RD & Gwyn's In-Town Homestead

[Gwynmael]

Well, one benefit of all the rain and cool temperatures we've been having --- the peas, spinach, and lettuce are loving it.







For some reason though, the spinach is already trying to seed out. I planted Bloomsdale Longstanding, an heirloom that I've had great success with. I've NEVER had it try to seed this early, so I'm not sure what's going on with it. Still tastes good.

Here's the mud swamp Saturday morning after the rain finally stopped. It stayed cloudy and cool all day, we barely hit 60 degs.


This morning I put down over a bale of prairie hay to try to make the area more passable. It actually seems to be working.


Sloppy mud area on the path to the coop covered


Coop roof install, in progress!!




ROOF COMPLETED!!!!







Vinyl flooring tile install complete


Fence posts set, quikcrete added, and being watered in







They need to set for two days before we start stringing the fence. The extruded metal panels have been installed against the back wood fence to support and secure it. There's one spot I'll be adding another t-post to for additional securing. I'll do that tomorrow and hopefully finish the painting on the coop.

[airdrop]

Just some hints for the coop ,1. some nice pictures for the walls , 2. broom and mop and bucket chicken size of course, 3. over the door sign (No Dogs Allowed private club )

[Tex]

Gwyn, that hay may make the path a little more passable in the short-term, but it will hold the moisture longer and prevent it from drying out as fast.

Make W set same pavers out for you or spread some gravel for you.



Tex

[Gwynmael]

LOL air, definitely going to have to do #3. But that'll wait until after birds get installed.

Tex - All we're looking for is short-term mud control help. That area is the north end of the water log problem. RD and Neighbor E will be sharing the rent of a trencher in a few weeks so they can run a trench on both sides of the fence and put in underground perforated drain lines (aka french drain) to help move any water out of there to where it will run off better. That area already has had two bales worth of straw put down. The dogs just keep churning it up.

[Gwynmael]

Short update for today

I'm done painting. No, I didn't get everything inside painted, but it's good enough with just the awesome primer I had. I'm tired of paint in my hair, under my fingernails, stuck on my skin, and chasing the dogs away. So I'm done.

RD got the two-level roost built and installed.

[nichevo]

You are aware that they are all going to fight for a position on the to roost, right?

[Gwynmael]

Yep, but that's what they've got to work with.

They'll work it out or one by one they'll start heading to freezer camp.

[Gwynmael]

You are aware that they are all going to fight for a position on the to roost, right?

Oh phooey, please don't tell me that I should have let RD build just one long roost "shelf" like he wanted to originally.

[reddawnspokane]

Vinyl flooring in the coop? Those chicks will be living nice.

[Gwynmael]

red - it's just to help the floor last longer and make cleaning easier.

[Dode]

I vaguely recall something about birds needing a round limb on which to roost. Something about it enabling them to have better, easier balance while they sleep, because they are able to grip a round roost. With toes splayed on a flat surface, there is no grip. One of my cousins uses 2" tree limbs in his coop. Also, there will be a pecking order and the alpha birds will be on the top roost and the omegas on the bottom. It is what it is.

[Tex]

^^^^^^^
That.
We use one inch dowel rods. They need to be able to sorta wrap their feet rather than have them on a flat surface.


Tex

[Gwynmael]

Well, I discovered why the spinach is bolting/seeding out already. I picked a few leaves for tonight's dinner salad and was actually paying real close attention while rinsing them off as something has been eating at them.

Then I realized, the leaf shape is wrong for Bloomsdale! Darn it!

I always try to start a garden journal at the beginning of the season, but so far I don't do well at keeping it up very long. I do usually record what varieties I plant. Looks like I need to record where the seed came from too, as I cannot remember whether the spinach seed was commercially packed or from the seed exchange.

I was considering just letting it all completely seed out and then saving the seed. No longer, it's all getting ripped out tomorrow. I'm not going to spend anymore time nursing it along when it's the wrong stuff!

Oh well, lesson learned.

[W.Lynn]

Spinach is notorious for volunteering - especially if it's not the one you want!

[nichevo]

I'll be ripping out all my lettuce this weekend