Spring Chickens

After two years of having three beautiful Rhode Island Red hens, they moved down the hill to Ted and Terry's-on a trial basis-we were going to be gone a lot and T&T wanted to see if having chickens worked for them-win/win situation. Well, T&T fell in love with "the girls" and "the girls" fell in love with the Taj Mahcoop. What hen wouldn't-automatic door opener-music-lights-what's not to love. Our coop is more like a Hampton Inn by comparison-cute but not very big-just your average English hen house.

So, here we are,Spring and NO CHICKENS-what to do? After a few phone calls I find someone who will have pullets by mid-June. But somewhere in the midst of my week I chat with my neighbor up the hill, Dana, who has raised baby chicks and just loves the whole process-for some reason I have never raised chicks-could I do that? We don't have a barn-our home is small-it could take some time-could be sort of messy-but it sounds like fun and Dennis thinks it could be fun too-HAVE WE LOST OUR MINDS OR WHAT! Cenex has plenty of chicks and we are going off-island anyway And I found and article in Cappers(Sept./Oct. 09) about building a chicken brooder out of three cardboard boxes and some strapping tape-how cool is that-IT MUST BE A SIGN-chicks are in our future! So, we are off to pick up chicks.

Well, we are home now with the new babies-they are so cute-Dennis and I are smitten. We invite neighbors in to meet them-we gaze at them tenderly-we tell our Westies that they must protect Their chicks-WE HAVE LOST OUR MINDS and this is FUN!


The brooder box went together so easily and is now part of the dining room furnishings, at least for the near future. The chicks settle in nicely-their chirping is so sweet and they are growing so fast-eat-sleep-poop-that's what's going on in the brooder box.

We have 3 golden Sexlinks, 5 black Sexlinks and 2 Leghorns. Sometimes we find them asleep in groups according to color. Other times, napping is fully integrated.


The next step will be outings on warm days in a portable coop and then the final move to the chicken coop.

I got double the number of chickens that I wanted to end up with, so just incase we lost some we'd still have enough to supply eggs for us and some to share. So far all are healthy and happy. We may end up with 10 hens or maybe a rooster or two.

Now, my next project is to find some old golf balls to put in the laying boxes.

HAPPY SPRING!

A Bouquet of Daffodils

Several years ago I got interested in bulbs-the idea of putting a small, brown object in the ground and having it transform itself into a thing of beauty a few months later just facinated me-I did some research, talked to other gardeners and landscapers, and decided that daffodils were the best bet for our area-low maintenence-deer resistant AND they multiply-so off I go to get daff bulbs-thanks to a condition I struggle with-OCD-anything worth doing is worth over-doing-and I arrive home with 3 crates of daff bulbs(about 500). We have an alder grove at the corner of our farm just crying out for some spring color and daffs are the answer! I prepare to plant-dividing the bulbs into groups of 50-a large box of bone meal-small bulb planter-and off I go on a clear,beautiful October morning-desiring to beautify our little corner of the world. I carefully place each bulb into attractive groupings-dig small holes-twice the depth of the bulbs width and proceed to plant my first 50 bulbs-this could take awhile-I get through my second batch of 50 bulbs and decide there has to be an easier, faster method-taking off on the "naturalizing" aspect of daffs, I devise a new plan-I now stand in the general area where I want the bulbs-bag of 50 in handand begin to toss them,gently, in the air-where ever they land is where they get planted-I take my LARGE shovel, put a slice in the ground, push the handle forward opening an area where I drop in some bone meal,drop in the bulb or bulbs,remove the shovel and step on the soil that remains-Now, isn't that simple!


Daffs are a hardy lot and over the years I have been rewarded with georgeous spring blooms in the alder grove. I've added different sizes, colors and bloom times of daffs -almost every fall I plant some more. I've also added some snowdrops and crocus here and there for variety and we enjoy early spring color for many weeks, just when we need it the most.

