Get This Party Started!

Yes. My garden party has started! And for the first time my backyard sort of feels like a real farm. That's probably because of the baby kittens.

Yes. Sunset our cat (who was just a kitten herself when we got her in August) is the mother of four. I still can't decide if the newborn kittens are cute, or if they look like rats. I'm back and forth about it. But I know they'll get cuter. When they are weaned we'll give them away to people who want mousers. Know anyone?

They weather hasn't exactly been warm, but in-between rain showers I've been able to get some work done. I planted 3 concord grape vines along the outside of the chicken fence. I know the chickens will eat any grapes that grow within reach on the inside of the fence. But when they free range the yard they leave my other grape vine alone once it gets higher than their eye level, so I'm hoping they'll do the same with the concords. Grape vines would be a nice screen between the coop and the rest of the yard. It would also give the chickens a little more shade. So I hope it works. It's kind of an experiment at this point.

I tilled the garden bed as well and planted some spring crops: lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, beets, and at Ollie's request, carrots.

I decided not to plant peas this year, because I've never gotten a decent enough crop of them to make them worth the space they take up. (And I'm pretty sure the reason why is because I plant them too late every year, and they get too hot and burn up. You're supposed to plant peas on St. Patrick's Day, but I never remember until about mid-April. Ha! So I'm just bagging it this year.) I'm planning to convert the pea trellis from last year into a cucumber trellis, since I need to grow quite a few cucs this year to replenish my jars of pickles. I also want to try butternut squash. And since Aaron gave me a pressure canner for Christmas, I should be able to can squash and beans, and soups, and a whole bunch of other things I wasn't able to can before. The possibilities are endless, and I need more garden space. :)