Chickens and in With Some Basil

 A busy weekend on the homestead. It was made mentioned as to why we continue to do this. An apartment was mentioned. Well, here we are and can't go back. We spent our Saturday at a surprisingly large greenhouse that I was told about by a co- worker. Very, very good pricing and lots (LOTS) of stuff. We thankfully drove the other section. Nothing was marked but we were able to spot stuff that we wanted. 

And all of purchases for about $130.00. I thought I took a photo but guess I didn't. I think we may head back in a few weeks. Like to get a few trees for the front yard. 

I did manage to get some basil to plant with the tomatoes. I do need to get some more plants or grow some. Also got some cilantro. 

And finally we were getting some flowering, small tomatoes and peppers. 

After cleaning up and weeding and planting, it was time to give the girls some meal worms, their favorite. Ring leader, Madge, has to be hand fed and a few others join in.

The video may or may not play.

After the girls were taken care of it was time to move the compost piles to the other side of the garden. I started this when we got the chickens and some of it was finally turning in to good soil. 

And here's some more photos from around. I must have been in a snappy mood. Or tired. 

My favorite flowers are almost out. My daylilies. They should be ready for next post. 

Saturday evening we got another down pour. Ms. TD's new rain gauge told the story; 2 1/4" of rain. That's two down pours in a week. With that purchase, a took the old gauge to the raised beds. 

Like I said. Photo happy this week. 

WOF of the week. Sir Benjamin is back. Hanging out on his ottoman. 

That's it for now. Hope to add more content. But since these photos are from Sunday and it's Wednesday, time does run short. Until next time. 

Mother's Day 2024

 Ms. TD is literally cooking her own supper on Mother's Day. She wanted baked steak and I don't know how to cook baked steak. 

It's been a few weeks since my last post but things have been changing here. All the beds are done, filled and about planted out. We also have been getting some much needed rain, although the storm last night really was a whopper. Let's get to it.

We also got some mulch to put down between the beds. Still not quite done with it so that will be this coming weekends job.

The girls are really starting to enjoy the warmer weather and have increased egg production somewhat. We do have one that is getting a little broody. And also talked about getting a few more, Ms. TD wants Silkies. Hard to find females. 

The remaining pear tree has started its production run this year. We pulled the other one up as it died over the winter. We have a hard time with trees here. 

And the piles are nearly gone. We still have a lot of yard straightening to do. 

Front garden flowers are doing great, thanks to the rain. And the bottom picture are my daylilies at the mail box. Almost ready to bloom. 

The one remaining peach tree has started too. 

Ms. TD has still been hitting the garden section. And I made the mistake of telling her about another greenhouse that I found that has great pricing. Guess where we'll be Saturday morning? 

WOF of the Week. I didn't get a photo of the true WOF here so Lady Matilda has stepped in. 

After a morning at the dog park, it's nice to lay in front of your own personal fan. 

Until next time, happy gardening. 

Vendor Fair and More Plants

 Ms. TD and myself went out Saturday morning to get some chicken feed and meal worms for the girls, then headed to a farm supply owned by a friend of ours. And that day he was also hosting a vendor fair, so all the better. We cruised through the tomato and cucumber plants and picked out a few varieties. We also got a few herbs but probably will grown some ourselves. We also ventured through the vendor fair and picked up some good looking (and tasting) cakes and looked closely at some nice greenhouses. Love to have one. Sadly we didn't take any photos but it was at Phillips Agri Sales. 

Spent the rest of the day planning for Sundays' work. We napped too since that helps. Sunday brought on said plans (there weren't any except from last week) so we jumped into it. We got another 4 beds built, one filled completely. Planted six pepper plants and four cherry tomato plants. Let's take a small tour.

I like to plant marigolds between the tomato plants to help keep the pests away. 

Here's the remaining plants to get in the ground. 

The wife spent some time with the chickens and got some action shots.

One of the girls, (the gang leader called Madge) had crusty butt so we soaked her in water and salts to help her get cleared up. She was not happy. 

Aaaannnnddd we finished up all of the tree burning. Just some minor pieces left to burn. 

