Early moring, herdin' ducks, and Farm Notes (Planting)

This is what it looked like this morning while I was working.. stunning sunrise!

If the sun is up... I'm out there

Farm Notes: (ps thanks to everyone who said this was interesting!)
Quick! Before I forget what I planted... I started the new garden space beside the turkey house today. Its where we started the pigs last year, had it mulched all winter and I tilled it yesterday. Technically I should have waited a couple days to let the weeds die off... but the weather is coming in and I can't stand around anymore. This will mean more weeding as it grows, but what else do I have to do all day? HA!

Starting in the north/west corner..
* Sunflowers, greystripe and whatever that purple one is..it stains your hands.
- First row: Sweet 100's cherry tomatoes
- Cherokee purple 'maters (I can't help but love the tie in with the purple sunflowers)
- tripod of half runners with a sugar pie pumpkin tucked in the back
- rows running north south: tomatillos, peppers including Big Jim but I'm not convinced that this area will drain well enough so I just put a few out
- along walkway - started sprouts of kale, kohlrabi, and collard greens
- one last mound of sugar pie pumpkins

Also started more sunflower seeds (same mix as above) behind the existing ones along pathway. Hopefully the netting will keep the stupid cardinals from eating them. Hey you birds! Get away from my seeds and put down that worm (*me running after them shaking my beatin' stick*).
- That next row has more peppers (same as above) and tomatillos, but this area has been drainage so should do better. Added some purple beans to the sunflowers.

Now over to the East side of the square garden...
- Planted and covered sugar pie pumpkins.. saw the dreaded squash bugs so I need to get those guineas on the job. They helped me yesterday and it was kinda cute - all the peepin' and whistlin' and such. OK fine I like them. When they aren't screaming like howler monkeys. The female has a funny song when she is on her nest.
- Prepped the area for watermelons as soon as they sprout
- Set up "teepee" for a big handful of mixed beans, then a square of turnips, walkway, then started rows for tomatoes:  Oxhart (from seeds from last year!), mix of lettuce and carrots, then another row of Mountain Gold maters -- two of my favorites. Say does anyone know where I put those darned green maters?

This should do well if I can keep my darn hens out. One henny wants to lay her nest in the planter where my precious Bleeding Heart is.. for heavens sakes, ladies.. I want ONE area that doens't look like a barnyard! Sheesh.

Gate to upper garden..the grapes really made a come back

Yesterday worked on tilling the upper garden. No real planting but did three more rows of dahlias:
- Huli's Circus, purple cactus, and whatever that red stripey one is... darn. Now I have to go and find the tags. Then I finished that row with lettuce I started from seeds in a tray. I used to think this was stupid but really, its a breeze to just pop out the 3 leaved, baby lettuces and put them in the ground.
- Today I finished planting in the area formerly known as 'turnip space.'  I kept the turnips in the ground over winter, took some up to eat until it froze too hard, then let them go to seed. I should have gotten to the greens sooner - but they already started flowering. Yesterday I took them all up and put them in the compost as they were too woody. If I had pigs now I'd give the turnips to the hogs. Good to know they kept all winter.
- This area is now home to rows of peppers - jalapenos and giant, sweet green peppers. One empty row (waiting for other peppers in trays), then a last row of tomatillos. Then it started raining and I had to get my tools and go in.

And just in case you want to know what it looks like to herd baby ducks...

Seriously, what is cuter than little duck butts?

What a day! On top of all of that, I did laundry, made butter (yay!), and started another cheese. The rain is rolling in so tomorrow will definitely be an inside day. Whew!