This Morning

I haven't posted about the garden for what seems like an age (but might not be! Time just seems to fly by). I've got into a bit of a habit of replacement planting, mainly with spinach and lettuce seedlings. I feed the leaves to the chooks (and we eat them too!) so I've tried to keep a constant supply of little plants coming on.

The thyme has gone mad and smells great when I brush against it.

This artichoke plant has prospered and flowered where I don't remember planting a piece. It has really flourished though.

These baby capsicum are everywhere too; I planted them all around the garden in different plots.

Plants are growing "wild" as in not where I planted any; they have a mind of their own. I tend to leave them where they sprout; I like the idea of them choosing their own spot.

The strawberry runners are doing well after a feed of horse manure.

I'm going to roast two of these for dinner tonight.

A little lavender plant is struggling to make it's way between the thyme and oregano.

Coriander - it will probably flower soon. It always seems to go to seed before I get to use it.

The basil gets away on me too.

These are grosse lisse tomatoes. I'm conducting an experiment with these. I'm following the Doug and June method of tomato bush growing - normally I pinch out the little leaves that grow between the stems and branches but D&J don't do anything like that. They put the plants in the ground, give them some horse manure and that's it - and they grow the most incredibly high, lush bushes that absolutely drip with great big tomatoes - so instead of following my usual tomato growing techniques I'm going to try the D&J way and just ignore them and see how I go. Looking good so far.

My little group of Plymouth Rocks are coming along. I've got 13 older chicks now and another 4 young ones. I would have had another 9 or so but for some early disasters (when one crazed wyandotte mother killed all 6 of the Rocks that she hatched out). They're quite dreadful looking at the moment with slightly naked necks and uneven feathers but they'll come good. I'm thinking I might try to fund this year's bike ride with money from selling my Rocks, Barnies and Silkies.

I'm still searching for my (so far elusive) ideal dark red silkie; I've noticed a bit of a pattern. The boys seem to be darker than the girls, who tend to throw towards a real partridge plumage. I want to breed a dark and rich red/brown female. I'll get there.

The pullets found the horse manure pile and were in heaven, scratching for slaters.