I spent 7 hours today soaking up corporate rhetoric, it felt so good to come home and walk around barefoot in the garden. I sat with the chickens a bit longer this evening, feeding them tiny cherry tomatoes from our Cuban Yellow Grape plant; it replaced the Sun Gold that we typically grow just for the chickens every year, I opted to grow them an open pollinated plant that I could save seeds from at the end of the season. I'm happy with how prolific it's been.
I sometimes feel so far away from the city when I'm in our backyard, I will never get tired of the feeling.
10/19/11
10/18/11
Pictures from the garden.
I had my camera out this evening, there's a lot of transition going on in the garden right now as fall is arriving in the Bay Area. It's bittersweet, the long days of summer are gone and there's a chill in the air that wasn't there before. I need to have my peacoat dry cleaned and take my scarves down from the closet.
Anyways, we're pulling a lot of our summer crops from the raised beds and composting green matter. Gone are the tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and zucchini in their place there's broccoli, caulifower, kale and leafy greens. We also cleaned out one of the chicken coops, adding nitrogen rich bedding to the mix; next Spring we should have a good amount of compost to help amend the beds. On to the pictures...
Today's tomato haul, the tomatoes that are still growing are now bearing like crazy. The cherry tomatoes are loaded with tiny fruits that range from smokey to sweet. Some of the bigger heirloom tomatoes have started to ripen as well. This picture shows Japanese Black Trifele, Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry and Aunt Ginny's Purple, which is actually more a pink color...
This Cherokee Purple tomato is almost as big as my fist, I'm hoping it ripens and we get to taste it before the chilly nights threaten to make the vines drop their fruits.
My Bougainvillea vine has new growth, I bought this variegated variety from a specialty nursery in San Leandro, it has a bright orange flower and striking foliage.
While at the Home Depot we found this "garden obelisk", a wrought iron sculpture perfect for growing vining plants, the box came with 2 inside, marked down from $19.95 to $7.50. Waiting for end of the season deals always pays off. :)
Our Feverfew has been blooming continuously for weeks now.
The Golden Leaved Pineapple Sage in my sensory garden is also blooming, it sent up spires covered in bright red trumpet like blossoms. The hummingbirds and bees love this plant.
The Red Acre cabbage that we planted last month has gotten HUGE!
Kumquats are my favorite citrus and my tree that was once loaded with tiny flowers is now covered in tiny orange fruits. They're almost ripe enough now to eat and it's taking all of my will power not to snatch a few from the tree and pop them in my mouth... if I wait a few weeks more though the fruits will lose most of their tart flavor and be incredibly sweet and juicy. The next citrus I'm looking to add to our little grove is a Limequat, which is exactly what it sounds like, a Key Lime/Kumquat hybrid tree. It's fruit is basically a bit larger than a regular Kumquat and just as delicious.
We have 3 different fig trees growing in our mini orchard- Brown Turkey, Black Mission and White Genoa. The Black Mission didn't set anything this year but the Brown Turkey and the White Genoa have green unripened figs all over their branches. I'm not the biggest fig fan but my partner loves them. He can eat them right from the tree. I would rather make jams, marmalade, tarts or homemade fig newtons with them. :) The fruit pictured below are White Genoa.
Last but certainly not least we come to the ever growing compost pile, the heap of discarded and spent organic matter that will one day bring new life to the very ground it started in itself. Our compost hasn't gotten that hot yet but we're constantly adding things and turn it often, not too often though. When we clean out the chicken coops before winter really sets in it will add a lot of their poo to the mix so we're concentrating on adding green things to the pile right now. Like tomato plants and pumpkin rinds. (Those pumpkins weren't used for carving by the way, they were a snack for the ever hungry chickens.)
That's all for today.
Anyways, we're pulling a lot of our summer crops from the raised beds and composting green matter. Gone are the tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers and zucchini in their place there's broccoli, caulifower, kale and leafy greens. We also cleaned out one of the chicken coops, adding nitrogen rich bedding to the mix; next Spring we should have a good amount of compost to help amend the beds. On to the pictures...
Today's tomato haul, the tomatoes that are still growing are now bearing like crazy. The cherry tomatoes are loaded with tiny fruits that range from smokey to sweet. Some of the bigger heirloom tomatoes have started to ripen as well. This picture shows Japanese Black Trifele, Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry and Aunt Ginny's Purple, which is actually more a pink color...
This Cherokee Purple tomato is almost as big as my fist, I'm hoping it ripens and we get to taste it before the chilly nights threaten to make the vines drop their fruits.
My Bougainvillea vine has new growth, I bought this variegated variety from a specialty nursery in San Leandro, it has a bright orange flower and striking foliage.
While at the Home Depot we found this "garden obelisk", a wrought iron sculpture perfect for growing vining plants, the box came with 2 inside, marked down from $19.95 to $7.50. Waiting for end of the season deals always pays off. :)
Our Feverfew has been blooming continuously for weeks now.
The Golden Leaved Pineapple Sage in my sensory garden is also blooming, it sent up spires covered in bright red trumpet like blossoms. The hummingbirds and bees love this plant.
The Red Acre cabbage that we planted last month has gotten HUGE!
