More of the Garden, Layers Club Upgrade, and Farewell to Henry

Just an update on the garden and info on some minor improvements.

We spent a good part of our Saturday beating down weeds, like every other gardener.  The beds are pretty much set, but the plots need still some weed-bustin' love on a regular basis.  This year I'm doing the thing with potatoes where you add soil around the plants as they grow.  I'm probably the last gardener in the US to pick up on this, but I heard it on one of Scott Terry's 'Christian Farm and Homestead Radio' shows some time back.  Since potatoes grow above the seed potato you planted, adding soil above as the plant grows should make more place for new potatoes to grow and increase your yield.  I'll let everyone know how it works out.

You can see some of the soil piled up around the potatoes.

 We also added some extra rope and string for the pole beans.  By the time we got done the whole looks kinda like a cattle panel.  Duh!  Guess what we'll be using for pole beans next year?

We also made a couple of upgrades to the Layer's Club (our chicken coop). Some of the particle board was starting to show it's age when we moved the old bus shelter building and turned it into a coop.  We added some plywood to reinforce the wall below the laying boxes.  I suspect the next time I get my hands on a sheet of plywood we'll upgrade the back wall above the boxes too.  I also added a long step to get up into the 'people' part of the coop.  We did have a 2x12 wood scrap garden bench there, but it was a little wobbly and De was afraid it was going to roll out from under her.  We got them both in and painted up in just a bit over an hour.

Plywood reinforcement for an old particle board wall.

Wall and step in and ready for use.

Finally, Henry the Gold Lace Wyandatte cockerel has left the building!  The family that took him has two flocks, one of which needed a rooster.  They know what they doing with chickens and are used to cranky roosters.  It's a good deal all around: We were happy to see him go to a good home with knowledgeable folks and they were happy to get him. It should be a little quieter around the run!

Take care all, and have a great week.

Col. 1:9-12,

Mark