I just wanted to update you with some things that have been going on around my homestead.
Honey Bees Swarmed
The biggest news is that one of my hives swarmed last weekend. Thankfully, I was home to capture the swarm. Bee on the look out for a video of me capturing the swarm.
Broody Hen
Did I mention that my construction projects always take longer than I think they will? One of my Cuckoo Maran hens went broody before I could finish the Catawba Coop. Chalk it up as more anecdotal evidence of the broodiness of Cuckoo Maran hens. We are going to let her sit on the eggs and hatch out baby chicks. Right now she is sitting on ten eggs. But because it is a communal nest box, she takes the eggs that other hens lay and moves them under herself. The other day she was sitting on 15 eggs. We marked the ones we want to hatch so that we can still collect eggs.
Garden Updates
There has been a lot going on in the garden. The purple passion asparagus that I planted has started to send up shoots. The square foot garden bed I planted into was two years old. I noticed plenty of worm activity in the bed as I was planting the asparagus.
I decided to move my square foot garden beds so that they would be three feet apart. I am using wood chips to mulch between the beds.
I have also planted most of the seeds I plan to direct sow. In addition I have transplanted the herbs into the garden after hardening them off.
Related Pages
- Honey Bee Swarm
- Cuckoo Maran Information
- Catawba Coop Construction
- Why Mulch Between Square Foot Garden Beds
- Previous Homestead Updates
- Homesteading Links For May 18, 2012
- Chicken Nest Boxes With Outside Access
