Gardening

We finally finished the garden the other day....planted asparagus in the right back section.  The asparagus will take about two years to mature- so we wont be able to reap the benefits till then!  We had to dig a six inch hole and place the asparagus roots around a small mound of dirt and then cover it with soil.  It has been raining almost everyday this week!  Hopefully it won't get root rot!   The soil was so rocky and hard when I tried to dig 6 inch holes that we had to go get some top soil in addition to the mushroom dirt we previously got!

We also planted five tomato plants, two paste plants, one beefsteak, and two late bloomers.  Five pepper plants were also planted, three regular bell pepper plants and two different hot pepper plants.  Following that lettuce, spinach, scallions, beans, cucumbers, and zuchinnis were planted.  I used the mound of dirt style for my cucumbers and zuchinni seeds.  We bought organic seeds this year.

I also rototilled a separate section next to the lake to plant corn.  I planted 6 rows of corn 3 inches apart.  Corn needs to self pollunate so you usually need at least 3-4 rows.  I have also planted many herbs in pots in order to keep naimals from feasting on them!

And its still raining outside today....

A fish caught in our pond......not nearly as big as the one he caught yesterday!!!

Wildflowers are bloomming.  Mighty is looking for bunnies.

Mighty loves swimming in the lake!

DIY Chicken Feeder

There are many money saving tips for raising chickens.  One of these is making your own feeders and waterers.  As the chickens grow they will need a larger feeder.  I knew it was time for a bigger feeder because my chickens would continuously knock over the feeder and fight for food.  Also the feeder for the most part was empty when I checked on them.

So an easy way to make a feeder is using either an aluminum pie dish or a metal pie dish.  The metal one will stand up against the elements and the chickens longer but can be harder to make.  I had an aluminium pie dish handy and a large yogurt container.  First I cut notches in the yogurt container to let the food come out the bottom into the pan. At first I couldnt figure out how to connect the two. However, I just slit two holes in the bottom to let the top of the yogurt container fit in place.  Take a look at the photos- I know visuals always help me!

You can just slide the top of the yougurt container part that isnt cut into the hole and it will fit and stay in place if you do at least two cuts in the pan.  Be careful not to make it too big or food will go out the bottom.  This is the first time I made this- this is the first time we have actually raised chickens!

For now I put some medical tape I had on hand on the top because it was sharp and I didnt want the chickens to get cut.  Duck tape will also work very well. 

Rainy Day

This morning I was awoke by Fred.  You may ask yourself- who is this FRED???????  Well Fred is furry and was hopping around my bed...

Chris suprised me with furry Fred in my bed!  So cute!  Don't worry he was returned with his two siblings to hop around the fenced in chicken coop area. So we now have a family of bunnies living in the chicken pen.  However, we have to watch out for mighty dog- he likes to snack on baby bunnies- its his instinct.  Speaking of bunnies- they're cute when they are little but once my garden is planted I'm going to do everything to keep them out!

We are continuing to work on our yard; however, the rainy day has stalled us.  It's suppose to rain for the whole week!!!  My mom and I purchased some lovely bushes and landscaping items at Country Junction.



We are getting prepared to plant our tomatoe and pepper plants.  I originally started growing tomatoes and peppers from seeds but they didn't quite make it out in the sun so long one day.  Have to start them a bit earlier next yaer.

Part of my valentines day gift- the welcome dog!

Working on mixing in 13 bags of mushroom dirt!  You would think that is a lot- but it barley covered the top of the garden!  As you can see mighty wanted to get in the action.

While I was sleeping Sunday morning, Chris swam out with his pvc pipe he purchased to extend the pipe so the lake doesn't drain at such a low level.  Of course I missed the chance to take pictures of him swimming in the middle of the lake!

Chris also decided to go biking in the rain and mud!  He rode up to visit me while I was reading the book my mom got me- The Girl with the Drag Tatto.

Chicken Coop Time!

Day by day the chicks are growing larger and each have their own personality.  The two gray and white ones are the most friendly, while the large jersey giant demonstrates he is the head honcho by walking all over the other chicks.  We take the chicks outside to let them enjoy the sunlight and peck around the yard. 

