Is it ready yet???? Corn!

I ate this corn cob a week ago and it was very yummy! But, I don't think it was quite ready to be picked because it was still small??
So I waited another week to pick theses guys! They were bigger and I peeled them back to poke a kernel with my nail, the liquid was milky:) I still wasn't sure so I peeled back further and I noticed that the kernels were starting to get smashed together to look more like rectangles. The top picture shows that the kernels are still pretty round.

So first check for brown tassels, then that it is of good size, then the finger nail test for milky liquid, and last for smashed, rectangle kennels:) Then taste test it:)

I am having this for dinner tomorrow! Yum, Yum!!!

Starting Seeds

My Dad helped me build this seed starting station. It's set up in the school room right now and Caden(4) and Drake(3) helped me plant some water melon, cantaloupe, squash, zucchini and beans! We will be putting them out mid July. I used big pots because I want to end up with 3 plants per pot so I just started with bigger pots to save having to transplant them later:)

We also started our traditional seed bag so that we can observe the seeds sprouting before they come up from the soil!

The Skinny on Corn

I never knew how corn grew. When I read the Garden Guy book I was very confused about hairs and block planting and pollinating each hair??? Now that I have grown some corn, I've got it all figured out...Mostly;)

So first they grow nice and tall and these things shoot out of the top. They were much fuller but this picture was taken after the pollinating process so they are a bit spent:)

Then, down below, shoots of hairs start growing?? Crazy! So the goal is to get the pollen from the top of the corn to pollinate the hairs below.

For that reason they suggest block planting instead of a row so that the pollen is more likely to reach the hairs. I planted my in a row because they were going to shade squash but the squash didn't make it:( This is what happens when all of the hairs don't get pollinated...

See all the missing kernels?? I didn't eat them! Each hair is connected to each kernel and so if it's not pollinated...No kernel:( I haven't given up on my corn because I picked this yummy little guy today and it was tasty! And he had all of his kernels:)

I have a plan to plant a big block of corn this July so if you live near me you will probably get some for Thanksgiving;)

How do Your Tomatos Grow??

So I've gotten a lot of comments lately about my tomato plants and about how big they are and how fast they are growing. So I thought I would do a post about them:) There are 6 Tomato plants in this picture. 3 to the left are heirloom large cherry tomatoes(I started these from seed), The middle is and early girl from Costco, and the one to the right a beefsteak from Costco.
Here's a short video of me talking about my plants. I recorded another one but it was kinda long so this one is the shorter version:)



So the "Teas" I talk about are really easy and GREAT for your plants! Take rabbit pellets, chicken, cow, or rabbit manure, alfalfa hay, or compost and fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/5 of the was full and then fill the rest with water. Let it steep for 3 days and then pour at ground level to give your plants a good nutritious drink:) Organic Too!!!!

Here's the longer version of the video if you are interested:)

Calling all Chickens!!

How to call your chickens!

1. Start when they are very little chicks by using a call while you put out their food. (I use 3 high pitched whistles like in the video because that was a sound I heard the chicks make when they would get separated)

2. Make the call every time you come outside with treats! (tomato, strawberry and lettuce ends are some of my girls favorites:)

3. Try to get them to stop following you long enough to get a video of you calling them;)

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is GREAT for the garden! I got this 100 lb. bale at The Stock Shop on 67th Ave. and Thunderbird for about 18 bucks (I also get my chicken and rabbit food there). It is a lot of hay and it's very compressed. I use Alfalfa hay for compost, mulching, chicken bedding and rabbit food. It is full of nitrogen which is great for your soil and gives your compost a kick in the pants;)

Why Mulch? Mulching your soil keeps is cooler. Instead of the sun beating down on your soil and heating up the roots it has a 4 to six inch layer of mulch to get through. It also helps your soil retain water longer. Here's my corn before mulching...

...and after!

Happy Gardening!!

My first Garden! I stared it last October right before...

...the Hail storm!
I had to start all over but still had a great season out of it!