State of the flock, January 2024

 The chickens and ducks have been confined to their separate yards for the past several weeks, though luckily not under lockdown, unlike the last two winters.  They both have had short periods of free range, but I am trying to keep the grass alive (and what few vegetables are still left in the kitchen garden).  

We currently stand at eight chickens, four newly adopted last September and laying well.  The other four are much older and three are not laying (and the fourth, youngest, very irregularly).  If they make it to April, our two oldest hens Rock and Cookie will be 7 years old, breaking our house record for elderly chickens.  We commemorate all our chickens' birthdays on the same day, for simplicity's sake: 1 April;  it is however the actual hatch day/birthday of both Rock and Cookie whom we bought from a local breeder.

And Girl Duck and Boy Duck, also known as Brown Duck and Black Duck (even though he's not black) are back into their breeding season, which seems really early: Girl Duck started laying a few eggs in December (!) when they were still free ranging, but seems to have stopped since they've been locked in their yard.  Or maybe she has a secret nest I can't find.  I think she lays eggs when she's free ranging because she can find enough slugs and bugs for her protein needs, while her corn/wheat feed alone is too low for making eggs.  When it warms up a little bit more and the grass starts growing again, I'll let them out and hopefully she'll lay a few more.

Gardening on, January 2024

Most of my gardening recently has been remembering to water the houseplants every other week or so.  I've not had a lot of success with houseplants in the past, but I'm adding to my collection slowly and trying to improve;  they are particularly welcome this time of year when I don't get outside much.

I have pulled several daikon radishes and carrots from the kitchen garden this month, as well as a few pak choy leaves and sprigs of fresh herbs.  We have just had a cold snap with hard frosts for about a week or more, but the radishes and pak choy haven't been bothered by it;  I still have the pak choy surrounded in a small wire fence to protect it from pigeons/chickens/ducks and it continues green and leafy.

I noticed the daylilies are sprouting up again and the young shoots are particularly nice;  however they are also in the duck yard and I'm not convinced they are poo-free--I'll leave them for the ducks for now.  It would be nice to transplant some around the garden for next spring.

I've not been to the allotment since just after Christmas, about a month ago.  The son and daughter and I did a quick bit of sheet mulch and came home.  I have some cardboard saved up from my work that really ought to be used up at the allotment, but my boots finally bit the dust and I don't have any replacements yet;  I don't want to be trekking in the mud in either my pink or white shoes!  Call myself a gardener...

Grand total of garden food, 2023

Vegetables: 277 lb 14 oz (incomplete)

Fruit: 2 lb 10 oz (incomplete)

Eggs: 571

My very best year for veg totals since recording began!  The clear winner was the squash at more than 63 lb, with runners up zucchini at just over 53 lb and cucumber just over 40 lb.  Honorable mentions include 22.5 lb green tomatoes (I only got 8.5 lb of ripe ones), 16 lb cabbage, and nearly 10 lb of lettuce!  I marked the total incomplete as I didn't include the garlic or corn harvest, nor the dozen or so squashes still hanging out in the living room for later eating (these will be counted for 2024's total).

Rather a poor year for fruit;  no apples or pears, and hardly any cherries, almonds, strawberries or raspberries.  I did pick a good amount of blackcurrants, redcurrants, and several bunches of whitecurrants (all three went into a jug of wine) but didn't record them (maybe two or three pounds--not much).

We got four new rescue chickens in September and our egg collection totals suddenly jumped.  These hens would have been 18 months old at the time and closing in on their 2nd birthdays now;  they're our youngest chickens but I'm surprised they're still laying so well at their age.  18 months is considered too old for production at the farm, hence the rescue.

Every year I try to break the previous record, but I've come to the realization that a lot of this growing business is just luck.  It was a lucky year for a lot of things, including things I've never had much success with like cucumber and zucchini.  I've put in the work for years improving the soil which was surely a contributing factor;  and I tried out a new method of transplanting seedlings which helped keep my plants alive--though the weather might have helped here too, as it was warm and dry in May.  So just the perfect combination of work and good luck.  Long may it continue!

See previous grand totals: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016

Christmas break, December 2023

I do need a break, but with a three year old it's not likely!  Regardless I'll be taking a blogging break for the rest of the month, to return in January with my yearly garden food totals (I've been keeping tally on my calendar in the kitchen).

