After 1.1" rain fell in the night, I wasn't eager to head out to do chores and plant. I just cuddled with the boys for a bit, and those five or ten minutes of pure joy felt like the first really mellow "do nothing" moments in a long time.
On heading out, though, I found six dead chicks and three close to death. What happened?! The electric fence was on, and there were no scattered feathers or bloody bodies like last week. Probably not a predator then. The rainy weather could have chilled the chicks, since they are only four weeks old, but three week old chicks officially can handle freezing temperatures. Was the wet the problem then? Those nine chicks, out of 72, were simply not ready for the cold?
Or could it be some form of noxious weed? The area they are grazing is mostly white clover, which isn't toxic; perhaps one of the other weedy species is? What a mystery! What a frustrating mystery. (Phil's vote: chicken pneumonia. He's probably correct.)
The other bit of disturbing news was that the temperature tonight is supposed to be 39, but feel like 32. Is that cold enough to freeze all my tomatoes, flowers, melons, and the 60 pepper plants? I'm not taking chances, so I did the only thing I could think of: sprayed Biodynamic Prep 507, basically an herbal homeopathic spray, that is supposed to raise the temperature around the plants by one or two degrees. Lord willing, all will yet be alive and thriving tomorrow.
Cheri cut up potatoes, and I planted until I finished the full bed. Then Ken and Cheri staked the rest of the first planting of tomatoes.
Some have little green fruits already! So neat!
And my Gomphrena, or Globe Amaranth, has teeny blooms! It's hardly May, and there is beautiful life, grown from seed, springing forth.
I also decided I would rather plant my second blueberry bush on the other side of my little garden path, making it "Blueberry Row."
Such a nice day!
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