I Know, I Know!!!

Woah now, no hate mail please!!!  I know it has been way toooooo long since I posted. With work, church, garden, chickens, b-days, house, trips, and what the heck lets throw in the hubby too, it has been BUSY!!!!  I almost don't even know where to begin. Ok, here goes.

GARDEN

Didn't get everything out of the garden that we had hoped for but overall it was a success. As usual we learned a ton which can only help in the long run. The following list is everything we planted and how it turned out.

Asparagus- plenty to keep us happy
Corn- did fairly well for selected strain, we let it dry due to cob size and will use for parched corn
Beets- good harvest, picked them a bit early
Yams/Sweet Potato- tops eaten by animal most of season, upon harvest were small in size but edible
Carrots- good yield for amount planted
Cantaloupe- demolished by CHICKENS (little buggers)
Zucchini (3 varieties)- did amazing
Squash (2 varieties)- did amazing
Watermelon- fair (planted to late)
Bell Peppers- half did nothing, other half did great but we're extremely late for harvest
Jalapeños- good harvest
Green Beans- great harvest
Half Runner Beans- good yield, should have trellis to vine, hard to pick
San Marzano tomato- great harvest
Tomato- multiple varieties; did OK
Kohlrabi- great harvest
Peas- good harvest, need to plant more next year
Greens (including lettuce)- amazing harvest
Herbs- (sage, onion chives, garlic chives, basil, thyme)- all abundant, my basil plants were BUSHES!

Here are a few pics I took throughout the season.

Asparagus and Herbs

Garden/New Grapevines

Squash/Zucchini

Basil

Cabbage/Tomato/Cantaloupe

Peas/Watermelon/ Sour Cherries

I am proud to say we used, canned, or gave away most everything we had from the garden.  We canned green beans (regular and pickled), tomato, beets, and made jelly with the sour cherries.  We froze cabbage, jalapeño's, basil, and bell pepper purée. I am sure there are tons of info I am leaving out but my memory is failing me at the moment!!

I will continue updating on the past few months as time allows. Maybe the next update should be CHICKENS!!!!

Enjoy!

FRESH, FRESH, FRESH

In Ohio you always know when planting season and warmer weather is on the way.  The asparagus and rhubarb starts popping up and the herbs revitalize.  And low and behold this past week it finally happened.  Nicky and I leave several of our herbs in the ground over winter because they have no problem coming back in the spring.  Sage, onion chives, garlic chives, horseradish and thyme.  I did manage to keep the Italian parsley and spearmint alive in pots inside the house this winter. 

As far as the garden goes it is getting closer and closer to putting everything in the ground.  We already have the peas (which are about 2-3 inches tall), lettuce and arugula in the ground and coming up.  Very soon the beets and onions will go in.  After that tomatoes, squash, zucchini, corn, peppers, cantaloupe, green beans, sugar snap peas and anything else I happen to find at a nursery that I want to try. 

I can't wait for all this stuff to come up and start producing!!

UPDATE: The electric fence is working wonderful for the chickens.  I did order 8 more step in foot post for support.  If you have flat ground they would not be necessary.  Occasionally we have a bantam chicken or two escape through a small opening at the beginning of the fence next to the coop but overall they seem to not mind the confinement.  The first couple of days my egg production did decrease but with in a week we were back to normal.

Last but not least..... PEOPLE get out there and plant something!! It does not have to be anything huge.  Pick one thing you like having fresh and plant one next to the house or even in a pot.  If you do plant something leave me a comment below about what you are planting this year. 

Trial and Error...or shall I say SHOCK!

Many of you already knew we were preparing to install an electric fence around the coop.  The main reason is to keep the chickens from destroying the garden.  The second reason was to deter predators around the coop so the chickens can come in and out a bit more freely.  After rain, work, more rain, two trips to the hardware store, and four calls to Kencove we finally managed to completely install the electric poultry netting that we got from Kencove.com.  I am giving them a shout out because every time I have called and had questions they were extremely helpful.  

In the end I ordered:

• 165' of electric poultry netting
• Kencove 1 joule Dual Purpose energizer
• Quick Ground Rod
• Insulated Cable (to run from fence to building)
• 4 Extra Net Post - for additional support
• 3 packs of anchor stakes
• 1 Jumper lead clip to connect underground wire to fence
• 1 Ground rod clamp to connect wire to ground rod
• Voltage tester

This fence went up so easy for it to be our first time.  AND if we knew more about electrical work it probably would not have taken more than an hour to complete the assembly from start to finish!! We wanted to bury the cable from the coop to the building that was housing the energizer which added a little more work.  You can just hook up a battery to the energizer as well but we preferred an outlet.

After all was said and done we were quite happy!! We opened the coop and let the chickens out into their new fenced territory to see what happened.  At first they were just happy to get out of the coop and get some treats. Then they decided to flutter around and get all worked up and one Hen did manage to fly out.  Once they all calmed back down it was exploration time.  They would creep close to the fence and peck around and then get curious about the fence and peck at it... only to realize OUCH that was not cool!! 

In this video the white Hen touches the fence with her comb and runs in to opposite direction and shakes it off!!

Long story short it is working. I think over the next few days they will realize the amount of respect they should have for the fence.  My one and only concern is when they get spooked they do attempt to fly to safety/cover. Hopefully they will learn to go back into the coop instead.  I guess it is a waiting game at this point. 

Welcome Spring!

Another exciting week here in Ohio.  Nothing like welcoming Spring than with a nice Snow fall????!!!!

