Yesterday I was outside talking to the HH when I looked down to see one of the chickens pecking at his shoe. It was almost as if the hen was saying “Enough already, finish my coop.” My poor husband, it’s just one project after another around here. 😉
The coop though, it’s coming along now and just as the sun was setting last night the HH was able to nail the plywood in place on the roof. I’m hoping today the wire goes up around the coop and by tonight the girls will be contained.
The HH spotted a hawk up in a tree nearby the other day and so now the pressure is on. 😉 After hiding in the woods along the back property line, the girls ran inside to the chicken coop and decided to hunker down there for the rest of that afternoon. I made them a pie pan full of oatmeal and it seemed to calm them down.
Late last week we started clearing the rock wall in front of our property.
And although we both ended up with a poison ivy rash {the HH’s is WAY WORSE than mine} the area is finally cleared and from here on out we will be using some sort of poison ivy spray instead of pulling it out by hand. Sometimes you’ve just got to learn the hard way I guess.
Pruning, is next on our list for outdoor clean up.
Take a look at this corn! Last night while the HH was working on the coop I pulled a few ears off the stalks and was shocked to find we had a bunch of healthy looking corn. For years I heard people say there’s nothing better than an ear of fresh picked corn. And you know what? I believe them now. Garden to table in less than an hour…. it was the BEST corn I have ever tasted. And to think I was about to give up on growing corn because the first few ears I had harvested had mush tops.
The way I see it, even if only half the corn we harvest is worm free, it’s totally worth it now that we both know what truly fresh corn tastes like. And besides, I can always sell the corn stalks at our little farm stand at the end of our driveway, right? Last night I sold 5 bundles!
The Indian corn I planted though, it’s now fairing as well as the sweet yellow corn we planted. The bloody butcher corn pictured above fared the best, but almost all of the other corn was gobbled up by bugs.
{I haven’t checked the strawberry corn though so there is still hope for it}.
Gobble gobble.
Oh well, some crops are winners…. and others, not so much.
Last night’s harvest.
Arapaho peppers {I bought the seeds from Johnny’s. If you’re looking for a hot pepper {that’s not too hot!} I highly recommend picking up a packet of these for next year.
Gardening. Half the fun is experimenting, don’t you think? 😉
How is YOUR gardening doing these days? Are things starting to wind down, or are they just getting started? Curious minds want to know.
~Mavis
The backyard vegetable garden tally of 2018:
Beets 23 pounds 2 ounces
Blueberries 32 pounds 2 ounces
Corn 14 pounds 3 ounces
Cucumbers 63 pounds 6 ounces Done!
Green Beans 1 pound 13 ounces
Green Onion/Scallions 12 ounces
Lettuce 11 ounces
Onions 2 pound 8 ounces
Peppers 2 pound 15 ounces
Potatoes 1 pound 3 ounces
Sugar Snap Peas 1 pound 2 ounces Done!
Swiss Chard 9 pounds 1 ounces
Tomatoes 149 pounds 13 ounces {AWESOME!} Over 52 pounds this week!
Turnips 9 pounds 3 ounces
Zucchini 5 pounds 2 ounces {So weird!}
Herbs
- Basil 1 pound 10 ounces
- Chives 6 ounces
- Mint 4 ounce
- Oregano 13 ounces
Total Food Harvested in 2018 309 Pounds 14 Ounces
Total Eggs Collected in 2018 {with 7 hens} 0 {the ladies are just 18 weeks old}
Total spent growing 309 pounds 14 ounces of food this year $811.00 {about $2.62 a pound so far!} My goal every year is to get this down to $1.00 a pound or less by the end of the season. What did I spend my garden money on this year you ask? Well, $399 on Manny and the rest on seeds, compost, grow light bulbs and small garden tools/supplies.
Are you growing a vegetable garden this year? If so, what are harvesting these days? Curious minds want to know!
Have a great day everyone!
If you are new to gardening or just want to learn more about organic gardening, my #1 favorite garden book is The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food By Tanya L.K. Denckla.
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