Kumquats are my favorite citrus and my tree that was once loaded with tiny flowers is now covered in tiny orange fruits. They're almost ripe enough now to eat and it's taking all of my will power not to snatch a few from the tree and pop them in my mouth... if I wait a few weeks more though the fruits will lose most of their tart flavor and be incredibly sweet and juicy. The next citrus I'm looking to add to our little grove is a Limequat, which is exactly what it sounds like, a Key Lime/Kumquat hybrid tree. It's fruit is basically a bit larger than a regular Kumquat and just as delicious.
We have 3 different fig trees growing in our mini orchard- Brown Turkey, Black Mission and White Genoa. The Black Mission didn't set anything this year but the Brown Turkey and the White Genoa have green unripened figs all over their branches. I'm not the biggest fig fan but my partner loves them. He can eat them right from the tree. I would rather make jams, marmalade, tarts or homemade fig newtons with them. :) The fruit pictured below are White Genoa.
Last but certainly not least we come to the ever growing compost pile, the heap of discarded and spent organic matter that will one day bring new life to the very ground it started in itself. Our compost hasn't gotten that hot yet but we're constantly adding things and turn it often, not too often though. When we clean out the chicken coops before winter really sets in it will add a lot of their poo to the mix so we're concentrating on adding green things to the pile right now. Like tomato plants and pumpkin rinds. (Those pumpkins weren't used for carving by the way, they were a snack for the ever hungry chickens.)
That's all for today.
10/17/11
Royal Blue Orpingtons
I figured since I mentioned my Orpingtons in my previous post I would introduce them to the world.
August of 2010 I received a very special box in the mail from a good friend of mine who lives in Virginia, it held 11 Blue, Black, Splash English Orpingtons. My friend imported her Orpingtons from the United Kingdom a few years before and I was lucky enough to be able to purchase some beautiful babies from her.
I unfortunately lost my first cockerel to an unknown predator when he was around 6 months old, I was completely devastated at the time- we've never lost any birds to anything other than natural causes so it was very hard finding my once beautiful baby rooster lifeless. Luckily I was able to purchase another Splash cockerel to replace my first from another breeder who had also imported Orpingtons from the UK. My new cockerel, whom I named Neville, is completely unrelated to my hens and I inadvertently was able to diversify my line by adding this new rooster.
I'll stop rambling now, on to the pictures...
This is what I met when I opened my box.
A few days later it was time for glamour shots.
They didn't stay small for very long, they sprouted feathers and grew into their "awkward teenage-dinoesque" stage of development pretty quickly.
Still they kept growing.
As they matured they grew into beautiful big birds.
Then one day, they were all grown up.
The cheesy name of this post comes from an inside joke between myself and the friend who I received the birds from. We figured since these birds came from Britain than they're like Royalty of the chicken world. If any a chicken ever had a majestic air to it, with the grace and smugness of the elite, it would be these guys. The nickname kind of stuck and forever will inspire a giggle when it's mentioned.
If by chance you are interested in these wonderful chickens I am actually selling juvenile started pairs, 6-8 week old chicks, feel free to email me for more info.
August of 2010 I received a very special box in the mail from a good friend of mine who lives in Virginia, it held 11 Blue, Black, Splash English Orpingtons. My friend imported her Orpingtons from the United Kingdom a few years before and I was lucky enough to be able to purchase some beautiful babies from her.
I unfortunately lost my first cockerel to an unknown predator when he was around 6 months old, I was completely devastated at the time- we've never lost any birds to anything other than natural causes so it was very hard finding my once beautiful baby rooster lifeless. Luckily I was able to purchase another Splash cockerel to replace my first from another breeder who had also imported Orpingtons from the UK. My new cockerel, whom I named Neville, is completely unrelated to my hens and I inadvertently was able to diversify my line by adding this new rooster.
I'll stop rambling now, on to the pictures...
A few days later it was time for glamour shots.
They didn't stay small for very long, they sprouted feathers and grew into their "awkward teenage-dinoesque" stage of development pretty quickly.
Still they kept growing.
As they matured they grew into beautiful big birds.
Then one day, they were all grown up.
The cheesy name of this post comes from an inside joke between myself and the friend who I received the birds from. We figured since these birds came from Britain than they're like Royalty of the chicken world. If any a chicken ever had a majestic air to it, with the grace and smugness of the elite, it would be these guys. The nickname kind of stuck and forever will inspire a giggle when it's mentioned.
If by chance you are interested in these wonderful chickens I am actually selling juvenile started pairs, 6-8 week old chicks, feel free to email me for more info.
10/7/11
Oy with the raining and the flooding!
This was the "creek" that runs along our property yesterday... from the top of the wall (which is our property) to the creek bed is just about a 6 foot drop.
I shot this video with my phone yesterday afternoon.
Mind you... my Orpington's pen is located on the second level of our backyard, if the water would have rose another 8 inches their run would have been flooded!
Also, my Wheaten Marans girl gave me this egg today, pretty good color still for a hen who's been laying since late February...
I shot this video with my phone yesterday afternoon.
Mind you... my Orpington's pen is located on the second level of our backyard, if the water would have rose another 8 inches their run would have been flooded!
Also, my Wheaten Marans girl gave me this egg today, pretty good color still for a hen who's been laying since late February...
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