New Garden

[heironymouspasparagus]

  Well, I am now a Chicken Farmer.  

We have 4 little chickens.  Look out Tyson, here we come.  

We have Hyacinth (who seems to be the lead chicken and bosses everyone around) , our Rose (who is in black as she has probably lost another boyfriend and is in mourning or wishes to visit the Vicar and live in a convent) , our Daisy (is short and pudgy and has the feathered feet reminiscent of house slippers) and there is of course our Violet (who is the dainty small one, she does not have a sauna, but there may be room for a small pony).  No Richard or Onslo for have found out they are illegal in the city.

Pictures to come soon.

Were you at the chicken session at Grogg's Green Barn on Saturday?

If not, that is an amazing coincidence....

[heironymouspasparagus]

They don't care much for the kittehs do they?

Yes!  They will eat kittehs, too!

[heironymouspasparagus]

My wife would love that, unfortunately we have a Cooper's Hawk and several large barn owls that would make quick business of a chicken.  They have become so unafraid of us that they will sit on the fence in the back while we are out there and pick small birds off of the trees.

It's a shame they won't eat grackles!!

[TheArtist]

Were you at the chicken session at Grogg's Green Barn on Saturday?

If not, that is an amazing coincidence....

Nope have never been there.  We got our chicks at Atwoods in Owasso about 7 weeks ago.  We built them a moveable cage out of pressure treated 2x4s and wire.  It's about 4'wide by 8'long by 4'tall with a little dutch door in one side.  Will keep the hawks and other critters out and the chicks in.  We have designed it so that we can butt up another one next to it if we want to increase the size of the pen later.  Then this last weekend we looked around the place and used extra scraps to build a little chicken coop on wheels so that it too can be moved around the yard as the chickens trample and eat up the grass in each spot. Before we had been using a dog carrier and bringing them in at night when it was cold.   

[Conan71]

It's a shame they won't eat grackles!!

MC watched one tackle a blue jay and fly off with it a couple of weeks ago.  There were two impressive piles of feathers in the back yard when I got home.

[heironymouspasparagus]

MC watched one tackle a blue jay and fly off with it a couple of weeks ago.  There were two impressive piles of feathers in the back yard when I got home.

We had a mourning dove nest in the yard last year.  Two young'uns.  They got out of the nest and were flying around the yard with SWMBO sitting on patio watching and enjoying.  About 10 minutes into their 'first flight', a red tailed hawk swept down and hammered one of the babies.  Took it away to feed it's own kids.  Happened about 20 feet from her, so naturally she freaked out and called me all pissed off at the hawk. 

It's a cold, hard world out there....

[Townsend]

Word of warning in case you had any ideas:


Growing Marijuana In The Front Yard Lands Muskogee Man In Jail

MUSKOGEE, Oklahoma - Muskogee Police have arrested a 64-year-old man for allegedly growing marijuana in the front yard of his home.

Danny Rose was booked into the Muskogee County jail Wednesday morning on a complaint of cultivation of marijuana.

Police say they did not find a large quantity, just a few plants at his home in the 300 block of North 34th Street.

http://www.newson6.com/story/17385745/growing-marijuana-in-the-front-yard-lands-muskogee-man-in-jail

[DolfanBob]

Word of warning in case you had any ideas:


Growing Marijuana In The Front Yard Lands Muskogee Man In Jail



http://www.newson6.com/story/17385745/growing-marijuana-in-the-front-yard-lands-muskogee-man-in-jail

First a Grandma pot dealer in Craig County. Now Grandpa growing his own. I guess the 60s Hippie's have all gotten old, but just not grown up.

[Conan71]

"Like dude! I didn't mean to grow it in my front yard, I was sooooo stoned I thought I planted it in the back yard!"

Who says dope doesn't make you stupid?

[Hoss]

"Like dude! I didn't mean to grow it in my front yard, I was sooooo stoned I thought I planted it in the back yard!"

Who says dope doesn't make you stupid?

It really needs a visual if you're going to say it...

[nathanm]

It was probably the glaucoma.

[DolfanBob]

I love Spicoli.

[Townsend]

I love Spicoli.

He's taken a turn somewhere...

[custosnox]

Back on topic, the garden is having some problems.  I am seeing some holes in the leaves, and on one of my pepper plants has a dark spot on a leaf.  Also I'm afraid I lost one of my banana pepper plants.  When I came back yesterday it was laying on the ground, looks like it was cut right above the ground.  Hope it continues to grow.  I seem to have a lot to learn about this gardening thing.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Back on topic, the garden is having some problems.  I am seeing some holes in the leaves, and on one of my pepper plants has a dark spot on a leaf.  Also I'm afraid I lost one of my banana pepper plants.  When I came back yesterday it was laying on the ground, looks like it was cut right above the ground.  Hope it continues to grow.  I seem to have a lot to learn about this gardening thing.

Sounds like some kind of cut worm or damping off fungus cutting stem.  You got slugs around?  When plant a new one, put a piece of cardboard around base of plant a couple inches in ground and a couple inches above ground.  They make plastic rings for that, too, but can use the tube in a roll of toilet paper or part of a paper towel roll.  Or some 3" PVC pipe, cut about 6" long, slipped around the stem when planting - kind of overkill.  When plant grows a little, the stem will harden up, so won't be a problem for cardboard to disintegrate.

Don't worry about the holes in the leaves unless they are all gone...   Dark spot could be fungus, pick it off the plant and remove it from the area to keep from spreading - don't put in compost pile.  If only one or two leaves, can run through garbage disposer, otherwise, just put in trash - get it away from garden.

Are they getting enough sun?  All day.  And are you watering VERY SELDOM, and none at all with all the rain we have been getting?  Let the ground get dry to about 2" deep while they are still young, then after that, about an inch a week worth of water.  If rains, then don't water at all.  More plants die from overwatering than from drought - it won't hurt them to wilt just a little bit from time to time, before watering (after established) - but too much water will kill them, as well as infecting with all manner of fungi.