Gardening and Chickens

    This year we were determined to put in a garden and make it a success. Well, we got the garden in but it has taken a while for it to be a success…..in fact we failed with beans and peas. But we're making squash, cucumber, cantaloupe, corn and hopefully some tomatoes. 

     Dalton hasn't been too involved in the garden this year. He said that now his whole place is his garden so he's not focused on our little one. He's put in a patch or two of Kline grass and he's planning what's going into his fields and figuring all of that.
     I've tried hard to keep up the garden. The failures kept me depressed for a while, but finally we figured out it was herbicide damage from too fresh of manure so I didn't feel as bad. Next year we're being extra careful about all of that!

The boys enjoy helping Daddy plow.  

A Happy Meal treat before some gardening chores. We replanted our beans and peas twice but no luck. 

There's always next year.  

Getting uncontaminated soil for the raised bed we eventually put our tomato plants in, the boys played king of the hill. They always like showing off their muscles. 

Even though this is not strictly garden related, it is homemaker related. ; ) I started making bread a few months ago and have kept it up without buying bread, yay! We may not have jumped on the "real food" bandwagon yet but at least we're eating bread with just 5 ingredients instead of 25. 

Our first pick of the season! Too bad the boys aren't too crazy about these veggies. I'm working on it though! Sometimes when we go to the garden the boys wind up in the "tall grass" and hide and run around. As long as they don't find a snake in there I'm happy. 

A friend was going to mail order chicks and asked if we wanted any, so of course I said yes! We picked 2 production reds, 2 red sexlinks, 2 ameracaunas (they lay green eggs) and 2 ? can't remember their name but they are black and white. They've really grown fast and I've taken on the role of "chicken farmer" with pride. Haven't lost a chick and now they're ready to join the big birds. 

 

 The boys were privileged to get to watch and ride in a big row crop tractor that was plowing and planting our fields. Then, when Dalton took them to watch a combine down the road, the owner invited them to ride along in it too. They were so very excited!

"You cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart." Psalm 104:14