Growing GREEN...

With all of the recent rains everything is growing green crazy.   The weeds and grass are out of control.  Corn has been struggling to outpace the weeds but at least it's knee high.   We won't have fresh corn for July 4th, but we should have some by the end of summer.

 Still seeing male flowers on the squash plants and not much spreading.   Keeping our fingers crossed that good weather will speed things up a bit.

We have green tomatoes and green peppers.   More sun-time should see them ripening to red and orange.   I can almost taste that BLT!!!  Of course the beans are supposed to be green and we're starting to see more and more of those.   

The chickens have been enjoying the heat and sunshine.  Sriracha managed to find both a shady and sunny spot for his daily dust bath.

I wish I made note of the person I purchased the quail peeps from at Gilmanor.   The Manchurian Gold variety is really getting attractive.   They are pale palomino ground with dustings of gold feathers along their back and wings.  Looking forward to seeing their offspring.

At SpringFest I purchased some of these cactus flower zinnia.  I wasn't sure if I would like them, but they really are attractive, like Dahlia.   I also purchased some calendula officinalis.  Not sure if these are truly that variety.  They're rather frilly like the French marigolds.   Still pretty and keeping the pests away.

I'm also thrilled with the Hostas I purchased at Spring Fest.   They look so nice next to the pond.   And the lotus is sending up its leaves!  I can't wait to see those first flowers.

How to Select Chickens for the Breeding Pens

Ever wonder how to raise hens that produce lots of eggs?  Or how to decide which rooster to keep?  The link below will take you to a video, produced by Backyard Poultry Magazine with help from the Livestock Conservancy, which will answer those questions in a clear and easy way.   Enjoy!

Breeding a Better Chicken

Hot Weather is HERE!

It looks like Central Virginia has gone from winter straight into summer.   Eighty degree days this weekend, but hot or not, it was time to get the field work done.

The corn went in on Thursday while the other vegetable beds were cleared for planting.   This  year we decided to put up fencing that should keep the chickens and (hopefully) deer out of the market gardens.  

Carrots, onions and potatoes were set out in our half barrel system for root crops.  We like to keep edible root crops in sterile soils each year.   Netting is needed over these too or the chickens will harvest the greens long before maturity.

The cover crops have done well keeping the weeds under control.    Can you find the four leafers in these two clusters of clover?

How 'bout now?

The chickens have moved into production gear.  We're getting plenty of eggs for Easter.   $4.00 per dozen for local pickup/delivery.   The quails are just starting to lay.  We should see more of their eggs as the season progresses.

 

And Ashe says HAPPY EASTER!

End of September

This is it, the last day of September.   Pumpkins, sweet potatoes and the last of the tomatoes have been harvested.  The okra is still chugging along even though we have harvested enough seed pods to supply three farms!   Green manures have been seeded and the garden is ready to settle in for its winter rest.   Next year we hope to continue the harvest with winter crops.

 

Our Euskal Oiloak breeding pen is going well.  We have a dozen eggs sitting in the incubator with more on the way.   The Crested Cream Legbar cockerel we purchased in July is doing well too.   I can't wait until the Spring to see how he finishes out and what this group will produce.   We've heard rumors that Greenfire has imported some Jill Reese legbars from the UK and that they have cleared quarantine.  Hopefully we can add some of these chickens in 2014 or 2015.

 

Heathcliff -- 10 week old Crested Cream Legbar cockerel

And finally, after much research, we have ordered 20 rose comb Rhode Island Red chicks from Gary Underwood for Spring delivery and are on a waiting list for 18 White Dorking chicks from Yellow House Farm.   It is going to be a very busy spring!