Cluck Town Farms

Recycle and reuse! ♻️ cat litter containers make perfect tomato planters! Also, check out the afro on our surprise chick that came with our egg layers 😝

*Edit* I did not simmer in the final stage long enough so the light colored honey was very runny. Reboiled it down and got it up to 230 degrees and it’s much thicker! - see the last pic, the more amber color

Dandelion honey and goat milk fudge!! 🍯 🐐

Planted:
Onions 🧅 ✅
Two measly Beets ✅
Garlic 🧄✅
Sunflowers 🌻 ✅
Blueberry bush ✅
Concord grape 🍇 ✅
Lettuce 🥬 ✅
Tomato 🍅 ✅
Strawberries 🍓✅
Wild chives dehydrated ✅
Goat milk collected ✅

Gosh I just hope we can keep everything growing and alive lol

A FEW WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR HARVEST

Good Morning. I hope You and Your Family are staying Safe and Healthy. It is March 18th, and I hope All of You will be Planting Gardens this Spring. When You Plant your Gardens, You will want to get the most out of them. Here are a few methods that might help increase your 2024 Season harvest:

1) VERTICAL CROPS
You'll find that some vegetables grow better with support. They do well on trellises, fences, and other structures. By growing up instead of out over the ground, your garden will produce more per square foot. Vegetable plants grown up on a support also tend to suffer fewer disease problems.

VEGETABLES SUITED TO VERTICAL GARDENING
TOMATOES-- Choose indeterminate varieties, which continue to grow and produce over a long period -- often until frost. Grow tomatoes in wire cages or support them by tying them to 7-foot-tall wood stakes driven 2 feet into the ground. Cage-grown tomatoes require minimal attention, but are more prone to fungal diseases. Tomatoes grown on stakes benefit from being pruned to a single stem; this means constantly pinching out new branches that arise in the crotch between the main stem and a leaf.

POLE BEANS-- Although they take longer to mature than bush-type beans, pole beans produce over a longer period. Train pole beans up tall wooden poles or a tepee of sturdy bamboo.

CUCUMBERS--Vine-type cucumbers (as opposed to the bush varieties) do well on fences and trellises. Vertically grown cucumber fruits also tend to be straighter and more uniform than those grown on the ground.

SNAP PEAS-- These super-sweet edible pod peas are among the most productive vegetables in the spring garden. By selecting tall vining varieties (such as the Sugar Snap pea), you can easily grow them on 5- to 6-foot-tall mesh trellises. Pick carefully to avoid damaging the brittle vines.

MELONS AND WINTER SQUASH--These long-season crops require heavy-duty support if you choose to grow them vertically. Larger varieties may even need slings made of cloth to support the fruit. You'll also need to tie the vines to the support using strips of cloth; avoid string or wire, which can cut into the vines.

2) EXTEND YOUR SEASON
There are two types of succession planting. Both are super easy!
The simplest form is to plant varieties that produce for a limited amount of time over a period of weeks. For example, instead of planting 40 corn seeds at once, you could plant 10 corn seeds a week over a four-week period. At harvest, this will give you corn for a month instead of all at once.

Here's another example: Plant bush beans every two weeks to ensure a continuing supply. If you want to have three crops, plant one-third of the bed every two weeks. Other crops that benefit from this type of succession planting include corn, carrots, radishes, and heading lettuce.

REPLACE SPENT PLANTS
The second type of succession planting takes a little more planning. It means that when a crop is done producing in your garden you take it out and plant something else in that spot. For example, after your peas are done for the season, pull out the vines and plant cucumbers in their place. The key to success of this system is to have a new batch of seeds or seedlings ready to go when the first crop is done.

This system works best when you are starting with vegetables that do well in cool weather, but not so well in summer's heat. In addition to peas, you can use this technique with lettuce, spinach, and radishes.

A related technique is to plant several varieties with different maturities. For example, you might plant an early-maturing tomato such as 'Early Girl' at the same time as a main season Beefsteak variety.

3) INTER PLANTING
This technique takes advantage of the fact that some vegetables grow quickly, while others take their time. For example, if you plant carrots and radishes together, you can harvest the radishes in about 30 days, when the carrots will still be quite small. Another option is to combine a vertical vegetable ( tomatoes, for example) with a low-growing crop (melons, for example).

