Growing Potatos

June 20. Potato plants are lush and full, a few started to flower. This is the indication that new potatoes are forming underground. Carefully remove the dirt under the plants and you can "steal" a few. After stealing the potatoes, be sure to back fill at the root level with some compost, cover as much stem as you can. There will be new potatoes developing.

New Potatoes

Backyard Chickens: Leghorn-The Egg Laying Champion

Raising backyard chickens is a great way to get high quality protein. Chickens start to produce eggs anywhere from 5-9 month after hatching. Leghorn is one of the best egg layer there is around. Not only they start laying early in age, they are the most consistent egg layers. Leghorns are small bodied birds, they have a very efficient egg/feed conversion ratio. Our leghorn has been laying almost daily for two and half years. Feeding extra protein to the chickens is important, so they can replenish their body for the high protein demands from laying eggs. Feed chickens any leftover food you may have besides the chicken feeds. Chickens are not very picky, they will eat just about anything except purple vegetables. Leghorns are not broody, they lay their eggs and off they go. Mine has not gone through molting in the two and half years I've had her.

Garlic Shoot Pesto

Garlic shoot pesto

Garlic Shoots

It's the middle of June, the garlic I planted last October is looking great. Garlic shoots are starting to come up, and they should be promptly removed to avoid sucking energies from the garlic plant, so bigger bulbs can be developed underground. But don't just toss those garlic shoots in the compost, they make good pesto. Check out this recipe and try it yourself....