Mid-Spring Update

I took a couple of days off to give myself a long weekend.  Even though the weather has been mostly awful, I'm enjoying it.   Saturday and Sunday we had lots of rain and thunderstorms.  Yesterday was supposed to be rainy, but it held off and I got out in the garden.   I thought I would show some of the changes in the last 10 days:

In just 10 days, the red potatoes have grown higher than the rim of their container- at least 15 inches!  I need to get something to fill the tub so the potatoes will develop there.   I have some bottomless containers I can put on top to get them to grow even higher. 

The sunflowers have been transplanted, and the new seedlings showing are Comfrey.   The 'empty' pot is onion sets to be used as scallions. 

As fast as some things have grown, I thought this lettuce would be bigger.  I used to hate having to thin seedlings - even though it's necessary - because it seemed like such a waste.  Now I give them to the chickens!   The chicken wire is reminding me that I should have finished the outside pen for the chickens and rabbits.  I didn't though, and it is raining again today.

This shot of  the garden plot looks the same as 10 days ago.  Not so!  I should have taken before and after photos.   It was nearly full of lush growth.  Yesterday I took most of the daffodils and Dutch Iris out.  We've had so much rain that I was able to pull them out rather than dig!  I have read that the number of earthworms in your soil is an indictor of it's health.  Well, mine is bursting with worms!  Even before this rain, every time I would sink a trowel into the earth it came up full of worms! I try to stay off the soil, but when I was pulling out some things yesterday, I had to step in, and sunk up to my ankle in fluffy soil, not mud.  I attribute it entirely to the bunny poo.  I have been throwing bucket after bucket on the garden since last fall, covering the whole thing inches thick.  The winter weather broke it down, and the worms are working it in for me.   I still have a lot of planting to do, but I've put dill and rosemary around the kale, and added chard, chervil and calendula. The lemon balm could be harvested already (can be harvested 3-4 times each season depending on conditions).

The little rooster went to his new home last Monday.  Dolley was very bonded to him, so she is sad, but growing quickly into a very pretty hen. She is already beginning to look like a ball of feathers, like the adults do, and oh-so-soft.  She has learned to "step up" too, but isn't as good at it as Abigail.  They get along OK, but aren't buddies, due to the pecking order.  Abigail is definitely at the top, but looking pretty pathetic right now - she's molting!  Sigh. If it's not one thing.......   I wonder if I will ever get any more eggs from her? 

Bunnies and kitties are doing well.  All eating and hanging out.  The French Angoras are busy growing coats for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival.   Holly is looking pretty good right now.  I hope she hangs on to her coat for another 3 weeks.  Truffle and Niko could use some more growth.   I'm not sure if Ivy will go or not.   My good intentions for bringing fiber and yarn haven't panned out, although I may manage some.  I will mostly be promoting Angora rabbits as the ideal urban livestock!