The chicks are starting to peck at each other and fly out of their temporary box, this means its time to build a chicken coop!!  Getting ideas from online and wood from a local supply, Chris began the chicken coop one day and finished it the next!  Some leftover wood from the previous owners in the garage was used as well.

Chris constructed a coop with a roof with hinges that is slanted for the rain to roll off and opens in order to put more food/water in for the chickens.  A small front door opens to allow chickens to walk down the homemade ramp and wander in the fenced in area.  The nesting area will be made out of clementine boxes and filled with straw and dried grass clippings.  When the chickens begin laying eggs (around 4-6 months) we can easily open the roof and pick out the eggs for fresh omlettes for breakfast.  We are going to add a perching area inside for the chickens that is higher than the nesting area.  It must be higher than the nesting area because chickens like to perch on the highest area and you dont want the chickens using the nests for anything besides laying eggs. 

As you can see, the chicken coop is sturdy and can definitly hold the weight of six chickens.  Since the previous owners left numerous paint cans we have several colors we can choose from to paint the coop in the near future.  On mother's day, my mom and dad came up to help finish the coop and plant some rhododendrons and other plants in the yard.  The boys worked on the coop and the girls worked on the landscaping. 

After having the majority of the coop finished, the boys transferred the coop onto the back of the steel cart connected to the john deere tractor.  Since the coop is heavy, the best way to transfer it down the hill and behind the lake is with the tractor.  Mighty wanted to help...

Strapped on and having two supporters (mom and dad) we were able to bring it down to the lake.

We are currently rototilling this area to make a garden down by the lake.  

Strapped on and having two supporters (mom and dad) we were able to bring it down to the lake and back it into the chicken pen!

The chickens have been in their new home for two days now and are adjusting well.  The door for the chicken coop is shut at night so no predators can come in during the evening and the chickens can sleep in the coop. 

Meanwhile, we continue fishing on the lake- with some snags...

Moving to the country...

Chris and I moved out into the "country" in Feb.  We have four acres of land with a one acre pond stocked with bass and sunnies! 

So far we have seen:
-Turtles
-Hawks
-Green Heron
-Many Frogs mating and producing thousands of tadpoles
-Bass and Sunnies we've caught (Chris has caught a 22 inch bass!)
-Pheasant
-Many other birds (in fact, I painted and put up two birdfeeders)

We have started planting a variety of trees: apple, peach, weeping willow, ash, blue spruce (to block out neighbors garbage from blowing into our yard)

When we moved in there was no landscaping whatsoever.  We had dead weeds everywhere.  Later, in searching through the items left in basement by the previous owners, we found the culprit to most likely be the bag of wild sunflower seeds.

We also have a problem with our neighbors trash blowing into our yard pretty frequently.  We are working to solve this issue with planting more evergreens, bushes, and leaving the edge of the grass unmowed. 

We have also decided to get chickens!!  The previous owners left chicken wire and we made our own chicken area down by the lake.  We purchased chickens from a farm nearby.  We purchased 2 Jersey Gaints, 2 barred rock, and 2 Rhode Island Red pullets. To keep them warm we purchased a heat lamp at our local supply store as well as a feeder and water dish.  The jersey giants are noticable bigger than the rhode island reds.  We purchased them at 2 and 3 weeks old.  We didnt get the chickens from our supply store due to a lack of variety.  We were interested in getting chickens that were useful for both eggs and meat.  However, I have already told Chris (my fiance) that I am not going to be involved in killing the chickens when the time comes.  He insists that with his fathers help he can take care of it.  On the other hand, my fiance can't even kill a bug without feeling horrible.  However, it is the circle of life.  We have started collecting egg crates and getting ready to make a chicken coop.  The chicks are doing well, adjusting to the temperatures and growing bigger day by day.

We are using pine shaving from our local supply company at thist ime.  However, when older we plan to use dried grass clippings from mowing our yard to save resources.  Also, then everything can be emptied into the compost we created so in time we have great soil to use for our upcoming garden.