“A chicken in every pot” – 1928 Rep. Party campaign slogan
“Don’t have a pot to put it in” – 1928 Dem. Party response slogan

It’s time to get back to more regular posting! There’s been so much going on that I haven’t had the brain power to formulate a coherent blog post, but I have to start somewhere.

May 2005 - we quickly realized we needed different feeders =)

Today, it’s chickens. And coops.

We’ve had chickens before – in 2001-2002 and again in 2005, but we moved so much that it was impossible to keep them. Now that isn’t such a problem. My husband and I will be building our house soon, but our chicken coop can be built to be movable, and our new house won’t be far from the old, so we’re good there.

I’ve never built a coop before, but that’s ok. Hubby has building know-how, I have the plan.

At http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension-aben/buildingplans/poultry you can find lots of coop and other building plans for chickens, and I’ve decided on 6195 – good for 40-50 chickens. They’ll also have a large enclosed run, but the main thing in these long harsh winters is a large enough coop for all the chickens to be happy inside all winter.

Of course I’m only planning and dreaming – you might remember I’m in Alberta, Canada, with my husband and kids, and for as mild as a winter as we’ve had (“only” a week of -20+c temps, mild otherwise), the ground is still frozen and covered in 6″ of snow. It’ll thaw eventually and we can get moving with this project. My goal is eggs by next winter.

In other news, we’re getting close to the point of finishing the immigration process (I hope…) and I’m working hard on getting my soap business going. I’m expecting to have everything ready so as soon as we are legal, I can do all the business paperwork/legalities and be in business, selling both online (will ship to the US and Canada) and in local farmer’s markets.

If you want to see how that’s coming along, visit the Alberta Handmade Soap Co. website and/or visit and like the AHSC facebook page.

Now, my wonderful reader -do you have chickens? Or have had them in the past? If you have any blog posts about them, or advice for my other readers, please leave a comment and link below!

This is a guest post from Tiger Sheds.

Summer brings blooming flowers, sunny days, and warm weather to backyards around the world. Entertaining guests or neighbours in the yard is a pleasant alternative to eating indoors, but it can be difficult for homeowners to constantly cook and transport food between the kitchen and the yard.  Pre-existing garden sheds provides an excellent starting point for homeowners who want to create a garden kitchen for outdoor parties.

The complexity of the new garden kitchen will depend on the homeowner’s budget, goals, and technical expertise. Although a homeowner can hire a contractor for more elaborate garden kitchens, some relatively simple upgrades can turn any shed into an outdoor cooking area.

Electricity and running water can significantly increase the number of dishes that a homeowner can cook in their garden kitchen, but it is difficult for homeowners without a high level of do-it-yourself expertise to install both elements.

A grill or wood oven can be installed instead of hooking the kitchen up to electricity. Although grills and wood ovens are not as convenient as electric stoves, they do not require electricity and may provide a different flavour to certain foods.

However, running water is more difficult to replace in a garden kitchen. Recycled rainwater systems are one alternative, but the water typically needs to be purified before it is fit for human consumption.

Running a direct pipe from the main house to the garden kitchen is often the safest option. Homeowners will need to drill a small hole in their basement or outside wall, dig a deep trench from the house to the garden kitchen, and then install a small sink or spigot in the kitchen. The trench should be deep enough that it won’t be uncovered by eroding soil, and a water quality test should be performed at the garden kitchen’s end of the pipe.

The shed’s walls should be replaced with either a four-post design with no walls and a roof or more windows should be installed. The no wall design leaves appliances open to the weather, but a garden kitchen with only some windows can isolate the cook from his guests. A completely open air garden kitchen must be secured against rodents and other animals.

The roof should have some form of water-resistant shingles to protect appliances, and all-purpose carpet may be used for the floor.

The necessary tools for a conversion will vary depending upon the totality of the makeover. For example, pipes and wrenches may be necessary if the homeowner is installing a sink. However, some tools that may be of use include:

• circuit tester
• electrical tape
• level or T-square
• roofing shingles
• weather-proof caulk

Common tools like a hammer and nails will also be helpful.

Converting a shed into a garden kitchen can be a simple project for do-it-yourself homeowners, or an elaborate backyard upgrade for people with larger budgets. A homeowner can be cooking for friends and neighbours in their yard for the entire summer after as little as an afternoon of work on the conversion.

