Well, my almond tree is just starting to flower, as are the daffodils here and there around the garden. The little clump of snowdrops are nearly finished. And I've utilized my clothes line a few times this month. Is it spring yet?
As far as spring jobs go, my first (and most important!) is getting those peas in the ground. Actually the husband and son have done it at the allotment while I've been at home with my feet up. The husband put them on to sprout first--about 600 altogether--and has been putting in row after row. He also put the broad beans and yellow mange tout peas on to sprout, but they haven't quite yet--maybe by the weekend they'll be ready to go in too.
It's still just a little early for me to start seed trays, but I'm doing a few this week: onions and leeks (hopefully I have some seed left), and maybe a few other things. The husband has promised to make up a new hot bed at the allotment, so I'll definitely get some seeds going there: beetroot and lettuce maybe. Or maybe something else entirely.
I got all my fruit trees/vine/bushes/etc pruned at last and have tied down branches on the apple trees to keep them semi-espalier. The husband took six divisions from the artichokes to the allotment and says they have new growth; I think he could take a few more. And ducks and escaped chickens have done in what leafy greens were in the veg patch and planters, but it looks like new growth is coming. They haven't discovered the daylily sprouts in the perennials section, which I have been snacking on myself--kind of like a mild oniony lettuce: yum.
25 February 2020
18 February 2020
State of the flock, February 2020
After about two months of egglessness, we're back in business. The son is collecting around 9 eggs a day--give or take a few--from 14 hens and 2 ducks. Our four newest hatched hens (July 2019) started up last month, as have most of the older ones.
Well, with egg laying comes escaping--these young hens decided they needed to lay in secret places all over the garden instead of the nest box like sensible birds. We therefore redesigned their enclosure, now slightly smaller, but mostly jump/climb/dig under proof. Mostly. I've had to adjust a few places (and chase one or two), but on the whole it seems to be holding.
Our four ducks (two male and two female) have mainly been enclosed with their beaky counterparts in said yard, but were recently allowed another two weeks on the vegetable patch to tidy up and do a little slug-hunting. They're back in with the hens and not happy about it, but as they also had access to the patio next to the house (and the gate to the driveway and greater world which was not always firmly shut), I'm glad they're pooing somewhere else now. The yard being slightly smaller means that their fortnightly straw bale keeps it a lot drier than before.
We had two deaths over winter, both rescue hens: one we adopted only a year ago--she would have only been 2 years old--and our venerable old lady Rainbow who did a great job of hatching and raising 2019's chicks. Rainbow was 5 years old which is a fine old age for a chicken bred for a factory farm. To be honest, I'm expecting our other two oldest, ages 5 and 6, to go any time now--they've both lost weight and have become very slow.
We're putting up fencing at the allotment--well, trying to anyway--to get some of the hens up there: we're allowed 12 (though most of our hens look pretty much identical so we might be able to sneak all 14). The husband has put in some posts and we need to order some heavy gauge wire now. Slight problem: we had to shell out for a new boiler earlier this month which kind of wiped out our savings, so allotment fencing isn't quite as high on the priority list as before. Still, we'll get it done eventually--hopefully within the month, and the chickens can get to work up there again.
Well, with egg laying comes escaping--these young hens decided they needed to lay in secret places all over the garden instead of the nest box like sensible birds. We therefore redesigned their enclosure, now slightly smaller, but mostly jump/climb/dig under proof. Mostly. I've had to adjust a few places (and chase one or two), but on the whole it seems to be holding.
Our four ducks (two male and two female) have mainly been enclosed with their beaky counterparts in said yard, but were recently allowed another two weeks on the vegetable patch to tidy up and do a little slug-hunting. They're back in with the hens and not happy about it, but as they also had access to the patio next to the house (and the gate to the driveway and greater world which was not always firmly shut), I'm glad they're pooing somewhere else now. The yard being slightly smaller means that their fortnightly straw bale keeps it a lot drier than before.
We had two deaths over winter, both rescue hens: one we adopted only a year ago--she would have only been 2 years old--and our venerable old lady Rainbow who did a great job of hatching and raising 2019's chicks. Rainbow was 5 years old which is a fine old age for a chicken bred for a factory farm. To be honest, I'm expecting our other two oldest, ages 5 and 6, to go any time now--they've both lost weight and have become very slow.
We're putting up fencing at the allotment--well, trying to anyway--to get some of the hens up there: we're allowed 12 (though most of our hens look pretty much identical so we might be able to sneak all 14). The husband has put in some posts and we need to order some heavy gauge wire now. Slight problem: we had to shell out for a new boiler earlier this month which kind of wiped out our savings, so allotment fencing isn't quite as high on the priority list as before. Still, we'll get it done eventually--hopefully within the month, and the chickens can get to work up there again.
11 February 2020
Goals for 2020
Well, after a sorry performance in 2019, and some extenuating circumstances extending to 2020, I'm going easy on myself this year. I'll keep the unachieved goals on the list:
See 2019's goals here.
One Year Goals (by 31 December, 2020)
- Extend vegetable self sufficiency by one month to seven months total
- Set up a chicken coop at the allotment
Five Year Goals (by 31 December, 2025)
- Greenhouse erected
- Fully self sufficent in vegetables and seasonal fruit
- Revamp the pond to be prettier and easier to drain/refill (now that our ducks have made it disgusting)
- Set up a rotating firewood store and split all remaining sycamore branches
- Preserve some garden food every month during the Vegetable Challenge
See 2019's goals here.
04 February 2020
Food Totals January 2020
Vegetables:
5 oz Brussels sprouts
Total: 5 oz
Note: I weigh my vegetables after preparation: peeling, trimming, etc. Does not include some fresh herbs which were too small a quantity to weigh, i.e. less than 0.5 oz.
Fruit:
No fruit harvested this month
Eggs:
Total: 127 eggs from 14 hens and 2 ducks (juvenile hens began laying this month)
Total feed bought: 1 bag layers pellets (20 kg), 1 bag mixed corn (20 kg)
Preserves:
No preserves made this month
Homebrew:
4 L cider vinegar bottled up
1 L cider vinegar begun fermenting (from wild harvested apples)
5 oz Brussels sprouts
Total: 5 oz
Note: I weigh my vegetables after preparation: peeling, trimming, etc. Does not include some fresh herbs which were too small a quantity to weigh, i.e. less than 0.5 oz.
Fruit:
No fruit harvested this month
Eggs:
Total: 127 eggs from 14 hens and 2 ducks (juvenile hens began laying this month)
Total feed bought: 1 bag layers pellets (20 kg), 1 bag mixed corn (20 kg)
Preserves:
No preserves made this month
Homebrew:
4 L cider vinegar bottled up
1 L cider vinegar begun fermenting (from wild harvested apples)
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