WEEK 24: Back home from Vacation: Garden, and Chicken Run

We attempted a back country camping trip in the Chinguchi region this week which is between Sudbury and Temagami.  Unfortunately, it has been an exceptional year for blackflies and mosquitoes, and in the end we were only out for two and a half days instead of the original seven.  When we came home a few days early we noticed that our garden looked exceptionally well!  Our romas grew at least three times their size, and everything else looks great except for our edamame with only three plants showing.  While we were gone we had around 4 inches of rain that fell which is great for our plants, and great for Marianne's Mom who was taking care of the garden while we were away.

HERE ARE SOME SAMPLE PICS:

Cabbage

 Peas and Tomatoes

 



 Peppers and Onions



 Potatoes

Beets

 

 Tomatoes

Squash

The chickens were happy to get outside again and forage.  However, they are getting bolder by the day and wander further away from their home.  One night, one of them didn't go into the coop and stayed outside all night! Time to build the run.

It was easy to construct our chicken run with some pressure treated fours by fours, used corn crib wire, and miscellaneous used fencing from Marianne's Dad. A 5/8th inch piece of plywood was used for the door.  The chickens seemed happy with it, and so are we now that we don't have to keep a constant eye on them. 

Chicken run with the gate 

 Another angle of the chicken run

 



 Our rooster starting to look like a BOSS

 

In other news, strawberries are now in season.  None of our strawberries made it due to the frost, so a trip to the local u-pick is coming up in the not to distant future.  One of our favourite places to pick strawberries and raspberries is Pardos Berrie Farm near Blenheim along Highway #3.  Next year, we will try to grow raspberries along with strawberries.  Our neighbour has blueberries, so hopefully we can doing some berry bartering.