Beautiful Bounty

Well, after along onslaught of cold and windy temper mental weather,it seems spring/summer is finally upon us. And with that comes the wonderful growth of our beloved veggies and teenage hens.The days are lusciously long, the windows and doors wide open, the sound of lawn mowers and children playing permeate the air while dogs and chickens find cool shady spots to lie peacefully.It is all as slow as molasses and wonderful.

The chicken chateau is finally complete after way to many days off spent on hands and knees and annoying trips to the hardware store upon forgetting something. But alas, our little girls have moved on up in life and most importantly, out of our immediate hair.

To celebrate we threw a pot luck with all the the good people we knew coming out to help move the coop into place and reveling in the lovely weather and amazing food.

Thanks everyone for making the haul from Truckee to spend the evening...it was a treat.

Shanna has busied herself turning our kitchen into an experimental

herbal remedy science laboratory, furthering her love for natural healing modalities.

Best of all Romo and I are the default guinea pigs often embarrassingly smelling of lavender and rose. But we dare not complain.

The garden is coming along nicely with much growth in the past month. We are now regularly eating our lettuce, greens, peas and soon our young broccoli, carrots and beets.

With the warmth here to stay, our tomatoes, peppers and eggplant finally got in the ground and corn, sunflower, squash and cucumber seeds have all punched through the soil and are on their way.

Thanks to everyone for all the love and support you've given to us and this endeavor. More to come soon. Cheers.

Spring Bounty

May... in like a lion, out like a lamb. Everything is growing- despite the cold rain and snow we got a few days ago. The brassicas (kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, vitamin greens and mustard greens), romaine, beets, carrots, onions and peas continue to grow and thrive. We had our first taste of the garden with dinner the other night- fresh and delicious vitamin greens added to a tempeh stir-fry. Yummy! Many sprouts are beginning to show themselves. A few of the many flower seeds that Shanna started are coming up. The blackberry bushes and elderberry tree we planted in February are just starting to get new growth. And we anxiously await the warmer days so that we can plant our warm season plants. On a sad note, the beautiful tomato starts that we started from seed are not doing so well. Last week, on a beautiful 70 degree day we put them outside- only to find that their fragile indoor leaves got sunburnt beyond repair. It was a sad discovery. Luckily... the Great Basin Food Co-Op is having it's annual start sale this weekend- so we can purchase some more heirloom tomato starts.Tony has been busy with building the chicken coop. It will have a 5' x 13' run and a 5' x 4' hen house. It will keep them safe from the neighborhood cats and raccoons. And keep our garden safe from their scratching and pecking. We're looking forward to getting them out of the garage and into their home- hopefully by the end of the month.We have discovered that one of our eight chicks is not like the others. The beautiful (and noisy) Buff Oppington is a bonified rooster. He will either 1) be eaten or 2) be adopted out. Most likely he'll be given to a good home that can house a rooster. Thank goodness we don't need a rooster to get those eggs- they won't be fertile, but they'll still be delicious. The other girls are all growing steadily. It is amazing how fast they become chickens. And they are just starting to let out strange chicken noises that are between a cheep-cheep and a bag-gak when they are frightened or riled up. So fun to watch.This is a beautiful time of year. The hills are green and covered with wildflowers here in Reno. The air is fresh and delicious. And we are so thankful to have this great home to be able to grow our own food to feed to our family and friends and pets. Much love.

Worshipers of the Warmth

So it seems spring in the high desert can be a bit temperamental. Our young little veggies got off to a challenging start. But an entire full week of warm sunny weather, the brilliant bloom filled trees scattered around town and the hyperactive love songs of horny birds permeating the air brings hope of a tangible spring. And not a moment to soon.

About a month has passed since we got our baby chicks and in that short time they have

transmuted from little dollops of puffy down cuteness, into gawky and awkward pre-pubescent velociraptors...not quite chicks...not quite chickens. It seems the transition from childhood to teenager is rough on all species.

Within two weeks they had quickly outgrown their infantile confines and are now spaciously residing in the garage within new and improved digs. Soon they will upgrade once more to the Chateau Le Poule (chicken coop) yet to be built, where they will then dutifully and diligently produce vast amounts of delicious eggs, so help them God.

Romo has settled in nicely too, and now

commands more attention and love than any living thing respectively deserves. With the absurd bias of any proud parent, he is, by leaps and bounds, the greatest dog in the the entire

history of great dogs, ever! And spoiled filthy rotten. It seems well cared for dogs are at the pinnacle of the karmic ladder...probably just under Divine transcendence...I can only hope to achieve such a ridiculously good life.

Oh yes, the garden. Well, we got anxious with

the last bout of warm weather

and planted all our baby cool weather veggies only to be humbled with a quick return of frigid winter. But with a heavy layer of mulch around the fragile little ones and a feeble attempt at a row cover to protect them from the freezing nights, we managed to have gotten them through the worst of it...and for the most part, everything made it. Now that warmth and sun is here, they all spring to life with new growth and resilience. Cant wait for those first greens!

