PREPPING FOR FALL

Well first and foremost...the last escapee is back in his pen. He screamed like I was trying to eat him while I was carrying him over. Look how huge these guys are! I bet they weigh more than 2 pounds each.



My palms have been itching to plant something. I can't stand to see fallow beds. So I stopped by a couple of good nurserys trying to find fall bedding plants. There sure is not a lot to choose from. But they did have Basil. I got 4. They are large plants and tomorrow I will prune them back and take the prunings and put them in water to root for more plants. Winter Pesto here I come.



I bought all of their tomato plants. They were healthy but not pretty. They had pruned them back when they got gangly and finally gave up and were selling all of them for 1.99 each. Most are heirloom varieties, some don't even have tags. But I bought them all.



My beans beside them came up in a day and a half. I hope their whole growth cycle is like that.

I had visitors in the garden while I was planting. Bull sat by my side panting while sweat poured off of me. And the gunieas came to see what I was doing....gave me planting advise....then walked outside the gate and dug a hole in the mud where I had had the water running to fill the chicken waters. I believe I have 2 males and 1 female in the babies.




Daddys are losing patience with 2 of them, but the smallest one stays beside the momma and the big males never try to chase her off.

My 5 brown leggorn pullets are feathered out and have joined the adults. Other than a little pecking order stuff, they pretty much just fit in. They should start laying in the spring.



Tomorrow evening I will plant a bed of zuchinni and see if I can try to get in some to dry for soups and stews and breads this winter.

I know I probably don't have enough time for pumpkins, but who knows. Frost may be late this year.

I will start the brocolli in my little mini seed starter green houses. They should be ready to plant next month.

The rest of these will go in the ground next month too. The lettuce bed will also have onions in the same bed and will be fit for a winter cover so that I can have salad through spring.



I am going to experiment with storing carrots beets and turnips under ground this winter.