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Archive for March 19th, 2008

Mar
19

A Kitchen Garden, Chickens, and a Duck Pond

I need a garden.

A BIG garden. Down the hill, in the meadow. Giant. But there was no plowing this past fall (hmm, who would do that?) and the job is just too BIG for this year. So, this spring, I’m going to plant a kitchen garden, near the house. And figure out the BIG garden later. Here is where I want to plant the kitchen garden.





In front of the house, there turned out to be a surprising amount of space after all the dirt work and levelling. There’s a gentle slope before the big drop-off down the hill. Watching the sun, the best place for a kitchen garden near the house is this spot between the house and the driveway. I can plant tomatoes, peppers, herbs, asparagus, and other things I want to have close at hand. It’s the only spot near the house that gets enough sun.





Look!!! Fifty asparagus plants!! I love asparagus!!! There’s a blueberry bush in there, too.





To the far side of the house (from the driveway) you can see the old logging road. This is where I think I will set up my chickens. Here, I can easily watch over them from the house. :chicken:





To the near side of the house, there is another old logging road. (The driveway itself was originally part of the old logging roads that go through the farm.) There are several springs against our hill, and down this logging road there is one of the springs where we plan to dig out some to make a duck pond. I LOVE DUCKS.

I have a line on both ducks and chickens to hatch out in the still-air incubator I already have. I’ll be visiting my duck/chicken neighbor soon and taking lots of pictures! She is my GURU of all things fowl!





Speaking of gardening, here is my progress with my biodegradable seed starter pots. First, the cats pooped on them. Then the dogs said, “Hey!!!!! TOYS!”

Apparently, I must Start Over. Good thing it’s West Virginia and it’s only March.





Dookie was all worn out after the dog festival on the seed starter pots and he completed his “farm shih-tsu” grooming by napping in a pile of sawdust.

What else could a farm shih-tsu do?

Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink  

More posts you might enjoy:


Mar
19

I Want Pie Already


The new peach tree.

Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink  

More posts you might enjoy:





The Slanted Little House

"It was a cold wintry day when I brought my children to live in rural West Virginia. The farmhouse was one hundred years old, there was already snow on the ground, and the heat was sparse-—as was the insulation. The floors weren’t even, either. My then-twelve-year-old son walked in the door and said, “You’ve brought us to this slanted little house to die." Keep reading our story....



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Old Farmer

November 2009
"First it's glowing, then it's snowing! A pause, then screaming squalls and williwaws. Bright but bitter, then a thaw. Yet again it's cold and storming: What ever happened to global warming?"


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