Spring is Here in Utah!

Our chicks have been moved to the coop this last week, but they're exclusively inside the nesting part for the next few days to attach to it as their new home. Here are some pictures of them a week ago in the brooder:

And here they are unseen in the coop: 

We're super stoked to have them settling into their permanent home. 

In the garden, we've been busy harvesting herbs including several volunteer chamomile plants! So far we've harvested parsley, cilantro, chamomile flowers, red raspberry leaves, thyme, sage, lemon balm, dill weed, and mint. We also have some beets and lettuce growing that volunteered as well, but we aren't eating them just yet. Here are the herbs drying inside (chamomile flowers in the bags): 

While they have been drying, our dog has dug up two of my pepper plants, one which is completely gone and the other replanted. He has also dug some other areas, but so far left my other edibles alone. We're still training him to prevent digging, chewing, and other puppy behaviors. Fortunately potty training wasn't too hard, he figured out to wait near the door. 

One of my cucumbers died, but there were two in the same container that I separated, so I half expected it. One of the chard plants looks pretty bad as well. Sowed some Sweet Spanish Onion seeds, calendula seeds, and a patch of yarrow, so hopefully they all take off for more crops this year. 

I am trying start some sprouted red potatoes and one organic sweet potato into slips with roots, since they just sprouted in my pantry. If it works out, they'll have been completely free since we got them from Food Not Bombs. I'd then try to save some of the harvest for more slips next year. Take a look:

In zero waste news, I contacted Trader Joe's for their fearless flyer, Costco Wholesale for a previous owner, and a local Plumbing company to get off their mailing lists. I unsubscribed from Trader Joe's at http://www.traderjoes.com/subscribe with a first name as Resident, mailed Costco to unsubscribe the resident who moved and as the current resident at their customer service address: Customer Service, P.O. Box 34622, Seattle, WA 98124 (more information at http://m.costco.com/privacy-policy.htm , and just called the number on the plumbing company's flyer and asked to be taken off their mailing list. This cuts out more junk mail than you would think. 

Happy Spring!

Little Urban Greenie