Isla Nublar Renamed?

If you’ve been following this recent flurry of posts, then you already know what’s going on. But I’ll catch you up anyway.

We’re converting a significant portion of (previously unused) backyard into a chicken run, and building a coop to go in it. However, as many DIY projects tend to do, it expanded significantly from what I expected during the planning stages. This is because we’re planning on defending the chickens from the hawks that live on our property, their eggs from the raccoons, foxes, opossums, etc, and the adjoining garden from The Groundhog & other garden pests.

Thus far I’ve been referring to the project as Isla Nublar, because it was mentioned to me that my fence design was more appropriate for housing raptors than chickens. (I did use the USACE bridge footing guidelines as a starting point in my design, but if you’re gonna do something, you might as well do it right, right?)

But since I was toying with the thought of making a ranch-style sign, and (Spoiler Alert?) they got off the island, I figured I ought to at least solicit some alternatives. I jotted down what came to mind, but feel free to be creative, and suggest something new!
And also remember that this is really Emma‘s project, so while the sign’s getting made, it may never be publicly displayed.

It’s Never To Early…

Believe it or not, if you haven’t started planning out your 2013 garden yet, you’re already behind. But don’t worry, there’s plenty of time to catch up, but in order to do that, you’re going to have to get started. Luckily, the internet is here to help you.

The nice folks over at Tomorrow’s Garden have compiled a list of links to pages where you can order yourself some seed catalogs to get started!

Stay tuned for my new plan to grow slightly biointensively this year!

Just a Quick Garden Update

With all the beer nonsense going on lately, you may have thought that our garden was getting the short end of the stick. You’d be wrong.

It’s just that after the seeds have been planted, there’s very little to do for a few weeks.

Well a few weeks have passed, and now there’s work to be done again. Believe it or not, pretty much everything we grow should be started by now, and our peas, carrots, and spinach should already be in the ground. (Don’t believe me?) There are a few things that I deliberately do “wrong”, and starting the squash indoors early is one of them. I start my squash when I start my tomatoes and peppers, so that they’re bigger when we transplant them and give away the extras come mother’s day. Unfortunately, that means that from late February through the middle of May, traditionally the end of the coldest part of our year, I’m trying to find space for over a hundred seedlings. Fun!

The other day I transplanted the squash out of their single thirty six cell flat, and into individual 4″ pots. Through careful selection, and judicious root separating, I went from twenty eight cells with viable seedlings, to forty one pots with seedlings that have room to grow. Considering it would be difficult for us too realistically fit any more than ten plants in the space we have allotted for squash, it looks like I’ll be giving away a lot.

Tomatoes and peppers grow MUCH slower than squash, which is why they’re actually supposed to be started so early. as a result, that seventy two cell flat that’s holding them will do for quite a while.

Chile Seed Harvesting 101

When I got my invitation to the 4th annual tomato pepper seed exchange the other day, I figured it was about time to actually get some seeds ready.

As simple as it is to turn this: into this: it amazes me that more people don’t have their own seed collections.

A Project!

We were shopping the other day, and unexpectedly came home with this:

55 gallons of potential

That’s right folks, we’re making a rain barrel!

Or at least we’re going to, once I get the parts I need.