Next on the agenda is to plant our potato cuttings that we've been saving and allowing to sprout multitudes of eyes for quite some time. As we approach our areas average last frost date, we can also begin to plan for our summer garden varieties...tomatoes, summer squash, peppers, corn, sunflowers, beans, etc...some of which we have already started in our sunny living room window.

I love this time of year...so opening...expansive...vibrant.

Love to all.

Spring is Springin'

After a long and gloomy February, we have been momentarily blessed with a warm and luscious March. With that, we all stir to life and crawl from the confines of our centrally heated living boxes and bare thy pasty skin to the Great Sun. So to, the plant world awakens from dormancy with new life in many colorful and bulbous forms, beckoning us to get down low to the earth and have a good look at the new splendor.

We have made some big headway in our development of the backyard garden. Last Friday we were delivered 10 cu yards of compost and topsoil for our many beds. Now, I don't know how familiar any of you are with measurement, but suffice it to say, we had one of the larger land masses in Washoe County right in our driveway.

With due diligence and a hardy breakfast stickin' to the ribs, we set out to shovel millions if not trillions of wheelbarrow loads into our backyard...we were finished by lunch time.

With all the extra dirt we thought it a good idea to make a few more growing spaces, so we made another little bed for our strawberries, a couple of large planters made from some leftover redwood planks for carrots, radishes, etc, and a wonderful rock lined bed on the west wall of our

yard for all of our herbs. We also cleared a small space in our south facing front yard and planted our asparagus crowns. Its a great location for such a springtime perennial with full warm sun and water runoff from the roof. Its very exciting to see all the spaces unfold.

Its even more exciting to see our little baby starts coming of age, readying themselves for the big move to the outside world. We have been putting them outside during the warmth of day when we are home and will soon begin hardening them off to the colder nights. Thus far, the

kale, broccoli, chard, brussel sprouts, peas and lettuce are off to a great start with tomatoes, peppers and eggplant just seeded. We await some material to make the long 20ft beds into hoop tunnels, providing an element of protection and insulation from the freezing temperatures that can occur for another month or two.

But by far, the most exciting thing has been the addition of eight new baby chicks to the family picked up just today. We researched the various breeds that were cold hardy, docile and, most importantly, high performance egg laying machines and got the following: 2 black Austrolorpes, 2 blonde Buff Opingtons, 2 white Delewares, and 2 calico Americanas.

In preparation we made a brooder for them by getting a good size clear plastic tote and cutting an opening in the top lid for a heat lamp and ventilation. Then we filled it with newspaper topped with paper towels to provide traction. Chicks don't do well on newspaper alone as it is too slippery for them and can lead to leg problems. We then put in a feeder with coarsely ground feed as well as some grit to help them clear away the leftover yoke still in their bellies.

Then we put in a waterer with a little added molasses to help them recover from their harrowing journey from the hatchery. We fired up the heat lamp until the temperature below it was 90 degrees and went to the feed store to fetch our new babies. As soon as they got home we showed them their water source by dipping their beaks in it. As small brained as chickens are they operate on instinct and learned immediately from this tutorial. Once warmed and rested they soon began exploring the new territory and finding their food. After an hour or so they seem to be absolutely content with the basics of warmth, water and food. Their quiet little peeps assuring us that all is well.

Next on the list is to build our hoop tunnels, get things planted and construct a chicken coop.

Thanks for following this fun little journey of learning and growing. We will post more soon.

Love to all.

We received our six blackberry cuttings in the mail this week along with an elderberry tree. They are all obviously dormant and cut back very small with their roots intact. We hurriedly prepared their holes with some added compost and gravel for drainage. In they went in the warm welcoming sun. I suppose we were a bit anxious and premature in the season as the sunny spring like days shifted to a massive snow storm dumping nearly two feet overnight. A fine welcome to our new plant friends. Oh well, toughen em' up for a long productive life in angry high desert weather.

Our spoiled starts on the other hand live in the lap of climate controlled luxury, and are off to a great start looking at the snow covered landscape from the inside of a south facing window. Shanna built an awesome grow space for them in the living room equipped with a grow light for extended hours...who needs furniture any damn way? So far we have started kale, chard, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and onion.

Next on the agenda is to obtain more wood to finish up our beds and for the chicken coop to be designed and built sometime in March. A local feed store here sells a nice variety of baby chicks starting early next month which we will brood indoors for five weeks or so. Also, we will need to purchase a large amount of compost and humus to add to our raised beds. Luckily there is a local company that sells and delivers it by the yard...yee haw.

