This is the BEST time of year!

We have had a bunch of really beautiful sunny days lately, and even a beautiful rainy day with a soft rain that watered and soaked the earth well. Alycia and I were able to spend part of the day out in the garden--finished transplanting the cauliflower and then seeded kohlrabi, rutabagas, chinese cabbage, pac choi, and swiss chard. It was so nice out that I hated to come in, but at some point it just gets too dark to see those little seeds. :-)

After seeing how quickly all those evil little weeds are sprouting up after our rain, I received a timely email tonight from a favorite blogger and farmer tonight--Herrick Kimball, creator of the Whizbang Chicken Plucker. Ok, so the email was a group mailing, but I swore it was meant just for me. I don't know how he did it, but Herrick knew about my dreaming of a wheelhoe... yes, a wheelhoe. If you haven't seen on of these contraptions, check out Herrick's version; it's a beauty!:

Herrick has designed his own model and included the directions on his webpage. One has the option of ordering all the metal parts from him ($99 intro price) and proceed to put the rest together by one's own means, or he even shows how (if a person is familiar with metalworking and has the appropriate tools) to make the entire thing. I have an old high-wheel hoe/cultivator that I have used on occasion, and it definitely could be improved upon. The old metal wheel is bent and rubs on the frame, catching occasionally. But even with those issues, I can imagine the possibilities of using a low-wheel Glaser-style wheelhoe. I've been dreaming about having one of my own for a couple years, but they are gosh darn expensive!!! Now, with Herrick's assistance, I just may be able to have one. Wait til I tell the hubby what I have planned for his spare time! He already succeeded in making one of Herrick's Whizbang Chicken Pluckers, so this should be easy-cheesy! If you want to see it for yourself, check out Herrick's "Anyone Can Build A Planet Whizbang Wheelhoe."

Well, the weather this weekend is forecast to be perfect for more time spent out in the garden! Yay!

Enjoying the sun!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. I spent the entire afternoon and most of the evening in the garden. I even had helpers--DH Mike finished up the tomato cages, Alycia watered and then planted broccoli, Greg watered and spread compost, and Mikey played with the skidsteer (well, he did accomplish something while doing that--he moved a bunch of old bales of hay so that they are nearer where I need them for mulching). All is all it was VERY productive.

Now I can say that all the tomatoes and peppers are planted. The majority of the broccoli is planted also, with the cauliflower quietly waiting its turn. The greenhouse is almost empty--it's a great feeling. :-) I'm hoping that tomorrow or Tuesday I can get all the melons planted in soil blocks, then they will go out in about 2-3 weeks.

It has been very dry here. We got a sprinkle of rain yesterday morning, but not even enough to make any puddles. Tomorrow is supposed to be 80 and windy, then rain is predicted for Tuesday. Maybe I can get some more seeds in before the rain...

Getting going... ever so slowly

Like I said, April is the month that everything seems like it needs to be done at once. Well, April is done and gone, and here we are in mid-May. I still don't have all that I want planted in the garden yet. I have plenty of plants to set out, but have been taking a conservative approach because I fear the occasional late frost. The outlook for the next 10 days has our lows in the upper 40's, though, so I should be safe now. I was also set back a few days with a horrible sinus infection (from which I'm still recovering) that had me laid out flat. That was pure torture!

Today Kris and Penny came over for our weekly "garden day"--we planted the onions, leeks, and strawberries. Now that we have the deer fence up, I have grand hopes of a beautiful strawberry patch full of wonderful strawberriness next spring! I also bought some fall-bearing raspberry plants and was given a lot of summer raspberries from a friend. They will be going in either tomorrow or Thursday, depending on the weather. Of course, they will need to be watered regularly... "hey Honey, so how much do you think it will cost to put that line in..."

The next two weeks I have grand plans for planting, but also need to take into account that our oldest is graduating from high school next Friday. Next week is a flurry of senior brunches, banquets, ceremonies, etc. etc. So I better get out there this week!

Have a great May and enjoy those early harvests!

April... on "April"

Happy April from April! Teehee. You would not believe how many times I've been called "April May June" or asked (since it's my month!) "Were you born in April?" Short answer... NO. :-) But I digress...

It's April! An EXTREMELY busy time in the gardening year. It seems like everything is screaming to get done ALL AT ONCE! The greens, potatoes, carrots, onions, and peas all need to be planted. The peppers and tomatoes are needing bigger pots since it will still be a week or two before they can go in the garden. Tilling needs to be finished, mulch to be ..ummm.. mulched. And on and on and on. And then there's those pesky front flowerbeds that need to be groomed in time for the upcoming graduation party (I was smart, though, and planted a bunch of perennials last year, so a bunch of my planting is DONE. Just need to fill in a few annuals, plant the windowboxes, and put down some more woodchips.) It really is enough to keep one hopping!

