Transplants and Eggs

I put all the spinach and cabbage transplants in the cold frame today, and I'm letting them get some sun before I cover them this evening. They're right on track to be the first to be moved to the field come warmer weather.

My hens are laying really well lately. The warm weather has them thinking it's spring and nature tells them to crank up production. I have a hatch due this coming Sunday, and another in April. I'm looking to triple my flock size, so

I can keep up with the sales demand. Fresh eggs are like gold nowadays.  

Plants are Looking Good

It was a sunny and warm weekend, and all the plants look a lot better for it. The turnips in the cold frame are really growing and there's even more size to the spinach.

I have all these transplants that

                                               

will be ready to move into the cold frame in a few weeks, but I was hoping the turnips would be more mature and ready to harvest at

that time, and they're not.I'll have to build another one like it for the transplants.

Return of Warm Weather

Looks like we're in for another warm spell. I put all the cold weather seedlings out thins morning to get some sun. 

It was 26 degrees at the time, but that's no problem for cabbage and it's family members. These will all go in a cold frame to grow into good size transplants, which will be put out at weekly intervals, so I don't lose all of them to a cold snap. It's still a gamble, but, why not?

I have 16 tomatoes, and 6 pepper plants growing in the windows, along with a few very early cucumber and squash seedlings. These

can't go outside until the temperature reaches 60 or so, but I think we're going to hit that tomorrow, so I'll try to get them some sunshine. These will be potted up and will be moved to the sun in the daytime and back in the house at night. Hoping to get some early produce from them.

Cold Morning and Warm Water

It got really cold last night, down to 7, and I haven't checked the turnips and spinach in the cold frame, but from what I've seen this winter, I'm sure they're ok.
All the animals love warm water on a cold morning and they congregate around the bowls like office workers at the coffee

machine. I'm thinking that warming the water in the mornings helps my hens with egg production. It's just a theory, but I'm guessing the energy they'd be putting into warming themselves is put into making eggs, so I'll keep doing this all winter. I could be dead wrong too.

Cheap Seeds at Walmart

I picked up some really cheap seeds from Walmart, and as a test, I planted 18 cabbage in an egg carton. To my surprise, every single

one sprouted. I've always been leery of cheap seeds, but I went back and bought a bunch more.

At 20 cents a package, it's a heck of a savings. 

Florescent Lights for Seedlings

On cold days I have to keep all the seedlings indoors and when it's cloudy like today, I have to get them as much light as possible.

I use a couple of florescent drop lights hung from under a coffee table and keep them as low as I can, right on top of the tallest seedlings is fine. They won't burn and they love the energy. It's not as good as the sun, but it's been very helpful on days like this.

Finding the Sun

This time of year, seedlings will be inside for the most part, but as warm as it's been, they go outside and get as much sunshine as possible. Because of the angle of the sun, it's hard to catch it without being resourceful, so I look for ways to tilt the plants toward all that warmth and energy. The easiest

way is to use your vehicles windshield. I learned t

his from watching the cats, they always find the best way to make the most of sunshine.