Our Weekly Review

Welcome to our farm.  Although it has been a constant struggle trying to keep the chickens out of our garden and pumpkin patches, we have been able to accomplish some things. I am slowly going to put chicken wire around our farm yard so that the chickens can't get through the farm wire fence. I have 200 feet to put up today if the rain we are expecting holds off. (I hope it comes soon to water all the seeds we have planted though). And if we sell some more eggs, I will have more money to go buy another 200 feet!Here are some things we've been up to this last week of May. 

Rebekah helped me plant our pumpkin patch. It is so nice to have all the seeds in the ground. I went out today to check on them and the chickens had scratched up a few hills of seeds, but they don't eat them, so I just replanted them.  I will be starting on the pumpkin patch side of the fence with the chicken wire to help deter them from going there.  We were putting strips of card stock around the seeds to keep the cut worms out (I lost 1/2 of my plants last year to cut worms), but because they are colourful, the chickens go straight to them and start scratching! So, I must say, I was feeling VERY defeated this week. If the chickens don't get them, the cutworms will. But I just have to remember to, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 God is so good! I feel better now. 

So we were able to plant the following pumpkins this year;

• Neon - 123 seeds
• Jack-b-Quik - 51 seeds
• Gourds -   42 seeds
• Casper - 78 seeds
• Gold Medal - 72 seeds
• Jamboree - 36 seeds
• Pik-a-Pie - 87 seeds
• Bus Stop - 87 seeds
• Jack-o-Lantern - 69 seeds

We have also seen something on this farm that we have not seen before.  Apple blossoms! We planted our first patch of 50 trees 5 years ago and another patch of 100 trees 4 years ago.  Every year we have had frost that has killed all the blossoms because the trees are so small. But this year the first patch is doing really good and the second patch has a few trees with blossoms. Almost all the trees in the second patch died over the winter the year we planted them. It was a record cold winter and the little seedlings could not handle it.

This picture was taken 4 days ago. It is now in full bloom.

I realized that I wouldn't have the barn yard fenced off in time to keep the chickens out of our garden, so we bought some plastic fence posts and put chicken wire around the garden. I did such a bad job. The chickens can go right under neath the wire and if I'm in there working, they do. I hope it keeps them out for the most part though.  Anyway, I am basically done planting the garden. I just have to transplant my Pumpkin on a Stick's. They are too small yet to put out. I even let Ben and Jacob each have a row to plant in.  I bought a bunch of "Kiddie Pack"s of seeds from T&T seeds for 5/$1.00. They are just full of different seeds. Lot's of them I can identify, but most of them I can't. They could be flowers or vegetables. So the boys planted a row of who know what, but it is exciting waiting to see what comes up!

Our garden.

I just couldn't wait until tomorrow to post pictures of Jemima. These are Jemima at 2 days old. We just love her so much.

All of us go for our daily Jemima snuggles. Here is Ben getting his.

So, that is what was happening here. God bless you.