So busy with the new addition to garden helpers I haven't had a moments rest- literally! Yep, the chicks are coming and although my flock will be small they'll be useful- poo, tilling, bug hunting, and cute babies to love and take care of. They are so adorable! I did have a loss of one tiny one- made me so sad, but I know that is all part of it.
I have ideas for names- but I'll wait to decide on that until I see how they behave.
Other thing going on- more salads! And I've thinned the first of the yummy radishes :)
The greens are crazy in the high tunnel despite the cold snap we've had the last week or so. Lots to eat- mibuna, a few different kale and lettuce, tatsoi, claytonia, spinach, mustard spinach, mustard and a few radish. Makes for a great salad- that's for sure!
Emerald Oak- a hardy favorite lettuce.
As far as the mandala garden goes- a lot of the pea cover crop is up and growing. I have spinach, radish, hon tsai tai, and beets are up in mandala bed #1. I divided it up into pie sections and sowed. The mulch is sitting right there next to the crops when I need to cover it. Later when they're bigger, I'll move all the mulch to the plants and sow the area the mulch occupied. Nice when I don't have time to sow or plant a whole mandala bed!
In other news- things are growing well that I started from seed last year and planted- Good King Henry (no photo), Lovage, Alpine Strawberry. I have had to protect the Lovage because after that first night of the cold snap the outer leaves looked less than happy- I put some straw chucks around it for a few days.
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| Lovage |
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| Alpine strawberry |
I'll update with a photo in a day or so...
Also- I think not one, but both of the clematis I planted last year are coming back. I know for sure one is- even with this cold snap, I'm amazed! I'll be planting one every year!
And in the nursery I have some cooler weather crops, like broccoli and such, that are getting ready to go out in the mandala beds. The tomatoes I had to start at 8-10 wks before last frost did okay- but with the chickens in the same room I had to crank up the heat. I still managed to get a few Indigo series and German Johnson did very well sown in 1/4" soil blocks- which I just planted into 2" soil blocks today.
Tomatoes in 3/4" soil blocks
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| Tomatoes in 2" soil blocks- leggy, I'll have to bury them deep and fix that |
So much more going on- a chicken dome is in the making to house the chickens while they work a mandala bed- more tomatoes in a week or so, stuff sown in the greenhouse with the incandescent rope lights. Too much to report!
I hope your growing adventures are starting up where you are! And happy Spring!
2 comments:
I hope your comments are working, I see my last one never did show up. Your chicks are so cute. I was always going to do that but so far, it hasn't happened. I just love the way chickens look, even if they didn't lay eggs.
I am using the seed starting documents you shared in Google Docs again this year. I think one box didn't print out for me then but I modified the sheets anyway. They sure help with tracking. I hope I have a master copy somewhere, because I'm not sure I have the link any more.
Hey Carolyn,
Yep, I got the comments working again- still have some work to do yet, but at least the comments are working! I just love the chicks- they're really cute and all have their own personalities. I put it off for a while, but I was determined to get them this year. I wish the little yellow one would keep it's coloring, but it won't. She's very gentle and doesn't freak out when I pick her up.
I'm glad the sheets are useful. I recently updated them and they're available on my community Gardening Under Cover under the category 'files' and also on here in the sidebar. Remember to download them first- then they print well. Happy Growing!
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