Free Range Chicks

The gawky, adolescent chicks are coming out into the gardens with their mom these days. She still has that incredible cluck that says, "Come here this instant. Your life depends on it." And they still obey. I've always envied that cluck.


This week they started spending the night on the roost with the big chickens instead of in the old nest on the floor. It was confusing for them the first night as they tried to figure out how to get as close to the mom as they were accustomed to on the floor. After a couple of nights practice, now they're content being near her, but not actually touching.


The vegetable garden is thriving thanks to endless days of rain and Bill's diligent weeding. This 4'x24' raised bed contains chard, lettuce, cucumbers, beans, dill and carrots. Only the tomatoes have not thrived in the rainy weather.


I'm pretty proud of the onions. I started them from seed indoors and transplanted the seedlings when the soil was dry enough to cultivate. They do much better this way than sowing seed directly into the bed. And I don't have to think about thinning. I think the resulting bulbs store better than onions grown from sets.

And the flower beds near the vegetables are a riot of color. These beds have had virtually no care at all this year. They're hopelessly overgrown and weedy. But the visual impact is terrific.