Bugs and and Plants

Good afternoon everyone! Today I am just sharing some finds in the yard.

Picture 1 and 2 are two praying mantises on my single pitiful rose bush I need to learn to properly care for because I love these bugs. They look cool and they eat bugs that I don't like in my garden. I need more roses as soon as I figure how and when to properly prune them.

Picture 3 is of the stupid morning glory vines that are like a plague and every time I think I get them all they are back 2 days later. They have a grass hopper in them. Not sure yet if grass hoppers are bad for your garden or not but for an insect they are kind of cool looking. 

These two pictures are of my chicken foraging patch which has peas, clover and flax and it is supposed to have alfalfa but I don't really see any. The flax is flowering and it looks beautiful. 

Then I found these in the wildflower area. I planted a bunch of seeds wild flowers and anything else I thought looked pretty. I figured whatever came up would be cool with me. Unfortunately I have no clue what is a flower or a weed that flowers and what is a weed that will just take over the whole thing. This is one of those mistakes I will learn from and start some from seed indoors next year. 

Jalapenos and tomatoes are finally flowering and my beans are doing really well, even the babies I planted hoping for a fall crop. The strawberries and marigolds in my cinder block raised bed are doing pretty well but I think I will have to wait until next year for more than a few berries. 

This is the area that I dumped over 20 bags of 40 pounds of dirt and planted almost dead marigolds. and two other flowering plants in good condition. I planted  herb and clover seeds as well and am hoping for good ground cover. I needed to build the soil up so there were not big holes under the fence. Chickens and huskies are sneaky and can slip through those things. Again I am not going to be sure what is and what is not weeds for a few more weeks but at least I actually know what most of the herbs and clover look like.  

I know it is not a mini farm or a huge garden yet but one step at a time and we will get there. 

Chicks to Chickens

One of our black australorp chicks

Contemplating Chickens

Around March or April this year (2019) I started thinking about getting chickens again and starting a garden. I was worried about getting chickens again because the last set was killed by a dog that dug under the 6 foot fence to get them. The neighbor was a nice guy but took on fostering two Siberian huskies he left out all day. They didn't get along well with his dog and it was originally only supposed to be 2 weeks if I am recalling right. 2 weeks turned into months of bored huskies staring at my chickens in the yard before one got under and killed one after the other once they stopped moving. The neighbor felt horrible so I am not blaming him.

This incident made me vow to never get chickens again unless I could buy or build a coop big enough they could be confined all day when I was not working outside or at least able to periodically check on them. Our previous coop was well build but not quite big enough to house chickens all day so they roamed the yard. It was also very hard to clean our when they spent too much time inside. We also stopped maintaining it after the last batch died and it was rotting away.

The chicken condo

The Coop

If you read my first post you will know that when I talked to my mom about chickens I discovered they were selling their coop. My step-dad is great at building things and he built their chickens a very large very sturdy coop.

As usual I got ahead of myself and realized I needed to ask my Ryan before I made a commitment that would involve caring for more animals. I am pretty sure he was reluctant to say yes but he did and we purchased the chicks from a hatchery and the coop from my family.

By the time we got the coop it was warm enough for the chicks to go out and they were about 6 weeks old at that point.

I am very thankful for the timing of all this and my mom and step-dads help getting it here and in the yard without taking out the garage and the fence and the house. I am also thankful for the hens, I forgot how much I enjoyed feeding them and watching them. It can be amusing to watch one chicken find a worm in the ground and watch the rest chase that hen around trying to steal her feast.

The Babies

I got the babies in the first week of May and they were actually larger than the first batch of chickens I had with this breed. Considering I did my usual spur of the moment thing and ordered immediately after I decided I had to write the company and tell them I needed a ship date before or after my already planned vacation. I had a pet sitter coming so he could feed and water them if they came before. 

They shipped them right away so my best guess is these little ladies were at least a week maybe 2 old when we got them. They may have had extra from a previous order and I am completely fine with that especially since they all survived shipping and the first are all still living today. 

I chose this breed (Black Australorp) because they are very calm, amazing egg layers, easy to handle, cold and heat hearty and when they feather they have beautiful feathers. I had leghorns in both my previous batches and they were crazy and noisy and skittish. After dealing with a few breeds in previous flocks I decided this was my favorite breed and that I didn't need variety. 

The baby chicks are pretty easy the first few weeks and not real expensive since we already had supplies. They get big and stinky fast so we started them in plastic tub brooders in my plant room, then moved them to an old very large dog crate in the basement. They were large enough to move outdoors when the coop was delivered. You can also do this in a garage if needed but you will likely have to monitor the temperature more closely.  They are happy out there and I let them out to roam the yard when I am available to check in on them or working outside so I will leave you with some pictures of the chickens in their back yard home.

first day outside

Buddy, The Friendly Neighborhood Stray

Buddy snoozing on my chair

Meeting My Favorite Stray Cat

In our neighborhood we have a lot of strays and I am an animal lover but I didn't want anymore cats. I still don't want anymore indoor cats. I tried really hard not to feel bad for the strays until this cat shows up in the yard next door meowing up a storm. He sounded like he needed something so I got him some food and water and within 2 days he was my outdoor companion. Sometimes he just lays in a shady spot and and watches me and sometimes he demands petting. 

