Tag Archives: chicks

Coming Soon… Veggies!

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Before we kick off the weekend and get back to work, I have a garden update to share from LAST weekend. The last stage of the garden I shared was a long time ago! We have made a lot of progress since then, but more importantly, we are beginning to have the right weather. It takes patience to wait for Pacific NW sun to show up!

After we tilled up the plot we chose, we started lots of seeds and then… waited.

I thought we would be putting the seedlings in the ground over a month ago. But we kept waking up to frosty grass, so we had been waiting and waiting… Mitch planted a bunch of the babies just before we left for Cali and after a couple of days of sun, it rained (read: DUMPED!!) for 2 weeks. So the conditions still weren’t ideal by then (Mid-May).

Last weekend, with the promise of sun for the foreseeable (as far as you can forecast) future, we stocked up and put some good, strong, established plants in the ground. We were lucky to get lots of naively grown veggies that were started in greenhouses around the Central Coast by some of the most skilled gardeners in the area.

The first stop was the Newport Farmer’s Market. Lots of goodies and yummies… our favorite: Gathering Together Farm with their delicious produce and amazing salsas. We picked up a bunch of herbs and some tomatoes grown by Blue Heron Farm.

Next, we went to the OSU Master Gardeners Plant Sale. This was incredible because all of these plants were grown locally by experts who were happy to share advice. Looking into the Master Gardener program when we first moved here, was where we discovered the Permaculture program Mitch is completing.

At the Newport Farmer’s
Blake’s Nursery
Loading up at Blake’s
A Car-full
Homeward with our new plants.

I learned that EVERYTHING around here is grown in a greenhouse during Spring. That is very good to know. A project for next year… an incredibly exciting one, that seems so obvious! We will be able to get a head start on everything and even grow some stuff year round! A solution to the 2 month growing season I am used to out here (ie. my summer garden every year in Portland which seems to yield a thousand tomatoes all in the same week.)

Planting and weeding was quick and easy (for me!) and doubled as a sunbathing session (Mitch did everything).

Mitch’s companion Planting Plan.
Adding Gravel to Keep Critters out.
Lots of Tomatoes
Weeding
Chicks getting in on the weed bounty

So, I have said this before (and revealing much about my personality), farming is a slow process. It takes lots of time and patience… but nothing could be more satisfying than watching as each thing comes together.

Xo, Ken

Sometimes you need a friend with a tractor….

Fred on the tractor

Fred on the tractor

All Moved In!

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Just a quick little post before we hit the road to show off our baby chicks, who have grown up and moved out. Mitch made an amazing home for them and they immediately got straight to work acting like full-grown chickens! Pecking, scratching and roosting. They even taught themselves how to go up and down the plank and they go to bed themselves right when it starts to get dark!

Now, I have heard that this would happen, but I imagined that we would have to spend a lot of time training them what to do! How can these little dummies (seriously) be so smart! Talk about instincts. I am so relieved that this was such an easy process… we are heading out of town today and leaving everyone with our wonderful new house sitter, Tara. I can’t wait to hear how it goes and to tell you all about our Cali Road Trip when we get back.

Here is the chicken habitat gallery…

Meanwhile, back inside…
They’re in! Better finish before nightfall.
Welcome ladies.
Wilbur respecting boundaries.
Visit form Caroline and Gavin!
Visit form Caroline and Gavin!
Finishing touches on the garden and the extended run.
Always curious.

Xoxo, K

Chickies!!

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These cute little guys arrived last week.

By special delivery in the mail (USPS is still pretty cool in my opinion…). We nestled them into their new, warm temporary home… the bathtub!

Mitch teaches the 2 day old chicks how to drink water.
Home sweet home…

They’re all adorable and they are already growing FAST! We chose to get babies so that they would get to know us and so that the dogs would have some time to get used to them. I can just imagine the three dogs rushing outside everyday to bark in the poor chicken’s faces (jerks).

Well unfortunately, we already had an accident. Wilbur got one. WHAAAAH!!! I feel horrible and I can’t believe we let it happen. He rushed inside when the door was open before we could even think about it. Before then, I was letting him sniff them at a distance, with dual supervision and a grip on his collar. He was obeying, but definitely obsessed… way too worked up to be left unattended.

The ONLY good thing that came from the tragedy is the lesson learned… the dogs and the chickens are not going to be friends and definitely can’t be left together. I do want to try to make the existence between them peaceful, although separate. With barriers. Because the poor babies are never going to be able to defend themselves. And there are a lot more vicious beasts who will be trying their best to get at them… both by ground and by air. Mitch is going to have his work cut out for him reinforcing the coop to keep out coyotes, raccoons, rodents, hawks and obviously, dogs too. I am so mad a Wil, but I know this was my fault, not his.

Here is a peek into the peaceful past… before the ‘incident.’ When I was still a naïve and trusting mother.

Wilbur showing self-control

Wilbur showing self control