Chicken Poop and Other Good Stuff
(My girls in order from right to left - Olivia, Dotty, Ginger, and Grace)
A couple of weeks ago I decided to make the commitment to become the proud owner of some lovely back yard chickens. This is something I have been considering for some time now and when the opportunity presented itself to obtain a free chicken coop along with 4 full grown laying hens, I did not hesitate to take advantage of this great opportunity. It was really an easy decision to make as it seemed to me to be the next step in my quest to live a more sustainable lifestyle. In just the few short days that I have had the pleasure of caring for my feathered friends, I can say with complete confidence that it is not a decision that I will ever regret!
One of the benefits of owning backyard chickens is immediately obvious the first time you look in the coop and find the first of many gifts your hens have to offer...the incredible edible egg! I know I am new at this, but I am not sure I will ever tire of walking out to my back yard to get my breakfast. There is nothing better than a fresh egg! The flavor and texture of these eggs are unlike any you can buy in a store. I will never be able to go back to store bought eggs...not willingly anyway.
Other than fresh eggs, there are many benefits to owning chickens. I am particularly looking forward to taking advantage of their poop. Yes...you read that right...their poop. Chicken manure is one of the most desired manures for vegetable gardening. It is extremely high in nitrogen and also contains potassium and phosphorus. The combination of the nitrogen and nutrients in a compost make chicken manure the best to use for gardening.
Another beneficial by product of chickens that typically gets tossed straight into the trash after one has enjoyed a nice fried egg for breakfast is the egg shell. The egg shell is perhaps the most under appreciated gift from chickens of all. The shell of a chicken egg contains 96% calcium carbonate; which make them a perfect addition to your chicken manure compost for your gardens. You can also till them directly into the soil; which will not only help in fertilizing the soil but will also deter invasive pests like slugs and snails from making themselves at home in your garden. Another great benefit is that you can actually dry and crush the egg shells and feed them to your chickens as a calcium supplement. I think that is what one might call coming full circle.
I have yet to realize all of the benefits of having back yard chickens and even with the ones I have mentioned above; I am certain that I have not even scratched the surface. Beyond their useful benefits, I have already found that this brood of mine is a lot of fun to spend time with as I am getting to know each of their personalities. If you pay close attention you start to realize how very unique each of them are. Contrary to popular belief, chickens are in fact very social creatures. They love the company of their flock as well as the occasional visit from their humans especially when there is a treat involved. I have much to learn about raising chickens but I am loving it so far and quite certain that I will continue to for many years to come!
On your mark, get set and....Garden!
Spring has finally graced us with it's presence and soon we will be basking in all of summer's glory! In the meantime, there is much to do and so precious little time to do it in. This time of year requires a successful gardener to be prepared but patient, work hard and wait, and most importantly, know when the time is right and get the job done. These are all things I struggle with as I am what you would call the anxious and impatient gardener. I have to admit that I have killed many a plant over the years being impatient and planting before the time is right but this year is going to be different.
Since the end of the growing season last year, I have spent a fair amount of time and money educating myself. It is with great anticipation that I return to gardening this season as the new and improved, mature and educated gardener. While I might still be anxious, I shall not be impatient and have made a promise to myself and future plants to exercise restraint and wait until the time is right!
Timing is everything in gardening and I am currently in the hurry up and wait stage; which will be revisited a number of times throughout the season. At this point I have planted my seedlings in what I believe to be the exact right time to do so. Now I wait! I wait for the seedlings to grow and then I wait for the right time to start hardening them, and finally, I wait for the right time to plant. This can be a tricky business here in Maine to say the least. Just when you think that you have seen the last of Old Man Winter, a Nor'easter blows through and your once bright green seedlings have turned black and you are back to square one. This is a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point.
Although I am determined to have a perfect growing season, free of mistakes and bad decisions, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. Mistakes will be made and I will likely be the victim of my own impatience and lack of discipline at some point along the way. That being said, all is not lost with mistakes as the knowledge that is gained will be carried with me into the next growing season; which I am already thinking about even though this season has barely started. This is the definition of the anxious and impatient gardener but there are really no words to define my love of gardening and how excited I am for this season to begin!
Stay tuned for updates and pictures as this growing season progresses. In the meantime, check out how well my winter garden has done in the picture below. These will also be planted outside this season...when the time is right of course.
Happy Gardening Friends!
Winter Gardening update
Time to transplant again!
I have spent the better half of my morning transplanting seedlings and planting new ones. The seedlings are growing at a much faster pace now as spring approaches and the sun gets warmer with each passing day. The first seedlings I planted in December did not yeild much. The second round in January did much better and as you can see, the ones I planted in February did quite well.
I think this next round will grow quickly! I believe I will need another window box soon or maybe I will just build a greenhouse. Yes...I do believe a greenhouse will need to be considered in the near future. I just need to convince my husband what a great addition a greenhouse will be. A happy wife is a happy life and this wife is happy when she is gardening!!
Winter Gardening
It was not easy to find gardening supplies in December but I did manage to find some small A frame garden trellises that I took apart at the hinge to make two smaller ones that fit my window perfectly. I connected 4 of them together with hooks, hung them from the top of the window frame and used double sided velcro to secure them to the window at the bottom.
I could not find any planting pots small enough to hang from the trellises, so I used plastic water bottles that I cut in half , punched holes in either side of each bottle and used wire to make handles to hang them with. Then I took some old sheets that I cut 12 small squares out of, pulled the fabric up around each of the bottles and secured the fabric all the way around the bottle with a hot glue gun. The fabric added a little decorative flare but it also protects the roots of the plant from the sun while it grows. After filling the bottles with soil and planting the seeds, I hung the little planters on the trellis with large S hooks.
The plastic bottles were good to use for this project only because they are light weight but the are not preferable, especially for growing herbs as they like to grow in soil that drains well. Because of this, I do not water as frequently as I normally would and I transplant them into a window box as soon as the seedlings get to be a good size and seem strong enough for transplant. Then I start some new seedlings in my little bottle pots. This way I have full grown plants and seedlings starting at all times.
In another deep plant pot, I have been growing micro greens for salads all winter. These grow incredibly fast so you can pretty much have them available at all times. You can see them in the picture below in the right hand corner hiding under my aloe plant.
This has been a really fun and fruitful project. I would recommend this to anyone who loves gardening and misses it as much as I do throughout the winter months. Happy winter gardening!
The Herb Garden
Last of the Harvest 2014
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