It's June 1st!! Let's Have An Update!

May was a busy, busy month.  It just flew by.  I know I didn't get to post as often, but that's because I was so busy.  In a nutshell, here's what happened, and what's happening now.

The garden

To me, this is the heart of the farm, the real production center.  It was a ridiculous amount of work; and it's still not done.  2310 square feet in all, it has required back-breaking labor from the day I pulled out the rototiller. 

As of now, it is almost entirely planted. The only things lacking are the sunflowers, some of the herbs, and the lavender that's being held hostage by the grower in Canada.  I also need to replant some of the corn, because, before the fence went up, the geese went in. 

That lovely multi-coloredness you see in the center there is me reusing my feed bags as a pathway.  Doesn't look pretty, but it's effective.  Those bags are plastic and will never break down.  I'm also using old pool covers as path liners.  Those are the green blocks.  I'm not too far along with the path liners, but I'm getting there. 

So far, I've amended my garden plan at least 5 times, and I still have more to change.  This is really a test year.  As I haven't gardened such a large area before, I am unsure of how to gauge space.  Some things I feel are too close together; some too far apart.  I'm going to have to take careful notes of yields.  If I don't like them this year, I'll have to adjust for next.

The weeds are rapidly taking over, so I've begun to mulch as well.  I'm using straw and dead leaves and shredding them with the shredder I borrowed from my parents.

Works like a charm. 

The Bees

I never bring my camera out with me when I check on them, so this is about as good as it's going to get, I fear.  The bees are doing very well.  The last time I checked them was May 19th, so when I went out this morning, I wanted to see if the brood was increasing, which happily it is.  They have also made a good amount of headway in honey stores, and they must be eating something, because the feeder jug has stayed pretty full.  I found the queen, which made me pretty happy, because though I could tell she was there, I was glad to see her.  She's made lots of babies.  Good girl!

The Animals

I know I've written about them the most, so I don't have much to tell.  The geese are losing their yearly fluffy underfeathers, so it looks like it's snowing outside.

As for the "raiding party", it's grown to include the new ducks and Ophelia, when she can keep up with them.  Here they are coffee klatching.

As for the chicks, they've gotten bigger...

...and messier.  And the roos are starting to look like roos.

Even the Silkies, who were the UGLIEST birds on the planet not too long ago, have become less ugly.

Note that I didn't say they were cute.

And all of them have taken to leaving the brooder and the garage whenever they feel like it and running (conservatively) around the yard, which I encourage. 

So all in all, we're chugging along at a good pace.  I am looking forward to a little calm this month (ha ha ha!!).  Hope you all are having a nice June the first!!