Monday productiveness

     Each day as I go out to water and feed the chicks, I see that the weeds in the garden are quickly taking over and from experience, I know that the thicker and taller they get, the harder my garden prep work becomes.  Today is cool, sweatshirt cool, but clear and blue and since the mastiff has gone on strike and won't get in the car to go on a town walk, I turned the pups out, turned the chicks out into their run and decided to see how much of the garden I could deal with in one afternoon.  The garlic and onions only needed minimal weeding, the herb and greens beds were done a couple of weeks ago when I bought the starts, that left a 4' square bed, an 11 x 4' bed, and an 8 x 4' bed that needed to be prepped for planting.  The berry beds were done about a week ago also and as they are heavily mulched with straw, they weren't too bad.  The garden is weeded, except for the grape bed.  I thought I had that one handled as I put a cover crop of oats and field peas on it in the fall.  The cover crop came up beautifully, and the deer thought I put it there for them, so after a few freezes, some grazing by the deer, there was no cover left and the weeds are winning.  I think I will sharpen the hoe and hack them down another day, then plant a heavy crop of clover in there to try to keep the weeds down for the season or plant the winter squash and pumpkins in that bed, knowing their dense leaf cover will help keep the weeds down.
     Two types of shelling peas are planted and I harvested enough of a mess of greens from the ones that survived the winter, to have a meal of African chicken and hot greens with farro pilaf.  A delightful dinner, heavy on our garlic from last year.
     I have enjoyed watching the young chickens explore their first full day outdoors as I worked in the garden.  I think they will be a good addition to our farm, adding fresh eggs from pasture raised birds and enjoyment watching them search for bugs and greens while chasing each other around the run.  I think they have decided that I am friend, not foe, they even gathered at the fence on the side I was observing them.  I am awaiting whether they will coop up on their own now that it is getting dark or whether I will be out there in the gathering dark and cold trying to catch each of the 21 birds and putting them in the coop.
     My knitting and spinning have taken a rest while I work my way into spring.

White Trillium