Sometimes I cut daffs to sell at the Farmers Market or to enjoy inside, but mostly I love them in their natural setting. The entire neighborhood seems to love watching them grow-usually beginning in January-the first tips emerge and we all anticipate the coming show-AHHHH-simple pleasures. So, if you are out and about on San Juan Island and love daffodils, at the corner of Miller Road and Three Corner Lake Road, the show is beginning.....and it's FREE! ENJOY!





P.S.My new favorite gardening book: Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Carol and Norman Hall from Timber Press. It's fabulous, informative and the photography is very inspiring. I highly recommend it.

Oh Deer!!!

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They are beautiful , graceful, quiet, such a part of the forest, farm and town scenery here on San Juan Island and really hungry this time of year!

Most of my gardens are naturally deer-resistant and with three game trails through our property, that's a goood thing.MOST perennial herbs are not on the menu for deer so rosemaries, lavenders, sages, santolinas, thymes,and oreganos are a good bet. I've also used lots of heaths, heathers and many evergreen trees and shrubs that don't tempt MY deer. But at this time of year and then again in late summer, all bets are off and they may nibble on all sorts of plants that are on the "Deer-Resistant List". They may not have read that chapter of the gardeners' book. Last autumn they nibbled on bergenia, bears breech, bachelor buttons, hardy geraniums, hops, yarrow and FENNEL, of all things, here on the farm.

Over the years I've developed a strategy for dealing with my deer. I don't even consider growing roses or any other proven deer-attractants and if I test a plant and the deer find it irresistible I just don't plant any more of it. I've also tested several sprays over the last few years-some smell so awful you might think there is a dead animal in the garden and others smell o.k. but their effectiveness is questionable and they are all so expensive - so when my Mom gave me a recipe for deer repellent from her garden club in the South Willamette Valley, where the deer are large and plentiful, I figured it was worth a try and to my amazement it is very effective.

DEER REPELLENT RECIPE

2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 TBS. dish washing liquid[I use Dawn]

2 TBS. hot chili oil

1 TBS. curry powder

4 tsp. liquid fertilizer

Whisk all together

Makes {4} four gallons of deer repellent when mixed with water.

Store unused portion in refrigerator-will keep up to a month.

Mix 3/4 cup of repellent with {1} one gallon of water into a sprinkling can or pump sprayer. When using a pump sprayer, strain the mixture several times so the sprayer won't clog.

Sprinkle or spray generously on any plants at risk. Do some plants early in the month. Then switch it up and spray on other plants later in the month . The spray will last about a month and should be reapplied after heavy rain or overhead watering.

This spray is also rumored to kill aphids and help to prevent black spot and mildew.

I tested this spray last spring in an area where the Bambie's' are usually browsing and BEHOLD AND LOW-the browsing never happened.

I've also invested in a "Scare Crow" motion activated water sprinkler which I move around my gardens-this is a great deterrent-I just have to remember to tell Dennis which area I've put it in for the night-he's had some surprises when he takes our dogs out for their midnight stroll. I'm considering another "Scare Crow" sprinkler this season-one for each end of the farm-that could get interesting.

I do have my veggie garden fenced which takes care of the deer situation-fencing is expensive and my gardens don't lend themselves to fencing as we are on a sloping hillside-so all of these other strategies have been helpful in co-existing with our local fauna, after all, they were here first.

Some of my favorite deer-resistant plants are:

artemisias

artichokes

cardoons

chamomile

comfrey

eupatoriums-not Chocolate Eupatoriums

fennel

feverfew

hyssop

inula

lavender

lemon balm

marjoram

mints

monarda

motherwort

nepetas

oregano

pulmonaria

rosemary

sages/salvias

santolina

tarragon

thymes

acanthus mollis

aconitum

bergenia

brunnera

buddleia

caryopteris

columbine

crocosmia

delphinium

dierama

echinaceas

foxglove

hardy geraniums-not all

heaths/heathers

hellebores

iris

ivy-not all

lambs ears

lamium

linaria

lychnis

penstemon

perovskia

primula

rock rose

rudbeckias

shasta daisy

yarrows

daffodils

fritillaria

None of these are fool-proof but we stand a better chance with these than with roses! Happy Gardening.