This was a guest article from Tiger Sheds.

Here’s a clue (less of a clue and more an obvious answer, thanks to some paperwork being finalized) where I’m going to be gardening at next spring:
http://www.plantmaps.com/interactive-alberta-plant-zone-hardiness-map.php

But according to this, I’ll be in zone 3b to 4a, where the official Canada hardiness map indicates 1b to 2a:

http://atlas.agr.gc.ca/agmaf/index_eng.html#context=phz-zrp_en

(yeah Alberta is a big province, a more narrowed down location will be forthcoming at a later date)

Thankfully my awesome mother in law has a nice (raised bed because of horrid clay soil) garden so I’ll have some help with my new challenge!

And a greenhouse will be built… a nice big beautiful greenhouse with a wood stove (thank you to a facebook follower for that suggestion)!

Are you in a cold climate? What is your favorite vegetable to grow? Any tips for this spoiled pacific northwest-er that can grow almost everything except citrus?

Yes it’s almost February.

Resolutions? I don’t recall any resolutions. Don’t you dare scroll down that page!

I said don’t!

That should be an indication how those are going (I’ve had a few people email and ask)

Soap making is FUN. I already have 100+ bars of soap at various stages of curing. And yes, I’m working on a soap making blog. Of course. I have a blog about everything. Except my dog. Hmmmmm…. I wonder….. no, no, I’m not going there.

This weekend is time to get gardening supplies. Based on my life getting more and more and more and more hectic (did I mention more? I meant MORE HECTIC), I’m just doing herbs. I need a planter, and dirt. I need to go brave my compost bin and see if it’s usable or just nasty. I need seeds. Time to go SHOPPING. Woot!

Also, these ads are annoying. Screw em. The boxes over there ~> are still for rent however.

Starting from seed isn’t gonna happen this year. I’m sooooooo behind in school and work that I just had to let that one thing go (that ONE thing? Have you seen the sink full of dishes…. sigh). I’m going to get plants from the nursery (or maybe Costco, they had a bunch of organic plants today that looked very nice….), throw them in the buckets and call it gardening.

I also made strawberry shortcake for the kids tonight by using a pre-sliced angel food cake loaf and redi-whip. THE HORROR.

I’m a big cheater

Obviously I haven’t had time to go blog hopping, so tell me – how are your gardens growing? What’s doing the best, what’s doing not so great?

Headed to the store today!

Sunny, warm February. Idaho can kiss my butt No offense to my Idahoan readers of course…

I already need to mow the lawn and flowers are blooming!

Trying to find time to think about the garden. Being a single full time student while being self employed with 4 homeschooled kids is kicking my rear end. Whodathunk?

Anyway, I think a few containers might work better than the big garden this year. Serious scaling down from the first year! Containers of Eatin’ doesn’t have the same effect though

Life throws some whopper curveballs sometimes.

Unfortunately after being with my husband for 12 years, I recently learned he’s not the person anyone thought him to be. I try not to post personal stuff on this blog (being a gardening blog and whatnot, plus I have facebook and a personal blog and other places to talk about that kind of stuff), but many of my readers like to know what’s going on with me (you guys are weird, I’m tellin’ ya)… anyway, he’s locked away, hopefully for the rest of his life, and I’m a solo gardener again. Well, except for my little helpers =)

I think I’m holding up relatively well, considering this is the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through, and I’m starting college at Chemeketa Community College next term (starts in Jan 2010). The program is Visual Communications – basically I’ll be getting a degree for what I’ve been doing for years and improving on the areas I’m lacking, particularly print design. Between the grants and loans and the bit of work I’ll still be doing, we’ll be able to get bills paid and even do a small garden this spring. We’ll be just fine, better actually, without him!

Thinking ahead to my garden, I’ll make it very kid friendly and small. I know I want to grow potatoes and corn and maybe strawberries. Nothing that required a lot of extra labor cause I am not going to have the time…no stakes or trellising or cages. Things the kids can help with but that my picky eaters will eat too, and that doesn’t cost a lot. Maybe sunflowers, the younger boys really wanted some when they saw the neighbor’s growing. Any other ideas?

Can you believe it’s the first day of Autumn already and almost October? The stores are filled with Halloween and Autumn decorations and quickly filling up more with Winter/Christmas decorations. Crazy!

