New Garden Season

   Haven't posted anything in a long time. Been a long cold winter. It seems me and Margaret just shoveled snow and kept the wood stove going. went through all the wood I brought topside from last fall. Nothing like wood heat.

   Plants have been started and are in the greenhouse just waiting till end of the month. Did get the red onion sets in this morning. Getting anxious to get all the plants in the ground.


   Lots going on this summer, breaking up the original patio that was here when we bought the place. Need something new to go with the house after fixing it up.

   Chickens are doing great. Right now I have two that are broody. One from each flock. When they are out together free ranging I do have to break up a few fights. When the hackles go up its time for me to step in.

   So stay tuned as I will try to post every couple weeks as the crops grow. Hope the following pictures give you some idea whats going on.


                                                                         

Had to get rid of the old patio. Spruce tree roots lifted and cracked it all up.  

Free range time. I usually take some time at the end of my day sit out back with a cold Canadian and watch the hens eat from the fat of the land. Usually a few fights to break up. How we ended up with all these birds is beyond me. Margaret calls it chicken math.

Onions are in. Red ones this year. Nice slicing ones for using on the grill. Couple more weeks till everything else gets planted. Was able to get two loads of wood chips from Bartlett Tree Experts.

With these long days of light the hens have been very productive. Our daily harvest is on average of 16 eggs. Enough for our regulars customers,us and we usually give a dozen to visitors.

Last Summer's Project

 Added some more room for some more chickens. Another coop and run plus 6 more feet for each coop. So now we have 24 chickens to deal with. Eight are older , the rest are now about 17 weeks. The pictures you will see are the building process.

Start of the additional runs. Six feet for each coop.

Had some help on the coop putting up the rafters. Needed four hands for this job.

The roof was done by the kids. Would take me forever, they finished in about 3 hours

Coop complete. Has electric so we can go down at night to check on them. Lights also in coop so they can find the roost poles. On a time clock so they don't stay on all night.

Inside painted to try to keep it clean. Doesn't stay clean too long though.

 

Had a 4x4 brooder we made to keep them in the shed till they feathered out. Took about 8 weeks.

   The girls are enjoying the new coop. A little crowded in the brooder. So now we get to wait for the eggs to start coming in. Should be some where around Christmas. All in all in was an interesting project.

   Special thanks goes out to Fenton, Mark, Jason, Erin, Jim, Jenny, Michael, and especially Margaret for putting up with this all summer. Her trips for supplies and to buy the chicks was appreciated.

Planting Season

    June already. Trying hard to get plants in the ground but the rain has put a damper on that. So far I've had a few days without rain and put some plants in. Forget to plant summer squashes so had to buy a few plants. In between trying to get the new coop ready and plant flowers around the house. My neighbor has let me take control of his garden so this year a big corn patch I hope. Soil is in poor condition so I need to add much organic matter to it. See how it goes and if anything comes up. Never can tell around here. Seeds may rot with all the wet weather.

Corn field I hope. Silver Queen planted.

Cucumbers and yellow squash.

Peppers down to 75 plants this year. Hate to see them go to waste. Chickens will benefit.

Tomato plants, Quite a few between mine and Jenny's.

 

Coop extension being built between the rain and planting. Thanks to Mark and Fenton for giving me a hand when needed. Hoping to finish real soon.

Time Flies

   Where does the time go. Already March and I only have one flat of peppers started. Trying to do too many things at one time. Need to finish a project before I start another. Weather doesn't cooperate though.

   Always make time Monday morning to give the ladies a clean coop though. If I don't they bitch at me till I do. Cold one today so put a few extra shavings on the floor to keep the chill out. Cleaned out the waterers and refilled with fresh water and added some feed to the existing feeder. Gave them a jar of sunflower seeds to kick around. Their version of kick the can, but they get a treat. Enjoy a few photos of them.

End Of The Year

 Its that time when all good things come to an end. The garden has been covered with leaves on certain places to try the no till method next year. Other places will be tilled as usual. Must do some serious crop rotation in the 2017 garden.

