Saturday, April 28, 2012

April news


It has been a very busy month of April.  The month began with planting potatoes, transplanting onions, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower from the greenhouse into the garden.  The frost came  and  frosted the onions white.  However they all have showed very good signs of new growth and will likely be sweeter because of the frost.  The cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower are growing well enjoying the  cool  temperatures and frequent rain.  The majority of our direct seeded crops radishes, spinach, turnip,  beets, asian greens, leaf lettuces, and peas are growing well. I saw a few potato leafs poking through the soil yesterday.  Today our baby chicks arrived. This is my first year  raising chickens.  I will be taking orders for free range chickens  if anyone is interested.  I ordered a 100 males from  Murray McMurray Hatchery  guaranteed at least 5 different varieties from this list: Black Australorps; Lt. Brahmas; Dark Cornish; Black and White Giants; Buff and White Orpingtons; New Hampshire, Rhode Island Reds, Barred, White, Partridge, Buff Rocks; Sussex, Turkens; White, Silver Laced, & Columbian Wyandottes, Red Star and Black Star.   I have turned a small storage shed into a brooder house where they will stay for about 6 weeks and then move them into a fenced area not far from the garden where i have constructed a 20ft x 20ft coop with tin on top and chicken wire on the sides.  Our tomatoes are hoping for sunshine in the forecast and warmer temperatures.  In May we will be starting melons, cantaloupe, cucumbers, and squash in the greenhouse.