New Garden and a Game!

What's a farm without a garden? Well I'd argue every farm could happily include a garden. During the 24 hours in total I spent digging, weeding, aerating and arranging of the top soil in order to recreate this garden patch I wondered what the garden looked like a hundred years ago, and more recently. How big was it? How much time did it take? What did they grow? How did they water it? 

Well someone, more recently likely, planted asparagus. 

That was very thoughtful, and we certainly appreciate it! 

Look what just popped up out of the ground and onto our plates! 

Although I've got feelings of trepidation toward my green thumb, I've started some seeds indoors, and even a few outside already (even though our frost free weekend hasn't yet passed) and I'm waiting for May Long Weekend to plant the remainder of the direct-sow seeds and transplant my sweet peas, calendula, pansies, lavender and herbs. The onions, green onions, bachelor's buttons, radishes and beets have all said hello to our early sunshine: 

Since our amazing snap of warm weather we've got other interesting and new-to-me plants materializing before our eyes. Perhaps any and all the plant enthusiasts out there could help me identify a few species? This is what I mean about a game! Here are the specimens and descriptions. Leave me a comment if you know what any of these plants are. 

Please, helllllp me! 

Tree. We've got one large one in our yard and other smaller ones line either side of our driveway as a wind break. 

Perennial, in a garden bed. 

This is a compact bush. They may have dark coloured berries and lose all their leaves before winter. They're often used in hedges or rows.

Hollyhock, right? Are there still some heritage plants that actually bloom year after year, or is it just a two year blooming ability? 

Again a smaller garden bed perennial, but this one has a wet sort of sheen to its leaves.

Almost succulent-like (or maybe that's exactly what it is) with what looks like stalks from last summer.

We had this creeping ground cover when I was a kid, but I don't recall its name... Periwinkle? 

A bush with a more vertical tendancy, which has a few clusters of orange berries left over from the fall. 

A flowering bush, first showing the blooms/buds up close, then at a distance.

So far this bush only has leaves...

This is a flowering bush. 

I hope to become further acquainted with these plants soon!

First (Chicken) Hippie in Mountain View

Okay, so I don't know that for a fact (that I am the first or the only) so perhaps I shouldn't make the claim that so quickly. Nor am I really a true-blue example (not even nearly). However I do know what a hippie is (thank you childhood of the 90s on Salt Spring Island), and though some people have a rather skewed idea of what a hippie actually is - and we can have that conversation later (the 60's were like half a century ago... Which has been a while in the average person's memory. I wasn't [even] alive then, but yeah, so resurgence anyone?) - I am a hippie as far as Alberta is concerned. 

Can you tell?

And what can one, single person, or hippie do that matters? I don't know the width of change that could occur, simply talking about ideas, even if just tiny. Nevertheless, one can change themselves, or make certain choices, or practice what they preach, and those with integrity can occasionally be influential. Weren't hippies movers and shakers after all? Don't trends and history repeat themselves? Or (oh no!!!! Are you really suggesting this???) are there actually many Albertans who already possess so-called 'hippie tendencies'? 

I identify some earthy/bohemian/nature friendly/organic ideals in myself when it comes to our brood of chickens, for example. (Don't worry I've not started any patchouli obsession!) And my neice's friend was listing off things hippies do the other day, of which I believe I do or have done each and everyone of them, but the items on the list were more frugal, than hippie per se. Like washing out ziplock bags! She may have actually cackled about that one! Lol. 

(Can you believe all 26 came in this box?) 

When it comes to a home, farm and gardens I simply appreciate what can basically be summed up by one of today's 'buzzwords': permaculture. Obviously such a system is ideal, and in the past was a way of life and survival, even though it seems the term wasn't officially in dictionary usage until 1978... I'm a tad surprised it wasn't around at least ten years earlier...

I'm reading The Small Scale Poultry Flock, by Harvey Ussery and gaining many ideas about ways to keep and use my chickens. I believe I'll end up with more nutritional eggs and better meat, (when I get organized to try raising meat birds - I'm having regrets I didn't try this initially!) happier and healthier birds, a mainly neutral scented coop, and great compost sooner, without much work on my part. And it's free. At least the deep bedding is. That will be very welcome in my garden! I may in fact need to spend some on fencing resources, but the whole project will no doubt use up some of the 'junk' we have laying about.

Speaking of Junk, we made this interior wall to section off our coop from the 'rustic sitting room', almost entirely from 'junk' laying around. We couldn't get rid of our little wood stove, or just give it to the chickens. Set up like this, the stove is between the coop and the Rabbitry, so not only do we get to keep the central room, it can heat the other two in the coldest winter weather, or be a home to any struggling wee animals. 

per·ma·cul·ture

\ˈpər-mə-ˌkəl-chər\ 

noun: an agricultural system or method that seeks to integrate humanactivity with natural surroundings so as to create highly efficient self-sustaining ecosystems. Origin: ¹permanent + agriculture.