A Blog Contest this Weekend!

Just a heads up....sometime this weekend, I'm going to have a contest here!

And it's going to be a good one for the winner!!!  Tell your friends!

So check back over the weekend, I'll post the details!

Until then, I'll be out in the garden planting, weeding, raking, shovelling and rock picking!

Sphere: Related Content

Planting in the Garden

I got a start....managed to get some peas planted along part of the perimeter fencing.

Then today, I got 2 rows of onions planted. I always try to use my row markers - I am sooo bad at planting straight rows!

Then, I planted some lettuces, kale, spinach and Swiss chard.....I used my Seeder for those rows. It sure makes the job go a lot faster!!

Dinner last night....more delicious home grown pork! That one chop was just huge!

Sphere: Related Content

Went Plant Shopping Yesterday!

Oh what fun! I've never met a garden centre I didn't like!! I picked up some plants yesterday.....

Hmmmmmmm, let's see... I got

Bellflower

2 Wave Petunias for my porch baskets

Leopard's Bane

Lobelia

Annual Verbena

Annual Cosmos (looks pretty in bouquets)

Marguerite Daisy

and.....

a couple of Rosemary plants.

I'll keep these in pots on the deck for easy pickin's at dinner time!

Sphere: Related Content

What's Up with Blogger Uploading Pictures???

What the heck? I'm trying to put some pics up I took yesterday, and Blogger won't give me an option for getting pics off my computer!

Hmmmm....I have to go take a look around....but does anyone know what's up? I don't want to have to load al my pics onto Picassa first, in order to get them on my blog! Sphere: Related Content

The Media Room

Even though we seem to be in the midst of garden and veggie frenzy, that doesn't mean our inside work has finished. We're still working on the wine making/seedling room downstairs. Plus, we've started thinking about what we are going to do with our rec room downstairs.

 We want to turn it in to a media room with a big screen TV and a bar in the corner. We are looking at using recessed lighting, because of its versatility and low profile. Add some nice leather recliners and we should be all set. We'll get a bar fridge down there and a microwave. We'll get lots of use out of this room, whether it's for watching the Canucks or a DVD. A huge bonus for us is how nice and cool it is down there in the dead of summer! So much better than the main floor living room.

 Do you have a special place in your home you can go to cool off? I'd love a shady enclosed porch with vines growing all over it.....maybe next year! Sphere: Related Content

He's Tilling!

The Gman started tilling the main veggie garden today! He got 3/4 of it done!

That means I can get started planting some seeds....lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, carrots, peas...lots of the cool weather veggies can be planted now.

Meanwhile down in the seedling room......arugala, a couple of kinds of lettuces and basil

In the foreground are Violas....behind them Echinicea.

Over the last several days, I have been trying to finish up seeding trays down there. I've got zuccini, more cauliflower and broccoli, sugar beets and grain amaranth planted. I also started 24 corn!

Sphere: Related Content

Preparing for Garden Tilling

Today, we're working on getting well composted manure spread over the main Veggie garden. Usually this is done in the fall but, since I was still recuparating last Fall,

finishing this off got postponed.

You can see the tiller in the pic....it is inching its way closer and closer to the garden!

And...I brought up some of the veggies from the downstairs Seedling room.....peppers and cabbages. Now I have to set aside some time to start more seeds down there....always lots to do at this time of year!!

Sphere: Related Content

Homegrown Breakfast

What a wonderful time of year! The herbs are growing, the flowers are budding.....

Here's Saturday morning breakfast at our house.....wonderful large eggs from our hens, heavenly fresh chives from our garden....and soft goat cheese from my Valley friend.

We're having omelettes! And I have a feeling they are going to be Delicious!

How can you beat this for freshness???  I don't think you can!

Our hens are laying for their second year now....

and in the second year you may not get as many eggs as you did the first year.

But...the eggs you do get are Huge!

I can't even close the lid on this carton and you can see this is a Large Egg carton from the store!  Ha!

