Colorado

[uzisuzuki]

We do use a LOT of our horse manure and it works out really good for the tomatoes, peppers, chilis, summer squash, cucumbers, and pumpkins (normally), but I just cannot get any watermelons to take out here. Usually, everything else grows like crazy but that hailstorm killed almost the entire garden this year. We do still have a lot of green tomatoes, and I'm debating on whether or not to try my hand at fried green tomatoes before the plants start dying. Might be worth a shot, even though I'm a terrible cook.

I've found that putting golf balls in the nesting boxes gets the hens and pullets to lay their eggs there. I had to take them out when Penelope and Calypso went broody on me, and everyone started laying eggs in crazy places, but they've all been laying in the boxes again after the golf balls went back in them.

 

[suncatcher]

Yep, I did all Heirlooms too, they are the only ones I try and plant..... tried some Russian varieties, Anna Rusk seems to be doing the best, but I have no idea how to trim them, etc. They also need more loving care, and longer growing season, which I don't have at 8700'.

Cute coop! It is nice when you reach the end of a project!!! Of course then you start on the next one! lol


Pretty Cochin rooster! Is he Large fowl or bantam? So hard placing the boys, I have given up, even SQ boys I ended up culling last year, no sense living in denial that people want them, even if they have lovely type, etc.

She would fit into my EE flock here, but unfortunately I am downsizing not adding, at least that is what I have to keep telling myself!

Is hard waiting for this years pullets to start laying, you may have to do an Easter egg hunt!!!

 

[suncatcher]

Yep, hail is a game changer!!! Recovery sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't'!

Hmmm, forgot about seeding the nests for the new layers, great reminder!

 

[uzisuzuki]

Yep, hail is a game changer!!! Recovery sometimes works, sometimes it doesn't'!

Hmmm, forgot about seeding the nests for the new layers, great reminder!

Putting the golf balls in there cracks me up. I keep imagining the girls wondering why their eggs don't look like the golf balls. It did get less funny when Penelope and Calypso kept trying to hatch them, but it does keep them laying in the same place!

 

[COChix]

@uzisuzuki On the tomatoes, last year right before the first hard frost in late October we still had tomatoes on the vine. We pulled four boxes of them green and put them in cardboard boxes in a dark cool spot. They will ripen over time.

Isis is a sweetie, I forgot you can get pinless peepers for them. Since we are moving and will be integrating three more older birds into our flock, we decided we still need to downsize. If we were staying put, I would do the peepers.

 

[lindzkg]

Yaaaa, I'm still hoping I'll find him a forever good home, but I do realize how hard it is. Poor fellas. As far as if he large fowl or bantam, I don't really know

I'm brand new to chickens. He's pretty big I think.

@suncatcher

 

[COChix]

Harvest meal....crocked one or our roo's overnight and then picked the meat off the bone. Made a chicken pot pie that we smoked on our Treager. We are in harvest mode, but have greenhouses still going until the first frost.

 

[lindzkg]

That looks delish!
@cochix

 

[suncatcher]

Yummmmmmmy looking!!!

Yep, the boys get a bad rap, I wish more people could keep roosters in town, some people manage it fine by taking the roosters in at night and keeping them in carriers with a blanket over the carrier til mid morning. If you don't find him a home, you might want to try it.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I am one of those in towners that would love to be able to keep a roo. I however have nosy neighbors so a roo would be asking for it here.

Uzi,
If you are dealing with a lot of sand here is a thought. Now mind you it would cost some money to get started but not much each year after that. Have you looked into raised box gardening?
To keep the dirt in and the weeds down you can lay cardboard down then build a box out of 2x6 or similar material. You would have to fill the box with good dirt from a landscape supply company or something of the sort.
Personally if you have dirt good enough to get tomatoes to grow I would stick with that. The raised boxes are nice but deep rooted plants need more space and more water in them. Maybe one or two for things that are struggling in the sandy soil.
I have tried watermelon and other melons and found they just do not do well here. We don't tend to get hail that is large here so the plants grew and looked good but never had time to fruit.

I am dealing with the other end of soil issues since mine is all clay.