VIEWS FROM THE URBAN FARM TODAY

HELLO & Welcome to GARDEN DADDY here at the urban farm! I thought you would like to see a few shots of the 2011 urban garden as well as a promised photo of the now nearly grown little pullets mentioned in earlier posts. As you can see, I try to use EVERY available space in the garden site. I have enough tomato plants to eat fresh from, give lots away, and then even have enough to make sauce to freeze later on as well. I always try to keep my neighbors in fresh summer veggies as I have available as well as adding to what I harvest at the community garden to donate to our local soup kitchen, RIFA. The first photo shows a basic overall shot of the bulk of the garden, the second shows another view and the third shows you those little, nearly grown pullets.
It might not look like it in these badly taken photos, but I have the garden laid out in a certain pattern as I had space and in trying to give some element of moving room as well. It is somewhat tight, but not where I cannot get in and out from between all the rows. You can see as well that I have used wheat straw between the rows. Like I mentioned last year, this not only helps with mulching for weed control, it helps with holding in moisture to a point and it keeps one from having to walk in mud on all these stormy days that we are finally getting. We did have a lot of dry weather for about two weeks but now have had rain for several-several days. By the way, again I have my squash on the outside of the chain link fencing on the driveway side and my cucumbers are on the back of the fence facing the adjoining alley...remember...I live IN-TOWN Jackson, TN.







I leave you today with our ongoing urban farming affirmation and again from yesterday, thanks to you all for following GARDEN DADDY: "URBAN FARMING: ONE EGG AT A TIME!"

LONG OVERDUE HELLO FROM GARDEN DADDY

HELLO & Welcome to GARDEN DADDY here at the urban farm! I would like to take a moment and say THANK YOU to my regular followers for your patience and often WORRY by my long absence. Thank you all! I will not go into details other than I have been busier than a cat in a sand box during these last many weeks. Between the severe, damaging storms and subsequent cleanup here in West TN in late April and many more in May and into this month as well, trying to get the community garden project going, working like a mad man here at the urban farm and my regular job and the fact I joined the choir at church, taking up one night for rehearsals as well as other rehearsals for some solo work I have been asked to do (ah-ha....another surprise about your Garden Daddy...I do TRY to sing a little) my time has truly been used up but I am taking this week off for the most part from at least part of my regular chores and working on some things I want and need to do.
I thought I would at least here this late afternoon catch you up on at least one project from earlier an post this spring. Below is a photo of the little Buff Orpington hen that went broody and set on a nest full of golf balls. Remember, I slipped the golf balls out and inserted, one at a time, day chicks I had already ordered from the feed store. She was so THRILLED with her brood and quite the mother as well. I do not have a current photo today but will add one in a few days but the chicks below are about 10 weeks old in this photo. I had moved Mom and biddies to a larger area, actually into one side of my compost bin I had cleaned out in this photo and glad I did with all the rain we had at that time. I kept them covered for weeks with a tarp. But now, today, these same chicks are really no longer chicks but real little pullets. They are about 15 weeks old now I think is right. They are now integrated into the regular chicken coop with the year old hens and have blended well. I will relate that story later along with the fact I have also raised off a few more chicks the same way as well from the Golden Laced Wyandotte that went broody and sold them & mother and a few more hens to some fellow poultry club members. So as you can see just from this catch up posting that my time has just not been my own for a while.

I will leave you this evening with again, many-many thanks to everyone who follows Garden Daddy and hopefully this new post will start things back again. And as always, remember our ongoing gardening affirmation: "URBAN FARMING: ONE EGG AT A TIME!"