Cluck cluck chicken chicken!

It's been a little over a year since we brought home six baby chicks. Two Rhode Island Reds, two Buff Orpingtons and two Americauna's. We built them a large coop so they wouldn't be crowded on the days we couldn't let them out to play. We love watching them play, run for snacks and play in the dirt. The girls especially love getting the eggs every morning. I don't think they feel the same way about feeding them.

 

 

These are Rhode Island Reds.
 We have named them Petunia and Stella.

This is one of my favorites, the Buff Orpington's.
 They are named Spiky and Izzie.

The Ameraucan's lay light blue or green eggs.
They are named Rosetta and Pearl.

These little guy is one of five. Four of them are going to my mother in laws and we are keeping this little guy. She is a Barred Rock. Of course she is allot bigger now. I'll update another time. 

This is our coop.
We buried wire underneath so predators couldn't get in and our pet bunny Biscotti couldn't get out.
We left lots of it screened because it is hotter here in the summer than it is cold in the winter.

Lots of fresh saw dust. The hens weren't too happy I was flapping the shavings bag all over the place so they were staying as far away from me as they could. We have 4 roosting boxes. Yes, some of the chickens actually like to walk up the ladder to get on their roost.

One Americauna blue egg and one of the other's brown eggs. We can't tell the difference between the Buff Orpington and the RIR (Rhode Island Red's) eggs.

Here is Biscotti. He/She likes to rest in the nesting boxes also.

Biscotti and the hens love a fresh backyard salad.

They may look dead but they are just chillen in the sun and taking a dirt bath.

This is their favorite spot in the yard.

That's it today!   Genesis 1:21   So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Garden April 2013

Genesis 1:11-13 Then God said: Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. And so it happened:The earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good.13

Evening came, and morning followed

—the third day.

My favorite time of year is here. I love spring and everything it brings. Well, except maybe the sand gnats. You wouldn't understand unless you have ever visited us here on the coast of South Carolina. God created spring for me and other garden lovers. I can't help but notice all the road side weeds flowering, the beautiful crape myrtles and dog wood trees in bloom, the sprinklers going and all that kind of stuff. But my favorite part is planting seeds. I certainly love buying a full grown plant and planting it for instant beauty but I really love planting and babying seeds. So here is how things are looking today on April 9th 2013.

Three of these raised beds have been here for a few years but this year we added the four in the back. So far I've planted strawberries, asparagus, lettuce, bell peppers, okra, herbs, squash and zucchini. I still need to plant the cucumbers, beans and tomatoes.

This is the squash and zucchini bed. It is usually too hot here for my squash to produce very long. I'm hoping by planting on these hills it will help in some way. Not sure but we will find out.

These three squares in the front have dill, parsley and basil.

The back will hold cucumbers and or beans.

I planted thyme in this pot. Of course these ugly tags are temporary. I needed to make something quickly. I found aluminum foil and magic marker was just what I needed in a pinch.

Right now this bed holds bell peppers. But I plan to sow another crop of lettuce on the other end. It's too hot here for lettuce in the summer but I'm hoping the rosemary will shade it just a tad and maybe it wont bolt before we eat it.

Terrible picture of the strawberries and asparagus.

This is the only perennial bed I have for vegetables and fruit.

This side holds Simpson lettuce. This lettuce is so light that it's strange to chew it.

 It's almost buttery or something.

This side was a mixed pack of lettuce. I'm not positive what all was in it. Sure was tasty though.

Yummy!

Verbena! Oh I love this plant. It does great in our hot and humid weather. I have three of these hanging off of our back porch. I decided instant gratification was best for the baskets. It makes it through the winter and also slowly spreads. It comes in red, pink,

white, purple and a mixed purple/white. 

Canna Lillie's are another of my favorites. OK fine everything I have in my yard is a favorite of mine. It is hard for me to choose.

This barrel holds parsley, chocolate mint and a few purple zinnias. 

The yard is also full of caterpillars. My daughters have caught over 50 so far!

I've also planted some zinnia's, sunflowers and some marigold. If your just starting out with seeds and your nervous about it then start with these three. Nothing could be easier to grow from seed. If your wanting to grow a vegetable from seed then start with squash and zucchini. The key is to have a weed free area that is lightly tilled, sun and water everyday. Good gardening!