Just out here touching crops for scale! I have all the sizes of tomatoes, baby #spagettisquash, one tiny bell pepper, broccoli for days and ready-to-eat cucumbers. I think we’re doing pretty well for early June.
#zone7b #gardening #vegetablegarden #tinytom #tinyfarm #homegrown #eatlocal
I got some new pruners and all of my tomatoes got a haircut! I cut off lots of extra stems and suckers to allow airflow to the plants. I also cut off all of the lowest leaves to prevent soil borne diseases from creeping in. It’s hard to get started, but once I did it was really satisfying to open up the vines and let the sunshine in!
#zone7b #tomatovines #pruningshears #fiskars #gardeninginga #vegetablegarden #Lawrenceville #gwinnettcounty
Breakfast bar! The lettuce is bolting in the heat (it’s going to be 90° F today) so I’m sharing with the flock. They completely consumed this head in about an hour. That’s a lot if tiny beak sized bites!
#backyardchickens #petchickens #lettuce #zone7b #gardeningingeorgia #gardeningwithchickens #polishchicken #friendsnotfood
I wish I got this excited about salad.
#velociraptors #petchickens #redleaflettuce #greenleaf #darkbrahma #Violet #wilgefortis #salmonfaverolle #spoiledchickens #personalities
And there it is. The first tomato has reached the top of the 7 foot cage. It is only a matter of time before the forest fills in. Maybe this will be the year I actually prune them back. Probably not.
#zone7b #vegetablegarden #tomatoes #tomatocage #pruningtomatoes #mastergardener
This is her bashful look. To me it says “I just destroyed a head of lettuce” or “I think the other one might be bleeding.” It feels so good to be bad.
#gloriavanderbilt #Glo #petchickens #backyardchickens #chickensofinstagram #freeranging #gardeningwithchickens #zone7b #gwinnettcounty
It’s almost blueberry time! The berries are starting to plump up and change colors. It’s still a week or two until the harvest begins. At the peak I can get more than a gallon a day off of the 5 big bushes.
#zone7b #blueberries #upick #gardening #blueberrybush
My first broccoli and my worst chicken.
#gardening #zone7b #sicilianbuttercup #Gretchen #chickensofinstagram #petchicken
Last #clematis of the season! It’s small but adorable. I may have burned several of the vines with fertilizer so we’ll see if we get any next year.
#zone7b #fenceflower #pinkclematis #gwinnettcounty
I had no idea! First veggie ready May 24th. Noted.
#zone7b #cucumbers #cukes #gwinnettcounty #gardening #mastergardener #trellis
Oh Becky! I did my best with your feather trim. I hope your vision is greatly improved. You are looking fine from this side!
#petchickens #beckywiththegoodhair #polishchicken #bufflacedpolish #bouffant
The work flower that was once just a pink asparagus is now this incredible floral arrangement! Very impressive unknown plant.
#workflower #landscaping #gwinnettcounty #zone7b
Peek-a-boo! Donna sees you! Becky doesn’t really see anything.
#petchickens #silkie #donnamartin #beckywiththegoodhair #polishchicken #bufflacedpolish #sisters #freeranging #
There is a Brontosaurus in my lettuce! Bryce does not normally leave the enclosed chicken area. This leads me to believe someone either let her out while reentering themselves or someone encouraged her to fly over the fence. These alleged someones are Gretchen, Ruth (both can open the door to get back in) and Glo (who can fly out but not let herself in). I do not need them creating accomplices.
#petchickens #brycedallashoward #cornishhen #covermodel #gardening #growinglettuce #zone7b #trouble #dinosaur
The garden seems to be accessorizing! Nice symmetry, good contrast. Full points awarded.
#broccoli #onions #zone7b #mastergardener #vegetablegarden #fancygarden
Just one minute of some happy, dirty chickens. Kahlo makes an appearance at the end but does not join the group.
#dustbath #petchickens #ruthbaderginsburg #brycedallashoward #gloriavanderbuilt #Wilgefortis #salmonfaverolle #oliveegger #silkie #whitecrestedblackpolish #GwinnettCounty #zone7b
They came back! Such a happy flower.
#gerberadaisies #gerberadaisies #flowergarden #zone7b #perennials #shadegarden
Well, this year the squirrels are beating out fungus in the race to destroy the nectarines. It wasn’t even close. I think they’ll have the whole tree cleared this week. Last year it was a much closer race with fungus taking at least 50% of the crop before the squirrels caught on. Now, what will get the apples? Will it be these same champion squirrels or will the ever vigilant worms find an opening? Only time will tell.
