While Spring weather can be variable, other than one day, temperatures have been normal and skies sunny for most of the past week. Within a week or two the more of the garden will be seeded with Spring crops. The egg flock is beginning to produce steadily and chicks are growing. The Hoop House will soon be readied for a short crop of lettuce followed by the tomato and pepper transplants. Breeding pens of bantams are settled and all seems well.
Going into the garden beds directly are peas, carrots, radishes, a second crop of lettuce, chard, spinach, potatoes, and onions. The garlic is coming along and will be fully sprouted before the first of May. The new cold frames will be nice to protect things as unstable weather is still a real possibility. The first of the lettuce transplants should be ready for harvest in a week or so is the weather holds. The rhubarb patch is showing new growth and should move along quickly now. The asparagus patch needs a good weeding and feeding before they sprout, hopefully soon!
The Winter damage on fruits have been pruned and its a matter of time before they break buds. The newest strawberry patch looks good and the old one has a few more plants for the taking before being tilled under. Work on the grape house hasn’t started yet but needs to get underway soon.
The chickens are more than happy to get out and about forging. There’s not a lot of bugs around yet, but they enjoy a good scratch looking for what they can find. Some of the older eggs hens will need to be consolidated this year to make room for the replacement hens, but that’s a ways off yet. Added to the previous chicks are the Golden and Silver Laced Wyandottes along with a few Americaunas. In total there will be 36 new egg hens in the next flock along with the old flock enjoying their retirement. With the new chicks, there shouldn’t be any need to hatch large fowl eggs this year leaving more space for bantam chicks.
New at Fluffy Bottom will be the first farm truck. Planning the purchase for a while, it looks like now will be the best time to go ahead with the purchase. Trading up to a pick up makes very sense right now as the HHR has a lot of miles and is losing its usefulness. Hopefully the plan will come together as expected before May.