Well, here's how things are looking right now at Chicken Scratch Farm: I put together two compost bins and the son enthusiastically played, I mean drove, the skidsteer to move my old messy spread-out pile into the bins. They are just 6-8 foot diameter circles made out of welded wire. The first section of the garden is tilled and a few rows of peas and spinach are planted. I got them in on April 18, just before a nice steady rain. Nothing like perfect timing! I still need to plant a few beds of lettuce and carrots. The onions are content for the moment in their pots--they will be introduced to garden soil after the early seeds are all in. Today I planted a few flats of broccoli, caulifower, and cabbage. They are out in the greenhouse (it's still getting down in the low 40's and colder at night) until they sprout. The peppers and tomatoes are completely out of control. It cannot warm up fast enough for them! They are huge. A few of the tomatillos are even starting to flower! Time to do some pollinating.

Well, it's been a very busy month, and will even get busier! But I'm having a blast!

Happy Easter!

He is risen! Alleluia! Have a blessed Easter!

OH boy, do I have my work cut out for me!!

I wandered up to the garden to take a look around last Thursday. It's a mess. Last fall, I ran out of time and energy to keep up with weeds and also to clean up after frost killed off everything. I did get a chance to get the last of the leeks out in November, and was rewarded with having our last batch of potato leek soup in January. But this is what it looks like now.



The relatively clean rows closest to you are the strawberry beds, except for the closest bed which is asparagus and some rhubarb. The deer have done a pretty good job of tromping in the mulch that was on the beds and eating a lot of the mulch pile in the bottom right corner. Beyond the strawberry beds is the area formerly home to beans, broccoli, lettuce, etc. etc.

These fences held up my cucumber plants last year. This area isn't too scary and most of the mulch is still in place.

My dad was cleaning out the barn and brought up a lot of old hay for me to use as mulch. Unfortunately, he brought it up last fall, so guess what... we've been feeding the deer all winter.

This picture of scat and prints supplies evidence of the local deer's favorite hangout. Most of the garden is covered with it. I guess in return for feeding them, I have to admit the deer have been providing fertilizer. :-P

Last year we got half of the deer fence in place. This spring we are finishing it! (NO MATTER WHAT!) Around the perimeter of the garden (which includes three 30 strips, each 250 feet long--one strip "rests" each year) we are putting 5 foot high welded wire fence. I know this alone will do little to deter these jumpers, but will do a lot to keep the coon out come corn season. About 4-5 foot outside the welded wire fence will be 2 strands of electric at 6 inches and 3 feet. In my experiences (note the mulch left relatively untouched in between the cucumber fences) and research, I have discovered that deer can jump amazing vertical heights, BUT they don't like to jump into narrow spaces, or into an area that they are uncertain of. My hopes are that the electric wire will make them think twice about clearing a 5 foot fence that is placed 4 feet in front of them. If that doesn't take care of it, then we will attach posts to the top of our wooden posts and string electric above the welded wire. We will also attach shiny things to blow around in the wind. Seem extreme??? Well, this is war, folks. This is all-out war! I have lost too many strawberry plants to count; the evil creatures have been known to stomp on ripe watermelons to eat out the insides, cleaned off the outer cuke fences of vines, and bit the centers out of cabbages and lettuces. They dearly LOVE sugar snap peas and will nose through the vines finding every last one. So, the deer MUST be stopped.

So, as soon as it dries out a bit more, I know where I'll be spending most of my time. I better head to the store to get a few more pairs of work gloves!

Garden Journal Notes No. 2

March 10--Pot on to 2" blocks: Lipstick and Dulce peppers.
Pot on to small pots: Amish Paste Tomatoes

March 11--Pot on to small pots: Tomatillo, Amish Paste Tomato, Rutgers Tomato, Brandywine Tomato.
Pot to 2" blocks: Kin of the North and New Ace Peppers
Cherry tomatoes and Okra up that was planted on March 3!

March 12: Planted Petunias and Strawflowers in Jiffy Peat Pellets (1 tray of each, Sue gave me "Jiffy Greenhouse" kit). Started on heat mats.

March 20: most of Petunias and Strawflowers up. Such tiny plants!!!

March 21: Potted on Sunray to 3" pots

March 22: Potted on New Girl, Sweet Olive, and Jellybean tomatoes. Moved onions and leeks to coldframe. (Had previously put them out for an overnight, but had brought back in with threat of temps in the 20's.) Today's temps were around 55 for a high. Supposed to have lows in the 40's tonight and tomorrow night. Upper 20's predicted for mid-week for lows with snow showers. Probably will have to get insulation to cover the coldframe.