Starting Seeds Indoors

Having had quite enough winter I am looking forward to planting time and getting back to the garden.
This year I will attempt to start a few things, such as onions and peas, indoors.  Usually I just start a few things such as tomatoes and peppers indoors.  For onions I always bought sets and have had varying results.

Because I expect this year to be my last garden season at this location I want to grow as much as possible.  This also means I will do succession planting and continue to start new plants as soon as the previous ones have died off.  

While searching for recommendations for indoor planting time I found this site:  Heirloom Organics
 and their chart suits me best.  They sells seeds and their site is loaded with information for starting and growing seeds.

When to Plant Chart

Great Source for Information and Resources for the Chicken Farmer

Do you want to raise chickens for yourself or to sell, but don't know where to begin?

Or, , if you already are raising chickens and just want more information ....  check out this site at the University of Connecticut web-site.

I had no idea they have a "chicken" department with lots of very good and useful information and resources including a ready to use spreadsheet to help keep track of your chicken expenses, etc.

This checklist will answer so many questions from selecting your chicks, what to do before and hen your chicks arrive, and how to maintain your flock.

SMALL POULTRY FLOCK OWNER CHECKLIST

If you are at all like me and cannot create a spreadsheet with tables, you will appreciate this free download from their web-site.

Sample Break Even Calculator for Small Flocks


There is much more information to find at UCONN POULTRY PAGES.

Source for Free Wood Chips delivered to Your Garden

This pile of chips is approx. 30-40 yards

This may be just too good to be true, and I will let you know when I receive my first delivery but this company they are a source for Arborists with wood chips to dump.  The average delivery is about 30 yards or a full dump truck.

Free Wood Chips Delivered 

Since I don't own a truck and therefore cannot collect all those wonderful chips I see piled by the highway near my home, this would solve my dilemma with how to get wood chips to my garden.

The pile of wood chips pictured was from a couple of trees a neighbor had removed.  The guy who did the work was very happy to be able to a place so nearby where he could dump this gold.  It took a year to break down during which time worms and mushrooms thrived, and in turn nourished my garden for free.

If this system of delivery works out here in CT, I will be requesting for many more deliveries at the farm.

A New Year and a New Beginning for Henny Penny Farm

After a long search and lots of planning we have found a new home for Henny Penny Farm!

This year will be extremely busy for us as we start out on this journey of restarting our lives and our little farm far away.... at least far away from Connecticut.   We will be moving to southern Virginia to an abandoned farm with 35 acres of hay-fields, woods and tiny pond.  Except for a small, ancient barn and a century old house which has been empty for decades, we will be building the entire place from the ground up.  We will also be living out of our motor-home for quite a while.

While we are establishing the new place, we still must empty our home and sell it.  Talk about down-sizing!  We are moving out of a 12 room house and into a 32 foot motor-home and relocating from Main Street in town with lots of neighbors to the middle of nowhere with neighbors few and far between......

The journey begins next weekend as we move the motor-home to the site on the day we close.  We will spend that weekend inspecting our purchase, and clearing away overgrowth around the house and barn areas.  Then, each month, we will travel the 600+ miles back down to the farm for another long weekend of clearing, building and planning.  If all goes smoothly we will be able to move there by our personal deadline of June.  In the meantime I will still be planting our garden as usual, in CT.

So, there will be lots to do and talk about, and lots of photos to be taken along the way.