Take a look at my succulents

Succulents.

I don’t know why, but  that word sounds downright dirty to me. In spite of their grown-up, dirty sounding name, they can be the cutest little plants I have ever seen. I mean, have you seen the teeny-tiny, adorable containers they come in at the store?! So little. So cute.

This little leggy one on the end is my favorite…Elephant Bush. I have another one sitting on my piano that I’ve had for about 6 months.

Such a pretty plant. The best thing about it is that it doesn’t require much from me. Just a big drink of water every two weeks or so, and a spot in my brightest room.

These little guys are sitting on my dining room table.  I have no idea what that spiky flower thing is, but I love it.

I definitely recommend keeping some of these guys around. They don’t require too much attention and they add so much to any room.

Okay, I’m done showing off my succulents. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Backyard Chickens?

My husband and I have really been considering adding a small flock (if 3 or 4 can be considered a flock) of chickens to our backyard.  Two years ago, I couldn’t imagine myself typing those words, but now I am finding it harder and harder to go on living without these amazing little birds in my life.  Now, if my mom is reading this she’s probably raising an eyebrow, wondering what in the world the Arizona sun has done to her poor daughter’s brain.

It’s fried, mom.  Like an egg! Speaking of eggs…chickens lay those things. I like eggs. What I don’t like is spending $5 a week on a dozen organic “cage free” eggs.  It makes me sad. If I had chickens, they would give me eggs in exchange for a little love and attention. So there.

Also, chickens are funny and entertaining. And yes, this is really one of the reasons I would like to keep chickens.

My one concern, and I’ll admit, it’s a big one, is that my dog will kill all the chickens. I imagine those words running through his little brain the second he sees them…”kill all the chickens”.  It’s not that he’s hungry, he just has such a strong prey drive and likes to kill everything that moves. Except people. And other dogs. It’s scary.

The Stuff of Nightmares.

Oddly enough (I say that, but it’s really not that odd since it’s chick season), all of my favorite homestead bloggers have been blogging about keeping backyard chickens! Just thought I’d share a few here in case any of you are considering becoming a crazy chicken lady, like myself.

6 Reasons to Keep Backyard Chickens

Keeping Backyard Chickens 101

The Basics of Backyard Chickens

(and just because I love to eat cookie dough) The Number One Reason Why YOU Need Chickens

On top of that, I have been reading A Chicken in Every Yard and The Urban Homestead.

And if my friends and family aren’t quite convinced that I’ve gone completely crazy, I’m looking into urban beekeeping. Yep. It’s true.

 

I see green things!

It’s been exactly one week since I put my seeds in the ground and I am finally seeing tiny seedlings making their way up towards the sunlight! I didn’t see anything at first glance, but after watering I saw a little corn stalk poking through, then a little thyme plant, then finally, the beginnings of a beautiful baby beet!

Beet Seedling – 7 days to germination.

Growing things is something that is truly rewarding every step of the way, for me, at least.  Anytime I do something in my garden, I feel productive, like I’ve really accomplished something important, which makes me happy. It’s kind of like raising children without all of the whining, ouchies, and dirty diapers. Speaking of that last one, I need to wrap this up.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, everyone!

The beginning of our summer garden

My wonderful husband finally got around to building me one of my 3′ x 6′ raised garden beds! I still need another two for our zucchini, summer squash, more corn, and watermelons, but I got this one started just in time. I am a little sad that I forgot to start my tomatoes last month, but I am currently looking for some USDA organic plants, so if anyone in the Yuma area knows of any, let me know! I know the Sunrise Farmers Market had them in October, but I didn’t need them then.

Anyway, as you can see, I forgot to get markers, so I am currently using oblong rocks found in the gravel part of my yard to mark my veggie rows. From left to right (left is west facing) I have golden bantam sweet corn, green okra, some nasturtium, blue lake bush beans, pronto beets, sweet basil, thyme, italian parsley, and carrots.  My veggie seeds come from Seeds of Change and my herb seeds come from Zziggysgal.  I used a soil mixture of half compost, half topsoil.  I am hoping that Sam gets the sprinkler system guy out to our house soon so I can get the beds hooked up.  As soon as he builds the other beds, which needs to be done by 15 March, I will plant more corn, sugar snap peas, marketmore cucumbers, dark star zucchini, sugar baby watermelons, and yellow crookneck squash, probably some more nasturtium and herbs as well.

I got Milo some zohar f-1 sunflowers to plant along our front yard fence line, so I am excited about that! I hope to instill the same love of gardening that I am developing and nurturing in myself in him too.  I’ve heard that sunflowers are a great place to start with kids, oh and beans.

I will update as little green things begin to push their way up above the surface of the soil in search of the life-giving sunshine. Have a great Friday and an even better weekend!