Enjoy your Saturday!

Sphere: Related Content

Seeds

I've had a lot of trouble with seed germination this Spring. And...I need to seed more flats downstairs so that I can hope to have enough veggies happening later this year.

Cabbages = not bad germination, but I have seeded a couple of times.

Peppers....18 out of 24, but hey! Who needs 18 pepper plants? Can I exchange a few of them for cauliflower, squash, maybe a few flowers?

I was over at Hometown Seeds and ended up with a Survival Pak...

I was really surprised when I got it in the mail....there are enough seeds there to plant 3/4 acre! And...since they are not hybrid or genetically modified, I should be able to save seed successfully on my own!

Oh...and I learned something from Hometown...I was not keeping my seed cold enough. I should have been keeping it in either our cold room or in our freezer. 

Sphere: Related Content

The Pasture is Under Water

Whoa....here's what I woke up to this morning!!!

Yesterday just after the noon hour, it started raining here....and it rained and rained and rained until after dinnertime.....check this out.

You might think this is Bad...but it's not.

This happens every Spring....and it's a good thing! Since the creek runs thru our property, when there is a snow melt (and there was a lot more snow up high in the mountains) this is what we get.

Followed by all that rain yesterday, which we sorely needed....here is the result.

Bottom flooded pasture land suits us just fine.

Neighbours with bottom flooded pasture never have to irrigate.....we'll appreciate that once we get the pasture back in order so we can start haying.

It'll probably stay flooded for a couple of days, then start to subside.

It shouldn't come up any higher....well, it hasn't since we have lived here. If it does, I am in trouble cuz those pigs are down there about 30 feet away from the water level.

I am NOT moving pigs on my own...nope, not gonna do it. I wonder if pigs can swim????

Sphere: Related Content

Poll Results - Raising Chickens in the City

Well, the poll on the sidebar is now closed....here's the results

a Whopping 80% voted for allowing hens only....
15% voted for allowing both hens and roosters
5% voted for NOT allowing backyard chickens in the city

Where do I stand on the issue? Well....I'd have to go for allowing hens only. Roosters can be problematic. We had some here a year or two ago....and they didn't last all that long. We did them in!

Not only were they crowing at all hours of day or nite....they were so darn rough on my hens! If I want to hatch some baby chicks, my friends down the road have roosters. They'd be more than willing to lend me one or to just give me some fertilized eggs that I could set under one of my broody hens.

I find that hens on their own are pretty quiet....sure they give a good clucking when they lay an egg (and hey, wouldn't YOU?) but aside from that, they are content to be silent and just forage around the yard looking for bugs. And THAT is a benefit to me...they keep the bug population in control somewhat. Now, if I could just keep them out of my flowerbeds!

As far as bad odours go, if one handles the manure pile properly, there is NO smell. If there is a smell, that just means that more carbon is needed for the pile. Alternate layers of manure with a layer of grass clippings, straw, leaves, etc....you'll find the smell goes away if this is done..... Sphere: Related Content

Saskatoon Berry Bushes

In the yard, between the Berry Bed and the Greenhouse.....is a small stand of Native Saskatoon Berry Bushes.

Overgrown with weeds and littered with dead branches. For awhile I've had the idea to clean this area up and so every time I found a large enough rock, I'd bring it over here. Eventually, I thought I could make a rock border around the bed.

Today, I got started.

I rolled the rocks away and then weeded the whole thing out. Cut out a few dead branches too.

Found some landscape fabric and put that down. Anything to try to keep away that dreaded grass crap that keeps finding its way into every garden bed!

I arranged the rocks around the border and then topped it all off with a nice load of compost.

I Love the way it looks!

You can see this years buds just starting to come out....

And when it flowers, it is absolutely gorgeous!!! I'm so glad I got this project done....

We use the berries for making wine, jelly and using in delicious fruit crisps.

