New Coop Coming & more

Chickens: With our first coop we were thinking easy, mobile & simple. It has worked great & we've liked many things about it--namely being built on a wheel barrow base for easy transport.

old.

Well, Drew got it in his head to switch things up & there's never a way for me to convince him that what's working is working. So, he came up with a plan & used me only for re-thinking measurements & such.

He started on Friday & it's almost done. We'll save the big reveal for after she's painted, but it's pretty exciting to see a new home for the birds...I think they'll approve.

sneak peak.

Bees: We've found a gentleman who is willing to let the bees sit on his property while we're in transition. Some folks are terrified of bees & the thought someone might now buy our house because they're out back has crossed our minds, so they'll be visiting a friend for a while...

Also, Drew is reading this book (per my request). He's read much of it outloud to me (it is, afterall, a grouping of speeches). Rudolf Steiner is the founder of Waldorf style education, what we're loosely basing our Homeschooling on. He's an extreme naturalist & his vision of bees is fascinating. It has really opened our minds ideas outside modern science, which leaves a lot of holes in bee-understanding that Steiner is filling. If you're a beekeeper you should take a peek. Even if you're not, Steiner's theories are real mind benders.

Bees

On the garden front: things are really coming along. Asparagus is shooting out like crazy, peas are making their grand entrance & other seeds--namely spinach & lettuce, have been planted & are beginning to sprout. As for the seedlings, well. Not much great to say there, but I think we've learned that our issue was having our light too high, it sounds like 2 inches would be a better height, and possibly a system that can be raised as they grow. Thinking...

I (lacey) have not given up. I intend to try some heirloom variety tomato seedlings. Drew is going with the farmer's market plants. I think this is how it goes down every year.

We got some great mulch from this local mulch yard for the pathways & our front landscaping. Things are looking fresh & bright & we're enjoying it until the battle of the weeds begins. Soon we'll mow & that will REALLY put us in summer-mode.

On the home-front: We're still looking. We took a major hit a week or so ago. We suddenly were hopeful that we'd be able to purchase this property. Well, as soon as we called & started discussing details it was under contract. Huge disappointment, but we're trying to push forward. We have the distraction of Passover this week & are really trying to take advantage of the cleaning-out spirit to keep the house in a sellable state. We will list it via MLS this week.

They Are Growing

Here comes the real test. This is where I always get to and where it always goes wrong. The seedlings are now all sprouting up. The Spinach is just breaking the surface and the artichoke has not come up yet but everything else has.

Today we thined out all the extra seedlings so that there is one seedling per pot. This will help the plants grow stronger.

The next step is we wait for the secondary leaves. Once we get those it will be time to fertilize with an organic fertilizer.

Broccoli and Brussels starting to come up

Lettuce Seedlings

Spinach just starting to come up


Lettuce and Bok Choi, the middle is Artichoke which hasn't come up yet.

Starting Seeds for the Urban Farm

We offically put our house on the market last week with For Sale by Owner. However, I dont know if you have heard but the housing market is not doing so well right now.

So we are initiating plan "B" which is also know as plan "staying sane while we wait". We are getting ready for spring time, which means getting seeds started. Which is also a valuable farm skill. For as many years as I have been gardening I have never really been that successful with seedlings.

The main downfalls and ultimately deaths of my seedlings have been as follows.

1: They grow great but then get real long and spindly

2: If they make it past 1 then i forget to water them and a bright sunny day "melts" them.

3: the few and the strong that make it past 1 and 2 are then transplanted outside. once outside they die from the shock and most likely from all of the stress that their little young lives have seen.

4: and from 1,2, and 3 that survive, which is probably about 1% some thing eats them or the frost gets them.

The best way to succeed is to know your weakness and plan for it. I am pretty confident that the real problem is the starting of the seeds. Generally once a plant is outside in the dirt and in good condition I can get it to thrive. Today we started some seeds and after much research I have found a few errors in previous seed rearing years.

1: not enough light. seedlings need about 14 hours of light and setting them next to a window will not working in the winter they need more light than that and stronger light.

Solution- I am going with two 60w grow light set on a timer for 14 hours a day. away from a window.

2:No fertilizer. We are big about the whole organic thing. i have two big piles of compost out there in the garden waiting for the spring garden and I never use miracle grow, it is just

wrong. But I have never tried fertilizing the seedlings.

Solution- Use an organic fertilizer when the secondary leaves start coming out.

I think that with these two corrections the little seedling stand a much better chance. I am going to give the spring seeds these corrections and see how it goes that way hopefully in a month when it is time to start the summer seeds I will know what to correct.

Here are the steps that I and my expert helper took today.

1:

Insert Pellets, make sure they are standing up.

2:

Water the Pellets

3:

Watch them grow

4:

flatten out the soil, make sure it is above the edge of the pots (this will cut down on fungus)

5:

select seeds (make sure they will work for the time of year and location that you are planning on planting them in. take a look at this map)

the seeds of choice for starting indoors: brussel sprouts, broccoli, bok choi, spinach, artichokes, and lettuce assortment.

the seeds of choice for direct sowing out doors will be: carrots, peas (sugar and pod), and kale

6:

plant the seeds

I like to put two in each pot, later I will remove the weaker one

7:

Cover the seeds with dirt, then lay the germination plastic over the seeds until they sprout.

8:

Put them under the grow lights and wait for the magic. they shouldn't need any light until the actual seeds sprout. ( I think I am going to give mine some light anyhow)

Here is a fun little video too.