Soil Test

  I bought a soil test kit a few days ago and finally got to try it out.  I was a little surprised with the results.  Our soil is okay for phosphorus, which I expected to be low and low for nitrogen which I expected to be high.  Potassium was also good in both places I sampled. Of course there is always the possibility of operator error. I should probably read through the instructions more carefully to make sure I correctly followed the test procedures.  I'm thinking the chickens should get the credit for our good phosphorus levels.  Chicken manure has high phosphorus levels compared to horse, cow, or goat manure. I'm not sure where duck poo falls in this spectrum as it appears their poo has not been as carefully scrutinized as chicken poo. This is probably due to the fact that ducks are not raised in the large quantities that chickens are. I suspect duck poo is probably also high in phosphorus.

Phosphorus, Potassium, and Nitrogen Tests

   The little kittens are becoming quite active little explorers.  Mrs Buzz Saw has pretty much lost containment.  Stan Sessions, our home teacher, came by this past Sunday afternoon with his older children. The girls were pretty gaga over the kittens. It s nice that the kittens like the attention. They come out to greet me whenever I come near the closet and they're awake. The friendlier they are, the easier it will be for them to find homes. I'm pretty sure we will get homes for them all in a few Saturdays at the bee store.

Jerusalem Artichoke that will eventually top 6 feet.

    I was looking out in my garden today and noticed that my Jerusalem Artichoke plants are emerging. I also have beets that are up, although I'm planning on putting in more beets. I'd like to plant enough beets to do a lot of pickled beets. I thought my garbanzo's had failed to germinate, but now I realize that the plants just look very different from what I expected.  When they first emerge they look more like vetch than beans or peas.  I almost gave up on them and was considering replanting those beds. The only thing that saved them from being weeded out of the garden was that I finally noticed the even spacing of the plants.

Italian Parsley

Newly emerged beets