My Edible Garden

I've been gardening for most of my life and have been a devoted fan of organic gardening the whole time. It just makes so much more sense to work in harmony with Mother Nature than to fight her. Besides which it is better for the planet and better for our bodies. Here you can see what I'm planting and harvesting, with gardening hints and resources thrown in for good measure.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Harvest Monday

Green Eggs!
Welcome to Harvest Monday! This is a great blog hop sponsored by Daphne's Dandelions, stop by and visit with gardeners from around the world!

I have been gone for awhile because of an issue with my IP and my Google accounts. I couldn't access any of my G. accounts for a long time and couldn't even make a comment on anyone's blogs! I am so glad that I was able to get things resolved with the help of a friendly fellow over on the Google Help Forums.

Now I have some easter egger chickens that lay green and blue eggs. My first one has been laying a couple of weeks, that's her egg on the left. And today another girl started laying, that's her egg on the right. There's a third pullet that should start laying soon and then some more that aren't old enough yet. I'm hoping someone will lay a really blue egg, but not holding my breath.


Got Eggs?

 In the carton here, the white eggs are from my Welsh Harlequin duck, the small pinkish one is from one of the Buff Orpingtons that survived the dog attack last fall. It's amazing she lived; the dog's tooth got her right at the back of her comb, straight into her head. She's blind in one eye and acts a bit goofy but otherwise has made a complete recovery. The light brown eggs are from her sis and the darkest ones from my Welsummer pullet. And of course the green ones from the easter eggers.



Tomato seedlings under lights
I've been trying to get some things planted outside and in. I was so busy over the fall that I didn't get a lot of my usual stuff planted, like peas. I could plant some now, but won't get that many before it is too hot and dry for them, so think I'll just wait and put them in this fall. I do have a small patch of lettuce to pick from and a bigger patch planted. And I've started the tomatoes and peppers under lights in the house.




New Chicken House

I've started a new chicken house, this one will be 12x24 feet. This one is pole barn style and here I've gotten the first two posts set. The ground here is solid caliche clay, which is like trying to dig through concrete, plus a lot of rocks. It has been slow going to dig the holes, but once all of the posts are set it will get easier and faster. (The old tires are part of an erosion control retaining wall I'm building in the wash below this flat piece of ground.)

free wood


This week I also managed some free wood. While some is very short lengths, some is of great usable sizes and kinds.


It'll be a bit before I can get caught up on my harvest tallies, but I have harvested quite a few pounds of duck and chicken meat over the winter also.









Nov & Dec Babies


The chicks hatched or bought in November and December are really growing fast out in the hoop coop. Unfortunately it was a great year for roosters, so many of these boys are destined for freezer camp. By the way that red feed tray is actually the top tray from an old tool box which I found in my junk pile.

Daffy



And today a promise of spring, a clump of daffodils in the front yard is blooming. Seems like we might have a short winter again this year.

14 comments:

  1. The multicolored eggs are sure fun and your flock is really providing quite nicely for you. The new henhouse looks like it will be a fun project and give your ladies a nice new home.

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    1. Thank you; digging the postholes is probably the hardest part and maybe the most expensive, since it had to be treated wood. Anything above ground I can use recycled wood for.

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  2. Welcome back! I much prefer nature's palette when it comes to Easter Eggs, which doesn't seem so far off now...

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    1. No it's not far off and neither is spring; I'll be hatching a lot of chicks for sale and to add to the laying flock this fall.

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  3. Did i hear the word Easter? that time of year already !!.
    Your girls are looking so happy together and no doubt will love their new coop,tool box feed tray.... great way of recycling

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    1. thank you. Hoping to have the new coop done before all the boys get too rowdy! I try to recycle as much as I can.

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  4. We have clay soil and I admire you for digging those fence post holes! I heard that you can get wood scraps from Lowes for free. I forgot what they are called. Do you have a Lowes out your way? I am always envious of someone who has their own eggs! Nancy

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    1. The nearest Lowes or Home Depot is about 50 miles from here. I have people give me wood scraps a lot so they don't have to take them to the dump/

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  5. What an impressive flick you have! We have four hens in a tiny urban garden. They always make me smile.

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    1. Yes, they are always fun to watch; most of the Black Copper Marans in the hoop coop have turned out to be boys tho; I will select some to keep for breeding and eat the rest. Hoping we'll get lots of girls when I start hatching my own eggs.

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  6. Love your multicolored eggs, does the color affect their taste? That's a lot of tomato seedlings, how many varieties are you growing?

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    1. The egg color doesn't affect the taste, tho the duck eggs have a little different texture and firmer white than the chicken egg. The tomatoes are Heirloom Italian, Black from Tula, Amish Paste, along with a few Princepe Borhese, and red currant. I'm growing so many to sell at the farmer's market this summer

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