The Spring Break Project

Some friends were over a week or two ago and mentioned that we could damage our foundation and be having water leaking in to our basement due to our raised beds.  They said that the best thing to do was to pull all of the soil out, put down a barrier, that would go up along the walls, and then put the soil back.  

So that's what we did.

I think shoveling the soil out was the worst part of the job.  I worked on it alone the first day and the second day I had a little help.

This was all of the dirt that came out of the bed.

The second day was non-stop shoveling.  We took a break for lunch and a break for... well just for a break.  But otherwise we worked from morning until 5PM to get it finished.  We even brought over some of the compost to add to the top.

I replanted the rose buses and a couple other plants that had already started growing, my fingers are crossed that they will re-establish themselves.  It isn't completely done as I'd like to add some more boulders, transplant some day lilies, and put some more soil in to make sure it's angled correctly to shed the water away from the house, but I think it's going to be better once it's done.

Creative Garden Labels

I needed something to label the areas of our garden but this year I needed something that would stand out more.  Last year we painted rocks, but the paint began to peel and the rocks weren't large enough so they eventually were buried by the dirt.

This year I was trying to find something that would be more of a sign and then I cam across these cutting boards in a dollar store.

There isn't anything in the garden yet, but having the labels out is already helping the boys and I to remember which rows are for walking and which are for plants.

Only minor progress

We got out in the garden again today but didn't get too much done.  I re-tilled the entire garden, finished getting the deer and chicken fence all set up, and then was able to stretch and tie a few guidelines for the first few rows before we ran out of bright pink string.  

The rows that were marked off were where the tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cucumbers will be going along with a few other things that we can't plant just yet.  But at least those areas are ready for when we can plant them.  The newspapers are for weed  prevention.

I will need to grab some more string to finish marking off the rows, as I'm determined to stay organized this year.  Then I can get started planting the few things that are able to go into the ground before the last frost.

A chick with extra toes??

Our last batch of chicks is now two months old and is finally getting some more regular time outside in a chicken run.

The Polish with a mohawk

Greenhouse by the house

I bought a little greenhouse a few weeks ago and finally got it put together today.  It was raining outside, rain that would occasionally turn to beads of ice, but inside the greenhouse it was a decent temperature so we moved most of the seedlings out to the greenhouse and crossed our fingers.

I couldn't decide on a flat location that would get enough sun AND be sheltered enough that it wouldn't blow away with the wind and then I thought of this little cove area.  It fits in there perfectly, it's flat enough with the help of some little bricks in the back corner, and I used some stakes to hold it down.

The test now is to see if the chickens will stay out and if the plants were survive.





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Spring is almost here

I picked up the tiller from the shop yesterday and turned it on for just a minute when I got home.

We had to run out to get gas this  morning, but came right back and got to work.

Sprouting up

We are finally starting to see more seeds sprouting up. We still have quite a few that haven't started so I will probably use those cups for the next round if seeds this weekend. 

Tomatoes, sunflowers, basil, cabbage, and bell peppers are showing progress.

Green!

I've been starting to worry about my seeds growing.  I haven't seen any signs of them growing and I've had a hard time keeping the soil moist even though I go down twice a day to water.

And then last night I saw green! 

The cabbage and the bell peppers had sprouts popping up. Now if only my tomatoes would start doing the same.

Success with integration

Although I had to catch each of the chicks and put them in the coop, and then had to close the door behind each one because they kept trying to escape, they were all up roosting with the big birds when I checked on them the first night. 

The second night they went in on their own. Now I just need the courage to let them free range during the day with the other birds.

Silver Laced Wyandottes, odds against me

Well, it looks like the odds are against me with the Silver Laced Wyandottes.  A couple weeks ago I tried to see if I could determine their sex based on their combs.  The brighter red and larger they are, the more likely that they are boys.  At that time, I thought I had 6 boys and 6 girls.

Today, since they are now three months old and a few are larger than NormaJean and her siblings, I decided to move them to the new coop with Clyde Jr., Silkie Sue, and the smaller hens.  After I got them all moved over, I sat down with them and started looking closer.