Protecting seeds from the birds...

Have you ever seen this stuff as a road barricade material? It's used to keep people from falling in holes or going the wrong way? I saw this wad of used plastic fencing on a street corner after a parade. I watched it for a week. It was there for the garbage men to pick up, I was sure. So one day, I pulled up to it, got out of my car, shoved in the back of my SUV and off I went. I spend a lot of money on seeds and organic soils. This is Good Garden Junk. Useful for something, I thought.

Today, I got my newest planter box filled with soil and was ready to plant. Seeds were soaked and ready. Last time I planted, the birds ate all but about 20 seeds. I must have planted over 200 seeds and this is all I got:

Beets

Kale

White and Red Swiss Chard

So, today I planted green onions and some beets and swiss chard in the existing planter box:

and I covered the seeded area with the orange fencing, hoping to keep the birds out. And then I went on to the new planter box. I planted White Swiss Chard, Kale and Red Swiss Chard, and the orange fencing is triple layered. If something does not grow there, then nothing will!

In two weeks I will plant more beets. We love fresh beets. This will keep the crops coming!

And keep watching, because the chickens are coming!

Sweet Potatoes, Part 2

So, I posted in August about planting the sweet potato slips, and now it is just about time to harvest. Last weekend I dug around to see what I could find, and I did find a sweet potato that was about 6 inches long, about 1 inch in diameter. From what I have read, once it gets cold and the leaves begin to die, then you harvest. They need to fatten up some first! I don't think they will be ready for Thanksgiving. I will post pictures when it is time to harvest!