It's Been a Long Winter

It has been a long winter here on the farm. We made it through the ice storm ok, losing power for under two hours and we also lost two pine trees by the pond. We were very lucky!
Our seeds arrived from Baker Creek this week and I was so excited. Spring IS coming, and the sooner the better. I ordered lots of tomatoes in different colors. I also ordered cukes, watermelons, leeks, pumpkins, corn, peas, carrots, and I will be growing LOTS of herbs. I have found that I enjoy growing herbs and I plan to expand my herb garden to at least twice what it was last year. I have started 3 trays of seeds so far, but I am just beginning! I am starting flowers, tomatillos, brussel sprouts and peppers indoors right now.

The animals did well through the winter and we now have a broody hen. The hens have started laying more eggs (thank you girls!) The geese have started laying eggs and we expect the ducks to follow any day now. We hope to sell baby ducks this year, and maybe some geese too. Last year we hatched out 4 ducks and one goose!

Right now I am reading The Plant Propagators Bible by Miranda Smith, so once you are ready to go beyond seed starting I highly recommend it!

Here are some links on seed starting. Have fun!

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/ten-seed-starting-tips.aspx

http://www.humeseeds.com/indoor.htm

http://www.savvygardener.com/Features/starting_seeds_indoors.html

Where do you order seeds? I get my seeds from Bakers Creek and Seed Savers Exchange. But there are other great companies. Here are a few!

http://rareseeds.com/

http://www.seedsavers.org/

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

http://www.wellsweep.com/

And then of course you have to prepare your garden for spring! If you don't have a compost pile start one now. Lay cardboard out on the area that you want to grow on and put some rocks on it so it wont blow away. Warm days are coming, before you know it you will be in your garden planting food! Until then read lots of good gardening books and magazines while wrapped in a nice warm blanket.

Happy New Year!

I can hardly believe that another year has gone by. 2008 flew by as if it were only a month long. It is true that the older you get, the faster time goes by. Life is still busy here, even in winter. The chickens are still laying eggs, though not as many. I am busy composting and putting leaves on my garden to protect my soil from the freezing temps. The chickens love to scratch it off just so I can put it back again! We have adopted a few more chickens and a duck as well. We also had our first clutch of ducks hatch and that was SO exciting. The babies are now larger than their mum. We have one chicken named Pumpkin who is very friendly. She will walk into the house if you hold the door open and she will fly up onto the couch or into your lap and sit with you. We have been adopted by a large rooster we call Captain Grey. My neighbor lost almost all of her chickens to a pack of wild dogs in the last two months, and I guess he was lonely so he has been coming down here each day. In the morning we went into the barn to let the chickens out of the coop and there he was, waiting for the girls! At first he would leave every night but now he sleeps in the barn, we leave a door open for him and he flies up there. He won't go into the coop, but all the better I say because we have three roosters in there already. I imagine that would be a bloody mess, as roosters love to fight! We have also added two dogs and two goats to the farm. I love the goats, they are very friendly and fun to have. I have also become a dog person. I just love dogs more each day. My favorite are still the chickens though. I can just stand outside for hours and watch them and listen to all the noises they make. When I go outside with the compost bucket I look behind me and find at least 15 chickens trailing behind me. Yes, country life suits me.
The seed catalogs have been coming in since before Christmas so I am often dreaming about growing a very large garden. It has been very warm lately but I find there is nothing that fills me with sunshine on dark and cold winter days then pictures of tomatoes, cukes and flowers. My favorite are always Seed Saver Exchange and Baker Creek. What are you planting this year?
It's never too early to start planning and composting so start today!
Don't forget to feed the birds and provide them with water this winter.