digging parsnips in the spring

On Easter morning (April 21) I dug the last of my parsnips. I’ve never overwintered them before but was told they are really sweet in early spring. So I left half of my crop in the ground last fall.

And, yes, they are excellent after overwintering! I roasted them with some red potatoes, and added olive oil, smoked paprika, and curry powder. Really delicious with our Easter dinner.

Easter morning I also dug a couple overwintered leeks (I have to remember to go dig the rest of them soon), and I picked a nice bunch of overwintered book choy. It’s so nice to be getting garden vegetables again! And digging in the dirt!!

I've been posting on Facebook too. You can check there with this link. Its quicker for me to post there. I'll try to add all the posts here.

i just noticed...

I guess I'm a bit slow, but i just noticed that Feedspot gave this blog an award. Top 30 Organic Gardening Blogs!! Nice. I appreciate that. And they gave out cute badges. I like that too! Thanks Feedspot!

And here's a more current list at Feedspot with more than 100 nice gardening blogs. So much to read!

planting peas

I planted my peas today. I started them indoors in big flat boxes and cut off paper bags. I'm a fan of planting indoors, mostly because I can watch them grow. But also I can baby the seedlings, making sure they get the right amount of water and light (under plant lights).

For peas, another reason for planting inside - my voracious chipmunks. There are so many chipmunks in my garden and they have, in the past, gone right down the rows and dug up and ate every newly planted pea seed.

The chipmunks are also the reason for the new pea supports I am trying. They are thin wire tomato cages set out in a zigzag pattern. Last year the critters climbed up the branches I used for supports and ate most of the pea pods. I'm hoping the thin metal of the tomato cages won't give them enough to hold onto and climb up on.





The peas in the back on the support are Oregon Giant, a delicious snow pea that grows very tall. In front of them I have a row of a short snap pea, Sugar Daddy, that doesn't need support.

today’s harvest

I had my first harvest of the season today. A pretty little head of red butterhead lettuce, some kalelette sprouts, and a handful of big spinach leaves. Delicious.

more baby chick pictures

I bought a batch of 15 mixed layers from McMurray Hatchery. They say they are a mix of at least 5 good laying types plus one exotic layer. I can see that the single fancy bird is silver and has very pretty feathers. I don't know any of the breeds. If anyone can tell the breed from looking at a chick and you recognize any of these - let me know!!

They are two days old now and are being very good. There was one chick who kept pecking other chicks' eyes yesterday. (She the black blur in the left front of the bottom photo.) Over and over. She spent the night in solitary (the shipping box under the light). She's being good today.

Then there is one very tiny bird that I'm hoping will thrive. (She's that buff one at the upper right of the bottom photo.) She has a hard time pushing her way in to the food. I'm spreading crumbles now and then to see if that helps. In have both of my red heat lights over the crate now my to keep the temperature up at 95 degrees for a week. Next week when they are OK at 85 I can separate any tiny birds and move the second light to a smaller crate.

My plan is to only keep 4 or 5 of the chicks. I have one adult hen laying in my coop outside (with another adult that I am overwintering for someone else). I should limit myself to 4 and 5 is pretty full for my small coop. Five others have been spoken for. If you're local to Lincoln MA and want any let me know. I'll advertise on Craig's list at some point.

Charley is very interested in watching the chicks, Suzie less so. Charley always follows me to go check on them. The chicks are in a very secure crate!

baby chicks!

I got a box full of one-day-old baby chicks in the mail today. 17 of them! They are very tiny and very cute. They are now under a red heat lamp in a dog crate converted into a chick incubator.