One prong young one

Went out to see the sunrise and surprise a lone deer near the back fence. Both of us surprised!


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Give thanks for rain

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Planted spinach seeds

Just a note to remind myself I planted spinach seeds last week in the big raised bed out back. Maybe too late in the season? Time will tell.


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Japanese Garden

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Jack x 2

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Light shift

The slant of the morning light is shifting into autumn.


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Morning Work Team

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Comparison (see former post)

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New egg

This egg is lighter than Ruby's and not greenish like Hawkeye's. It is also a little misshapen. I am wondering whether it is the first egg from one of the new hens or if Ruby is having a pale egg day ...


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More full yet!

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Next day: more color!

Location:South garage wall

Artichoke in full bloom.


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Ruby: Queen of the Roost

Ruby is the top chicken here, so far. She lays an egg a day when she is in her laying cycle, and she has let the newbies (2 younger hens, just coming out of pullet stage) know they are here only by her say-so. Her long-time partner, the aracanic Hawkeye (who lays green eggs) defers to Ruby as well. The two elders hang out together and only recently (after a few weeks) have allowed the new hens (Salsa and Pepper) to join them in their close perusal of the yard and garden.
Hail, Ruby!

Fire

Gate Climber

Lilies

From the deck between summer showers

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The Hen's Garden and some Lilies, too

Beautiful Day

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Location:Garden

Peonies always seem to have ants. What is that all about?
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Peas for dinner

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June already!

This is the same corner that shows up in about the third photo down in the previous post. A work in progress, trying to "tame" this corner having suppressed the grass. Now I have all these spaces between the newly planted perennials and I don't want a bark dust wilderness (as shown, I tried it for the corner around the two already established plants). So I need to get ground cover. Probably cover the bare ground with some layers of light blocker (newspapers for instance) then a layer of topsoil and then plugs of plantings, but what? Scotch moss? Periwinkle? Spurge? It needs to be very low cover so the new plantings don't get overgrown. Guess I need to make a garden shop stop soon!

By the way, this is my first "mobile" post from my iPhone. I bought a little $2.99 app called "blogpress" and it links to Flickr (the default is Picasa but I had Flickr already and it is possible to change to that). Worked like a charm this first time!

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Progress today

Got a line of lettuce planted in between the rows of the mature heads in the raised bed; put in a line of beet seeds next to three tomatoes given by a friend and a row of volunteer sunfowers (I moved a couple from elsewhere into the row). Laid out ground cover around the rhodie and pine so there's another patch of grassless space: will get mulch for that today in bags. Put in a few poppy seeds and a row of marigolds and one of zinnia (or two mixed rows, more likely). Fish emulsion fertilizer for all the newbies. Cats hang around that stuff ...
Discovered some squash and cucs growing in the bare area where the chicken coop was last winter. Glad I hadn't reseeded lawn there yet! They need some cultivation and fertilizing, but they look pretty sturdy. Probably plenty of chicken poop in that ground right there. Thanks girls!

Sun Break in the Midst of May Showers

Bounteous spring! I was in Europe for 2 weeks, and before that the spring was dark and rainy for a good while. This week I've been getting out in the yard early to do some weeding (much needed!) but today was the first morning all in the garden. So nice.

Vegetable starts from seeds

Gate

I built this gate using things I had in my garage/shop left over from other projects. This gives my yard full fencing all around, sufficient to keep the chickens and toddlers in.

Deer moved into the yard; sleeping by the compost, under the big trees.

I put up a fence, but it doesn't make any difference to my new friend. S/he likes tulips ...

Overwintered edibles

Artichoke, against the south-facing garage wall; chard in the back garden bed; sage; rosemary; thyme.

Sprouts!

I planted peas a bit over 3 weeks ago and then there was frost the next night! Covered the beds the 2nd cold night, but then the rains came. When there was no sign of sprouting I replanted more peas last week, in the same rows, but spaced widely. Of course, the day after my loss of faith the first shoots from the first planting began to emerge.
The spinach was planted (seeds in the ground) way back in February when we had a "false spring". I planted a couple of very short rows, and only these pictured took hold; sheltered against the sides of the bed, getting south light bounced from the wood at their backs. The grid of wire over the spinach and the thin branches scattered loosely around the peas are an attempt to deter deer and cats. Both methods seem to be working o.k. so far!
Also sprouting:
pumpkin, melon, basil, tomato, eggplant, crookneck seeds indoors in a south window (laundry room).
And:
lettuce and more spinach from the ground near the earlier spinach in this photo.

Planting

Peas, with the trellis; spinach and lettuce, under the X.
Planted yesterday, and then a frost last night.
Tonight they are under tarps.

Also today, planted seeds for starts in pots: squash, pumpkins, eggplant, tomatoes (cherry), cucs and peppers (sweet). These will be in the laundry room, south facing windows.

Reflections

I woke with a start a bit after dawn this morning, thinking "It's time to plant!" It's cold and a little foggy this morning and ten minutes out tending the chickens basic needs (clean water in the can and letting them out to a grassy patch) had my fingertips frozen. We've just come off of a very cold spell, with a little snow and temps in the 29 - 34 degree (F) range sometimes in the daytime but definitely during the overnights. Still, there are some chard and lettuce plants hanging in there, small, thick-leafed and nestled in the most sheltered bed, which over-wintered and have survived the freeze. I came back inside, made my coffee, and checked out last year's posts from March. I am only one day past the day I started last year's indoor squash and eggplant seeds, so it IS time to plant! Do you suppose my subconscious keeps that calendar? So now my weekend is lined out: feed store (chickens need feed) and pick up some seeds (squash, cucs, peas, chard, lettuce, spinach). Plant the peas outside (this means clearing out the sheet compost layer where I want them and putting up a bamboo trellis). Clear out the back salad garden area and plant the spinach, chard and lettuce, and cover with a layer of wire fencing (against the cats, deer,birds and other critters interested in disturbed earth or new green tips when they emerge).

Four Seasons Journey's End: Begin Again!

I started this journal last February, so the mission is accomplished. Life goes on around the seasons again. Spring is just around the corner, and there is clean-up to do in preparation for the new plantings. I piled dried clippings and trimmings from last year into a heap in the garden and called the county burn line. Based on atmospheric conditions, today is a 'go' day for agricultural and backyard burning. I fit both categories, although on a small scale, so I lighted up my little pyre. Lots of smoke from the dampness within, but enough kindle to get it going. While it burned I did some pruning, apple, pear & plum trees, the blueberries ... and snapped a few photos of bulbs pushing up in sheltered/sunny spots. Hooray for the new!

Baja Sunset

January. Get away!

Friends watched over the cats and chickens and I crept away while the garden was in deep sleep mode.