  Had a good harvest tomatoes were plentiful, and great tasting. Only had 9 plants though to keep from wasting them. Chickens enjoyed all the extras. Peppers grew like crazy. Had plants loaded with fruit from bottom to top. Froze just what I needed and gave the rest away. I do go crazy with planting so many but I do need to cut back on how many I grow.I guess I like the variety of colors and all the different shapes. Beans were a bust. Never came up after two plantings. Summer squashes green and yellows as we call them are an easy plant to grow. Had plenty to eat share and feed chickens with. Five plants each and always had extras. My grandson Oscar planted some cantaloupe from seeds he saved. Had a good harvest, better than anyone I ever had.

Nothing like fresh produce everyday.

Going to be a natural in the garden.

Need to water the plants in.

One of the Three beds with leaves waiting to be flatten by the weight of nature's winter blanket.

Garlic garden has been tilled and planted. During the late summer I burned all the weeds and seeds out and then put some composted chicken manure on it . Soil is rich in dark color and very easy to work. I plants a few bulbs from seeds I harvested from the scapes .

Garlic planted before we get a good frost.

Are there more chickens in store for the Circle M Roost Never know stay tuned for more blogs over the winter.Always need more room for them to roam.

If we run out of projects this during the winter months there is always the wood pile to keep us busy. Lot easier when its cold to work wood anyway.

June 1st 2016

   Where has the time gone. Its been one hell of a winter for me. Yes tore my rotator cuff while working on the house. After the operation in January, 8 weeks in a sling and still doing physical therapy its getting better. A lot of thank you going out to my neighbors Ray and Fenton for keeping Morgan Road operating. Angels from heaven.

   The chickens had a good winter and it was good I put plastic up for them. Lots of wind in the backyard near the trees. Jason did most of the work and I did what I could with my left arm. Once again Fenton kept them fed and in fresh water, and a clean coop.

   Okay this is a garden blog so here we go.  Seedlings started late March early April and doing well. A variety of peppers as usual along with tomatoes. A few different squashes this year for the chickens. Nothing like a nice orange yolk in the eggs.

   Bob Schultz came over and tilled the garden on the hottest day of the year so far. With that done I was able to get the tomatoes in along with the usual sunflowers. Today I will plant cucumbers on the trellis. Have 28 plants ready to go. After that the summer squashes, beans and peppers. Trying something new this year on a few pepper plants to make them bush out with more fruit.

Naturally a buff has to come and check out the clean coop. Nothing like scratching it up to make it feel like home.

A black cochin who refuses to use the nest boxes to lay her eggs.

Clean roost area for the night time sleep.

                         

Nothing like a fresh tilled garden with leaves and chicken manure from last fall decaying  over winter.




 

December 2015

   Its been awhile since I last posted anything here on the garden. Been busy with the chickens and getting ready for home renovations.So I will try to sum up a few months on here now.

  The garden did well . Weeds did get the best of the onions though. Peppers tomatoes beans and squash crops did great though. Looks like I'll cut the bean crop in half this year as many went to waste, people never show up like they say they will. Easier to go to Wegmans I suppose.

  The chickens have all made it. With a sad note I did have to find my rooster a new home. He was quite good at his job of protecting his girls. I tried to keep him but he kept after me all the time while I was giving them fresh water and feed. Startles you when a full grown bird charges you at chest height. Just wouldn't learn I was his friend. Now he has a good home free ranging on Wetzel Road. Hope he doesn't give Jack any trouble. With this warm weather the girls have been egg laying machines. Sometimes I can get 10 a day from 11 hens, although the average is about 7. Seem to go out of the door faster than I can collect them.

  House has been taking up lots of my time. Hopefully by the middle of January it will be done. Yard all dug up and now its just a mud pit back there.

  I'll close with a few pictures and wish you all a great Holiday Season and hopefully we'll see you in the yard come spring. Looking to plant new varieties of flowers and vegetables in the greenhouse.

Spring vegetables starting to come into season

Some early peppers tomatoes and squash

Pepper and tomato 

The girls eating the special salad Margaret makes for them

Oscar with his favorite chicken or the one he could catch

The crew who tore off the back porch and siding

Some of the eggs the girls have given us.

New entry going up

Garden salad for the girls to give the yolk the rich color

One of the wheelbarrow loads of squash we collected