#fruittree #nectarinetree #ornamentaltree #zone7b #gardenpests #appletree #orchard #gsrdenfail
I thought the onion flowers would be purple. No good reason. I just assumed. I do appreciate the pinstriped petals.
#gardeningsuprises #onion #bloominonion #zone7b #vegetablegarden #polinating
Violet usually likes to have one foot ON the edge of the water bowl while drinking. Today we’re going for the two feet IN the bowl approach. I’m not sure what’s changed. Kahlo is clearly confused.
#crazychicken #VioletZindars #darkbrahma #petchickens #furfeet #PolishChicken #closeup #waterbowl
My last #clematis to bloom is petite! She has itty bitty blooms and is nearly a month behind the other vines. I wonder if this is a feature or a defect?
#zone7b #fenceflowers #purpleclematis #gardeningsuprises #smolflower
My tiny archiologists have unearthed a mango pit that they cleaned last year! I was able to crack open the hard outer shell and the interior seed looks like a giant lima bean. Very interesting. I appreciate the continuity of their efforts. Tiny Archiologists Motto: ABD. Always Be Digging.
#mangopit #petchickens #mango #chickentreats #professionallevel #archiology #interns
Here it is! Scroll for several before and after comparison angles. The #JapaneseMaple looks like a entirely different tree. Younger maybe? Definitely taller. Now I’ll have to deal with the area underneath. I forgot what a pain that gravel is. Ants love it!
#treetrimming #GwinnettCounty #shaplierblob #limbedup #zone7b #landscaping
There’s been a murder! I took the plunge and limbed up the #JapaneseMaple. I’m not sure how I feel yet. Is tree pruning like art? Like even if I did a terrible job it is possibly just a statement peice that you don’t get so stop judging me! (The only people that see this tree except family are delivery people. I really didn’t think they are judging my pruning choices…or is there a secret Facebook group for that? FedEx drivers reporting landscaping horrors?)
#treemurder #pruning #byeblob #measuretwicecutonce or #justcutit #artornot #Gwinnettcounty #notanexpert
I think we have reached peak rhododendron!
#zone7b #rhododendron #purplerhododendron #landscaping #gardentour2024 #MasterGardener
Apple snack! The gold chicken streaking back and forth is Gretchen. She’s the worst. Psychotic, obsessive, fast…all of the worst things. Notice how they don’t let her eat with them? It’s because she’s very annoying. (I say all of this in the same voice that I use to say nice things to the other chickens. I assume that means she thinks I like her. I don’t. But I don’t want her to be sad. I just want her to be calm.)
#petchickens #chickensnacks #fruitskewers #PolishChicken #violetZ #beckywiththegoodhair #silkie #silkies #chickenvideo
I need your opinion! This is the beautiful #JapaneseMaple that is thriving by the garage. The question is should it remain a ground sweeping blob or do we limb it up so the trunk shows? I included three angles and a picture of her underpinnings. Also, do you trim in now or after it loses the leaves? Help! I like it blobby but it used to have a canopy and that was good too.
#zone7b #gardeningingeorgia #GwinnettCounty #redleaves #art #landscaping #treetrimming #bonsai
She’s gonna blow! I’m now letting these onions grow just to see the flowers. I think I planted them last spring, they didn’t grow, then resprouted in the fall, and are now making flowers. Strange lifecycle.
#zone7b #vegetablegarden #flowergarden #onions #onionflower
The worst chicken has escaped and is running around in the garden. The second worst chicken, seen here, is plotting her escape but can’t fly over the fence from the ground and I moved the bench she usually uses as an assist. It has been non-stop pacing and assessing. She’s determined but I think I may have won this round.
Update: I did not win.
#gloriavanderbuilt #oliveegger #petchickens #myflock #backyardchickens #chickenportrait #gardenpests #badgirls
So, this work plant has put out what I can only describe as a giant asparagus. (Also, it is pink and matches my shoes.) There are 10 of these plants and only one has an asparagus. It is about 4x the height of the plant. Fairly dramatic. Will update.
#variegatedplants #pinkasparagus #allbirds #zone7b
Fierce.
#clematis #bigmosquito #gardeningsuprises #zone7b
Is this the one that hurt me?
Side note: steroid cream is amazing. Why did I never get it as a child? My arms looked like they belonged to Groot and three days later they are just red and scabby. That’s a huge improvement. Really.
