BennyB1966

First time growing Purslane (on purpose). Not only is it thriving, it actually tastes pretty good. The tender succulent leaves are very mild and have a slightly tangy and salty flavor. I will definitely be adding these to the backyard food forest permaculture garden. It tastes much better than I ever imagined and it's super easy to grow.

The Eastern North American Shadblow Serviceberry Tree offers delightful edible fruit similar to Blueberries in Late Spring. I have found this exceptionally hardy Native Plant to be a welcome addition to the backyard food forest garden. Birds love the seedy berries, so you will need a fruit tree net and a strainer if planning to save enough to make a pie or a batch of jelly.

Pure crisp, sweet, and juicy goodness from the backyard container gardens.

This is the same storm cell that dropped the hail on us earlier this evening.

We got hit with a Hail Storm this evening.

Just something from the AP to be aware of in case you happen to care: The two wings of the same bird (Uni-Party) are using AI to send targeted political ads to a very specific audience. In my opinion, this should be against the law, but it's not. The Link: https://apnews.com/article/ai-trump-campaign-2024-election-brad-parscale-8c25c16a50a15fd1959ffe95b73f1d66?utm_source=Email&utm_medium=share Surveillance Capitalism Documentary With Shoshana Zuboff: https://youtube.com/watch?v=hIXhnWUmMvw&si=kjfhKnngqJkvPOXs

I was very surprised to find one of the Black French Copper Marans hatched this morning. It was almost a week later than expected. I was clearing the unhatched eggs out of the Incubator when I noticed this one had pipped a tiny hole in it's shell. This one was layed the day after the Eclipse. It was the only Marans that hatched out. I'm naming her "Sunny" since she has those buttery yellow highlights on her wing tips.

Only two of my Eclipsed Eggs hatched, but the chicks appear healthy with no apparent birth defects. Moon Shadow hatched from a light green tinted egg layed on the day of the Eclipse, 04/08/2024. His Sister, Starfire hatched from a light blue tinted egg layed on 03/28/2024. They are both pure breed Ameraucanas. Without a mother Hen to raise them, it's important to dip their beaks in the drinking water to make sure they learn how to drink. Start with very shallow water fountains so they don't drown themselves in it. Also, it's good to start them off with chick vitamins & probiotics in their drinking water to help them get the best possible start. I feed my baby chicks mashed organic chick starter crumbles. The next thing to be on the lookout for is "Pasty Butt". If their vents get plugged with dried feces, they will die in a matter of days. Very easy to remedy by dipping their rear end in warm water and gently removing the plug with a cotton Swab. The probiotics help them develop a healthy digestive tract. The vitamins help prevent things like deformed toes and feet as they grow. They're ready to leave the Incubator and move into a warm brooder cage with a heat source until they feather out in about a month. Very happy that at least two hatched out! It would have been very difficult to raise only one chick by itself. Chickens are flocking creatures by nature and do best with at least a small brood of siblings of the same age. They do not integrate well with older bigger chicks or adult chickens without a mother hen to fiercely protect them at all times. The other chickens will immediately peck and trample them to death until they are big enough to fend for themselves.

It's very important to give the newly hatched chicks a coarse non-slippery surface to stand on for good healthy legs and feet. Otherwise, their legs and feet will "Spraddle" out from under them and they may never be able to walk.

One of the Ameraucana eggs I collected on the day of The Eclipse has hatched. The chick appears normal, but it's going to be very disappointing if none of the other eggs hatch. Without any siblings and already imprinted on me, it will probably think it's a human, lol.

The Sugar Snap Peas, Snow Peas, and Fava Beans are blooming. The Potatoes and Onions have started growing fast now. All of these were planted outside in February and have done very well with little to no frost protection. Looking forward to a Late Spring / Early Summer harvest.

The 8' x 12' UV-Treated Woven Shade Cloth is ideal for the Greenhouse Tent-in-a-Box. One day in the scalding sunlight was all it took to cook and kill most of my Heirloom Tomato and Pepper seeds before they even had a chance to germinate. Getting ready to give it another try now with the Shade Cloth in place. I really like that it has grommets along the edges for easy tie-down. It's been very windy here today along with the torrential downpours and everything. I definitely need to get some more of these to provide some additional Solar Protection for the plants and the chickens.

Enjoying some freshly-picked strawberries from the backyard! Strawberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow in the home garden and they are very cold-hardy with little to no protection. They do sometimes get fungal diseases, but usually respond well to low-level fungicides like Sulfur Dust. My biggest challenge has been to keep them watered enough to survive the many weeks of 100+ degrees days we get here. They will definitely benefit from a shade-cloth covering to prevent them from getting scorched during the Dog Days of Summer. I like that they send out runners and multiply on their own. These I have growing around the house escaped from their containers years ago. They are mostly the 'Cardinal' variety developed by the U of A. We also have some California 'Chandler's'. I have a few of the 'Everbearing Ozark' variety, but they have not produced much fruit for me in my open air backyard MICROWAVE OVEN SCORCHED ZONE. There are many different varieties and types of Strawberry Plants. "June-Bearing" generally ripen all at once during a 2-week period in Early Summer. This type seems to produce better for me here, but it's more like Late-April, not June. The "Everbearing" type will produce a smaller amount of fruit intermittently throughout the Summer, if the conditions are mild and favorable to them. They stop producing when it gets too hot, but they sometimes produce another small crop in the Fall when it starts getting cool again.

I had to press and hold down the Pilot Light Button for several minutes to prime the 10-Foot Hose in order for it to light. It's working good now and I'm very happy with it.