Another long day and makes us wonder if we're up to it. 

WOF of the week. The Mrs. took this of herself and her (personal) dog, being said WOF. He is obsessed with her. 

Off until next time. Happy gardening. 

Thank Goodness That Four Day Weekend Is Over

 Let me start by saying my wife and I plan big, but then once we start on said plans we get in over our heads. We both were off Friday through Monday. We planned on finishing the front flower bed, removing old pool deck posts and straightening out that part of the yard, removing the old wood raised beds and installing new metal beds. We got our mini excavator Thursday but didn't start with it until Friday. Now I have used one in the past but I am definitely no expert, especially with the bottom blade. It seems I made things worse when trying to level out the ground. Let me go through each project.

Front Flower Bed       
My wife did this all by herself. She purchased a few more bulbs, weeded out everything that she could, then mulched the beds. She did a great job of it too. She had it done Sunday. We ordered in the mulch and mix for the raised beds. 

And now the finished product.

We cut down some larger holly trees and through a long process have been getting them burned at the fire pit. Our yard has been covered with the branches, etc. for over a week. We burned every day except Monday and it seems we didn't make any progress. 

I hope to get the rest done this coming Saturday. 

We tore down an old pool deck but the posts remained and were too hard for me to get out. The mini excavator made quick work of them. 

The stairs are being salvaged to use at the deck I need to build at the chicken coop. I also need to get the old filter and pump gone. 

The old garden beds were full of weeds and rotting. It was time for a change so as per last post, we ordered some metal beds, compost mix, heavy duty landscape fabric and went to work. I tore out the old beds, reworked the underground water lines, and leveled out the ground. I worked the lines to feed eight beds. The beds I ended up getting are 1 1/2 foot tall instead of 1 foot. The old metal wagon we have had an axle break and tore up a tire so it was to Home Depot for a new dump wagon. $430.00 later and we now have a 17 cubic poly wagon that holds a lot of dirt. Trust me. Here are a few photos. 

Got some of the dirt pile down some but not before we had to end the use of the mini excavator. Onward on the work this week just not Tuesday. We need a break. We may need to order more dirt to finish the beds. As far as the beds themselves, they seem to be made well and are solid when the dirt is in them. I can build on in about 30 minutes. We have about $800.00 in the beds and another $500.00 or so in dirt. I really hope to have everything done, water lines, beds complete in a few more weeks. It is a process. 

Next up will be finishing up the chicken's home. I have trim work to do, metal facia, building the deck and install the stairs, and run power. 

WOF of the week. I need to get more pictures of the new WOF here on the farm. But this will do for now. 

I took the pups to the dog park Sunday and Benjamin had a good time. Tilly too. She loves flowers. 

Until next time. 

Spring? Winter? Sprinter?

 Another blustery day today, but it did warm up some. We have been going from 45 to 70 then back. It looks promising for the upcoming weekend. We have a lot planned around here. We are renting a small excavator to do some work on the old garden beds, pulling old pool deck posts out, plus anything else we can do. Our old beds are treated limber which requires replacing every five years or so. We are going to be buying the raised metal beds that have become popular. I have purchased some heavy duty fabric, like what is used under roads, to lay over the entire area where the beds are. We have bermuda wire grass and it is a giant pain to deal with.  

I think I have decided on these beds. They are 8' x 4' x 1' tall and gray in color. 10 should do the job. I also have to redo the water lines to these new beds. I also have to do some more work to finish the chicken coop. Yes, we have chickens. Seven Buff Orpingtons. No rooster, for which my neighbors are grateful. The girls give us about 4 eggs a day right now, which we save some and give the others away. 

I will end this short post with a view of the pups. I need to start the WOF of the Week. Sir Benjamin has definitely taken that post.

When I try to work from home. 

2024 Happenings

 Well 2024 is upon me and I obviously haven't put in the time on this blog as I have should have. That changes this year. I've dumped Facebook for starters and only use Instagram for myself and Lady Matilda Mae and Benjamin. I have been visiting other sites and have been inspired by their commitment so I plan on the same. It is Thursday so I will have a larger post this weekend with photos and all.