on the Deck
A family farm
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Yesterday ...
Yesterday was very hot!!! But that's not all ... I slept in until 10:30am! I must have been tired. All weekend I worked at the Cans from Fans food truck at Muskegon Summer Celebration, but that's another story. So, after finally getting up and doing the chores of watering the chickens and opening their window and feeding and watering the goats, I decided that I really should have a shower, tho the rest of the day's activities would leave me sweaty, damp and dirty! I made a great breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast for Kellie and I. Chris had to work. Then, finally, at around noon, we set ourselves in front of the new herb garden and pulled weeds. I did start tarragon from seed, and found some growing there under all the grass and such that has grown up around my nice herbs. The lavender I seed started is greener than the lavender I bought. That is silvery green. The mints are doing well ... the chocolate mint is starting to send out runners. I didn't know it would do that. I had let the chickens in my garden. They did fine for the first hour or so, but then it seems they all got excited to chow down on the june beatles that are eating up my spinach, and the chickens trampled my onions. I hope the onions stand back up! They aren't quite ready yet. Other than that, they did well! After we planted the sweet potatoes out back and covered the yukons, we decided it was just way hot and went inside to have a bagel and watch Pride and Prejudice. Now that she understands it, Kellie actually likes it. After that I cleaned my garbage heap of a car looking for my debit card. I left it at Number 1 Chinese after all and had to go get it. Kellie cleaned up the interior of the house. When I returned, we watched a Little House episode as it was still VERY hot! Finally, at around 7:30pm we ventured back outdoors to rototill a new strawberry patch. I was able to till 2 shortish rows. I had hoped to till around 5, but the doggone thing is clogged with dirt again and won't start. I have to tear it apart. Kellie's job today is to finish pulling all the green out of what I tilled and to plant the 24 plants I recently bought. Last night, we found spaces for the free tomato plants I picked up (putting our total tomato plant count up around 20). She also planted 4 green cabbages. I don't know where I'm going to put the other 8 plants if I can't transplant my strawberries!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Eggs are a'comin'
Yesterday our 14 hens laid a record (for Decker's Haven) number of eggs: 10!!! They have laid 9 so far today, and the day is far from over! Could we hit one dozen? I don't know. All I know is that we have a very happy bunch of chickens since OH died Saturday and Chris put the window in Friday.
I sort of played with a doe this morning. I stepped out of the barn to get corn for the chickens and there was a doe, fairly large, only about 50 yards away from me. She saw me and started stomping toward me and stopped, snorting. She stared at me for a long while, and I noticed there was another largish doe off to the west a ways, but in the soybean field. She turned away, and I took a few more steps toward the corn. When she turned back at me, I stopped, frozen still. She looked at me very puzzled-like, as if wondering if I was still in the same place. She stomped and snorted some more and then got sick of it because I hadn't moved and turned away again. Again, I moved a few steps toward the corn. She did her act all over again. Her pal started to trot away, but by this time she wasn't 10 yards away from the top of the driveway. Eventually she stomp-trotted, snorting so loud she was whistling, away from me, toward the sheep pen. I finally got to the corn and fed the chickens. I went in and finished getting ready for work. When I left the house, she was back, along with a hen turkey, who upon seeing me, scrambled back down between the rows of soybeans. I do believe the sweetcorn has them vexed.
I sort of played with a doe this morning. I stepped out of the barn to get corn for the chickens and there was a doe, fairly large, only about 50 yards away from me. She saw me and started stomping toward me and stopped, snorting. She stared at me for a long while, and I noticed there was another largish doe off to the west a ways, but in the soybean field. She turned away, and I took a few more steps toward the corn. When she turned back at me, I stopped, frozen still. She looked at me very puzzled-like, as if wondering if I was still in the same place. She stomped and snorted some more and then got sick of it because I hadn't moved and turned away again. Again, I moved a few steps toward the corn. She did her act all over again. Her pal started to trot away, but by this time she wasn't 10 yards away from the top of the driveway. Eventually she stomp-trotted, snorting so loud she was whistling, away from me, toward the sheep pen. I finally got to the corn and fed the chickens. I went in and finished getting ready for work. When I left the house, she was back, along with a hen turkey, who upon seeing me, scrambled back down between the rows of soybeans. I do believe the sweetcorn has them vexed.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Hens and Goats and Gardens
We finally sold little Faith, who's not so little anymore. We got $65 for her. I'm thinking we're going to need to build a disbudding box and get a burner to disbud our babies, and then we'll be able to sell them easier to 4-H kids. I think that might have been part of the problem why we didn't sell her right away. Then I got to thinking about if our girls have little billy goats, and they should be disbudded because they can get agressive. Either way, I think that is something we're going to have to look into. They paid for her on Friday and picked her up on Sunday. She is going to be the most spoiled pet!
