Illinois...

[Molpet]

Good luck. I'm young and MY back hurts after doing potatoes. This year I tilled, raked the dirt too one side, set the potatoes in and then covered them with using a shovel.
I used to till, mound the dirt, and then plant in individual holes - that is too much kneeling, crawling and digging.

Oh I gave up tilling years ago. I move the mulch, grass and leaves, I had on the bed for the winter. Something I dig a shallow hole with a hand trowel, this year a hoe. Put potatoes a ft apart. Hoe some dirt over, cover whole bed with the grass and leaves. Put a soaker hose down. Later Cover the whole thing with used straw. During the year I will probably have to put down more straw so I don't have green potatoes. Minimal weeding needed.
Onions get planted through a sheet of some kind of organic 4ft wide paper to keep weeds down. Mulching didn't work as well.

 

[Faraday40]

I’ve got some jumbo quail hatching right now. So tiny. I had to lighten the pic because this one is dark. Probably a Tuxedo or Tibetan quail. (Most will be Pearl)

 

[Faraday40]

I already have 13 hatched and my Serama Mama is steadily adopting them. (Just a few for now to make sure she's good with it.)

 

[Faraday40]

And here's "Miss Take"
She hatched early (Monday) but was supposed to hatch today. When my serama decided to go broody, she stole a bunch of eggs. At the time most of the serama eggs were infertile. We set the quail eggs on the same day so allowed the hen to sit on what we thought were 4 infertile eggs. Oops. Oh well, I just let the serama keep the ONE egg.

I'm pretty good about getting hens to adopt chicks but the chance of success is far greater if all are added within 24 hours. I had to pull the chick out on Monday or she might end up an only child. It's important to me that the hen raises all the quail. "Miss Take" has bonded with me but will be reunited with her mama and 15-20 quail siblings today.

 

[Molpet]

And here's "Miss Take"
She hatched early (Monday) but was supposed to hatch today. When my serama decided to go broody, she stole a bunch of eggs. At the time most of the serama eggs were infertile. We set the quail eggs on the same day so allowed the hen to sit on what we thought were 4 infertile eggs. Oops. Oh well, I just let the serama keep the ONE egg.

I'm pretty good about getting hens to adopt chicks but the chance of success is far greater if all are added within 24 hours. I had to pull the chick out on Monday or she might end up an only child. It's important to me that the hen raises all the quail. "Miss Take" has bonded with me but will be reunited with her mama and 15-20 quail siblings today.
View attachment 3476027View attachment 3476028

That face

 

[Faraday40]

Success!
My mama serama is happily sitting on 15 quail and 1 serama (aka Miss Take - who already has some wing feathers growing in.) There are 6 more quail eggs in incubator. One looks pipped.

Meanwhile from @Molpet I got 2 doz eggs instead of one doz. She said she didn’t know what the fertility would be like. Well…. I’d say pretty darn good!. What am I going to do with 23 turkeys!?!

 

[Faraday40]

Here’s Miss Take using a juice bottle cap as a food bowl.

 

[Molpet]

Success!
My mama serama is happily sitting on 15 quail and 1 serama (aka Miss Take - who already has some wing feathers growing in.) There are 6 more quail eggs in incubator. One looks pipped.

Meanwhile from @Molpet I got 2 doz eggs instead of one doz. She said she didn’t know what the fertility would be like. Well…. I’d say pretty darn good!. What am I going to do with 23 turkeys!?!

Hopefully you all will have enough calico for everyone

Sell the brown.or extra on craigslist when you sell something else.. I usually sell 2 for $25. I don't like to send a poult off on it's own.
I have just been letting mine sit on enough to feed me.... and selling the extra hens... I'm a chauvinist and don't want to kill a perfectly good egg layer

 

[Molpet]

It warms my heart to see this.
I'm so glad Annie is doing well, I've downloaded the picture to send on to my girls.

Couple more
Every time she looks at me the phone wouldn't take it

I've noticed she doesn't like men, or at least my cousins husband sent her wanting in the house... for a while, when he ignored her and my cousin and I didn't make a fuss, she came down off the porch.

 

[Molpet]

It was a great day yesterday! I met @Molpet and got my onion plants. Today will be spent planting and blowing leaves from the rest of the flower beds. I know we are in for a dip on Sunday/Monday but I am hopeful!

Here's the stuff I take for poison ivy.... I finally remembered I was going to tell you about LOL
I take 4 tablets under tongue a few times a day starting a few weeks before pi season.
I get online but seems to be out of stock. Some local drug stores carry it. But here's what it is.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0058AD8NI/ref=cm_cr_arp_mb_bdcrb_top?ie=UTF8
Used to be I would catch it walking by on a hot humid day.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/rhus...ox is a homeopathic,but the results are mixed.