, there are several on the plants so I’m excited for a decent pea crop this year. I only got a few pods last year – the plants really faltered.

My cucumbers are getting flowers, and growing well. I hoped for more, but not all my plants took - I ended up with three plants. I love making pickles. — My cucumbers are getting flowers, and growing well. I hoped for more, but not all my plants took – I ended up with three plants. I love making pickles.

My beans are going crazy, climbing to the top of my tree-poles. I wonder how tall they would get if they had all the room they wanted. I have tiny beans forming all over my plants.

The chickens are doing well. We had planned on starting to cull some roosters when I got home. A couple on the shortlist have redeemed themselves for now. We culled two on Sunday – one was getting very aggressive and had pecked my son, and the other was picking on the rest of the big roosters. We will need to take out a couple more before winter, but the ones we still have are behaving better. One of our youngest roosters, Wonky Top:

Here is Wonky Top. My husband named him, because of his goofy comb.

Wonky’s comb has been straightening out. He has straightened out too – he was going to be one of the first we took out, because he didn’t get along with anyone – he was really skittish, and he fought with everyone. We had separated the roosters from the hens for awhile, and he would get picked on by the bigger guys, and then escape. Each time we caught him and put him back with the roosters, he would escape again, and then evade capture for most of the day. I finally put him in with the hens. He stayed there while I was on vacation. When I got back I thought my roosters were bored being over in their side (we had them in the grassless side because it was easier to get them in at night), so I put them with everyone again. Wonky then asserted himself, pretty much saying “you’re on MY side now!” and he wouldn’t take any flack from the big guys. Now he doesn’t seem so skittish, and he’s getting along with everyone better. So we have decided he can stay, for now. I suspect he’s a Cuckoo Maran – I really wanted some Marans (the hens can lay darker brown eggs ) so if possible we may keep him for breeding. We will see.

I was planning on keeping certain roosters based on looks, for breeding purposes, but we are starting to cull based mostly on their behavior, especially toward us. Our big Black Langshan rooster was one that we took out this weekend, since he flew up on my son and pecked him in the chest. That was the deciding factor for him. We were planning on keeping at least two – I read that if you have 3 or 4 they can get along better than having just two. We’ll just have to play it by ear with them.

The chickens are enjoying their outdoor shelter – we allow them in the coop anyway, but this shelter was already in the part of the run that I have them in right now, so we left it (it’s a little large so we’d have to disassemble it to remove it) – they have learned they can go on top of it. That puts their heads only about 6 inches from the top of the fence. They have not seemed to figure that part out yet though – I was worried they would jump out but nobody has so far.

My chickens having fun sitting on their outdoor shelter. — My chickens having fun sitting on (and in) their outdoor shelter.

July Flowers

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

A lot of things in our yard are in bloom right now – we have many different wildflowers, and I planted some flowers in the garden that are currently in bloom. Here is a tour of the flowers in our yard this month:

Here are some Snapdragons and Pansies I have growing in a barrel on our porch. I've never grown snapdragons before. They are very colorful. — Here are some Snapdragons and Pansies I have growing in a barrel on our porch. I’ve never grown snapdragons before. I like them, they are very colorful.

Here is some yarrow that is growing next to my not-yet-bloomed lilies in a barrel. We have some wild (like this one) and some that I believe my mom said she planted that comes in different colors.

I am not sure what these are, but they grow on the side of our house and they are pretty.

I'm not sure what this is, it's a wild daisy-type flower that grows in my yard. The plant is about 3-4 ft. tall, and these flowers are about the size of a quarter. — I’m not sure what this is, it’s a wild daisy-type flower that grows in my yard. The plant is about 3-4 ft. tall, and these flowers are about the size of a quarter.

Here is one of my marigolds. I have a few of these scattered in the garden, and in some flower barrels on the porch.

One of my Calendulas, now in bloom. This is the first year I've grown this, I really like the flowers. They are very bright. — One of my Calendulas, now in bloom. This is the first year I’ve grown this, I really like the flowers. They are very bright.

One of our many hollyhocks. We have a tiny hollyhock "forest" near our side door - my mom planted some years ago and they keep coming back each year. There are probably 10-12 plants, and this is one of the first to bloom this year. — One of our many hollyhocks. We have a tiny hollyhock “forest” near our side door – my mom planted some years ago and they keep coming back each year. There are probably 10-12 plants, and this is one of the first to bloom this year.