Saturday, when I returned home after working all afternoon at the Cans from Fans food drive at Muskegon Summer Celebration, I found OH (Ornery Hen) dead in the chicken coop. I buried her under a pine tree in the front yard. Chris and I decided her orneriness and her old age is probably what killed her. The Bards are outside more and seem to be enjoying themselves more. They are coming out of their shell, so to speak. Since OH died, I've seen them out in the chicken coop's little yard rather than huddled inside. I think OH was trying to have her own little flock and very much kept them where she wanted. Oh, and since Chris put the window in the chicken coop, we've gathered 8 eggs per day.
Now - last night I weeded more of my garden. I weeded the rest of the onions, the carrots and the peppers. My garden is starting to look more like the gardens of people who don't work full time! Kellie is going to finish weeding the tomatoes today. That leaves the lettuce and the spinach and between the turnips yet. I can't believe how big everything is in just a few short weeks!!! Look for pictures soon!
Saturday, when I returned home after working all afternoon at the Cans from Fans food drive at Muskegon Summer Celebration, I found OH (Ornery Hen) dead in the chicken coop. I buried her under a pine tree in the front yard. Chris and I decided her orneriness and her old age is probably what killed her. The Bards are outside more and seem to be enjoying themselves more. They are coming out of their shell, so to speak. Since OH died, I've seen them out in the chicken coop's little yard rather than huddled inside. I think OH was trying to have her own little flock and very much kept them where she wanted. Oh, and since Chris put the window in the chicken coop, we've gathered 8 eggs per day.
Now - last night I weeded more of my garden. I weeded the rest of the onions, the carrots and the peppers. My garden is starting to look more like the gardens of people who don't work full time! Kellie is going to finish weeding the tomatoes today. That leaves the lettuce and the spinach and between the turnips yet. I can't believe how big everything is in just a few short weeks!!! Look for pictures soon!
Monday, June 28, 2010
How the Garden Grows
We have been pulling weeds and pulling weeds and pulling weeds! I'm not complaining, but the weather has been absolutely perfect for the garden to grow. The weeds have been amazing as well, and they are easer to pull the bigger they are! I have discovered which of my neighbors don't work full time. They are the ones with the gardens that are immaculate, and I mean immaculate - there is not a weed to be found. Perfect rows of vegetables grow and no green mucks up the black/brown dirt between these perfect rows. Ok, not only do I not have a completely weed-free garden, but my rows are NOT straight.
Hopefully later this week I can get the backyard mowed and rototilled for my new strawberry plants. I bought 24 new strawberry plants (Allstars), and now I have to move the patch. The plants were less than 50 cents apiece! Crazy! Looking forward to all new gardening soon.
Hopefully later this week I can get the backyard mowed and rototilled for my new strawberry plants. I bought 24 new strawberry plants (Allstars), and now I have to move the patch. The plants were less than 50 cents apiece! Crazy! Looking forward to all new gardening soon.
Monday, June 21, 2010
on the farm
We had to talk to our neighbors (gulp - because we like our neighbors and absolutely hated to complain) about their sheep. They were getting out 4 - 6 times per day and eating everything and trampling what they didn't eat. Since Thursday night, we haven't seen those doggone sheep. It's not that I don't like the sheep - they are nice to look at when they are in their own pen. But when they trample my back viney garden and eat all the soybeans planted in the field we rent out, well, that just isn't a good thing.
My tomato plants (and I'm so proud) are nearly a foot tall already. I'm proud because I seed-started them indoors way back in March and didn't kill them! I also seed started all my peppers and they are also doing well. My garden just needs an enormous weeding. I've come to the conclusion that people who have these nice neat gardens in their yards (usually right out in the front yards) don't work full-time. That is how they keep them completely weed free. It has to be! I just can't keep up. And now (granted we need it) it is supposed to rain all evening, so I won't be able to weed when I get home either.
On another note - we (the entire family) went kayaking on the Rogue river yesterday. We had such a great time, and first-timer on her own, Kellie, did real well, also!
My tomato plants (and I'm so proud) are nearly a foot tall already. I'm proud because I seed-started them indoors way back in March and didn't kill them! I also seed started all my peppers and they are also doing well. My garden just needs an enormous weeding. I've come to the conclusion that people who have these nice neat gardens in their yards (usually right out in the front yards) don't work full-time. That is how they keep them completely weed free. It has to be! I just can't keep up. And now (granted we need it) it is supposed to rain all evening, so I won't be able to weed when I get home either.
On another note - we (the entire family) went kayaking on the Rogue river yesterday. We had such a great time, and first-timer on her own, Kellie, did real well, also!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)