Still Waiting

Our asparagus crowns (see post below) were shipped today instead of yesterday.  They were shipped one hour ago, to be exact.  I'm disappointed, but here are some photos of what has helped to brighten my day.

Everything at Once

It's getting busy on Fat Bear Farm.  It seems as though everything is happening at once.  We have a lot of projects that are up and running, and spring has come on in full force.  Here's a just a sample of what's brewing.

Asparagus

Five-hundred asparagus crowns are scheduled for arrival tomorrow.  We ordered them from Walker Brothers.  I'm pleased with their customer service, and the crowns we ordered from them last year were really nice.

The first spear from last year's planting popped up yesterday.

 I love this thing.

Ben took the tractor through last weekend.  He tilled, then used the sub soiler.  I went through with a hoe today and deepened the furrows a bit. 

I hope the crowns arrive early tomorrow because I'm super-ready to plant them.

Chickens

Look at me Mom!

The chicks are doing well.  They're one week old today.  We've named three of them so far.  We now have a Judith (Judy), a Eunice, and an Iris.  I can tell them apart by the patterns on their beaks, and Iris is the runt.

The door just needs a handle.  We'll have to choose and extra-special one.

Their house is almost ready.  Ben still has a few more finishing touches to add before I paint.  The roosts are up, and the nesting boxes are done.  I hope the ladies like it!

Greenhouse

An heirloom tomato

The blueberry whips I started are leafing out.  I'm surprised at their rate of development.

Kitchen Garden

Snap peas, beets, carrots, spinach, kale, lettuce, and arugula are currently growing in the garden.  Here are some highlights:

Pea shoots

 Lettuce
 

The prettiest of all lettuces

One lovely beet

I should have a lot to share with you about the asparagus this week, and stay tuned for an update on the blueberries!

Our Chicks are Here! (The Perfect Morning)

Ben and I were eating leftover salmon and bagels with cream cheese for breakfast (part of the "perfect morning") when the phone rang.  The woman on the other end said, "This is your post office, and we've got your babies."  Her voice was sweet and very southern.  I rushed to get dressed, fed the boys, and off we went.

The girls came with straw and a heating pad.

All twelve black australorps arrived alive and well.  They were LOUD, but the sound was like music to my ears.  They probably hatched on Monday and were sent out either that same day or on Tuesday.  My Pet Chicken did a great job getting our babies here safe and sound.

The little ladies started eating and drinking within a few minutes.

I had to make a revision to our set up.  As I was reviewing all my baby chick information yesterday, I realized that it was a big mistake putting down cedar chips for bedding.  The fumes from the oils in the cedar chips can irritate their lungs and cause problems as they grow up.  Easy enough to fix.  I removed the chips and added some straw.  

Now we have to think of some names.  I don't know that we'll ever to be able to tell them all apart (though I sure will try), but they are now part of the family and need names.  The rules are: no "Blackie," no "Ebony," no "Onyx," no "Midnight,"....  You get the point.
 

After I got the girls settled in, I took the boys for a walk in the fog.  It was beautiful.  Come along.

Can we go now?

 These cows don't belong to us.  They just graze some of the pastures here on the farm.

It's been raining all week.  But after the fog cleared, the sun came out to greet us. 

 The lilacs are beginning to open.

These cows arrived recently.  The last batch has been sent off to wherever cows go after winter (I don't like to think too much about their fate.  We don't eat furry or feathered critters.)  These lovely fellows are very curious.  They're lined up at the fence in front of our house, saying hello to me and Miles.

We have three Forsythia bushes at the house, but this one is my favorite.  It's the smallest one, but it's got a lot of spunk.

The morning was glorious.  We'll see what the rest of the day brings.

I Think We're Ready

Our babies will be here tomorrow or the next day.  I hope they come tomorrow.  I have their room all set up.  We used a raised bed that we hadn't ever quite filled with soil, and it happens to be just the right size.  I stapled cardboard all around the inside because it's made of treated wood, and we don't want the chicks to peck on that.  I guess it's really just a giant reinforced cardboard box.  I also put a layer of cardboard on the bottom, and it all sits atop a very thick tarp that's folded in half.  I think the wood floor will survive.  

We bought a fifty-pound bag of starter feed at Performance Livestock & Feed, which is right down the road from our house.  It's a locally owned, family-run operation. They sell high quality feed at really great prices.  The fifty pounds we bought from them was the same price as a five-pound bag from the Tractor Supply.  Lucky us.

Did you know that we have a third St. Bernard?

Today I said good bye to the stunted albino artichoke.  It was moving day for some of the artichoke seedlings.  I took all of the ones that had germinated out of the greenhouse and put them in basement under grow lights.  Space is very limited down there, and the little guy just didn't make the cut.

 I'm not really growing "Fantasy Mix" petunias.  I reuse old labels.

It's a good idea to keep them at about fifty degrees after germination for ten days.  This is supposed to encourage earlier budding, which is important if you want them to bear fruit the first year.  It's even more important to do this if you are growing them as annuals instead of perennials.  I'm hoping that we can figure out a way to overwinter our artichokes, but if it doesn't work out maybe we'll get some artichokes this season anyway. The basement stays between fifty and sixty degrees,  so that's where they'll live for a week and a half.

Ben's parents came over last weekend, and we celebrated their birthdays (they are one week apart).  They brought us these beautiful jonquils.  The smell is incredible.  Only one of ours has bloomed so far.  Flower envy.

 

Thurgood Thursday

It's raining.  The sky is white.  It has been raining for days.  The boys have cabin fever. 

We've been going on our two walks a day despite the rain, but they've been short and boring.  This morning, Thurgood said, "No more!"  He demanded an extra walk after our morning jaunt.  Basically, he flipped out on our way home and made me think that something was terribly wrong down the road.  So, I dropped Miles off at home, and took Thurgood to investigate. 

That's a happy tail!

The cows were just fine.

The blueberries looked normal.

I guess I can take my nap now.