A large Mullein growing in our asparagus patch. This is a medicinal plant, and it's probably about time to harvest it - I need to do some research on the proper method of doing that. — A large Mullein growing in our asparagus patch. This is a medicinal plant, and it’s probably about time to harvest it – I need to do some research on the proper method of doing that.

These clematis grow near our rose bush. Our first spring here, I stole their support fence for a different spot, because I didn't know they were growing there. They are in an area where the grass gets really tall, so that is what is supporting it at the moment. I plan on giving it better support here soon. — These clematis grow near our rose bush. Last year was our first spring here, and I stole their support fence for a different spot, because I didn’t know they were growing there. They are in an area where the grass gets really tall, so that is what is supporting it at the moment. I plan on giving it better support here soon.

Here is my Black Eyed Susan Thunbergia, growing up my fene. — Here is my Black Eyed Susan Thunbergia, growing up my fence.

Thanks for checking out some of my flowers.

The garden is growing…

July 12, 2015July 12, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

What a difference two weeks makes! I love watching my plants grow – it’s nice to look back at pictures of what it looked like a few weeks ago.

The left shows my garden on June 24th, and the right is my garden today, 7/12/15.

My plants are doing really well in the garden.

Here is my corn. The older batch, shown here, is just over a foot tall now. I have some on the other side of the garden that I planted 2 weeks later, when I noticed that the original seeds I tried to plant didn't take. Those are about 6 inches or so now. — Here is my corn. The older batch, shown here, is just over a foot tall now. I have some on the other side of the garden that I planted 2 weeks later, when I noticed that the original seeds I tried to plant didn’t take. Those are about 6 inches or so now.

Here are my brandywine and beefsteak tomatoes.

Here are my black krim tomatoes. I have not tried these, they are supposed to be an almost black / purple tomato that tastes really good.

A sunflower that somehow ended up in the corn rows. I don't care, I love sunflowers. I must have dropped a seed while walking in the garden. — A sunflower that somehow ended up in the corn rows. I don’t care, I love sunflowers. I must have dropped a seed while walking in the garden.

A mystery squash. Could be a zucchini, yellow squash, or acorn. I'm not sure yet. I lost track of where they were planted with my efforts of re-seeding in empty spots when seedlings died. — A mystery squash. Could be a zucchini, yellow squash, or acorn. I’m not sure yet. I lost track of where they were planted with my efforts of re-seeding in empty spots when seedlings died.

A calendula plant - it's forming a flower. I'm excited, I haven't grown these before. — A calendula plant – it’s forming a flower. I’m excited, I haven’t grown these before.

More sunflowers. These ones were planted on purpose. The taller plants on the lower left of this picture are Amaranth.

My beans are doing really well, and are starting to climb the strings I put in to support them.

Here is one of the pansies I put in amongst the vegetables. This one has really pretty coloring.

I really enjoy seeing my plants get bigger. Thanks for taking a look.

Garlic, and silly roosters

July 6, 2015July 5, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

I LOVE garlic. I had never grown it before, and last year I decided to give it a try. In the early fall, I bought some organic garlic heads at the grocery store, pulled the bulbs out and put them into the garden. This spring I saw them growing, and they’ve grown really well. I read that you dig the garlic heads up when the leaves start yellowing. I noticed the last few days that they were yellowing, so I pulled them up today.

They were a decent size, I believe most of them were the same size as the heads I grew them from. I cleaned off the dirt with a paper towel:

My garlic after brushing off dirt — My garlic after brushing off most of the dirt.

I read that you should leave them to cure for a few weeks with the roots and stems still attached. I put them all together in a bunch and they are sitting outside in a shady spot on my porch, where they’ll get good airflow but not get any sun at all. I have them hung up; I wasn’t sure if my friendly neighborhood squirrels and chipmunks would try to eat them. I’ll have to keep an eye out and make sure nobody tries to steal them. Once the leaves dry out completely you can cut the leaves and roots off. Then you can store them for later use, and save more of the bulbs to grow new garlic for next year. That’s my plan, at least right now. We’ll have to wait a few weeks to see how they taste. If they are good, I’ll grow them again. The original heads I bought had a good flavor, so hopefully these will too.

