M!

Laying Down the Law

Chicken, if you don't start laying eggs soon..... Chop!

Zenger Farm

Never mind some rain, Maddy and I headed out to see Zenger Farm the other day. It's an old homestead within the city limits, now preserved as a working/educational farm. It's got all the good stuff: organic crops and lots of chickens. Solar power and rainwater irrigation. Fruit trees and beehives. And popcorn! Here Maddy is helping to get the corn off the cob. Then we popped our kernels. With a snack in our stomachs we were ready to tour the the farm.

Do you have a rain barrel? Is it big enough? Do you get jealous when you see someone who has two rain barrels? Then whoa, check out the tanks on this farm! Our tour guide didn't know how big these were but... wow, that's some capacity!
After walking around the farm both Madeleine and my camera were getting pretty soggy. There isn't much edible in the fields yet, but we did walk by a patch of winter broccoli. This is a purple variety that produces bite-sized florets instead of one big head: it's more work to pick but you can pick meals off of it right through the winter. Apparently Maddy likes raw broccoli. Here she's trying to smile, but that's tough with a mouthful of veges. Note that she's plucking more off the plant as she poses for this picture!

Rainy days....good for sleeping.

Garden update

Peas, lots of them. Golden Pods, Cascades, Oregon Sugar: they're starting to climb the trellis.

Lettuce, Arctic King and then some sort of Romaine under the peas, and a single Blush Batavian to fill in slug damage.

And some radishes. And spinach. And planted but not yet appearing are some Detroit Red beets, and some Scarlet Nantes carrots.

Newest Member of the Team

Yes, we've got a fruit tree now. I didn't care for the name Peter's Honey, but I hear that this is a good fig for eating fresh from the vine or for drying.

M's New Trowel!

Downstairs Daytime

My first light setup was a single bulb, now seen on the floor in this setup.

Then we went to a triple strip, seen on the middle shelf.

And now, much more power: A heavy duty 4 bulb strip blazing away on the top shelf.

Seeds start on the bottom level, with enough light to head them in the right direction. Then its up to the top shelf under full power to keep the plants compact and optimize growth at their young age. When they get up-planted to larger pots in preparation for going outdoors, then get the middle shelf where they still have plenty of space but room to leaf out a bit.

Chocolate Pudding

Chocolate puddin'!!!

Spring!

Check out the sunshine! Check out those pea and lettuce starts in the background!