Chicken.Arm.Farm

I finished up the nesting boxes this afternoon. The coop still has a ways to go (we’ve only built the floor so far) but once the girls arrive and grow up they now have a place to lay.   To construct it,  used recycled wood and corrugated metal that we salvaged from the Albuquerque scrap yard a few weeks ago. The perches are made from branches that I pruned  from the fruit trees last week.   

“To grow garlic means that you have to put your attention to something else much of the time. It follows that you ought not grow garlic unless you are willing to let it make you as patient as it needs for its purposes.”

- From A Garlic Testament by Stanley Crawford. 

In late October Stosh, Eric,  and I planted our first  seeds of the year, garlic bulbs. As explained in Mr. Crawford’s Testament, garlic likes to winter over under ground in the moist, cold earth. I must admit, no matter how much I enjoy his book and trust his detailed and eloquent advise,  I was a little skeptical things would pan out according to plan. After all, we had a very cold winter. How could those little guys make it through without turning into little popsicles?  As of this weekend, I can put my doubts to rest. Just like he says, “There is something startling about  such abundant growth so early, a month or so before most trees have begun to leaf out, before the garden has been tilled or planted, before most of the annual weeds have even sprouted. Now is when garlic makes a run for it.” We are now the proud parents of two rows (or three where Eric planted) of handsome baby garlic.   Thank you Mr. Crawford!