Southern NY, Dutchess county and below

[goldeneggtees]

Hey all, as for the garden, for sure I will have one. Though I have to figure out a way to keep my peskiest, wildest hen (wild child) out of it. Clipping her wings didn't help last year and she ate some of our best tomatoes.

Anyone want a pretty Australorp?

When we had that really warm day like 2 weeks back, I finally cleared out the garden from last year and of course all the hens were in there helping. They are such curious creatures! But thank goodness they were there to help - couldn't have done it without them! Or at least I'm sure that is what they were thinking.

Not sure what I will plant yet. We'll see. Had an awful time with yellow squash last year. I only got one squash which was sooo good. Then powdery mildew set in and spread to my tall phlox and peonies. UGH! Anyone out there who has had it and has found a way to eliminate it without chemical use. I bought a fungicide last year and was going to use it but then I read the instructions and knew I would never spray that stuff around the hens. In hindsight, I should have pulled the plant.

You know what I love in the garden? Rhubarb, can't wait until that starts coming up. This is year three for it so it should be a very good crop this year.

We also have a trumpet vine out front that had hummingbirds on it last year. Hoping they find my feeders this year and stick around. I love Hummingbirds! We go to the Adirondacks every year and rent a cabin. My favorite thing is watching them.

Got 9 eggs yesterday from 11 hens! Woo hoo! Spring is coming!

Hope you all enjoy this little bit of snow today and are feeling well. I'm thinking to keep the hens inside today, they hate the snow! It's a good day for a nice warm fire…

 

[smkchick]

Thanks for the garden talk. It's nice to focus forward to the positive. I've had a lot of success with cucumbers and tomatoes. I love the heirlooms! There's an organic farm in Millerton, NY that I got some beautiful plants from last year. I usually stop on my way to or from family visits and load up on organic meat and veggies and last spring I picked up some tomato plants. Will definitely do the same this year. The Cherokee Purples are always bountiful and last year I had a huge harvest of yellow cherry tomatoes. (When I could get the into the house without eating them.) Love the black cherry tomatoes also. I thought about growing kale for the girls - their favorite treat. But I have had NO luck with zucchini or peppers, so I'm not going to waste precious garden space on them this time. The squirrels love the zucchini blossoms, so I get nothing. My brother upstate grows potatoes, onions and garlic. May try some of those myself.

Now here's the catch: This is my first year with a garden and then hens. Deer fencing? Brick wall? How do I protect the plants from my ever so curious and "helpful" hens? I have a very small patch of backyard garden.

I hear hens squawking right now. I guess they see the snow!

 

[gunnarwordon]

Adams Fairacre Farm is my place for plants.......... Also, I plan on building a pond. I don't know how that will go over though....

 

[ChickenAl]

Al, I'm not getting email updates either. Guess I'll have to go back to checking the site itself every day. Good thing I can access it at work!

I always say my job would be great if they'd stop letting all those kids in every day.

I'm sorry to hear about your medical issues, Al. It's so frustrating. It seems like every time they find one issue, another pops up. Keep an eye on things, and take good care of yourself.

I'm not going to stress over this surgical clearance nonsense. If I can't get clearance, I'll cancel the surgery. Then nobody will get their money! I can wait til the summer. I'm not taking any more time off from work for this. It's not like it's life-threatening.

Let's talk SPRING!! Who's planting a garden? Who's getting more chickens? (That's a joke, son.) In the Spring, a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of CHICKEN MATH!!

Spring sounds like a good topic to focus on. Lots of coop cleanup and maintenance is going to be happening soon enough. Last year we did the new shingles on the coop, and this spring we should repaint the exterior.

The garden last year was planted with a lot of heirloom tomatoes. They did rather well and they are a kick with the differing flavors. We gave up on the squash last year because the powdery mildew and the vine borers did them in the year before. One remedy for powdery mildew is to spray a mix of milk and water on the leaves. We tried it but it had gone to far before starting it.

Garlic is great to grow. The seed cloves get planted in the previous fall and need the winter cold to segment them into cloves. In late spring, early summer, they sprout these wonderful scapes that you take off and sauté. Awesome! There are also types of garlic that can be planted in the spring.

Our local cooperative extension has a Master Gardener sale in the spring with loads of heirloom plants. And the prices are decent too.

We wound up with a dusting this morning, and now it's all melted. What a great winter we are having. It'd be nice if they were all this benign. In fact, the sun just came through the window and is warming my back. Yup, spring is coming.

 

[lichick28]

That is such a cozy picture with the fire going. I cant wait to start the garden growing process. I start my tomatoes by the window in march. I have chicken poop/mulch that has been composting & cant wait to dig it into the soil. Its funny how the girls run after me when they see the shovel in my hands & they know I'll be digging. I fence off the flower garden with 2 ft high fencing or they would be destroyed from the girls

 

[JerseyHen]

JerseyHen, nice work on the hubby. Did you use subliminal messages to sway him?

I still have no idea what got into him, but I am going to go with it. I can't wait for the ground to soften so I can get those post holes in...

It takes a tough man to raise a tender chicken! I tried to get Bobby to get me a new (bigger) coop for my birthday yesterday, but no such luck! I was hoping he'd at least get me a chicken!! I love it when they try to pretend they don't care about the chickens. Bobby launched into this whole thing today about how ready Wanda is to start laying, etc., etc. I'll have my new coop, just watch!

Happy Birthday! Chicken anything makes the perfect gift. I keep hoping that I am going to get a valentines heart filled with chicks instead of chocolate. I have clearly lost what little was left of my mind to spring chick fever.

I am gardening this year, 5 more fruit trees and a huge new (fenced in to deter critters) garden. So excited. I think I will rent a post hold digger (5 tree holes, 25 post holes) though!

 

[smkchick]

I still have no idea what got into him, but I am going to go with it. I can't wait for the ground to soften so I can get those post holes in...



Happy Birthday! Chicken anything makes the perfect gift. I keep hoping that I am going to get a valentines heart filled with chicks instead of chocolate. I have clearly lost what little was left of my mind to spring chick fever.

I am gardening this year, 5 more fruit trees and a huge new (fenced in to deter critters) garden. So excited. I think I will rent a post hold digger (5 tree holes, 25 post holes) though!

Clearly if you rent a power tool for DH to use, he will want to get you more chicks! Had dinner with my friend and her hubby and now he wants chickens. Chicken fever is spreading!!

 

[stoopid]

Hi Jeanett! Just beware, she has Silkies, and they can't fly as well as the rest of the garden destroyers, so 2 feet won't work for most.....

 

[smkchick]

I'm definitely going 5 foot brick wall with machine gun turrets!

It's official. I'm sick. Again. Miserable cough deep in my chest and slight fever ranging between 100-101 degrees. But I WILL be better for surgery on Thursday. No matter what. I'm not going through that preop nonsense again.

I think I surprised Wanda trying to lay her first egg. I'm hoping she went back to the nest after I stopped being a busybody.

 

[smkchick]

Much better today. Almost able to fake being completely well. Other than the laryngitis, of course. Think the doctor will notice? Probably not.

But here's what I signed on for:



a double yolker from Gladys. Twins!