documentation

lately i have been poring over my own blog trying to glean and re-purpose captured information. i must admit that the blog really helps to keep things in perspective. we are constantly worried about our garden and if we are doing all that is possible to assure a reasonable harvest. the posts where i took several garden photos and talked about the garden status are especially useful. on that vein i hope not to bore you with tons of garden photos.

having gotten the root cellar to a stable place has afforded me the time to work on the chicken plucker. i bought the whizbang chicken plucker book and am very impressed. eventually i'll do a whole post about the chicken plucker. all i can say so far is that if you are considering building a chicken plucker buy that book. it is very well researched and provides excellent information, illustrations and resources. in this photo it is upside down. i used the pillow block mount to hold the feather plate while i drilled it and cut it into the circle.

i really could have used a drill press to drill all these holes.

this the first coat of paint. pretty blue toly li-likes it.



the garden

the sweet potatoes and melons seem to be surviving the black plastic mulch.

although it might be just one big squash bug incubator, nursery and primary school.


here is a better photo of a cherokee purple primary bloom.


the carrots seem to have survived the cats using their raised beds as a composting toilet.

here they are a couple days later.


the kittens are tearing up the onions. they might not make much.


the third row of beets are crooking and seem to have excellent germination.

here they are a few days later.


this will all be filled in very soon.

i hope..

kassi and toly, yes he loves pink, are considering wrestling past the cow. she can bully right past them if they are not careful.


they love each other so much. it is cute to watch them hold hands and march around the yard.


this is our first sunflower. it must be summer.


the willow tree has grown quite a bit this year.


this is the front row of tomatoes. we are showing slight signs of blight, or some tomato disease.


this is kassi's flower bed.

she started all these flowers from seed.

btw, thank you wendy for the additional edible flower seed.


the hair plugs for root cellars a taking hold nicely.

notice the solar shower box of the roof of the pump house? here is the front view.

rube goldberg would be proud of this shower contraption.

here is a link to when i built this version of it.

just at the top of the hill from where i work this family makes these baskets.

they sell them at silver dollar city for a fortune. this one was nine dollars. the oak waddle was still green. tabitha needed one for her clothes pins.

this is our hot house tomato

i wonder what the taste difference will be?

hello tasty little tomato. i will be eating you soon.


these are the omar's lebanese plants. they are almost to the top of the cattle panel.


these are the later planting of cherokee purple. they are ten or so days behind the rest of them.

their seedlings were also much smaller too.

can you spot the green beans?

the pole beans are almost setting beans.

i am excited about this purple variety.


the tomatillos are vary tasty. we had our first bait of salsa last night. it was fabulous.


hello little cherokee purple tomatoes.

i'll be eating you very soon too.



this is the tangle of amish paste tomatoes

some of them are five feet high.


our squash like it here. so do our squash bugs.


the chickens have settled into their coop nicely.

i finally caught the egg pecking, eating destroying hen red handed the other day. she left this mortal coil too soon to take a ride in my chicken plucker. bad chicken..

cucumber beetles are rampant in our garden. we are buying some beneficial nematodes to help but they might not arrive soon enough.


the hot peppers are setting fruit. i hope we get some in time for pico de gallo. that store bought pepper we ate last night with the tomatillo salsa was merely a waxy version.


tabitha has been spraying surround like crazy.

it is apparent that the bugs don't like it. although there is always new foliage.

the okra seems to be doing nicely.


almost time to harvest the first row of beets.


the girl broilers are looking very tasty.


i'm standing in the barn loft for this shot.

a little to the right

tabitha was trying to look up my kilt.


such loving kids

ok, i can't breathe

HELP..

that's better.

tristan making a guest appearance. oops, sorry had to remove the photo toly was nekid in the background.