Garden Roundup for May

During the month of May, our chickens laid 116 eggs, of which 108 made it to the house.  Part of the reason we “lost” some, is because one hen wasn’t laying in their normal nests.  I noticed we seemed to be down on eggs, but I figured maybe a hen wasn’t feeling well, or they weren’t getting enough feed, or the temperature swings were too much.  But then I noticed one hen seemed to be poking around in another part of the coop and I found a nest with a few eggs in it.  My first thought was to gather them up and throw them in the compost since I wasn’t sure how long they had been there, but then I wondered if maybe she would nest and we’d get some new chicks.  So I left them alone for a couple of days, but then she started laying back in the normal nests.  I waited a few days, then got rid of the old eggs.  Of course, it seems since then that about every other day she slips off to lay her egg there.

May was a hectic month.  It started cold and wet, meaning I barely got the garden worked up to get it planted.  But I have it all planted now, except for the second batch of sweet corn, and our potatoes.  I’ve planted a few potatoes that had started to grow, but we haven’t gotten any seed potatoes yet to plant.  Of course, I don’t know if we can find any seed potatoes this late in the year.

What I’ve planted and is already up: peas, carrots, parsnips, green beans, kidney beans, beets, turnips, leaf lettuce, and some flowers.  The only things I’ve planted that aren’t up yet are some more flowers and the first batch of sweet corn.  It’s supposed to germinate in 7-10 days, and it’s been 11 days since I’ve planted it, so I’m getting a bit concerned.  Stuff I’ve transplanted are: onions, green peppers, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, cantaloupe, watermelon, and zucchini.  

The only harvest I made in May was some leaf lettuce, but there will be more in my June Roundup.