My Seeds Came

My seed order from FEDCO came, I'm so excited. When I opened the package it smelled so good, dill seeds are very fragrant! It's be a while before those are planted. I just keep looking at all the seed packages, dreaming of the warm days coming when I can plant them. I will be starting some things inside too. Like all the lovely heirloom tomato seeds that I have. It makes me happy, and a little impatient, just thinking about it! OK, I'm going to go look at my seed packets again. LOL

One Less Hen

I'm a little sad. One of my chickens died last night. She was a brown leghorn, laid white eggs. When I went off to my part-time job, she was lying under the overhang on the back of the garage. I didn't think much about it, the chickens like to dust bathe under there. When I got home, she was still there and lying kinda funny. I crawled under there (yuck) and got her out, and brought her into the house. I checked her over, she didn't have any injuries as far as I could see. I think perhaps she was egg bound. That is when an egg gets stuck on the way out. I oiled up her vent and massaged her stomach, hoping to help the egg out, if that is what it was. I also got her to drink some sugar water with an eye dropper. It was just too late. She was so weak, she only opened her eyes once the whole time. Poor thing. She dies within about a half hour of me finding her.

Rock Farming

Things are finally drying up enough that I could go out and take a look at the garden areas without sinking in mud. It doesn't look too bad. Most of the vegetation (stems and leaves and such) from last year's crops have disintegrated into the soil. I'm also surprised how much grass and weeds have grown. I swear they flourish under the snow!

Right now it looks mostly like I am farming rocks! especially in the new area that I started last fall. I tilled it up and planted oats for a cover crop. the oats are now gone (killed by the winter temps and gone back to the soil). The field is covered in fist sized or bigger rocks that were exposed and cleaned up by the rain and melting snow. I see a few days of rock picking in my future. Wanna come help?

Irondequoit and Monroe Village Markets

I just got the applications done for Monroe village and Irondequoit Farmers markets. Yeah! So hopefully all the paperwork is done. That gives me a total of three market a week for this upcoming season. Now if it would just be spring already.

Lots of eggs!

The chickens have been very happy lately. Warmer temps and no snow, so they are happily running around all day. Egg production is up too. I got 17 eggs yesterday, out of 19 hens. It's just so good to see them having fun again. It was a little sad When there was snow on the ground. I would open the coop door, and they would be all excited to go out. Then they would see the snow and back up into the coop. Poor things. Hopefully there won't be any more snow this year, or at least no accumulation.

Seeds

I got my Fedco Seed order in, yeah! I get the majority of my seeds from Fedco, I just love the place. You can check them out here http://fedcoseeds.com Soon my seeds will come, and I can look at them for a month or two until I can plant them, LOL. I got green and yellow beans, several types of heirloom tomatoes, Summer and winter squashes, a bunch of culinary herbs, beets, lettuces....lots of stuff! I have to make a small order at Harris seed, and then I'll I'll have to worry about is the weather.

Mud Season

Well I think the worst of winter is finally over and we are moving into Mud season. It has been raining like crazy the past few days. The bottom of the pasture is flooded, and I'm sure all the ditches are full to the brim. it's mighty sloppy out there! Today we got a break from the rain...but have 50 mile an hour winds. sometimes it feels like you just can't win. The chickens don't care though, just as long as there isn't snow on the ground, they are out and about!