I've got a few more garden vegetables for Christmas dinner, waiting to be harvested:  a very small Savoy cabbage (I mean, how much cabbage can we eat at once anyway?), a couple of parsnips and daikon radishes (sizes unknown, but probably comparable with the cabbage).  I also have some of last year's almonds for some festive stollen bread, a lovely fresh duck egg went into gingerbread for a house and cookies (made the gingerbread dough yesterday, will bake it tomorrow);  and I have a Christmas pudding made with our dried figs and dried apples.

I'll see you back here in 2024, and until then, a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year.

Growing and eating in December 2023

The son and daughter came with me to do a little sheet mulching at the allotment this weekend, for the first time in about two weeks but we didn't stay long.  Too rainy and muddy (and whiney).  I was hoping the final savoy cabbage might have grown a little in my absence, but it's just as tiny as ever.  Nice and firm head though--we'll eat it at Christmas regardless.  There's one leek bigger than a spring onion, so that is also earmarked.  Other than that, it's slim pickings.  

There's more to eat at the kitchen garden, though that too is mostly past it.  I've picked a few more fennel bulbs which don't look so nice after multiple frosts;  once they're all gone I'll start on the radishes--I can't see them getting any bigger at this point.  I've got both Spanish black and white daikon growing and while the fennel has been ok sized--around 4 or 5 oz each--the radishes look more like 1 oz each. 

We are gradually working our way through the pile of squashes, though to be honest, I think they are going to last us till next autumn when we starting picking them again!  The husband chopped open another big one weighing more than 16.5 pounds, and I made most of it into puree for the freezer, though we ate it every day for a week too (either as a side veg or stirred into whatever slow cooker meal I made each day);  the last of it went into yesterday's chicken and vegetable curry.  It makes an acceptable substitute for tomato in a curry or stew:  a bit of squash puree stirred in and a tablespoon of vinegar for acidity, and it's hard to tell it isn't tomato.  I put a couple dozen of its seeds to dry for next year's planting.  I may save seed from a few others as we eat them (the seeds themselves have thick husks and aren't so good for eating).

Smarter than I thought

I had a surprising encounter with the two ducks last week, when I brought some cabbage leaves home for the chickens.  I gave most to the chickens in their yard, but Girl Duck was quacking at me so I tossed a few down for her, which she set to eating at once.  But then as I walked back to the house, she followed me, quacking more.  Unsure of what she wanted, I waited for her as she walked past me to the water butts and the empty drinking tub there.  She stopped at the tub and quacked again;  so I went over and filled it up.  She backed away quickly, so as not to let me too close to her, but when I stopped she came right over, squeaking this time (the "happy" noise) and got her head right under the water, not even caring about where I was.  That's the first time I've ever had a duck show me what she wanted, like a dog or cat might--certainly I've not had a chicken do so.  I never gave ducks much credit for brains, but maybe they are smarter than I thought.

After months of being locked in their yard, the chickens finally got their first hour of free range yesterday, as our back door has been replaced (it both opens and closes! unlike the old one).  It was too much trouble to walk all the way around from the front door so I didn't bother, but I will let them have an hour a day now as long as no avian flu restrictions come into place.  The ducks themselves have been mostly free ranging all autumn, though I did lock them in before the workmen came with the door--although to be honest, they would probably just hide;  while they are shy of us, they won't even come out if strangers are in the garden.

First frost, November 2023

 Although we were forecast frost last month, and subsequently harvested all our squashes, it's not till this weekend it actually touched down.  The son, daughter and I all visited the allotment that morning to do a little sheet mulch and clear back some of the encroaching brambles and it was cold!  It's maybe a little early for it, but a frost in the garden and allotment means death to slugs and snails.  Or at least a setback in the population, so I definitely need some good hard frosts in winter.

Speaking of slugs and snails, every time I turn something over or pull something out at the allotment, I uncover an unholy amount of them.  I really desperately need some frost, but the best thing would be some concentrated duck action there--and for that I need some secure fencing.  I had hoped this would be the year, but funds don't allow it;  maybe next year.

However, my own garden is well fenced and my two remaining ducks (Girl Duck and Boy Duck) have been free ranging for a few weeks.  I still have some veg in the beds but the only thing I've excluded them from is the pak choy, about five or so heads surrounded in temporary wire.  I would really like to let the chickens free range too, but I don't trust them around the remaining veg;  unlike ducks who are mainly focused on slugs and bugs--and don't scratch up the soil--chickens much prefer plants and I don't dare let them at my radishes, fennel, chard, etc, unsupervised.