I am sitting at a small table on the patio in the middle of my vegetable garden, on a sunny day hovering around 60 degrees. The chickens are out and about sometimes visiting for a few minutes before resuming bug patrol. They seem to love grubs and insects of all kinds. They are also fun to watch. Although they look identical, they each have their own personality and style. One of the chickens likes to fly a little when she’s in a hurry. Her sister prefers taking long strides while the third chicken has a fast waddle that is hilarious to watch.
We just got a warning call from the neighborhood crows who sounded like they were three houses over. I find it fascinating that the chickens heard, listened and responded to the call by heading toward the chicken pen door. No flies on these girls.
It has been a very windy day with numerous gusts that have shaken the trees violently; a very noisy day outside. That has made opening up the tunnels an adventure; never knowing whether or not the wind was going to rip the plastic sheeting from the hoops. I did manage to harvest a couple dozen long, thin carrots without major incident.
The “Red Kitten” spinach in the other tunnel is nearly ready to pick. Unfortunately, the Mache is far from ready. In fact, most of the seeds have yet to germinate. I did water everything while I had the tunnel opened, so maybe the seeds will start to wake up.
Fruit tree pruning is finally done. Next activity is spraying the trees with dormant oil in a week or so. It’s taken me quite a few years, but I now feel confident about my pruning skills. I have been trying to train all of the trees to an “open vase” style. We’re starting to get there. The chickens are bugging me for a treat so I’ve gotta go. There are only 26 days left until Spring.
All the best,
Greg