Sphere: Related Content

Food Inc.....On PBS April 21

I still haven't seen Food Inc! And....I won't even be able to watch it tomorrow evening! I have searched high and low thru our satellite channels and I don't think we get any of the PBS Channels...damn!

But...the Nman has apparently already set it up to tape on his DVR....so eventually I will get to see it.

Joel Salatin is in it and I'm interested again in what he and others have to say.

So if you haven't seen it, here's your opportunity! April 21st (tomorrow) 9pm on PBS.

Let me know what you think!

Sphere: Related Content

What are YOU Looking At?

Ohhhhhh, who's that?

Look! She's come to feed us!!!!!

Ummmm....got any food?

Can't you see I'm starving here????

(And after eating.....the Pig Races start!)

Sphere: Related Content

Seed Germination - Not the Best!

Boy, I am having lousy germination this year! I have reseeded each veggie several times. I finally bought a different bag of soil, thinking maybe the problem was the soil I was using.....now I wait and see if that has made a difference.

Here's what I have so far....

Cabbages.....

A bit of Basil coming up....

A few Echinacea.....

I had fairly good germination on the pepper....18 out of 24!

Overall, it's been a disappointing start to the gardening season. Oh well....I will keep seeding and keep my fingers crossed!

Sphere: Related Content

Yesterday's Visitor

Here's what was waiting for me when I got up yesterday morning.....

come a little closer....come on....

By this point, I was able to get da Wolf inside before he realized a moose was in our yard...

I am always awestruck when I see moose.....they are soooo BIG...

such long gangly legs holding up that huge body....

I waited awhile to see if there was another one,  but I couldn't see anything else...just this female wandering around out in our pasture!

Sphere: Related Content

Got a Chicken in Your City Backyard??

Got a chicken in your backyard? You're not alone. Across Canada and the U.S., the backyard chicken movement has mobilized — and in many cases, it's getting henpecked by local authorities.







That's because there's no hard and fast rule when it comes to keeping chickens in residential areas. While Victoria, B.C., and Niagara Falls, Ont. allow them — and the city councils of Halifax and Vancouver are weighing them — Toronto, Calgary, Waterloo, Ont. and a whole host of other communities forbid them.






In fact, some residents have recently been charged for keeping chickens within city limits, the latest being a Calgary mother who claims she just wanted to feed her family the freshest eggs possible.






This piecemeal approach to legislating backyard chickens has given rise to some pretty heated discussions around keeping poultry. It has also spawned a number of vocal pro-chicken advocacy groups, with names such as the Halifax Chicken Group, The Canadian Liberated Urban Chicken Klub (also known as CLUCK), Backyard Chickens and Poultry Canada, Omelettes for Everyone and the Waterloo Hen Association.






These groups are on a mission to promote what they believe is a great way of life: an inexpensive, healthy way to obtain pure food from a low-maintenance bird.






Pros: a natural choice


Backyard chicken supporters believe there's nothing healthier — and cheaper — than raising egg-laying chickens.






"Chickens lay eggs all the time, so if you're feeding a family of six you would have a source of eggs that were fresh, healthy and right on your doorstep," Ian Aley, with the Toronto non-profit group FoodShare, told CBC News.






Because chickens eat table scraps, they reduce solid municipal waste, their proponents argue. As for the waste chicken produce, it can be used as fertilizer, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers. (iStock)


According to the Waterloo Hen Association, chickens are also environmentally friendly. "Chickens are productive … they provide eggs for personal consumption and fertilizer for gardens," reads their Facebook page.






Other groups, such as Halifax Chickens, add that the eggs laid by backyard chickens are free of pesticides and antibiotics used in commercial chicken farming. "I think it's really important for [my daughter] to grow up knowing where food comes from," said Lola Brown, one of the members of the group, which numbers 500.






Because chickens eat table scraps, they reduce solid municipal waste, their proponents argue. As for the waste chicken produce, it can be used as fertilizer, eliminating the need for chemical fertilizers.