Big Preppin'

Hey all...We have raised beds!!! 3 out of 5 thus far have been built. This was all free redwood and fir "doneage" lumber and although many of the boards had some warping, a little persuasion of support posts and a copious amount of nails straightened em right up and made for some very attractive frames. The craftsmanship got progressively better as I worked out the kinks along the way. We have also cleared yet more gravel creating a blank bed awaiting till

ing and amending just off the east side of the deck...which, after an access path, will give us an additional 80 sq. ft.

I totally believe in water free xeroscape yard design, especially in such dry climates as here, but words to the wise...don't ever plan on changing things once your rock is in place. This wasnt the nice little pea gravel you can just shovel around either, these were the golf ball size river rock that require one to hand pick it all. I can feel the ballooning of my blood vessels just thinking about such a pain stakingly involved job. But its done.

Another big step came in tearing out 100s sq. ft. of some notorious ground cover in a prime sunny location along the eastern fence line. Due to a good rain yesterday the soil was quite pliable and with the help of a white hot fury for progress and shovel, we managed to clear it all out in a couple hours.

To our dismay, the invasive ground cover concealed a rock laden soil, seemingly made that way by some maliciously minded landscaper of years past. There's a chance that its just the native soil, a good chance...but seeing as how we have another 400 sq. ft. of beds to till near by, I'm gonna pretend they were put there by evil hands. But as all unforseens lead to new ideas, we have decided that a fine hedgerow of hardy blackberry bushes will call this spot home. Perrenials rule! Plant em once, enjoy for years.

Next on the agenda is to obtain some 2-3 year old berry bushes and get them in the ground soon, build a couple more 20'x 4' raised beds, till up their footprint, order a mountain of compost to mix in all the beds, and get some early spring seeds started indoors. Yee-Haw!

Baby steps, baby steps.

We have seen our first true sign of headway this week. With a break in the weather we got the itch to get out and get dirty, and for those familiar with Nevada peanut butter mud, we accomplished this. First, we measured out our main growing area and meticulously staked out five 20'x4' beds running north to south. Using twine to keep clean, straight lines will help when building the raised frames, later. For those that are as horrible with numbers as I am, that 400 sq. ft. that will ultimately serve as our primary growing space for veggies. We hope at some point to equip these beds with removable hoops for extended season growing. But first things first. Next came a secondary bed on the SE side of the yard. This space is very important to us as it receives very good sun for the heat loving varieties of peppers, tomatoes and summer squash. We cleared the space of pre-existing gravel, a job that I quickly found requires an advanced level of patience that doesn't run in my family. Then we tilled the soil with shovel and fork to loosen and aerate. To our surprise we found a prolific amount of earth worms in this space which we plan to keep as happy as possible with frequent feedings of cow shit and compost...easy dinner guests. Lastly, we surrounded the bed with rock to keep the bed nicely defined. With access on all sides, the bed will never become stepped upon and compacted by anyone who knows whats good for em, allowing plant roots easy access to burrow through the loamy soil and also permitting good drainage. With a few amendments this bed will be ready for planting come spring. We estimate this bed to be about 100 sq. ft. Bringing us to 500 sq. ft. thus far. After seeing some early, tangible progress we got excited to begin accumulating materials. One of our goals with this project is to keep out of pocket expenditures to a minimum by utilizing cheap to free resources around town. We owe a huge thank you to Shanna's mom Melody, Chris , Sal and their company Truckee Tahoe Lumber for finding us an amazing amount of very nice lumber from their ugly pile"dunnage". This stuff may not be suitable for building houses but its perfect for building raised beds. Total cost- 1 six pack for the delivery driver. Then we headed over to J&L Windows to ask if they had a similar "bone pile". To our delight they had a slue of various sized windows laying out back waiting for their unfortunate demise in the dumpster. These are old windows that were pulled from their many job sights, replaced with new ones, and to our appreciation they allowed us whatever we wanted. So now we have the beginnings for some cold frames, which are, essentially, mini green houses that will allow us to start seeds and harden off young starts earlier in spring and later in fall. Total cost- nada! Earlier on we decided to get a head start on making some compost, partly due to our over flowing kitchen scraps container, so we made a few composting cylinders by wrapping some chicken wire together. Until we establish a more permanent location these serve as an easy way to contain our compost and allow for fairly quick decomposition. But as all good crap pile owners know, you have to have a good amount of mature, dry plant matter (carbon) to mix with your greens and kitchen scraps...this creates a more healthy carbon to nitrogen ratio for your plants enjoyment. Not yet producing our own carbon compost material, we found a cattle and hay farmer down south that had some really good second cutting bales, which means little to no seed that could make for a weed laden garden later. We bought two 100lb bales and some local honey as a little treat for all our hard work. Total cost- $15 For those who don't already know, there are some wonderful cattle ranches around here that sell very clean. very healthy, very tasty, happy grass fed beef without any of the funny cancerous stuff...beef the way your Grandfolks ate it. So, that's where we are now. Its been a fun and exciting week as we watch the beginning steps unfold before us. Hope this little scribble finds all of you out there well and in good spirit. Until next time.