Here are some Inter planting combinations that work well.
Grow melons and squash under stake-grown tomatoes.
Surround corn with lettuce or peas with radishes.
Combine quick and slow vegetables such as lettuce with tomatoes, beets with pole beans, spinach with winter squash, leeks with sweet potatoes, and radishes with sweet corn.

4) INTENSIVE PLANTING BEDS
You can save space by arranging plants in a grid pattern. The surest way to increase the yield from a vegetable garden is to reduce the space between plants. This is very similar to Square Foot Gardening. To start an Intensive garden, make raised beds of any length, but limit their width to 3 to 4 feet across so you can reach the center of the bed from either side. Although it's not necessary to box in the bed, this is a good idea.

When you enclose a bed with vertical boards, it's not only neater, but the soil won't collapse onto your paths. It also will be much easier for you to install row covers or erect supports for vertical growing.

Before planting the bed, prepare the soil by digging at least 8-12 inches and turning over shovel by shovel to loosen and aerate it. Add in organic matter, such as compost or manure. The more organic matter you mix in, the better. Then run lines of string to establish a grid. The grid will help you position young plants at the proper distance from one another.

Use a trowel or dibble to dig holes for transplant-sized vegetables. Gently remove the seedlings from their containers, then grasp the leaves to guide them while supporting root ball. Make sure to set plants in their holes at the same depth they were growing in your container. Firm the soil gently over the roots around the stem. This will help put the roots in contact with the soil. Make evenly spaced holes in the soil with your finger. if you are planting Heirloom Seeds directly in beds. Be sure to follow recommendations included with Seeds to know how deep to make the depressions.

Here at THE SEED GUY, we have a great 60 Variety Heirloom Seed Package that would work well for you.. All Seeds are Small Farm Grown, Non GMO, Fresh from the Fall 2023 Harvest, all individually packaged, and then put in a 10 x 14 silver mylar bag. There are 34,000 Seeds in the package, with a 90-93% germination rate.

**You get 49 Vegetable Seed varieties, and then 11 Heirloom Herb Seed varieties.** Great Pricing Now at $89. You can see the varieties included and ORDER on our Seed Guy website at https://theseedguy.net/seed-packages/50-60-variety-heirloom-seed-package.html

We also have 9 other Heirloom Seed packages, and all our individual Seed varieties in Stock on our website at https://theseedguy.net/15-seed-packages You can also Call Us 7 days a week, and up to 10:00 pm at night, at 918-352-8800 if you would like to Order By Phone.

If you LIKE US on our page, you will be able to see more of our great Gardening Articles, New Seed Offerings, and healthy Juice Recipes. Thank you, and God Bless You and Your Family .https://www.facebook.com/theseedguy

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GROWING IN CONTAINERS IS POSSIBLE YEAR ROUND

Good Morning, I hope you are doing well today. It's March 12th, and we are having some "Getting Ready For Spring" weather. We are bouncing back and forth between snow and warm spells. The first Official Day of Spring is March 19th, though to some it may not seem like it.

If you thought you didn't have enough space to grow vegetables, or it's too cold out, you should know that everyone can grow in containers, even if you live in an apartment or condo. You can also start some vegetables in containers indoors now, and have vegetables for salads or as additions to your meals doring the Winter months.

There are several types of containers that can be used for growing vegetables including polyethylene plastic bags, clay pots, plastic pots, metallic pots, milk jugs, ice cream containers, bushel baskets, barrels, and planter boxes. It is important to use containers that can accommodate roots of the vegetables you want to grow as the vegetables vary in sizes and rooting depths.

The container needs to have good drainage, and should not contain chemicals that are toxic to plants and human beings. Most vegetables grown in backyard gardens can be grown in containers, although a container's diameter and depth needs to be considered when selecting what vegetables to grow. The plant density (number of vegetable plants per container) depends on individual plant space requirements, and rooting depth.

It's best to use one of the potting mixes in vegetable container gardening as they are light, disease-free, w**d seed-free, and have good drainage. Some potting mixes have pre-mixed plant nutrients, so read the information on the label about how long the pre-mix will feed your plants before you start applying fertilizers. You can also make your own two bushels of potting mix using the following recipe: Shredded sphagnum peat moss (1 bushel), Vermiculite (1 bushel), Ground limestone (1¼ cups), Phosphate fertilizer either 0-20-0 (½ cup) or 0-45-0 (¼ cup), Slow release granular fertilizer such as 5-10-5 (1 cup).

