Illinois...

[BReeder!]

It's a beautiful today. Home office is the patio table under the gazebo for now. I'll have to go back in for two hours at 11am to lead a virtual training workshop, but I'll be right back out after that. It pushing 70 already. The wind is a bit gusty, but it's more of a strong breeze. If it stays like this, I'll really enjoy it when it's in the 80s this afternoon. I plan to get through the work day and then some gardening and yard work. Probably going to barbecue for dinner.

 

[Faraday40]

Bad News: another cracked SLO egg!!! Next week, I'm going to set whatever SLO eggs I collect. So far.... from the 3 hens.... I only have two eggs (from April 20th & the 24th). By next week the April 20th may be too old.

The good news:
@homeschoolin momma , we may finally have an answer to your question.

She asked if the pointed or wide end comes out of the chicken first. I know I've watched eggs come out, but couldn't really answer with certainty.

The impact crack is obviously on the wide end.

 

[Faraday40]

It's a beautiful today. Home office is the patio table under the gazebo for now. I'll have to go back in for two hours at 11am to lead a virtual training workshop, but I'll be right back out after that. It pushing 70 already. The wind is a bit gusty, but it's more of a strong breeze. If it stays like this, I'll really enjoy it when it's in the 80s this afternoon. I plan to get through the work day and then some gardening and yard work. Probably going to barbecue for dinner.

Sounds wonderful! I spent the morning weeding and mulching the strawberry bed.

 

[BReeder!]

Sounds wonderful! I spent the morning weeding and mulching the strawberry bed.

I just planted my strawberry bed. The bareroot plants arrived today and into the bed they went. We have everything planned or at least started indoors except beans, which will be directly sowed in the three sisters mounds after the corn comes up, which should be in the next week.

 

[WhyDoILikeChickens]

@Faraday40 since you like taking chick photos did you enter the contest?

 

[Faraday40]

I just planted my strawberry bed.

Speaking of strawberries, how far apart should the plants be?
Mine are in a flowerbed along the garage. I always feel terrible thinning plants, so I only "relocated" a few strawberry plants that were growing in large clumps. I probably should have thinned them, but I guess we'll see what happens.

Technically they are "ever-bearing" but it's really only June. The rest of the summer they just spread. That's why I have some other plants (like peonies and phlox), so the strawberries look like a ground cover.

I'm not the best with plants, so I try to choose very hardy stuff. Those peonies are very tough! In 2008, we literally built our garage on top of them. The next year, a tiny bit poked out the side. Each year it gets a little more full.

 

[BReeder!]

Speaking of strawberries, how far apart should the plants be?
Mine are in a flowerbed along the garage. I always feel terrible thinning plants, so I only "relocated" a few strawberry plants that were growing in large clumps. I probably should have thinned them, but I guess we'll see what happens.

Technically they are "ever-bearing" but it's really only June. The rest of the summer they just spread. That's why I have some other plants (like peonies and phlox), so the strawberries look like a ground cover.

I'm not the best with plants, so I try to choose very hardy stuff. Those peonies are very tough! In 2008, we literally built our garage on top of them. The next year, a tiny bit poked out the side. Each year it gets a little more full.


View attachment 2639886View attachment 2639887

I planted mine 6 to every 2'x2' section. My strawberry bed is 2'x8' and we put 25 plants in (6 for every 2'x2' adds up to 24 plants but there's an extra just tucked in there somewhere). They look like they have room to grow and spread. They like to fill in the bed with runners. I'll be trimming the runners and flowers this year and hoping for a better harvest next year from established plants. Then I'll let them run after we harvest berries and I'll have to mark all the "adult plants". I intend to remove plants every 3 years and allow them to be replaced by their runners that would have established the year prior. That's the plan, it will get hard though I'm sure when there's 3 generations of plants to manage intermixed throughout a single bed.

 

[Faraday40]

I planted mine 6 to every 2'x2' section. My strawberry bed is 2'x8' and we put 25 plants in (6 for every 2'x2' adds up to 24 plants but there's an extra just tucked in there somewhere). They look like they have room to grow and spread. They like to fill in the bed with runners. I'll be trimming the runners and flowers this year and hoping for a better harvest next year from established plants. Then I'll let them run after we harvest berries and I'll have to mark all the "adult plants". I intend to remove plants every 3 years and allow them to be replaced by their runners that would have established the year prior. That's the plan, it will get hard though I'm sure when there's 3 generations of plants to manage intermixed throughout a single bed.

I can't say I have much planning - other than I like strawberries. I got a couple berries my 1st year and an acceptable amount the 2nd. The 3rd year harvest was great - except that we were on vacation. My neighbor (& dog/chicken/goldfish sitter) sent us pics. She picked 1 cup of berries daily!!! I spread the plants out that fall to fill up more of the flower bed. I looked forward year 4..... but so did the wildlife. Something came along and ate the plants down to the soil. A 30" x6' area was stripped overnight. The next night another 30"x10'. (Some eaten some trampled) Very sad. The strawberries gradually recovered.

 

[Molpet]

Yeah I planted a DZ plants one year. Slugs were a problem along with wild birds and rabbits . I decided it wasn't worth the weeding for a handful of berries. But they were the best tasting berries.

 

[BReeder!]

I can't say I have much planning - other than I like strawberries. I got a couple berries my 1st year and an acceptable amount the 2nd. The 3rd year harvest was great - except that we were on vacation. My neighbor (& dog/chicken/goldfish sitter) sent us pics. She picked 1 cup of berries daily!!! I spread the plants out that fall to fill up more of the flower bed. I looked forward year 4..... but so did the wildlife. Something came along and ate the plants down to the soil. A 30" x6' area was stripped overnight. The next night another 30"x10'. (Some eaten some trampled) Very sad. The strawberries gradually recovered.

Sounds like it could have been rabbits getting your berries. A small group could easily decimate a bed between their eating and trampling.