Here's my young Buckeye rooster — Here’s my young Buckeye rooster

One of my young roosters is very goofy – he’s kind of aggressive. More in-your-face every time we’re in the coop. He has been very friendly since he was small, but now he’s always underfoot. It’s like he always needs to follow me to see what I’m up to – as if he’s worried I’ll do something to hurt the hens or him. He likes to peck my pant legs. He bit me the other day, but that was because I was trying to pick him up, because he wouldn’t go in the coop at night. He seemed to be helping me round up everyone else to get them in, but then he wanted to stay outside. I went to grab him and he bit my hand. I got mad and just picked him up and put him inside. I’m not sure what we’ll do with him yet. I need to let him mature a bit and see how this personality of his develops. If he gets more aggressive, he’ll have to go.

For a while I was hoping he was just a very assertive hen, but he’s massive, and the other day he started mounting some of the hens, so it’s now confirmed. I believe he’s a Buckeye, and they are a rare breed from Ohio. We’ll see. I just have so many roosters! I have confirmed that three of my six “teenage” chickens are roosters. There are two more that I’m pretty sure are but they haven’t mounted anyone yet – they are just starting to get long tail feathers now though, so I’m 99% sure. I have one hen out of that batch, my little Speckled Sussex. Then in the smaller chicks I have at least one, possibly 3 or 4 roosters (out of 8 chicks). We are planning on keeping 2 or three roosters through the winter, and we’ll have to decide what to do with the rest. We haven’t picked the keepers yet; I want to see them in all their pretty rooster glory first, once all their feathers have come.

My Main Garden bed – A June Photo tour

June 25, 2015June 24, 2015Jen Powell2 Comments

My new, main garden bed is doing better now, since the temperatures have been getting a little warmer. We’ve been in the 60s and 70s and most of my plants, and seeds, seem to be actually growing and sprouting now. Here are some pictures of my garden:

This picture doesn't look a whole lot different from the one I posted earlier in the month, but individual plants are doing better. I know it will look a lot fuller by this time next month. — This picture doesn’t look a whole lot different from the one I posted earlier in the month, but individual plants are doing better. I know it will look a lot fuller by this time next month.

Here is one of my Amaranth plants. I grew them as seedlings, hoping to do a larger area of them, but I ran out of room. This is the first year I've grown it so I want to try it out and see if we even like it before dedicating more garden space to it. — Here is one of my Amaranth plants. I grew them as seedlings, hoping to do a larger area of them, but I ran out of room. This is the first year I’ve grown it so I want to try it out and see if we even like it before dedicating more garden space to it.

My tomatoes are doing better than they were when I first transplanted them. I'm going to give them a bit more time before attaching them to their trellis. — My tomatoes are doing better than they were when I first transplanted them. I’m going to give them a bit more time before attaching them to their trellis.

Here are some sunflowers. I put some seedlings in, and they didn't seem to be doing so well, so I planted seeds directly in. They are all growing fine, so I will have quite a few. I think I have 10, and they are a mix, some giant, some yellows and oranges. — Here are some sunflowers. I put some seedlings in, and they didn’t seem to be doing so well, so I planted seeds directly in. They are all growing fine, so I will have quite a few. I think I have 10, and they are a mix, some giant; some yellows and oranges that get tall with smaller flowers.

This was supposed to be all corn - white corn on the left, and yellow on the right. I have one or two white corn that sprouted. The yellow corn is doing pretty well. I just planted some more yellow corn seeds in where the white corn was supposed to grow. — This was supposed to be all corn – white corn on the left, and yellow on the right. I have one or two white corn that sprouted. The yellow corn is doing pretty well. I just planted some more yellow corn seeds in where the white corn was supposed to grow. I have flowers growing along the pathway. Some black eyed susans, evening primrose, and others. As you can see, I have a big job of weeding ahead of me – I am waiting till the weeds are bigger and easier to pick.

A squash plant. I'm not sure what I have where anymore with the squash. I replanted seeds, and leftover seedlings, where original seedlings had died. I think this is a yellow squash. — A squash plant. I’m not sure what I have where anymore with the squash. I replanted seeds, and leftover seedlings, where original seedlings had died. I think this is a yellow squash. I should end up with a few zucchini, yellow squash, and acorn and butternut squash plants, I think. I will find out when they grow.

