Fun Friday

I have to start with some sad news today, Mrs Flora Hen (one of the new ex-batts I got a couple of weeks ago) died yesterday.  She was the weaker of the 4, and though she was eating and drinking, she wasn't eating as much as the others really, and they would push her out of the way at feed time.  So she has gone to hen heaven.  The other three are doing fine, they are still at home in the rabbit run, though they did enjoy a day on the plot with me today in their new pen.

I'm not remotely surprised that I am sporting some rather fetching tan (burn) lines (special thanks go out to Papa O for the passing down of that particular Celtic gene.  You know the one that causes immediate lobster like colouring, when a ginge steps partially out of the shadows!)  Its been glorious sunshine today and the hens have loved it.  Shall we take a moment to discuss this behaviour:

Dust bathing in my beds!! Thankfully there's nothing growing in there.

Today, I've done some planting on the plot.  I've wanted to introduce some colour to the plot for a while really, particularly to attract bees and butterflies more than anything, but with 6 main beds I've obviously not wanted to put flowers into them when I can putting fruit and veg in them.  But then I got to thinking, about the new hen pen attachment.  I could grow flowers up the side and around the bottom of that as well as putting some hanging baskets on there (when Papa O brings his drill again because mine is broke!).  This would combat a few things really it would provide the colour I want, it would attract the bees and butterflies, it would provide even more 'fox proofing' (though be it a very small amount) and finally provide some good natural partial screening for the hens in the summer as the plot is south facing, it's full sun all day long.  So, last week on my garden centre visit I bought some Sweet Pea Seeds for this very reason.  Then this morning, I went to buy milk at the local little shop and they had some Sweet Pea plants.  It was 7 for 60p BARGAIN! So I got a a pot to plant along with the seeds.  After work yesterday I also went the local bargain store and picked up a box of wild flower mix for £1.50!! I thought, it was at least worth at try and if they didn't amount to much I hadn't lost much.

Now, all my pens have a layer of mesh running around the bottom, so Mr Fox (hopefully) will be deterred from digging underneath, so I lifted this up:

Put a layer of compost underneath, then pinned the mesh back down:

(The mesh also covers about 2ft on the inside of the pen as well, so there's 3ft to have to dig under)

Next I've covered the mesh with completely with compost:

At this point, it should be noted , I ran out of compost and went to the local garden centre looking like a right trog with my unwashed hair (I hadn't done it this morning, I hadn't expected to see civilisation and frankly the chickens don't give two hoots what you look like as long as you feed them!), mud all over my face as well as clothes and wellies and my particular favourite, massive mud marks on my bum, where I'd been kneeling and resting on my heels! (I know what you're thinking - My husband is one lucky fella!)  Thankfully, Peter at the garden centre has seen me on better days and put a great big bag of compost in my car as I had spied yet more sweet pea plants this time 12 for £1.20p!!

I then planted them by making holes where the mesh was and carefully poking the plant through, as well as putting a couple of seeds in between two plants:

I then got slightly over zealous with the rest of the little plants and planted them too, so lord only knows how many of those seeds will come up! 

In front of the sweet peas, I've planted the wild flower mix -which looked a little bit like porridge oats (I think in a few weeks I might find out why it was only £1.50 and in fact it isn't seeds but porridge in a box marked seeds!)

I then had to section them off because yes you guessed it - the hens started eating them!! You'd think they were never fed!!

I then planted up some tomatoes, in the upside down tomato planter which worked great last year because the slugs and snails couldn't get to them, and found that the old chicken house table makes a great potting bench!:

And for my final task of the day?  Well, last year when I planted my peas, and made a pea support thing,  it started leaning and falling over.  Allotment Nigel and Allotment Frank, who are some neighbouring allotmenteers (and frankly, ever suffering...Sometimes, I know they just watch me thinking, what the hell is she doing now?) told me that the reason it was leaning was because the peas where too heavy for the support.  So this year, I decided, that I would incorporate a support for peas, beans and yet more sweet peas as well as some sort of tunnel down the path, and using garden canes I've come up with this:

It's not quite finished because I'd just had enough by that point of working above my head, but hopefully it should be sturdy enough.  With hindsight, you might have to bend down slightly to walk underneath it, and not put on anymore weight, but I think it will look nice with plants on, and if need be, there's always other paths to walk down.


And finally,  today has been quite momentous - PENNY ROGERS HAS LAID AN EGG!!:

(Shes the middle one in the picture)  I've had this bird two years now and frankly she has a free ride, she does nothing, nada, not a jot, gets to eat to her hearts content, isn't remotely friendly, pecks you if you try and pick her up and up until now has only ever laid one egg!  Again, another lucky hen who should be thankful I don't eat meat!  She made that much of a racket that she'd laid an egg and the other hens where looking at her as if too say ' its an egg, its what you should have been doing all along'  and in the end Martha hen got so annoyed with her that she pecked to shut up!

Bye for now & happy planting! Xx

Allotment Days

The April showers have certainly come in with April.  This weekend, the weather has been on and off showery and warm, perfect for the allotment!  Not so much for me, the more my hair gets wet and dries, and gets wet and dries, the more I start to look like Simba off The Lion King!

I went shopping this week to the garden centre I picked up a load of seeds and things, and before I got to the till did a quick Carol Voderman style add up, then swiftly went back and returned them to the places I got them from.  This happened about 3 times until I got to an amount of money that I could justify spending, but I came away with propogators, seeds, compost, a couple of tomato plants and a kitchen herb garden pack. I have this  'miniature allotment' on my windowsill in the kitchen that grows coriander, basil and oregano.

