fuzzi's Chicken Journal

[NanaK]

I'm going to plant my sweet potatoes this weekend. I just shove a couple whole yams in the dirt. They grow.

I used to get plenty of sweet potatoes for free. I knew enough farmers who let people glean the fields after they harvested. Now they have all retired or passed on.

So I decided to give growing them a try. I want to start small because SP really vine ALOT. I started a tater in potting mix under my indoor grow lights a while back. I now have several slips potted up and the tater has made a couple more. These are in the greenhouse now because of all the rain. I was going to plant them in the garden this week. Now it needs to dry up a bit before I can plant.

I went to the garden yesterday. It's not visible from the house. Was worried about what I would find. It is very wet but everything looked okay except my green beans are a tad wilted. Hope there is no root rot. They are Pole Kentucky Wonder and just starting to climb. I might have to replant.

I cut 2 heads of cabbage and gave the chickens the bottom leaves. They almost snatched it from my hands.

Hope the tomatoes don't crack.

 

[1muttsfan]

You guys are making me envious, we don't get enough heat hours to grow sweet potatoes up here, and you spend the entire summer nursing tomatoes along just to have the vine deteriorate after you've gotten one or two tomatoes. I just buy them at the farmers market now. And the only thing you can plant right now is early crops like peas, it got down to 32° last week one day.

 

[fuzzi]

Mowed the second half of the backyard early, chickens approved.

After I post I'll be doing a data transfer from my phone's SD card to a laptop. My new phone is waiting. BBL.

 

[fuzzi]

Finally got the new phone up and running. I had to move the sim card from the MotoG to the new Samsung Galaxy in order to activate it.

Sunday afternoon I baked bread, first time ever without a bread machine. It came out well, delicious!

Gardens

Beans continue to produce. I'm freezing most of what I am harvesting.

Second sowing of peas is about spent. I'll be pulling up the vines and shelling the pods probably this evening.

Baby squash!

Lemon variety, very productive in the past.

Tomatoes

They are being grown for the chickens, as no one here eats them due to allergies.

We're just beyond the 4 week mark since I separated the flocks, so I am ready to start hatching Sussex eggs, but none of the pullets/hens has gone broody, yet!

 

[fuzzi]

Chicken Update

No one's gone broody. Last year I had to keep breaking them.

Silas and his gals are trying to dig out, underneath the back wall. There's HWC attached on the other side, but still...

Fixed, I think. That log is heavy and solidly set.

We'll see.

I upgraded the perch by the door, elevated it.

It's jammed in tight, shouldn't shift, but I still zip-tied it to the cattle panel on the left side, on the bend. I have already seen Silas standing guard on the cement block by the door.

And Zacchaeus' bunch:

The shade cloth does a good job keeping it cooler in the hot midday sun.

 

[fuzzi]

Gardens News

Beans are still producing, but I have noticed they seem to be slowing a little. The second sowing is now putting forth blossoms, so hopefully the bean bounty will continue. I've frozen over a dozen bags, about 25 beans to a bag.

I shelled the last of the peas, and froze two more bags.

And I picked my first squash of the season!

I had a brief thought to freeze it, but...naw. I sliced and cooked it, added butter and salt after draining it. Nummy.


I ate a bowlful and put the rest away in the refrigerator, next to the last of the turnip greens.

While I was out running errands earlier today I saw that Aldi's had strawberries. I bought two boxes...I'm going to make strawberry-rhubarb pie! I'd bought just over a pound of rhubarb stalks at the farmers' market last Saturday, and it was still good. I cut up both rhubarb and strawberries, then sprinkled a flour & sugar mixture over it. I covered it and placed it in the refrigerator, will bake the pies tomorrow. One pie will go in the freezer, will take it with me when I go see my granddaughters next month.

Whew.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

You've been busy!
The coop arrangement looks good and your garden is doing really well!

I'm somewhat behind...I guess - maybe not. In the past I really have not planted a lot until the first of June, so I may be on track . I have started tomatoes that need to desperately go out, so hopefully that will happen this weekend. I will probably try to get a few beans in within the next couple of weeks.
We've had a couple of hot days, but are in a cool down phase for a little bit. 40s at night, 60s during the day, but this will not last long!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Now I want strawberry rhubard pie...