#poisonivy #poisonoak #poisonsumac #gardendangers #weedingfail #itchy #scratchy
It’s happening! The giant #rhododendron is blooming! I think we’re a week from the peak!
#zone7b #rhododendronbush #purplerhododendron #perennials #MasterGardener #gardentour2024
As always, Vi is at the center of the snack circle. She does let the other girls get in a few nibbles. Becky and Kahlo, the poof heads, are actually comparatively small chickens but take up a lot of space in the circle.
#snackcircle #petchickens #Applecore #darkbrahma #SicilianButtercup #oliveegger #whitecrestedblackpolish #BuffLacedPolish #myflock #backyardchickens
I let this gnome roam over to a new spot in the yard. He’s not in jail, keeping watch over my caged hostas.
#gardengnome #gnome #roaminggnome #hosta #hostas #zone7b #shadegarden #solomonsseal
They are multiplying! The white ones seem to be getting larger in diameter.
#clamatis #fenceflowers #zone7b #gardeningsuprises #mastergardener #gardentour2024
Ruthie is broody yet again. She’s been locked out of the coop for a few hours and she jumped up on this branch to be eye level so we could discuss it. Her complaints are many, and her language fowl, but I’m not letting her back in.
#broodymonster #silkie #ruthbaderginsburg #broodyhen #angrybird #petchickens #tinyfury
I actually like the skinny Asparagus stalks more than the fat ones. And I feel like Asparagus is a proper noun that needs to be capitalized. I guess any vegetable I have to wait Years to harvest gets extra respect.
#zone7b #asparagus #purpleasparagus #mastergardener #vegetablegarden #asparagusfern
All my plants have cages because the deer are relentless. But look how well they are doing! All of my hostas came back!
#zone7b #shadegarden #deerproof #GwinnettCounty #freshlyweeded #hosta #hostas
Captain Awkward reporting for bowl drinking! Why is she looking at me like I’m the strange one? Did you know Bryce is featured with @mcmurray_hatchery, both online and in the catalog, as the #WhiteLacedRedCornish model? She’s supposed to look this way!
#petchickens #brycedallashoward #redhead #chickensofinstagram #cornishhen #model
Ooo, it’s a spiky one!
(Clearly we bought a variety of #clematis over the years and labeled exactly none of them. I do not have any idea about the varieties.)
#zone7b #fenceflowers #perennials #purpleclematis #MasterGardener
Weeds. It’s what for dinner.
#petchickens #zone7b #gardeningwithchickens #salmonfaverolle #darkbrahma #PolishChicken #snackcircle
One! One red flower! Victory!
#clematis #deerfence #zone7b #redclematis #GwinnettCounty
This is where the red fern grows.
#ferns #zone7b #shadegarden #fernfrond #redfern #GwinnettCounty
The Thing I Did Not Plant has been transplanted to a bed without enough sun. I haven’t killed it in three transplants so I bet it’ll be fine.
#cannaslily #Cannas #zone7b #volunteer #shadegarden #fullsun #azalea
Looks pretty innocent, right? Wrong! Bryce and Wilga had Becky pinned down and were plucking her head feathers. This is why I have to have two coops. They just can’t tolerate how perfect her bouffant is and try to destroy it! I don’t know why Becky never runs away. She just crouches shown and tries to wait it out. I saved her and have those monsters a stern talking to.
#petchickens #WhiteLacedRedCornish #salmonfaverolle #BuffLacedPolish #beckywiththegoodhair #brycedallashoward #wilgefortis #meangirls #myflock
Four types of #clematis currently in bloom on the deer fence! Somewhere we planned a red one. I hope it comes back!
#zone7b #deerfence #perennials #gardeningingeorgia #gardentour2024
Vi would like you to know she is starving! STARVING! Someone else ran off with the majority of the apple core so she missed out on the third treat session of the day. The feeder is full and she got plenty at treat sessions one and two but she really needed that apple core.
#VioletZindars #darkbrahma #petchickens #backyardchickens #chickentreats #lapchicken #scratch #featheredpigs
I’m going to need a longer basket…
#asparagus #freshasparagus #zone7b #purpleasparagus #gardeningingeorgia
Seconds later Ruth lost custody of the prime dust bathing spot. It’s a whole hill of the same dirt but only this one spot is suitable.
#petchickens #dustbath #gloriavanderbuilt #ruthbaderginsburg #brycedallashoward #silkie #gardeningwithchickens