Thank you so much for all your input over the last two days. The images we have all selected have been sent over to the tech team, for the last review and some work. Then when they come back, I will let you know the final line up.
Your names have been printed and folded into individual parcels and on the weekend TonTon will do the draw -selecting three winners. So stand by. I know this photo is not in focus, in the very low light of the barn, but I could not resist. Houdini’s chickens on the beam. 
And now back outside and back to work! The Cold Frame is holding up well and even with these below freezing nights the cabbages and lettuce are growing quite happily in here. I am told that this weekend the temperatures are going to plummet so we will see how much cold it will repel. These are easy to build and extend your growing period considerably, this one has an old screen door from the junk yard as a lid. It is hinged so it can be opened for day time warmth (when the warmth comes again). In this one is cabbage and lettuce. I am so desperate for some fresh lettuce, my indoor lettuce is being very slow. 
Stalkers garden is the first to be planted, so out come the bags of leaf mold that have been sitting cogitating for a few years. In the autumn, town people leave their bags of leaves out for us and we drive the truck down the alleys picking them up, poke a few holes in them, pile them in the Rathouse and forget about them. Two years is best. Sometimes I give them to the chickens to shred then they go on a compost heap. 
In a month or so they will be dug in. Leaf mold is great compost for the gardens or it can be used as a mulch and is excellent for holding moisture in the raised beds.
Below you will see one of the rain water barrels. These were old detergent barrels we found in a dump area behind an old workshop. Every roof guttering runs into its own water barrel in a garden or water trough for the animals. We are going into the spring after a very dry winter so we need to collect all the water we can. These water barrels have had the tops cut off and returned as lids. There is mosquito screen in the lid to prevent larvae from breeding in the water. 
This one is such a bright blue plastic that I grow tall plants around it to hide it!! Most of them are black.
Day before yesterday when I cleared out the bays in the barn I threw some old dirty straw onto the Corridor Paddock, it desperately needs building up. Then I let the manure spreaders out to kick it all about! 
I guess someone has set himself up as the inspector. Checking our work. 
The wind has changed this morning. I can hear it howling from the loft. A change in the weather is coming. Yesterday’s sun was so welcome but today has dawned cloudy again. We are at the high for today already (just above freezing) then we are going down to 6F (-14) by tonight with a few snow showers. So I guess winter is back to nudge its big nose at us again.
Today is shopping day. Well you know how I feel about that! So off I go to the city with The Matriarch to stock up. I have to Dress and Do my hair and everything! (sigh) No wearing clown pants and stuffing my hair into a pompom hattie all day.
But first I shall rug up and see to the animals and the outside chores then visit my old people with their eggs. Soon we will be starting all their vegetable gardens too.
Good morning!
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
83 responses to “Phew, well that was a flurry. Now back to work!”
Sounds like you have spring fever. The cold frame is such a good idea. My grandmother has one or two every year and they are very successful. One question about the leaf compost- do the leaves break down over the winter? And are they really dusty when you shake them out. It is a great idea. I am curious about this concept.
If the leaves are a little moist when you bag them, (do it on a dewy morning,) then they are not that dusty! they also break down faster if you mow over them a few times to shred them up.. then you can use them sooner.. c
Sooo, were the plants in the cold frame that are growing there now planted inside, allowed to germinate and then put outside? I’m worried they will freeze in the cold weather you have coming. We have seeds germinating in our garage bay, keeping them warm with a small heater. It’s going to get cold here too in the next couple days. Brrrrrrrrrr………!!!
We do both, there are cabbages in their littel pots out there, plus lettuse straight into the ground, and yes we are getting colder and the wind is howling, snow blowing.. thank goodness Mama is not close to birthing, it is a typical night for that kind of thing.. c
If you can get your hands on some clean straw, pile it into the cold frame for extra insulation…your little pretties should be fine.
We are about to be caught between two storms – the Arctic front that’s bearing down on you, plus another coming up the coast. Could be tons of “fun” by tomorrow afternoon!
excellent idea that straw and as it happens i have bales of it in the barn.. right.. off i go!! c
I always see the bags of leaves piled up in town (and not a few on some country roads as well) but I have been timid to just stop and pile them into the back of my truck. However, you may have given me a bit of courage to do so next fall! I have two long bins here that we made of landscape timbers stacked like Lincoln logs for making leaf mould. But hey, you can never have enough leaf mould now can you? Loved your photos of the cats today!
That is the best.. to just pile them all up and John has no qualms, people have put them out for collection he says!! c
What a gorgeous shot of your “Inspector” with that beautiful light. I wish I had just one tenth of your sun for my little garden. We are surrounded by 100 foot pines and I don’t like to cut trees for any reason. Happy shopping!
No No, we cannot chop down trees, but no sun for a garden, that is boring. c
Mornin’
Love the photo of the Supervisor. He is very diligent.
Once again you’ve given me inspiration, hubby and I were just discussing what to do with some old windows that were left in the basement of our house (100 year old Victorian), and now I know. . .COLD FRAMES.
I’ve also been considering upcycling some soap barrels from our local car wash to use as rain barrels, but I worry about to sanitize them to remove any residue?
Enjoy your shopping.
JOhn just cleaned them out with hot water and a good scrub, he has a power washer too, but so does the car wash, maybe you can use that to clean them, reusing them is a good idea!! c
Hi C!
Sorry I missed yesterday post (and my opportunity to win one of those marvelous post cards). Congratulations on the 40000, that’s a huge number, another proof of your talent.
G
You popped in the day before, it ran for two days, so I think you are in, I will check.. c
🙂
My favorite picture was of the inspector lol you makend me wish we had land and chickens too. Great post!
The Inspector was certainly being very thorough, following you around this morning!
What a great picture of that cat on the pole. I know, you’ve picked already!
(laughter).. c
Maybe a Christmas calendar project at the end of the year ;0)
Good idea, which means we have to pick JANUARY already! c
Great to see the garden progress. I love your raised beds, but nowadays with my ‘orrible back, ours would need to be waist high! We made a cold frame from old windows chucked out of the local chateau – very posh, if you ignore the rot.. As for rainwater collection, we have a 100 litre container at one side, and all the house roof water drains into a 3000 litre underground converted septic tank, and we have never yet run out. When down to the last few inches, we always seem to get a downpour.
My back solution is to raise the beds three logs high; nice deep soil for those extra long parsnips and carrots. Also add long handles to all your implements.
We depend on rainwater for our domestic water supply, (2) 50,000 litre rainwater tanks (the closest town water is 18km away) as well as a small dam for irrigating the fruit trees and vegetable garden.
I agree with Miss C rain water tastes much better.
I always filter the water through a 5 micron filter; once the water temp warms up in summer it starts growing pathogens which boiling the water for tea doesn’t eliminate.
Love that TonTon’s going to be doing the drawing!
I agree also, a nice shot of the inspector. My Dad always had cold frames. I should make some too and get rain barrels.
I love those rainwater barrels: and that you found them where you did and put them to good use. And the Inspector….what can I say….
yes, Mary’s Cat the Inspector, he follows me everywhere, and has a knack for being in front of the camera, if i lean too close and he is up a ladder he will literally step straight out onto my head.. he loves the pompom hattie! c