A calendula flower plant. I'm excited, this is the first time I've grown them. They are supposed to be pretty, and also medicinal/edible. — A calendula flower plant. I’m excited, this is the first time I’ve grown them. They are supposed to be pretty, and also medicinal/edible.

Some of my peas. They are just now starting to climb their strings.

A big tomatillo. This is one of the original started seedlings. It is the only one that survived that planting. I planted the smaller one, in the picture above this, later. Unfortunately this one is getting flowers, and they need to cross pollinate to get any fruit. We'll see if I get any this year. My other plant is very small compared to this one. — A big tomatillo. This is one of the original-started seedlings. It is the only one that survived that planting. I planted the smaller one, in the picture above this, later. Unfortunately this one is getting flowers, and they need to cross pollinate to get any fruit. We’ll see if I get any this year. My other plant is very small compared to this one.

One of my artichokes. I love artichokes and heard they will grow as an annual here. So far my 9 seedlings that I put into the garden are all doing great.

My back garden – a June photo tour

June 24, 2015June 24, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

My back garden, which I increased in size from last year, is doing ok. I have a lot of things growing in it, most of which was not what I planted. I have a lot of weeds, but luckily they are mostly lamb’s quarters, which are edible and actually really delicious (they taste kind of like spinach). I liked the few we found last year so much that I bought seeds for this year, and then didn’t have to plant any – they grew on their own. Here are some photos of my back garden plot.

Here is the bed that is mostly full of lamb's quarters. I am going to let them grow a bit more before harvesting. I have some stuff I planted that is (kind of) growing in amongst all the lamb's quarters. — Here is the bed that is mostly full of lamb’s quarters. I am going to let them grow a bit more before harvesting. I have some stuff I planted that is (kind of) growing in amongst all the lamb’s quarters. This should be Kale, beets, onions, and carrots.

Here are some of my turnips. I planted a couple of small rows and they actually all seem to have sprouted, and are doing well. I like turnips when they are smallish – we cook them in butter. I haven’t had them in several years, but, yum.

I think I have found four carrots in amongst the lamb's quarters. I have replanted more seeds so hopefully here soon we will see more. Here is one of the four I have found. — I think I have found four carrots in amongst the lamb’s quarters. I have replanted more seeds so hopefully here soon we will see more. Here is one of the four I have found.

I might have a few onions, I planted a couple rows originally but have only found a couple. Here is one of them. I replanted seeds again this week so should see more soon, hopefully.

Here is my kale. I grew these inside at first as seedlings and then planted about 20 of them in the garden. I think most of them have survived, and are doing well. The leaves on this one are about 5 inches long.

I planted a little raised area next to my strawberry patch (which is also in the back garden plot) with chard, lettuce, and spinach. Here is my romaine. I put seedlings in and most are still there and doing well.

This is part of my strawberry patch. I'm not too impressed - this year I planted 25 plants into a — This is part of my strawberry patch. I’m not too impressed – this year I planted 25 plants into a “lasagna” garden. I have maybe 10 that survived. I figure if they all make it I will adjust their positions and let them fill the garden in, instead of buying more plants next year. These are starting to get flowers on some of the plants.

Here are some of my brussel sprouts. They are doing good. I have netting over them to prevent stupid cabbage moths from laying eggs. They decimated my cabbage last year.

Here is a toad that I keep running into in the back garden. I think he lives there, which makes me happy. They eat lots of bugs. He must get scared each time I come into the garden because he always hops which makes me see him. If he just hid I wouldn't know he was there. — Here is a toad that I keep running into in the back garden. I think he lives there, which makes me happy. They eat lots of bugs. He must get scared each time I come into the garden because he always hops which makes me see him. If he just hid I wouldn’t know he was there.

The other night it was going to storm. It was the 2nd time I'd run into Mr. Toad. So I found a flower pot and made him a toad house. The plants aren't really big enough to give him any shelter yet. He went inside and I saw him in there later on, looking out, like he liked his house. — The other night it was going to storm. It was the second time I’d run into Mr. Toad. So I found a flower pot and made him a makeshift toad house. The plants aren’t really big enough to give him any shelter yet. I put him inside, and I saw him in there later on, looking out, like he liked his house.

