is needed when sexing a day-old chick. One of our new chicks has turned out to be a rooster! The very developed comb and wattles are a sure giveaway. No hatchery can provide 100% accuracy, but they are usually right on the mark. But our Toni has become Tony! Fortunately, we have found him a home, a farm in Monroe who was eager to add another rooster to his flock. We will miss you, Tony!
It's pepper time!
And they couldn’t be more beautiful! The harvest has been spectacular this summer…temperatures must have been just right! Friends and family have all enjoyed them, and St. Mary’s church in Durand accepts donations of fresh produce for the food pantry.
New chicks arrive...
and they are all perfect! I am always amazed that day-old chicks can spend 2 days in a box traveling hundreds of miles…and still arrive safely. 6 Plymouth Rocks and 6 Brown Leghorns will join the rest of the girls soon!
It's happening!
Glorious, gorgeous grapes!
Planting potatoes....
is hard work! I am so grateful to Grace and her family for pitching in. German Butterballs are in the ground!
Peas!
What is it about peas that is so wonderful. Their “greenness”…or maybe because they are one of the first planted seeds to emerge. Whatever the variety - garden, snow, or snap, we love them all!
Requiem for a hive...
There is nothing sadder than to hear the total silence of your hive. Our bees did not survive the winter. After completing a “postmortem” we have identified the possible causes. A colony weakened by Varroa mites tops the list. We are determined to try again and this year we will have a more robust IPM plan in place. We really feel like we failed them!
Winter...
has encompassed the farm. The snow cover is beautiful, but the below-zero temperatures are not! But in 6 short weeks, things will look very different. For now, I am busy in the greenhouse starting onions, leeks, shallots and celery.
Hydroponics....
make growing lettuce so easy! In just a few days, seeds planted in rock wool cubes begin to germinate and are placed in the hydroponic tanks of circulating water. In just a few weeks, you have healthy plants…and a few weeks after that, you harvest!
It's not only our plants....
that benefit from the increased daylight each day. Our hens appreciate it too, as it increases their egg production! Just look at January - only 15 eggs from 17 hens! The literature indicates that production peaks around the date of the summer solstice.
Happy Lunar New Year!
Happy Lunar New Year to all! It's the Year of the Snake. The snake represents calmness and introspection -- traits seen as important for "guiding one's life with wisdom and grace!" We celebrate each year with making hundreds of egg rolls to put in the freezer! How are you celebrating?
It's National Seed Swap Day...
and time to sort through those way-too-many seed packets and share with others! And these are just a fraction of the many tomato varieties I have in my seed vault! Some friends and family aren’t able to set up seed-starting stations of their own, so I am happy to start the seedlings for them. I take requests up through mid-March! It’s so exciting - germinating is soon to begin!
-1 degree outside...
and still harvesting lettuces from the greenhouse every day. Is there anything more satisfying (and delicious!) than harvesting your own food? These beautiful greens were grown hydroponically.
What plants are doing...without us!
This is such a fascinating book, but I think I need to reread it several times over! It has so much information…too much to absorb at one time. Every time I have seen a tomato hornworm that has been parasitized by a wasp, I have assumed that it was just luck that the wasp saw a juicy caterpillar in which to lay her eggs. Apparently, though, the tomato plant made it happen. Plants are able to communicate with other plants and organisms by releasing tiny molecules (VOC’s), often associated with distinct smells. This can alert the wasp that the plant is in trouble and being invaded by hornworms, so the female wasp responds by laying her eggs under the skin of that hornworm. As the eggs hatch the larvae actually feed on the hornworm’s insides. The larvae eat their way out of the caterpillar and spin cocoons which look like grains of rice attached to the caterpillar’s back. Eventually adult wasps will emerge from the cocoons and the weakened hornworm will die. Scientists are learning so much about these odors, but aren’t sure how the signals are received and interpreted. They have even discovered evidence that certain plants will be more hospitable when planted near “kin” as opposed to “strangers”…even in overcrowded conditions. For those of use who plant intensively in small spaces, this has major ramifications! If you enjoy plants and wonder what their lives are like, find a copy of this book…and prepare to be AMAZED.
National Dog Day today...
and we celebrate all the dogs in our lives. Last week we welcomed a new pup to the farm…Walnut! Responds readily to “Wally” and is enjoying learning all the in and outs of Walnut Hill Farm. Rescued from the Clark County Humane Society, she was one of a litter of eight. Not sure of her heritage, but a DNA kit is on its way which may help us understand her background. Whatever she is, she is a cutie! Welcome, Wally!
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