Saving money also comes into play. "As food prices go up, people are looking for affordable ways to feed themselves," reads the Waterloo Hen Association page. Those who raise chickens don't have to fork over $4 for those free-range eggs at the supermarket.






Cons: a smelly mess, rats


Many residents who have found themselves living next door to someone who keeps chickens aren't as keen on the idea.






One reason is that other animals, such as rats, mice or raccoons are frequently drawn to their feed. Halifax resident Pauline Murphy said she wound up with rats in her basement two years ago when one of her neighbours had chickens.






"When the chickens left the neighbourhood, the rats shortly afterward disappeared too, and we've had no evidence of them since," she said.






Another complaint that's often cited is noise. While one or two chickens aren't too noisy, 20 birds — the number that's often allowed under city bylaws — can make a ruckus. While the crowing of a rooster at sunrise is quaint when visiting a farm, it's not so lovely when it wakes an urban family daily.






And there's the concern over mess. "Unfortunately, not everybody would keep their coop clean," writes one CBC News.ca commenter. " Chicken coops are very smelly."






Smell aside, public health officials also worry about the spread of disease, which can occur if bird carcasses or feces are disposed of improperly. Salmonella is one bacterium that can be passed from bird to human if a person comes in contact with bird feces or eats infected eggs.






As well, the spread of avian flu around the world in 2005 highlighted how easily a virus can spread through bird and human contact. According to the World Health Organization, this virus, which attacks the respiratory system, caused 241 deaths between 2003 and 2008 worldwide.






Support in poll


So where do most people stand on the backyard chicken issue? As of March 12, 2010, 70 per cent of readers who participated in CBC.ca's informal online poll on keeping backyard chickens supported the idea.






Many are lobbying their local governments to enact bylaws allowing backyard chickens, while putting in place rules to limit their numbers and to ensure they're raised and handled properly.






The latest pro-chicken march, organized by CLUCK on March 10 in the streets of Calgary, had 100 people in attendance.






"Especially since this works in huge cities like Vancouver and Seattle, why can't we have it work in Calgary, where we're even more agricultural friendly?" said Jennifer Cavanagh, who was in the crowd.














Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2010/03/12/f-backyard-chicken.html#ixzz0l5syR2yw

________________________________________________

So....look for a new poll on the right sidebar. Do YOU think chickens should be allowed in urban backyards?


Sphere: Related Content

Da Piggy's New Home

We got them moved the other day. Here they are in what will be the Animal Garden. They'll stay in here for maybe a month.

See them playing with the soccer ball?

A better view of their new pad.....when they get moved again, they will go in the pasture. The Gman will just turn their house around....then they won't be able to get back into the Animal Garden.

A very Happy Piggy....with a dirty nose! They are glad to be able to run around in their new pen....

Meanwhile, back at the new strawberry bed....the girls are still working it over for me!

Sphere: Related Content

If You Live in BC and Wanna Fight That **&^% HST Tax, Read This!

There's 90 days to sign the petition. From what I read, it can't be "signed" online....it must be signed in person. A canvasser will apparently go around to everyone.

Please consider signing up to be a canvasser!!!

Head over here....Please! Sphere: Related Content

New Strawberry Bed

Yeahhhh! The newest Strawberry Bed is done!

Well....my part at least is done!

I've put up some temporary fencing using T posts and chicken wire....

I'm putting a couple of the hens in there for an hour or so each afternoon....they'll stay busy scratching away at all that manure. I love it when my chickens are at work!

Sphere: Related Content

Feedlots

Feedlots in Arizona....if u buy your beef at the supermarket, here's a look at how they live before they show up on those white styrofoam trays in your store.

This is where they spend their last days...close quarters

getting fattened up on grain

not much room to move around. Just hang out &  lay around in manure....under the power lines. Yummy...not!

How many animals are in there, do you think? Guesses?

At least some of them can get a bit of shade....

This is how we like our beef....grass fed right up until their last bite. Found on more small farms than you'd think!

Sphere: Related Content