What a difference a day makes! I got home from my Saturday microbiology lab in time for lunch yesterday, and was able to enjoy it in the dappled sunshine of my patio, with Gwyneth's new cookbook, fresh from the library.
The ladies got to enjoy a sunny happy hour at their old waterer. They use the chicken nipples just fine, but they get so excited when they have the opportunity to drink out of a puddle or basin (do chickens get nostalgic?). Accordingly, I keep old waterer handy so they can imbibe a bit when I let them out of the coop.
Peas are looking perky. I was busy with microbio homework after lunch, so Jeff planted some seeds for kale and other greens for me. Our Seattle spring is still unseasonably cold, but I figure we can plant out our tomato starts and sow seeds for beans, cukes and squash (under cloches) Memorial Day weekend.
I don't feel so bad that I got a late start sowing tomato seeds indoors, seeing as I have to wait longer to safely plant them outside, anyway. We went to a nursery to buy a few herb plants (thyme, oregano and basil) and some petunias and such for our hanging baskets. Their tomato starts were huge and in BAD need of planting out, but our nighttime temps have not been reliably above the mid-40s yet, so good luck with that.
Ironically, the weather took a turn for the nasty while we were at the nursery, and has been that way all day today. Windy, constant rain, cool. Yuck! The ladies agree...about every other time I peek at them out the living room window, they're laying huddled together under the henhouse. I'm so glad we got our flock going last year...I would hate to be starting with chicks this year in this weather!
I have four nice herb plants growing in quart size yogurt containers on my back porch. I got them from a lady at our Farmer's Market - lemon thyme, Greek oregano and two basil. This is my first time growing my own herbs although I buy fresh frequently.
ReplyDeleteLemon thyme is one of my favorites. It smells great, tastes great, and is so pretty. There are so many perennial herbs that are as ornamental as they are edible...I love it! It's so much less expensive to grow your own, and it's nice to just be able to clip a little bit when you need it, instead of buying a bunch and then not needing all of it.
ReplyDelete