Rainy June

June 21, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

I haven’t posted in a bit, I’ve been really busy… and we’ve had a ton of rain. The garden is doing ok, things are growing slowly, and my seeds (and second sets of seeds I had to plant) are sprouting, mostly. I planted two types of corn, on either side of the garden. The yellow corn I planted has sprouted, the plants are about 2 inches tall. I got maybe a 70% sprout rate though. My white corn has done nothing that I can see. The seeds were packed for 2014 so that may be the problem. I plan on adding more yellow corn seeds soon.

I had to replant seeds for cucumber, and some for zucchini. I don’t know if they damped off when the seedlings were put in, but the original cucumber seedlings had all died and I have one original zucchini; I had put in 4 seedlings. So I added new seeds; They are now sprouting.

I planted some rows of onions, carrots, beets, and turnips. In that garden, I have a TON of lamb’s quarters (weeds), which are actually really tasty so that is ok. I have a bunch of turnips. I think I have one or 2 onions coming up, and 5 or 6 carrots, and 3 or 4 beets. I will add more seeds for those this week. I’m not sure what happened to those. I did notice a beet growing in my pathway, so the seeds must have gotten washed away somewhat.

We have had a lot of rain. It rains almost daily, and our temps have been in the 60s or so, sometimes into the 70s, but still not as warm as it could be. The rains aren’t very warm rains either. The garden is trudging along. It will do better as we get a lot more sun. My sunflowers are doing ok too, so that makes me really happy. I haven’t had a sunflower grow for me at this house. Last year I lost every one I planted to deer. This year they are planted inside my fence.

Last week, I got home and the chickens were mixed together. From my driveway I can see the babies’ little run. I parked and saw adult chickens in there. I went to see what was going on, and somehow the door that divides their coop space (inside the coop) was left open, so the adults and teens (which are pretty much adults now) were all over in the chicks’ area, and my chicks were scattered. There were 3 huddled in a corner, one hiding behind a food bag, and the rest were outside hiding behind the coop. The adults scratched up the chicks’ run, so it’s a lot more muddy now than it had been. I got them all sorted out, and we’re making absolutely sure that we lock the inside coop door, so that it doesn’t happen again.

As soon as the chicks are 3 months old, around July 20th, I am going to integrate them together. I cannot wait! The reason for this, is that our current adult chicken run is a disgusting muddy mess. We are going to add a second fenced-in run area, an area which currently has grass, and then integrate everyone into that run. We’ll then cut off their access to the current run, so that we can fix the mud problem. I would also like to plant it with some chicken edibles, so they have stuff to munch on over there. The muddiest spot is right at the door from the coop to the run, so we need to figure out what to do there – maybe put some kind of patio (brick/concrete) there so that it doesn’t turn to mud as soon as it rains. Once everything on that side is fixed and plants are growing, I will start cycling the chickens between runs – so they can eat down one side while the other side is growing, and then we’ll switch them to the new grown stuff, and so on. With all our rain, the run doesn’t dry very well, or for very long, and then the teens don’t like to go to bed at night when I put them in, so it takes awhile to get them all in, and we end up trudging through mud, and they all have muddy feet, and it’s disgusting. I do lure them in to the coop with treats, but I have to wait until they are all in and the door is shut, or they take their treats and run outside; then I have to chase them in. Ahh… chickens.

Yay! The garden is in!

June 7, 2015June 7, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

I planted my new garden yesterday. Most of the plants are looking a little sad today, since we got rain last night. I think they’re fine and will perk up once we get some more sun. I’ve got lots of vegetables, with some flowers interspersed along the middle pathway. I ran out of room for my herbs because I wanted to grow various kinds of squash – zucchini, yellow squash, acorn, and butternut. I ended up with two small rows of mixed herbs – basil, rosemary, cayenne, lemon balm. (I meant to make a separate herb bed, but this new garden took up most of my energy this year).

Instead of tomato cages I decided to use some leftover fencing attached to poles, and will attach the tomato plants to them as they grow. I made some supports for my beans and peas using saplings and string. I pounded the saplings in like fence posts, and then wire was used to hold the saplings together and to attach them to the fence.

The top poles are from the top of the saplings, and attached to the poles with wire. I then tied string and attached it to sticks at the bottom where the peas and beans are planted.

plants — This is the corn patch. I have yellow and white corn seeds planted. I have sunflowers on the right, next to the fence, and some flowers along the path.

peppers — Peppers and artichokes (on the top of this picture) and squash at the bottom

I realized I had started way too many plants. I had overestimated the amount of space I had. I also didn’t figure I’d get as good of a germ-rate as I did for some things. Next year I won’t start as many plants, and I won’t start them so early. The April-started plants were ok, but I think it would have been better to start them in May. My tomatoes were no longer happy in the pots they were in – hopefully they will be happier now that they are in the garden.

