End Of January Garden Happenings At Kelpie Kapers Farm

 I think a good start to 2023 would be to show you all what's going on around Kelpie Kapers Farm. First, I'll attempt to walk you all through what I plan on doing as far as getting a flock of laying chickens going here.

Bob put up the fence so that the cats could go outside last summer. They didn't really use that pen all that much, to be honest. They like to go out into the yard with the dogs and they seem to mind pretty well doing that, so that's what we've been doing these past several months. We are going to expand that pen. I'm going use 3 more of those fence panels to trellis tomatoes and other things on. I had planned on planting out 100 indeterminate tomato varieties, but I think that 80 should suffice and I can use the other panel for cucumbers and winter squash. Anyhow, that will leave 6 panels to build a chicken yard. The yard will be 20-foot long x 10-foot wide. We plan on putting the coop inside of it and we also plan on putting a bird netting or a tarp over the top to keep flying predators out. We just need to figure out a solution to keep them from going through the gap at the gate. We also need to figure exactly where we want to put this. I think having it partway under those fir trees will be a great thing for helping to shade it during the heat of summer, but I also have to think about the fact that raccoons do climb trees, so there's that to factor in, as well.

The rhubarb is doing quite well. I believe that I'll have a bumper crop of it this coming year. I have 2 plants. I'd love to add about 3 more, but I'll have to see if I can get these seeds to grow or not. I'm not going to buy anymore crowns. Bob covered it with a bit of soil.

See? It's healthy and thriving in it's blanket of straw.

There's the 2 rhubarb crowns enjoying their place. Now, I just need to figure out how to keep Rose from walking over them.

Here is one of the two beds that I planted out with garlic at the end of October. I plan on harvesting it sometime in later July or early August.

Here is the second bed of garlic. They are growing right along just fine. They even went through our 3 day deep freeze.

I poured a small amount of milk over the end of this log last spring. I knew what would happen and just look! So cool! I love having fungi grow!

Bob started doing some cleaning down on the terraced garden. On the next day that it's not raining, you all know where I'll be.

We have to add some serious amendments to these raised beds. That soil that we bought in bulk flat out sucked.

Here is the start of the first 20-foot long greenhouse. I'll be able to grow some serious crops in there!

We're not putting the cover on until winter's over, though. We don't want to lose this. We just need to figure out where to put the second one.

I plan on putting okra, melons, winged beans, cucamelons, butterfly peas and all my peppers into the pair of these greenhouses.

One frame up and one to go...as soon as we figure out where to put it. Bob is even contemplating parking his car over on the back side of the trailer and putting that other one alongside of that one. I suggested putting it out front. I'll let you all know where we decide.