It's March!  You can feel Spring in the air.  Here in Missouri, we are already experiencing 70* days, sunshine, and flip flop weather.  Although we're in a drought, we are supposed to get some significant rain this week.  I'm itching to go outside and start planting.  However, I know that we will most likely have one more freeze before Spring arrives for real.  Since my green thumb is itching, what can I do to get my garden ready for harvest?  Here is my checklist:
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• Plot your garden  
  • What do you want to plant?  
  • How much will feed your family?  
  • Are you planning to preserve?  
  • Which of your plants are companion growers?
  • When do you need to plant each crop so that they harvest near the same time?
  • Spaces to Grow is a really great resource.  You can plot your garden, add your zone, and know exactly when you need to plant or transplant your seeds and seedlings.
• Prepare your garden
  • ​This is a great time to build your raised beds.  They tend to heat up more quickly in the springtime, allowing for better plant hardiness. Raised gardens are easier to take care of, and allow for more productive square foot gardening.
  • Rake all your leaves and any thing that has grown in your garden over the winter.
  • Mix in your compost
    • If you have chickens, then you have ready made compost!
    • Did you try the Exotonic Green Cycler that I talked about in an earlier post?
    • Do you have friends who compost?  Ask them for some compost tea!
    • Scout Craig's List for people getting rid of compost.
    • Last resort...purchase compost from a retail establishment.
  • Add soil
  • Rake through to mix everything.
• ​Prepare your plants.
  • Check over your vertical garden trellises
    • Repair any broken shelves or brackets
    • Purchase or find your soil and compost
    • Make sure you have the garden space for the seedlings you have
    • Plan your garden setup
    • Consider The Garden Tower Project  
  • Microfarming
  • Do you want to use starter plants?  Thesw are plants that have already been seeded.  When you buy them, they are already sprouting from the soil.  You transplant them into your garden.  Sometimes you pull them out of the starter pot (usually a plastic box).  Sometimes you get a biodegradable pot that you just just plant in your garden.  These plants can be found at any home and garden store like Lowe's and Home Depot and local nurseries.
  • ​Do you need to order seeds?  Now is the time to start!  This is the time to pre plant your seeds indoors.  I will will be explaining some easy ways to do this in a future post.  Here is a list of my favorite places to purchase seeds:​​
    • Summerstone Nursery_
    • Irish Eyes Garden Seeds
    • Gurney's
    • Burpee Seeds

There you go!  That's all you need to get your garden ready in March!  

When I came home from work the other day, I was greeted with all of my chickens, out of the coop, running towards my car.  They were yapping and yammering, all trying to tell me the story at the same time.  They didn't appear to be hurt, but I couldn't figure out why they were all outside!  I decided to investigate.

As I looked at the coop, I realized there was something inside.  As I came closer, I saw...a squirrel!  It had a handful of feed in its hands, and was quickly stuffing the found goodies into its mouth.  Now, I don't mind squirrels.  They are my sorority mascot.  They like to pose for pictures.  They are all over my backyard, so I have learned to live with and love them (as long as they don't reside in my attic, which they don't, or chew on the power lines, cutting the electricity to my home...which they've done).  I've been known to take nuts to the back of our yard and share them.  But squirrels near my coop stealing my girls' dinner?  That's crossing the line!  Apparently my girls agreed with me, too.

But wait a minute!  How did a squirrel get IN the coop and pen...and how did my chickens escape?  More sleuthing was needed.  

A quick look around answered that question.  We have used a bifold slatted door for the front entry.  In the heavy winds we've had recently, some of the slats must have blown loose, creating an opening just large enough for the squirrel to enter, and the girls to escape.

I had realized a few weeks ago that the door wasn't a good door for the coop.  I had planned to spend part of spring break building a new door out of pallets.  But it was mid-February, and we needed something now! I stapled some hardware cloth over the door.  We've been blessed with really good weather, so I am not too concerned about the girls getting cold, especially since the groundhog said spring is springing soon.  Because I'm enjoying seeing into the coop better, I've decided to add a window to the door when I make it.

The squirrel found its way out of the pen, mouth filled to bursting with layer pellets.  My girls, who had followed me back to the coop, marched inside, gossiping about the squirrel and yapping about the missing food.  All ended well, and I learned a lesson about using strong doors in the coop.