You can salvage the sprouting potatoes by cutting them in sections leaving the nice sprouts intact, after preparing the soil place them 6 inches apart and let mother nature do its wonder. Normally it should take 7-8 weeks to harvest “small” potatoes (leave them a 30-90 days longer for larger size).

Soon you too can harvest the freshest potatoes ever! Firm to the touch and the flavor beats any store bought!!

Potatoes are fun and easy to grow; even if you live in an apartment you can grow them in a sack- harvesting the potatoes is a treat!

The Ladies of Lake Helen they’re getting their chicken coop built!

The Ladies of Lake Helen keeping an eye on the construction

The ladies make the best of their “hen-pen”

(click here to see the younger chicks)! (pictures on the right): Ana and Carol are the social chicks they always want to be ‘on top’ of things. To the far right is Fannie at the fountain. Betsy (near the food) is always hungry. Ellie (bottom left) she’s the homemaker, loves dust baths and cuddles. …center shot is Debbie my sassy girl, she always has that ‘vogue’ look.

George designs an 8×4 chicken coop tractor

The chicken coop lobby with hotel rooms

Roosting pole and nest boxes

Chicken coops come in all shapes and designs, for now, we needed something that would work with our garden. George designed the chicken coop to be mobile, that way we can rotate it around and the ladies can prep the ground for us.

The chicken coop door opened for the first time

The ladies making their grand entrance

Ellie and Betsy step out first

There was a lot of hush hush as the Ladies of Lake Helen made their grand entrance towards the atrium.

Betsy inspecting the nail making sure it passes inspection

The ladies have spotted food!

Geordan and George with smiles at a job well done

George placed the feeders close to the door for easy access and also added a wire reinforcement to the rope.

The dining hall is full

The ladies going in and out of the coop

Home sweet Home

Sunflower ready for harvest

Sunflower seeds

The big beautiful bloom of the Mammoth Sunflower faces the east to take in the radiant rays of the sun and the companion plants below enjoy the pleasant shade it offers.

Aside from the simple beauty in your garden you can also enjoy the health benefits of snacking on sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant.

You can easily tell when it is time to harvest your sunflowers… their heads turn brown on the backside – then it is time for harvesting. Simply collect the head by cutting the sunflower off one foot down on the stem. Simply run your hand over the sunflower head and the seeds will pop right out.

You can remove the seeds from the shell and eat fresh… or roast them for a fun family treat.

Roasting sunflower seeds:
Remove the seeds from the shell and place a single layer of the raw seed kernels in a shallow pan. Roast the seeds in a 300º oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until the seeds are crisp and brown. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Salt to taste.

The ladies of Lake Helen are settling in to a very unusual routine.

I am quite surprised of the great disposition the ladies have been demonstrating. I

Come 6pm they all gather by the edge of the little holding pen and begin peeping to get tucked in for the night.

Brussel Sprouts and Broccoli

Cabbage

Garlic

Winter plants are coming along nicely: Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts as well as both white and red cabbage. We’ve added some garlic in the mix, (see companion planting post).