Installing the Heat Hog 10-foot-long GC-00670 Quick-Connect Extension Hose for the 20-Pound Liquid Propane Tank. It does not fit into the same receptacle as the 1-pound Cylinder. There is a smaller brass fitting port located in the Left side of the compartment for the "Quick-Connect " Receptacle on the hose. Slide the Hose Receptacle onto the port until it locks into place. You may need to move the ring on the Hose Receptacle down slightly to unlock the connector, then release to lock the connector onto the port on the Heater. Double-Check to make sure it is fully connected. Attach the Coupling Nut on the opposite end of the Hose to the LP Cylinder Valve. Turn the Cut-Off Valve Counterclockwise to open the tank and pressurize the hose (Left to Loosen-ON, Right to Tighten-OFF). I had to press and hold the Pilot-Light Button down on the heater for several minutes to Prime the 10-Foot-LongHose and get the Heater to light. After that, it lit right up and works great! I really like it and no more having to change-out the little 1-pound cylinders every few hours when running it continuously.

This hardy "White Iceberg" Climbing Rose Bush has outlived all the other roses I've planted here the past eight years. It appears the others have succumbed to the sub-zero Winter lows and scalding weeks of 100+ degree Summer Sun in spite of heavy mulching. This one has had the advantage of a shady protected spot out of the cold wind and the scorching Sunlight.

The Wild Geraniums, also known as "Cranesbill" are in full bloom here in NW Arkansas. Pollinators love them and they are very easy to grow from the interesting seed pods that self-sow and scatter late Summer/early Fall. Once established, the plants also spread out into large clumps that grow back on their own late Spring/early Summer.

Native Plants and Wildflowers such as Eastern Red Columbine, Wild Geranium, and Jacob's Ladder look so pretty together and help attract pollinators to the garden. It can take several years to grow and bloom from seeds, but once established, they are practically maintenance free and many will grow back on their own every year.

Very excited to see there does appear to be some embryonic development with blood vessels and dark blobs floating around inside several of the eggs. If all goes well with the temperature and the humidity, we'll be hatching some baby chicks by the end of this month.

Preparing to check the eggs started on 04/08/2024 with a "candler" light to see if there is any development. The good eggs will show a web-like growth of blood vessels and a small dark blob that is the developing chick embryo. The clear eggs at this point, were either infertile or failed to develop, and should be carefully removed from the Incubator before they rot and explode. I've had some problems maintaining the temperature in the optimal range, so I will be very surprised if any of these hatch. I may need to order a replacement thermostat for this cheap Incubator. I'm having to run it several degrees below 100 to keep it from overheating when it cycles on and off. Hopefully at least half the fertile eggs will hatch with no major issues.

None of the 100+ Heirloom Tomato and Pepper seeds I planted the day of the Eclipse germinated. Also, it appears the rim of the plastic seed trays have melted and warped. This is really weird since the daytime highs have only topped out in the low 80's. That's not hot enough to melt plastic or kill the seedlings. I don't know what to make of it, but looks like I will have to invoke "Plan B" and get most of my starts from the nursery this year. Very disappointing since they only carry a small number of the Heirloom varieties I like to grow. Thankfully, the peas, beans, onions, and potatoes are still doing great.

The Purple Italian Fava Beans I planted outside on 02/16/2024 have started blooming. The plants have survived many nights of sub-freezing temperatures with minimal frost protection. These are some of the most vigorous disease free and pest free plants I've seen in the past three years. Hopefully we will have some amazing Fava Beans to harvest in a few more weeks.

Planting some Watercress, Claytonia, French Dandelion, and Purple Orach for the Permaculture Food Forest Plot I've been dreaming about starting. Listening to Celeste Solum talk about Fatal Fungal Disease Plant Destroyer: https://celestialreport.com/programs/fatalfungaldiseasemp4-095493

Preparing a batch of Preventative Biological Fungicide to pre-treat the pre-emergent Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, and Tomatillo seedlings. Early-Season Fungal Diseases have been a huge problem here for many years. The cool and wet, then warm and humid conditions are an absolute breeding ground for plant Diseases. First it will be "Damping Off" that kills some of the seedlings. Then it will be all forms of blight and bacterial diseases that start at the base of the plant. The disease will slowly progress up through the stem causing the plant to turn yellow, then slowly wither and die. Tomatoes and Squash are particularly susceptible to these fungal and bacterial diseases. Cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins can also get it. Other variations of the disease will literally cause the plant to wilt and turn to mush overnight. I've tried many less lethal organic remedies, such as baking soda, epsom salts, buttermilk, garlic spray, and cayenne pepper spray, with very little success. I also water the plants at the bottom only and try not to get any water on the leaves. Dirt splashing up onto the leaves can easily spread the disease even faster. Currently I am pre-treating with a commercial greenhouse grade Organic Fungicide called "RootGuard Plus". A little goes a long way at an application rate of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. If this doesn't work, I will consider dusting with Sulfur powder and/or a foliar application of Regalia to slow the inevitable progression of the disease. Listening to Celeste Solum talk about her similar struggles with Fatal Fungal Disease and the Plant Destroyer: https://celestialreport.com/programs/fatalfungaldiseasemp4-095493

Putting the Tomato and Pepper Seed-Starting Trays on the Heat Mat to speed up the germination process. This Heat Mat can get very warm without a thermostat. I use a cookie sheet cooling rack to slightly raise the trays off the surface of the Mat to prevent it from cooking my seeds. This method has worked very well for me in the past and will cut the number of days to germination in half or even less. The Clear Plastic Dome helps to raise the humidity level inside the tray and also helps to speed germination.