Bountiful Plant Starts + New Wicking on Sub-Irrigated Planters

Spring is fraught with anticipation and then--boom!--everything seems to happen at once. Yesterday I walked over to Bruce's to pick up some plant starts. Are they ever glorious.

Tomatoes

 Peppers

Carl guards them on deck

The coop is looking mighty with its racoon-proofing

Today we were up before the heatwave so Art could make saw cuts in all our SIPs to get them ready for the fabric wicking we now prefer over the soil-packed drink cups.

Windowsill portable micro-gardens thriving in the southern exposure. They needed water today after our 90-degree temps yesterday (and could I just say, WTF?--it's May!).

Also got a couple Tomatillos Two-Color Fiesta from Renne's Garden (seeds from last year) into our adopted earthbox.

Intoxicating Lilacs

Can you smell them...?

More progress on the Chicken Coop

Yesterday I prepainted the studs that will frame the wall of the run.  I just spent the last 5 hours cutting them to length and attaching them.  The final step is to cover the entire run with 1/2" hardware cloth, keeping raccoons from the chickens.

The little (closed) door that I'm touching will have a ramp leading down to the ground. Tomorrow I'll start to make the remaining four doors and two windows.

Raccoon proof vents, shown from the inside.

My hands doing something (?)

Carl has destroyed all the chew toys my neighbors have given him.  With that in mind, I'll get him a beef bone from the local butcher.  He's turning into a good dog.

Releasing the Queen

 

After the successful weekend transfer of our new bee colony, Noam came by early this morning to release the queen from her cage. Here's a photo array of queen cages.

According to this piece, the nectar of spring-flowering trees has a higher sugar content...to attract pollinators like bees. Chicago is in bloom right now, happily for our feisty foragers.

Saw this one walking to Bruce's today.

 And this one walking to the produce store.

 Bees won't have much luck with this one, though...

The Interview: How We Started the Family Garden

Last year we were very excited about our first harvest pictured above, this year I'm even more excited to be focusing on growing a broader range of tasty and nutritious heirloom vegetables and fruits for Little Green Girl to try.

Here's an interview on how we got started with our family garden by Kate Silver, contributing writer at Swedish Covenant's Well Community.

Winter Sowing Rewarded in Spring

We're overdue reporting on the results of this winter-sowing project from mid-February. 

Fact is, our hearty winter-sown mustard, tatsoi, and arugula seeds have been leafing out for a couple weeks, though we're taking our time planting them. The tiny, well-rooted plants are easy to pull up and tuck into many a spot.

We'll definitely be winter-sowing again next year. I'm very glad to have learned about this from fellow GRG-er Debbie.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice Steps Up

When our beekeeper pal Noam called to say he was departing last night for Barcelona (Madrid v Barcelona, compelling reason indeed to travel), he said the timing should still work for him to introduce the new bee colony into Hive 2. Noam came over with apprentice Robyn, who's been taking classes and was eager for an up-close look at the hives.

 

Backing up, Hive 2 didn't make it through the winter, sad, but nature has her reasons. Most important, there was no apparent disease. The bees seemed to have frozen, though they had honey stores not far away...but perhaps too far to leave the warmth of the colony to retrieve. Yesterday was pick-up day for our new bee family, but delivery was delayed. Noam walked Robyn through the steps just in case she needed to step up. And did she ever.

Robyn rendezvoused last night with Simpsons,

kept the bees on her deck, and arrived here today

with 10,000 Italians in a box.

We suited up and calmed ourselves.

 Step 1: slowly remove the feeder can from the carrier top.

Step 2: locate the queen in her tiny chamber 

and with excruciating gentleness lift her out.

The queen goes in first, to be hung from a tab on her little screened box. What's this? Looks like a chicken leg, but it's hundreds of bees who need to move away from their queen so Robyn can hang her on a frame.

Robyn gently runs the encrusted queen chamber against the frame to encourage the girls to release. It worked well. Note the other 9,500 emerging from the carrier box at rear.

 Carefully inserting a frame to hold the queen's cage in position.

Slowly (but like she means it) shaking the bees out of their carrier

into their new home.

Lots of craziness at this point, bees swirling. Robyn has shaken most of the colony into the hive. She sets the carrier aside.

And we step back for a minute while the girls get acclimated.

Placing the remaining frames into position...slowly.

Brushing the edges clear.

And topping the hive.

Robyn's a natural. A beautiful first effort and elegantly done. Casa de Italians have settled in well. Here's a vid Robyn shot just after she completed the transfer. For more, come visit us on Facebook. 

And, Noam, we missed you...but salut!