Update on Chickens

Hi All.

Just a quick update on the chickens.

They are doing absolutely great laying 4-5 eggs a day.

Their feather are now growing back.

I now let them out of their run in the daytime when i'm there with them,i was worried at first that they may run off but the opposite,they will not leave my side resulting in me tripping over them and struggling to get much done because when ever i do anything they are there scrattching the ground when i have just sown seeds or walking on plants that i have just planted!!!

Also i have had to put rigid plastic netting around the beds to stop them eating my greens lol.

They love it when i move things around squabbling for any insects,slugs and snails.

Chicken house and run

The last few days i have been busy making a new large run for the chickens.I have made it so i can walk in and also put on a plastic roof which i obtained from a friend who had taken their conservatory down.

The roof not only provides shelter for the hens but also stops other birds droppings into the pen and most of all is another roof for me to collect water from.

I am VERY proud of what i have made all by myself but now have sore hands,especially my fingertips :(

There is still a few minor adjustments etc to do but the ladies love it :)

The chicken house Hubby and i made from our garden shed.We cut off the bottom 18" off the shed all round and used this to make the nesting box which the chickens used straight away.

The shed was then lined with hardboard.

We then put in a small run with a hatch leading into it.

C H I C K E N S !!!!

Well i am now proud to say that i am the owner of 5 little hens :)

I have had these now for 2 weeks today and they are already looking a lot better than when i collected them.

They are ex battery hen and collected from a rescue centre.The poor things didn't have many feathers but now showing signs of new feathers.They was also very scared and huggled up in a corner when i went near them,now they are taking food from my hand and come up to me when i arrive which is twice a day or more.

I am getting 4 eggs a day now,they have been laying since i had them,at first it was 3 a day but now 4 and i must say they are VERY yummy with dark yellow yokes :)

I have named 3 of them so far,Doris,Hilda and Bridgett lol.

busy busy busy!!!

Well it has been some time since i posted on here.My last post was about planting my spuds and in this post i am about to tell you that today i have dug up my first crop of potatoes for this year!!!
Everything on the allotment is growing well dispite the lack of rain here,it's a good job i have plenty of water butts scattered around has thr rain is my only source of water.

Potatoes

The potatoes are chitting nicely on my conservatory windowsill.
They are in a bright position but out of direct sunlight,oh and also out of view of Hubby,he doesn't know they are there because they are hidden behind the sofa LOL.
A couple of weeks and they will be planted,she says LOL :)

Peas

Uncovered the peas to add another row of plants variety 'Meteor'.
The peas planted a few weeks ago are growing nicely with lots of flowers now.
Covered them up again with fleece.

Blue water butt

Came up with a new idea for the blue water butt.
Instead of sawing off the lid completely leave about 5 inches and bend back.
Now you have a top the opens up to let rain water in and to close on a sunny dry day to stop evaporation....well i think it's a good idea :)

Filling the beds.

Hubby and I managed to fill 2 of the raised beds today...phew what a back breaking job that was!!!
We must have moved just over 4 tons of the topsoil which was damp and made work harder but had to be done.
I am well pleased though but will not plant anything in them yet until after a rainfall because the rain is bound to sink the soil down slightly and then will need to be topped back up and then planting begins.

Raised beds & topsoil.

Finaly got the topsoil delivered a few night ago,only 7 tons for now and 2 more loads to follow.
The soil is top graded,very pleased with it as when you squeeze it together in your hands it stays together which means it's a good loam.
The picture was taken after 6pm so quite dark.

Transplanted my peas this weekend.They are in flower already!!!covered them with horticultural fleece until they get established then will recover with netting to allow the bees to do their bit.

Raised Beds

Well now the weather has decided to warm up a little Hubby and I have been busy making the raised beds out of the scaffolding planks.
We made 6 measuring 13 ft x 5ft x10"deep..
We are now digging out all the weeds in the beds now they are in place.
The topsoil has been ordered,all 16 tons of it!!!!

Low Cost Flights

Had a delivery of scaffolding planks to make raised beds.

The centre of my allotment has very poor drainage so it makes it impossible to walk on any cultivated areas when it rains heavily.

With having raised beds i will be able to work on this area all year round come rain or shine.

The beds are in process but before i can put them into place i have to clear out the weeds and then going over the ground with the rotovator avoiding the marked out pathways.

Will post a photo of this next time :-)

January 2009

Been absent for some time on this blog but i intend to keep it updated this year :-/

Been busy cleaning out my small raised beds which i call my salad beds.

I have added mushroom compost to three of the beds for peas and beans,garden compost to a few of the beds for carrots and parsnips and very well rotted horse manure for other goodies lol.

The horse manure as been under black plastic for over a year and half and now resembles cow pats!!!!

Covered a couple of beds with black plastic to warm up the soil so i can sow my carrots, parsnips and peas in the next week or so.

I am in the process of laying down thick black plastic around the beds,this will then be covered in wood chip/bark to make neat paths.

Spring has Sprung

Hello .

What a busy start to the season already.

I have the majority of my plants in the ground already and it is only mid April,I am quite lucky because we don't generally get frost now where I am.

I have 3 types of peas on the go,one variety is Kelvdon Wonder which is approx 8" high now.

A few types of carrots which are mainly carrot root fly resistant.

Butternut squashes are doing well.I have 3 varieties this year.

Two types of courgettes one being yellow and one dark green.

Sweetcorn a few inches high growing with pumpkins.

Broad beans and french beans.

Sprouting broccoli and cauliflowers.

Leeks and onions and garlic.

Potatoes which are Maris bard,Deserrie,Nicola,King Edwards and Kestral.

Parsnips have been sown but no sign as yet.

Strawberry,gooseberry,currants are all in flower and the raspberries are full of bud.

Who would believe it is only April.

The cows in the field next to me are enjoying the good weather too with the calf's leaping around like lambs.

cucumber

This is a photo of my cucumber plant growing in my conservatory.There is two cucumbers that are already approx 6" long and 12 plus smaller ones on the way and it's only mid April.