Happy Valentine's Day to Me!

Every year I ask for 20 bags of composted manure for Valentine's Day. I'm not a jewelry every year kinda girl! I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, it's just that it's not what works for me! So the hubs got me my 20 bags x 40lbs = happy wife, a new chicken feed, onion sets (red & white), 2 shop lights w/bulbs, 2 seedling mats, organic seed starting mats, and organic all purpose vegetable fertilizer. Oh and two fig trees! Super STOKED about these! Happy Valentines Day to ME! But first things first, the girls are dropping eggs like hot cakes again. Those sneak peaks of spring are in there sights and pearl seems like her molt is over, so she's back open for business too!

Normally I am practically standing out there to get the eggs; however, I realize now that since Savannah was sick I didn't get out there for two days. Total of 8 today!

Those 8 eggs I harvested today along with the + 4 eggs we had from 3 days ago = 1 dozen eggs we didn't have to buy! Praise the Lord!

Got my grow lights up and running! Since I didn't want to purchase another shelving unit this weekend, I do have 6 inches of wasted light space that hangs outside of the shelving unit on each side! But I just used what I had for the moment! And also need a timer, so it will automatically shut off after 12 hours. Even seedlings need sleep.

Got my seedling mats down: spinach is waking up on the left, ripbor curley leaf kale is on the right

I started more broccoli, dinosaur kale, redina red lettuce and stuck them right under those lights. I need 4 more grow mats and 4 more grow lights and then I'm SET going forward!

My leeks & onions are straightening back up to a stand up position now under the lights.

A bunch of Romain lettuces. I didn't know they'd ALL germinate since they were older seed! Who knew? Hopefully they're not too leggy since they literally just popped up in the last 24 hours!

It's all a learning experience, but you can learn. You really will get what you put into it most times. I appreciate ALL of the wisdom other organic farmers, friends, and perfect strangers I run across at the feed stores/gardening forums/blogs/facebook/  etc.

I learned today that my local feed store gets baby rhode island reds, Americana, Wing Dots, and bard rocks in this week! WHOO HOO!

We rejoice in all of these blessings and are excited to continue to learn and share what we learn!

ijustwannagrow


 

Sprouts continue to sprout!

For Valentine's Day this year my husband is being super sweet and getting me grow lights and seed starting mats. It's like the BEST Valentine's Day ever!  Will post pics next week after it all arrives and gets set up! But in the meanwhile I'll just give a quickie update on what's growin:

Rosemary seems to still be growing, but I can tell it's time to fertilize them with some organic fertilizer.

I can't believe how this cheap little greenhouse has restored life to a completely dead pot of Italian flat leaf parsley from last season!

This is a multiplier onion. Also known as a potato onion.

According to a friend of mine "Margo" who is a certified organic farmer. A real farmer. I only farm in my fantasies/dreams!  She said, "peel off all the brown, outer skins. You should find several "cloves" that can be carefully separated and each one planted". So if that's what Margo says, "you can pretty much bank on it". I'm thankful she knew what to do because I could hardly find anything on the internet about these suckers! So happy planting potato onions ya'll!

  

What THYME is it? I could begin using Thyme if I chose to, it's pretty much ready to go back into the garden beds, but will wait until it's much warmer. So glad I've got them growing again ahead of time. Definitely a jump start!

On my way back in from church I checked my greenhouse and I just can't say enough about how much it makes my day to see fresh new seedlings emerging everyday!!!!!

Super excited for this new rearranged/repurposed set of raised beds! More pictures to follow in coming weeks. I've got the chicken coop moving to the end of these two beds so that the chickens will work these beds in between season changes to clean out the buggies/fertilize/and turn my soil! Love my chickens, they're really hard workers!

I think the most exciting sprouts I have right now are leek, glad stone onions, & ever bunching green onions. I've never grown any of these from seed. I've never grown leeks or glad stone onions before. It's a whole new journey that I pray ends bountiful!

ijustwannagrow

Propogating more Rosemary

Took 14 more Rosemary cuttings today to try and propagate!

Placed a piece of wax paper over a mason jar filled with fresh water. Then took the stripped down rosemary cuttings and poked down through the wax paper that helped the rosemary stand up better this time round. And yep that's just a pony tail holder because I had no rubber bands. You just use whatcha have! And now we can see the rooting from the glass without pulling the rosemary in and out of jar.

And all these rosemary pieces I pulled off the stem will be washed & dehydrated and put away in my dried rosemary jar.

Always gotta be growin something around here!

ijustwannagrow