We did manage to get one nice day this week so we could introduce the ladies to their new nest boxes.  As soon as we installed them they were hopping in and out trying to figure out what was going on.  The roosters were just as curious. Overall we love these front roll out nest boxes.  As soon as the Hen lays an egg it rolls forward into a small basket under the perch.  No more broken, pecked at, stepped on eggs!! Yeah!!

Even though we had snow this week, Nicky had started the garden seeds inside last week so we could get a jump start on the garden.  He started onion seed, two types of tomato seed, herbs, peppers and a few others. As it warms up we will slowly introduce them to the outdoors. Giving them a few hours of sun and getting them toughened up to be transplanted.  We have about six to eight trays of seeds started which means when it is time to take them out it is six to eight trips to get them outside.  SOLUTION- we found a little greenhouse called the Early Start Greenhouse at Home Depot. It isn't anything fancy but with two people it will be one trip to get the new plants outside. 

That just about sums up my wisdom and knowledge for this week... Have a BLESSED Easter weekend and enjoy the time with your friends and family. 

PS: Cool idea for coloring eggs (from Facebook)

SHAVING CREAM EGG DYE
1. Spread cheap white shaving cream in a cookie sheet
2. Apply drops of neon food coloring across surface
3. Use toothpicks to swirl colors around
4. Roll the dried, cooled hardboiled eggs in the colorful cream (use disposable kitchen gloves to reduce the tattoo effect)
5. Allow to set for 3-4 minutes on a paper plate
6. Wipe off shaving cream with paper towel and rinse! Done!!

Spring Planning

I know I may be crazy already thinking about Spring but I feel like I have so much stuff to do before Spring gets here. Between the garden, meat chickens, and a possible pig I have lots of planning to do.

Last year we tried a few new plants in the garden. Some worked and some didn't. So the task now is to start planning for this year. We always draw the garden dimensions on a spreadsheet and make rows. That way we know exactly how much planting space we have. Last year we left enough room between the rows to get the tiller down each row...who knows what we will do this year? Once the spread sheet is set up we start deciding which plant will go in each row. Sounds easy right!? You have to figure out how much you want to grow, then determine how much space between each plant depending on the variety. It is a fun process figuring out what is going in the garden each year. After the chart is done we make sure we have a enough seed and determine when the seed needs to be started. Some plants we start inside because of Ohio's temperatures.  Needless to say the mud/laundry room is a bit messy during April and May.

Meanwhile, we have to also figure out when we want to raise our meat chickens. We actually have to figure out when, how many, what breed and how to house them.  Last year was our first year to raise meat chickens and boy did we learn a lot.  Nicky made a chicken tractor out of pallets, plywood, and chicken wire.  Then I painted it with reject paint from the hardware store.

We ordered Cornish Cx birds and said our prayers.

We did manage to freeze about 10 birds last year but as we found out (or better RAN out) we realized we needed to raise more. This year I think we will do things a little different so we do not lose as many birds before harvest time as we did last year. It is definitely a fine art.

So not that we do not have enough to think about we want a PIG?!? We had a pig last year briefly that someone had given to us.  We knew nothing about raising a pig on the day it arrived. Again...thank goodness for the internet and FREE pallets.  It was not doing very good when we received the pig which is one reason why we took it. It needed some TLC.  After being hand fed with lots of goodies added to the feed like garlic, and ACV (unfiltered apple cider vinegar) to help ward off any infection she really began to perk up and thrive.

But unfortunately I guess some pigs get certain diseases for unknown reasons and she passed away.  We were offered a replacement but decided to wait till Spring. Mainly because I am much happier hauling water/feed when it is warm than when it is COLD!!! So perhaps we will try it again this year.

So if you are wondering what is going on here... PLANNING, PLANNING, PLANNING!!

I challenge you to grow something this year.  Just one thing.  You may be surprised at how rewarding it really is.  If you have room for a flower or plant you have room to grow food.  Some vegetables and herbs can grow right in a pot. Let your kids grow something too.  My nephew always uses a flower bed on the side of the house and plants a couple pumpkin seeds.  Try a tomato plant or pepper plant in a pot or cucumbers with a trellis. Just pick something you usually buy at the store and try to grow it yourself.

Happy Planning!!

Using your Own

My husband and I decided when we bought our house that we would garden and Can food for the winter. We have been doing it successfully for two years now. Considering the learning curve I think we have done pretty good. Neither one of us grew up canning food although I do remember going to my Great Grandparents house and seeing shelves full of canned food. THAT is now my inspiration.

So far we have harvested and either canned or froze everything from cabbage to chili. We even make our own stocks and sauces. It has definitely been a learning experience and let me tell you everyone has their own opinion on how to do it "RIGHT". For example, most people would agree the safest way to can is to follow the "canning bible", aka the Ball Canning Book. However if you talk to some old school canners they have a very different idea of what is right. So over the past two years we have taken in as much info as possible.

Most everything we save we have grown in our own backyard, which is nice because we know exactly where it came from. We chose to use heirloom seeds this year to see what the yield and taste difference might be. We also grew a few things we have never done before like popcorn, artichokes, many different beans, broccoli, beets, and brussel sprouts.  Some turned out and some didn't but we learned a lot and have modified our plans for next year.

Now we are just making sure the garden is prepared for winter...pulling everything, tilling and fertilizing. That is were the chickens come in.  One good thing about chickens is they give their poop for FREE.