I keep my feathers numbered

I believe that I have mentioned my forays into small scale gardening type activities, no? Well, conclusions have been reached vis a vis particular experiments that were undertaken this summer. We will not be doing the straw bale gardening again. As with much of what you find on the internet, it did not live up to the hype.

Now, it could simply be that it is a technique more suited to where the author of the book I purchased resides (ie: the frigid north), which would not be a first. The majority of the time when I go to a gardening center and read the tags they are obviously written by and for people in other climates. I have to keep reminding myself that “Full Sun” usually means “Full Sun” in some place more New Englandish – it does not mean full, beating sun all day in Georgia. Full, beading sun all day in Georgia will turn the vast majority of plants into crispy critters. So, the fact that one of the purported benefits of the straw bale gardening was “lengthening the season” should have tipped me off.

On the other hand …

No, I cannot get all 8 of them in the same picture, here’s 6.

This is going swimmingly well.

We had some stress with regards to a mystery chicken, some you just cannot tell if they are gonna lay or crow. Unfortunately he decided to crow one morning and he had to be returned. Luckily the lovely lady that I purchased my chickens from let me swap him out for a girl and we are sitting pretty with 8 pullets.

Actually, 7 pullets – because we have had our first egg! That means we have 7 pullets and 1 hen. I am not certain which one is the overachiever, but she has given us two eggs (or possibly we have 6 pullets and 2 hens and the eggs came from two different butts) so we are well on our way to quiche town.

This is Eve

These chickens are way crazier than my last batch, so I thought I would introduce them to y’all so that I could start telling some of the stories. Because these chicks are a hoot. Above is the best picture I got this morning when I let them out to scratch around. As you may have deduced from the caption – her name is Eve.

I let my son name the chickens, so don’t blame me. He was uncertain what to name them so we had a long discussion about girl names from books and movies that he likes. Eve is Wall-e’s girlfriend. If you haven’t seen the Pixar film Wall-e, you should.

We also have appearances by two characters from the TV show Eureka – Sarah & Martha; and two out of children’s books – Jemima & Mercy. When we went to pick up the replacement chicken the breeder commented on how beautiful the willow color was on her legs (Easter Eggers have green tinged legs that are called “willow”) and the little man grabbed onto that immediately, so her name is Willow (no, I have not let my 6 yr old watch Buffy …. yet).

For the final two chickens he was at a total loss, they are both mostly black and almost impossible to tell apart.

They both look pretty much like this.

By the time we got to them he was over the whole naming thing so I got to dub them. They are Australorp/Wellsummer crosses – with the Wellsummer only coming through in brief flashes of red around the neck. So they are the black sisters. Obviously the only appropriate names for them are Bellatrix & Narcissa.

So, there you have it. At least now when I start talking about chickens y’all will have a point of reference. I would say you won’t think I am crazy, but that might be too much to hope for.

Change of Plans

As I was eating my Siracha cheese grits on the screened in porch this morning I was struck by how perfectly overcast it was – ideal for taking some photographs of my hot-off-the-blocking-pins new pattern. When I was finished I came inside and got everything together – didn’t even bother to get out of my PJ’s (hey, they’re full coverage) and went out. As I was styling the scarf the sun came out all bright and happy and ruined all of the fun.

Grrr.

On to plan B. I was out there anyway and had my camera so I decided to take a couple of shots of my garden instead. I am experimenting with a Pinterest find: Straw Bale Gardening. The jury is still deliberating as to whether or not this is all it is cracked up to be, but at least things are growing.

Isn’t he cute?

Have you even seen a baby cucumber? This is what they look like at the veeeeeeeeery beginning of life. I have planted both pickling and “Straight Eights” which are supposed to be burpless. I started with plants bought at the feed store and also bought some seeds. It is about time to plant some seeds among these plants. This is a technique where you stagger planting through the season to ensure a continuous supply. In theory. We will see …

This is a hybrid chicken, we think Australorp/Wellsumer

Speaking of the feed store. We ended up buying our plants there because we were there to buy feed for my feathery girls. I tried to get some photos of them but they just won’t stand still. I built a little door in the run so that I can toss in food and scraps, and these little vultures have learned that whenever I approach the door I might have something for them. So they swarm. All I end up with is shots of the tops of their little heads as they all try to cram themselves through the door. This one succeeded and I took a quick shot before I shooed her back in.

You can guess what herb this is planted next to!

Another incipient veggie, this one further along. I planted one jalapeno plant because I really don’t need that many. Along with this spicy guy I planted a poblano and an assortment of yellow, red, and orange bell peppers. Green peppers do not agree with me. There are more veggies in the garden, including tomatoes & tomatillos but I will save them for the next time nature decides to get all cheerful and thwart my plans.

Not a rousing success, eh?

Finally, I have a bunch of herbs planted – mainly from purchased potted plants, but I tried to grow some from seed. Something in my yard really likes cilantro. If I catch it I will give it the what for.