The Peppers are Planted, Bring on those Hot Summer Days

The arugula and most of the spinach has bolted.  So, out with old and in with the new.  It is now time for the peppers to take their place in the kitchen garden.

Out of the greenhouse, loaded up and ready to go.

After a lot of hard work, this bed is now full of worms.  The greens liked it just fine, and I think the peppers will too.

Forground to background: Wisconsin Lakes, Orange Bell, Ancho Gigantea, and Hot Portugal

I'm really looking forward to canning a lot of salsa and hot sauce this year.  In order for that to happen, I need my peppers to stay safe and grow strong. 

Soak up those rays, little guys.  Stretch toward the sun and let your roots sink deep.

BIG News and other Happenings

BIG News:

Fat Bear Farm was recently awarded a USDA grant to build a 30'X72' high tunnel!  Construction will begin within a month or two, and there will be some demolition beforehand.  We're taking out a treeline that's full of pines and scrub.  The treeline stands between our yard and the blueberries.  We've wanted it gone since we moved in.  We will be replacing the pines with fruit trees (mostly peaches), and we'll grow strawberries inside and outside of the high tunnel for market.  I'm thrilled to bits about this project.  It will mean a lot more work this summer, but I know it will be worth it. 

The dozer has arrived!

 These trees will soon be replaced with a beautiful orchard.

We plan on planting the strawberry crowns this fall so that we'll have a full crop next year.  That means that we'll have to take soil samples, amend the soil, plant, and mulch a huge area.   I can't wait!

Round About News: 

The chickens had their first day out in their yard.  Ben's lovely father helped us finish it up, and the ladies are lovin' it.  It took them a few hours to venture out of the house after I opened their little door.  They like chilling out in the shade under the house.  The girls made happy chicken noises and ate bugs all day.

We thought the ladies would like to roost on the old ladder when they get a little bigger.

Cuties under the coop.

The kitchen garden is almost completely planted (for now).  I've left some space for later tomatoes and corn (see sidebar for full listing), and I'll soon replace the salad and wilting greens with peppers.  When the peas are over with, I'll put in cukes.

Introducing the Ameraucanas and Wyandottes! (We've Gone Chicken-Crazy)

Ben found a farm that had sexed Ameraucana and Golden Laced Wyandotte chicks.  It happens to be located very nearby, so we couldn't resist.  We were planning on adding to our flock next spring, but we decided it makes just as much sense to get them now. 

Ben was originally going to buy just four Ameraucanas, but he knew I've been wanting Wyandottes also.  So he came home with an additional three Golden Laced Wyandottes.  What a sweet surprise!

The darker birds are the Golden Laced Wyandottes.

It turns out that Ben had visited this particular farm as a young child.  The farmer remembered that he had taken a tour with his Boy Scout Troop.  Small world, even smaller town.

The chicken man said that these chicks are three weeks old, but they look more like five weeks old.  We don't mind.  It's just perfect because the Australorps are now six weeks old.  The new batch will live indoors for a week, then we'll put them out with the rest.

An Ameraucana

I'm so excited that we'll soon have pastel eggs as well as brown.  The mystery is whether they'll be blue, green, pink (quite rare), or a combination?  This whole chicken thing just gets more thrilling by the minute.
So far, these newbies are very docile.  They're less skittish than the Australorps and way more chill.  I hope the two groups will get along.

Homage to the Iris

The woman who owned this house before we bought it must have LOVED irises.  There are several hundred all around the yard.  We moved in last June, so I haven't gotten a chance to see them in bloom until now.  

When they began blooming I initially thought that we only had purple irises.  However, the yellow and white irises have just begun to bloom.  I'm in love with them all.

I had to move over a hundred rhizomes last summer in order to make room for the herb garden.  I'm so glad that I didn't let one iris die.  I safely transplanted each one that was removed. It's been a pleasure to finally see all the different colors that were hiding inside.

I Need a New Word

I need a new word for "chicken."  Miles' favorite toy is his chicken.  We play fetch every day with his chicken.  Every day I tell him, "Go get your chicken."  Then, I throw it, and he brings it back so we can play tug with it for awhile before I throw it again.

Chicken
 

Chickens
 

Now there is a whole house full of "chickens."  Soon, when their fence is built, there will be a whole yard full of "chickens."  See the problem?

Miles Giles