If you live in Oregon, OSU’s Extension Service has a great calendar to let you know what you should be doing each month.

Here’s October:

Planning

• If needed, improve soil drainage needs of lawns before rain begins.
• Register to become an OSU Master Gardener volunteer with your local Extension office. For more information, check online.

Maintenance and Clean Up

• Drain or blow out your irrigation system, insulate valve mechanisms, in preparation of winter.
• Recycle disease-free plant material and kitchen vegetable and fruit scraps into compost. Don’t compost diseased plants unless you are using the “hot compost” method (120° to 150°F).
• Use newspaper or cardboard covered by mulch to discourage winter and spring annual weeds or remove a lawn area for conversion to garden beds. For conversion, work in the paper and mulch as organic matter once the lawn grass has died.
• Clean and paint greenhouses and cold frames for plant storage and winter growth.
• Harvest sunflower heads; use seed for birdseed or roast for personal use.
• Dig and store potatoes; keep in darkness, moderate humidity, temperature about 40°F. Discard unused potatoes if they sprout. Don’t use as seed potatoes for next year.
• Harvest and immediately dry filberts and walnuts; dry at 95° to 100°F.
• Ripen green tomatoes indoors. Check often and discard rotting fruit.
• Harvest and store apples; keep at about 40°F, moderate humidity.
• Place mulch over roots of roses, azaleas, rhododendrons and berries for winter protection.
• Trim or stake bushy herbaceous perennials to prevent wind damage.
• To suppress future pest problems, clean up annual flower beds by removing diseased plant materials, overwintering areas for insect pests; mulch with manure or garden compost to feed the soil and suppress weeds.
• Cover asparagus and rhubarb beds with a mulch of manure or compost.
• Clean, sharpen and oil tools and equipment before storing for winter.
• Store garden supplies and fertilizers in a safe, dry place out of reach of children.
• Prune out dead fruiting canes in raspberries.
• Western Oregon: Train and prune primocanes of raspberry
• Western Oregon: Harvest squash and pumpkins; keep in dry area at 55° to 60°F.
• Western Oregon: If necessary (as indicated by soil test results) and if weather permits, spade organic material and lime into garden soil.
• Central/eastern Oregon: Prune evergreens.

Planting/Propagation

• Dig and divide rhubarb. (Should be done about every 4 years.)
• Plant garlic for harvesting next summer.
• Propagate chrysanthemums, fuchsias, geraniums by stem cuttings.
• Save seeds from the vegetable and flower garden. Dry, date, label, and store in a cool and dry location.
• Plant ground covers and shrubs.
• Dig and store geraniums, tuberous begonias, dahlias, gladiolas.
• Pot and store tulips and daffodils to force into early bloom, indoors, in December and January.

Pest Monitoring and Management

• Monitor landscape plants for problems. Don’t treat unless a problem is identified.
• Remove and dispose of windfall apples that might be harboring apple maggot or codling moth larvae.
• Rake and destroy diseased leaves (apple, cherry, rose, etc.), or hot compost diseased leaves.
• Spray apple and stone fruit trees at leaf fall to prevent various fungal and bacterial diseases. Obtain a copy of Managing Diseases and Insects in Home Orchards (EC 631) from your local Extension office.
• If moles and gophers are a problem, consider traps.
• Western Oregon: Control fall-germinating lawn weeds while they are small. Hand weeding and weeding tools are particularly effective at this stage.

Houseplants and Indoor Gardening

• Early October: Reduce water, place in cool area (50-550F) and increase time in shade or darkness (12-14 hours) to force Christmas cactus to bloom in late December.
• Place hanging pots of fuchsias where they won’t freeze. Don’t cut back until spring.
• Western Oregon: Check/treat houseplants for disease and insects before bringing indoors.

The last of the potatoes and onions got harvested yesterday. The onions were trying to flower, I guess it’s been this bizarre ‘super hot to below normal temps’ weather. All that is left are a few cucumbers and tons of tomatoes. I’m thinking of container gardening next year to make the whole process easier since I expect to be as busy, maybe busier. Must research…

So until next planting season, I’ll be posting plans, recipes and probably some green-eco-naturey-earth stuff. I hope (really really hope) everyone had a more successful garden than I did this year – but effort put in is directly related to reward given and my effort was lacking from so much other stuff going on.