The garden looks pretty sparse now, but as things grow and fill in, it should look really nice.

I also planted some spinach and chard, and kale in my older garden bed behind the house. I had started carrots, beets, onions, and turnips a couple weeks ago, and some are starting to show up through the soil now.

Getting some help in the garden

June 3, 2015June 3, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

I put some of my chickens to work today. My garden is just sitting, waiting for me to start planting this coming weekend when I have time. I want to get all the plants in at once. I decided to put a few chickens in there today, to scratch around and get any bugs out, and also to eat some of the grass that is at the fence line.

Here are a couple chickens scratching in the garden.

I chose to use some of my adult hens because I figured they may be more efficient, and also I didn’t want to cause any kind of anxiety issues with the teenager chickens. I thought that taking them out and then putting them back in the coop later may cause them unneeded anxiety, but that my adults would be able to handle it since they’re top of the pecking order. We put four hens in the garden in the morning before I left for work, with a little shelter made out of large flower pots and a piece of wood, in case they needed to get out of the sun.

Chickens in the garden – the little bowl here is for water for them.

My ladies did a good job – my garden seemed quite picked over; I could tell that they had scratched most of it up. I had made a pushed-down “trail” going through the middle, which will be my pathway, and that was completely gone by the time I got home. I could tell the grass at the fence line was a lot smaller as well.

The garden space is right next to our dog run. At first the hens were very scared when Atat ran out to see what they were doing. Downey was interested but not as playful as Atat. Atat ran up and started running up and down the fence line, and the chickens ran away back and forth from him, and then finally bundled up in the corner for awhile, till he went back inside.

My husband said it got better later during the day – when the dogs would come out they would just quietly watch the chickens pecking around in the dirt. The chickens relaxed a little when they figured out the dogs couldn’t get to them.

When I got home from work I put the ladies back in their own coop/run. I noticed that the pecking order in the coop was a little different before the hens were put back. Moving four hens to the garden gave the teenagers an advantage against the hens. Six teens to five hens – my teenagers seem a little more aggressive, which I take as a positive sign; they’ve been so scared of the hens until now – I saw one of my teens run up and peck a hen, instead of cowering when she walked by, which is what they usually do. The pecking order will shift a bit for awhile I bet, until they all get used to each other and figure out their places. That will probably be just in time for me to introduce the babies into the flock.

The new garden bed is ready!

May 31, 2015May 31, 2015Jen PowellLeave a comment

I’ve been working on a new garden bed, and it’s finally ready to plant! I killed most of the grass using tarps and cardboard, and was going to hand-till it all up, but it’s quite large. I started to do a little work on it one night and was very daunted by the work involved. The grass had been very lush in that area – Killing the grass did not kill the roots, so the soil was very hard to dig into even with the grass gone.

I was very lucky and was able to borrow a rototiller from my uncle. So now the soil is ready for planting. We put a fence up around it today to keep deer out. Here’s the finished garden bed:

The long view of our new fenced in garden bed

garden bed 2 — A diagonal view of the new bed.

I have been scrambling to get this bed ready for this weekend, because that was my goal for getting plants in. Our last frost date depends on who you talk to – some say May 15th, some say June 15th. Last year I had stuff in by the end of May and it was ok – you just have to watch the forecast for frost. We had frost warnings last night (I think some places got some frost) and we have frost warnings for the next two nights; I’m going to have to wait to put things into that bed. I do have some things already planted in a different bed, so I’ve been doing the “cover-up” scramble each night: covering up those plants at night, and then uncovering them each day once the sun is warming everything up. I need to check the weather and then hopefully I’ll start filling this bed up in the next week or so.

I have some plants hardening off outside. I put them inside a cage we have out there, which is easy to cover in case of frost. The cage also protects the plants from hungry animals. It’s been easier to block sunshine or rain, to get the plants used to being out there without them getting too much sun or water before they are acclimated. I put the plants out to harden off last week, figuring I’d have to block sunshine somewhat, and then we got several days of rain instead.

I’m looking forward to being able to get everything in the new garden – I just hope our weather decides to cooperate soon.