Container-grown plants require more frequent fertilization than field-grown plants because of the limited space within the container for drawing nutrients. Fertilizers can be mixed with the soil mix before filling the container and can also be applied as a nutrient solution. Nutrient solutions can be made by dissolving soluble fertilizer such as 10-20-10, 12-24-12 or 8-16-8 in water following label directions. The nutrient solution is applied once a day when the plants are watered. How often you water may vary with vegetables, but once a day is adequate.

Leach the unused fertilizer nutrients from the potting mix once a week by applying tap water only. It is also very important to water occasionally with a nutrient solution containing micro nutrients such as copper, zinc, boron, manganese, and iron and follow label directions in order to give plants the right amounts.

Plants grown outdoors in containers need frequent watering as the containers dry fast. Watering on a daily basis is necessary to provide adequate moisture for plant growth. Apply enough water to reach the bottom of the container. Allow the excess to drain out through drainage holes. Avoid wetting the leaves when watering as this will encourage development of foliar disease. Try not to allow the containers to dry out completely between watering as this will lead to flower and fruit drop. Now if you grow vegetables in containers indoors, you don't need to water everyday, as there is no sun drying them out.

The size of the containers needed will depend a lot on the vegetable or herbs you are planting. Most Herbs can be planted in 1/2 - 1 gallon containers. Cabbages, Cucumbers, Green Beans, Leaf Lettuce, Spinach, Swiss Chard, and Cherry Tomatoes can be planted in 1 gallon containers. Beets, Carrots, Eggplants, Peppers and Radishes need 2 gallon containers. Your regular tomatoes will need 3 gallon containers. (great info from the University of Illinois Extension)

When you need some great Non GMO Heirloom Seeds for your containers, please visit our THE SEED GUY website. We have a great 60 Variety Heirloom Seed package with Good Pricing Now at $89, with 33,000 Seeds, and fresh from the New Fall 2023 Harvest. https://theseedguy.net/seed-packages/50-60-variety-heirloom-seed-package.html

We also have 9 other Heirloom Seed packages, in different sizes, and also all our individual varieties in Stock Now on our Seed Guy website. at https://theseedguy.net

You can also Call Us 7 days a week, and up to 10:00 pm each night, at 918-352-8800 if you would rather Order By Phone.

If you LIKE US on our page, you will be on our list for more great Gardening Articles, new Heirloom Seed Offers, and healthy Juice Recipes. https://www.facebook.com/theseedguy Thank you, and God Bless You and Your Family. :)

Henney gave us our first turkey egg yesterday!

2024’s kids from cluck town! 🐐

Another cutie pants added to earth today 💓

Biscuit gave birth on her birthday 🥳 twins but one didn’t make it

What’s for dinner tonight? Homemade turkey noodle soup!
Fresh carrots, fresh cabbage, orzo, onion, home grown and butchered turkey, garlic cloves, & a sprinkle of Parmesan on top ✔️

It’s been a good morning around here! Homemade sugar scrub and bread 🍞

Some one should be popping soon 🎈 🐐🤱🏼

Go and get your alpaca wool socks, hats, gloves and they even have alpaca yarn for those who'd rather knit it themselves!

Have an abundance of tomatoes that didn’t ripen in time? Deep fried green tomatoes! First time making them and second time ever having them. We had them with chicken made from frozen and cooked fully in 20 minutes bc bless the instant pot.. mashed potatoes and gravy made from the turkey we made yesterday 😊

Always seeking to further our knowledge

Event Title Join us for . . .

Was just two feet from a small fox that was in the shed laying on some hay bales. I think I scared it as much as it scared me! 🦊

🌻💧 some one… me.. em.. over flowed the pond last night. Thankfully we dug a trench to prevent too bad of an over flow. Been about a month since we dyed it so it was due

“What did you bring us for lunch human”

Meet the chicken plucker 9000

Getting close to butcher day for meat birds. Let us know if you are interested in some chicken. Whole birds, usually range from 6-10lbs hanging weight. Get on the list early because they go quick, only have about 15 left.

After our flock got diminished and left us with 6 hens, we knew we needed to incubate eggs right away so the genes of our favorite rooster, Oreo, could be passed on. The chicks are a few weeks old now, here are just some! We had 10 hatch out of 22

Jośe.. the most talkative turkey you’ll ever meet

Frankie boy and Stinktart (poptart)

Our little Frankie 🐐

The boys 💓

Planted our sun flowers today! The soil all came from our compost pile and the top about 3 inches from the chicken run.