The first week or two he was begging me to come inside which would not have been in his best interest since our husky is not gentle with cats and our cat hates all other animals in his domain...including the husky. So even though he made me feel bad for not letting him in I figured he would be better off outside and I left a little space open for him to get into the garage. This way he could get our of rain and have dry food. 

Buddy begging to come inside 

I really only wanted to help one cat out but now I have 2 additional regular freeloaders. I decided it was not really that expensive and because of this very friendly stray I am now considering building a cat shelter and feeding station next to my garage instead of inside my garage. 

I find it so relaxing to hang out in the yard with the hens and cats I just can't imagine not helping them out. If some are not spayed/neutered I can simply take them to Humane Ohio and get it done for under $30 and bring them home and shelter them in an old dog crate for a few days then let them back out. 

Hens checking Buddy out

Last week I met a lady who also knows Buddy and found out he frequents many local cat lovers, he is spreading his love around the area. That is also how I figured out he already had a name and it suits him well. The arrival of my hens and this cat have helped me learn once again to calm down, relax and enjoy the moment. Buddy has been a blessing to me and is a great reminder that it doesn't hurt to stop and pet the cat even if you are in the middle of some great big project. Planning is good but if you are consumed by planning your future and finishing projects so you can move on to the next one you can't enjoy the little things in life that bring you joy. 

I have added building a high quality cat shelter on my list of to do's before the weather gets cold. I am sure I know someone who can help me design it so it won't leak and keep the cats as warm as possible and someone with the tools and know how to cut the wood. 

Urban Farming or Sustainable Living Experiment.

One of my Black Australorp Chickens

Not Sure What to Call It???

In March and April of 2019 I started contemplating having a garden and some chickens again. At one time I wanted a few acres of property but couldn't find a home and land that fit our budget.  We ended up with a small garden and some chickens. Then after our second batch of chickens started laying eggs a dog killed them all and I vowed never to do it again.

This spring I was talking to my mom about getting chickens again because I miss the eggs and she said she was selling her coop.  This coop has much more space and I could leave them in it all day if needed to keep safe from predators. I took this as a sign and talked to Ryan (my husband) about it and we went ahead and ordered the chickens. 

The Rabbit Hole

For whatever reason these little chicks got me to thinking again about sustainable living and small scale farming. I was all in before and wanted to do everything all at once and I was younger. I still want to do more than I can reasonably do all at once but I am older and wiser (I hope) and would like to start by using the space I already have. Once these hens were ready to go outside I started spending a lot more time outside. Started contemplating more and more ideas.

Ideally I would turn my front and back yard into a very small homestead. I don't plan to give up all modern conveniences or move to the country. I would like to grow many of my own fruits and vegetables and care for the hens that provide my eggs. I would like to draw beneficial bugs to my yard and  compost to reduce waste and build rich soil. I would like to plant things my chickens will forage and make friends with the stray cats who will chase away or kill any rodents that might come near my garden. I would like to have a hive or two for honey bees and maybe someday we could find a way to keep miniature goats. I have dreams of buying the house next door and using that yard for goats and fruit trees.......

This is one of the hardest projects I have completed. Soil needed building and a retaining wall/walk path was put in. All done with hand tools and lots of hauling bricks and soil. Flowers and and herbs seeds planted as well as ground cover seeds. 

Converting Dreams To goals

Dreams are great and I went ahead thinking about how I was going to do all this stuff and trying to do it too quickly and all by myself. I bought plants and planted some from seed most were too early and I was not able to keep them alive since planting this year was late. I wanted to buy the stuff to start 10 projects and I finally had to stop and make a plan. 

Doing 10 things at once with no idea what I was doing was not the smartest thing to do. So I started focusing on one project at a time. I cleared out the raspberry patch first that I had let go for over a year. I did find quite a few raspberry canes in there. Then I planted a wildflower patch with seeds which in retrospect was not the smartest thing to do because I don't know what these plants look like as opposed to weeds. 

I also bought a compost bin and created a foraging area for chickens and planted a blend of seeds for chickens. I made a raised bed for strawberries and I build up soil near a fence line and planted it with some flowers and herbs as well as clover for ground cover and most of those are plants good for bees and other pollinators. I did manage to save a few veggie plants and have even produced enough green beans to eat with dinner 2x. 

I bought a lot of old farming/gardening/homesteading magazines and a few books to teach me about what to plant and when to plant and a multitude of other things. This summer and fall I plan to spend time building soil with compost and planning the gardening and maybe venture into beekeeping or at least prepare for next year. 

So far patients seems to pay off quicker than I thought and one project at a time yields results instead of 10 half started projects.

Cute stray not a close kitty friend yet

Another cute stray that comes close but does not fully trust me yet

I already have the chickens and the cats taken care of 3 frequent strays and my indoor/outdoor cat. Only one stray lets me touch it so far but they all get pretty close to me and are thankful for a bit of food and a water bowl. 

Neighborhood friendly stray, Buddy, drinking while my orange cat Loki watches. Buddy is my constant company when I work in the yard

Right now the focus is making a relaxing yard space and preparing everything for next season so I can make more of the land I currently live on. I am not contemplating extremes like I used to. I don't want to go to off the grid living. I simply want to produce more of my food and make more environmentally friendly and sustainable choices.