And though my main growing area is at the allotment I've decided to make a small herb garden in the front yard at home, so that mr husband has fresh herbs on hand for when he's cooking, plus the added bonus is that the yard will smell divine!

I've never been very good at growing Coriander it just wouldn't grow and then a Sikh Lady on the allotment told me her secret.  She and her husband always have loads of it on their plot and they kindly let me go and pick it as and when I need it, but she told me if you 'bash' the corianders seeds in a pestel and mortar first, just a rough bash to open the shell of the seed up then plant them, they grow - and indeed they do!!

Yesterday on the plot I decided to plant some onions.  So armed with manure, mini fork thingy, dibber and my fabulous wooden ruler that I found in grandads garage I set to work.  I got a '50 sets' of onions (5 varieties) , I still have no idea what this means, but on the packet it said plant onion in rows 1 inch deep 5 inches apart.  It also said something about plant all one variety in one row and all another in another row, thus suggesting by the end you would have 5 rows of different onions.  Great if all the onions weren't mixed together! I could tell apart red, white little, white shallot and I have no idea about the other two it'll be pot luck as to what comes out!

And another thing, I tell you what those chickens should be counting their lucky feathers that I don't eat meat, they nearly ended up in the pot.  No sooner had I planted the onions, they were digging them up!

Saturday evening I decided to plant the new seeds up in the propogators and I had the pleasure of MR B's company helping me.

He planted, Beetroots, spring onions, peas, broccoli, cauliflowers and some courgettes.

Today (being Sunday) we've had a seed swap on the allotment.  Our allotment community is so lovely, we have get togethers a few times a year, to maybe swap seeds or produce and sometimes we might have a bbq in the summer.  This was our first get together after the winter months, so it's nice to chat to everyone and swap ideas.

This one decided to come and join too - thankfully the other side of the fence (it hates me and relishes in chasing me!)

I took my remainder seeds that I wasn't going to be using anymore and put them in the pile.

And came away with a purple sprouting broccoli plant, some Kale seeds and some Fenugreek and Coriander seeds.  As well as some rhubarb off my own plot.

And finally this afternoon, after being out in the not so warm wet weather all morning I took the opportunity to cozy up with a brew and do some crocheting:

Happy Days!!

Bye for now & happy planting! xx

A Very Productive Weekend..

..which frankly would not have been as productive if I hadn't had the help of my wonderful family!! On Saturday Papa O and Tracy finished putting the new chicken pen for me, I'd like to say with me - but I actually didn't do much other than making brews and trying to straighten out the weather vane on the top of the shed with about 10 roofing nails!   For the record its now straight!

Saturday afternoon, Duck (AKA mum) helped me go get some new hens!! I drove over to Lucky Hens in Wigan for the first time with ducks direction (I have an aversion to Motorways, so the A roads it was!)

So here's Saturdays round up in Pictures:

The new Pen has added another 6x6x6 foot onto the existing chicken run.  There are now three seperate pens that have access pop holes that can either be open or closed depending if some hens need segregating.
Spot two of the newbies?  Im getting to them in a minute!

And here we have four new hens (now when you look at the picture, don't think they live in an old kitchen cupboard, because they dont!):

Here we have Flora, Freida, Frankie and Fern.  It's not their best picture, but they wouldn't stand still!  They are currently living out in the back in the secure walk in rabbit run, just until I can get their strength up a bit and then they will go down to the allotment.

This little lady below (Fern) is turning out to be a right character!  Last night I was having a little snooze on the couch (before the kids sleepover started - thats another story!) and I could here knocking.  I looked out the window and there she was knocking on the window to come in!! I have no idea how she'd got out the run!  After a good 5-10 minutes of chasing her around the decking I caught her and put her back in! 

As I said I got them from Lucky Hens in Wigan, you can find them here: Lucky Hens If you're thinking of getting hens, then honestly rescue hens are undoubtedly the way forward.  The difference that a free range home can make is unbelievable.  I'm going to blog more about Lucky Hens in this next week when I can get dedicate a full post to them and I'm going to add a link to their page on here.

Last night was finished off with a well deserved glass of wine (or three) and staying up until 2 to make sure the clocks changed.

And so to today,  I got up checked the girls, we had two eggs.  One a complete softie and the other a hard but thin shell, so I'll add shell to their diet to see if we can get those shells a bit harder.  I had intended to take all four to the allotment today for a mooch in their new pen, but  I couldn't catch two of them and rather than causing them any distress they stayed at home whilst two came with me.  So here are Fern and Flora in their new pen:

Babs, one of the other ex-batts that I got last year decided that she'd try and have a go at Fern through the bars, and failed not only miserably but quite warily.  I don't think she realised just what she'd taken on!

I also had the pleasure of Miss Boo's company today, a rarity in itself.  She happily enjoyed colouring in the shed:

As well as planting pumpkins (trying to explain to a defiant 7 year old that its a bit too early to plant out pumpkins was useless, so we planted two in the soil and brought two home in pots, if need be I'll have to replace the outdoor pumpkins with the potted ones):

And now, even though I'm overjoyed at all of the above, the main progress is coming up!  As you may know I've been in the process of trying to move the raised beds to be able to get a mower in between them.  I managed two beds in about three hours about 7 weeks ago and was on my walking stick for a good week after!

Anyway, today I had help from my wonderful, wonderful cousin Marc, who moved all the beds for me!! I'd love to tell you I helped but I'd be lying!  And so the beds are moved and re-filled ready for the new planting season:

I honestly couldnt have managed without him!!

So there we have it!  A jam packed, very sunny, very productive weekend.

bye for now xx