Garden Shed and YTD Report

Looky Looky what I've got! This is the addition to my chicken coop. It's 8x12 with 2 windows and a 9 lite door. This will replace the sorry hand-me-down "outhouse" that I have piled my garden equipment in for the past 5 years. Hooray! My husband keeps his yard tools in the coop, so those will be moved to the garden shed part, leaving the chicken coop for strictly chickens and chicken supplies.

This is the view from the front of the coop. Those double doors will probably be replaced with an insulated 9 lite door, since the coop is insulated, and those doors are saggy and heavy (yet quaint). The door to the garden shed will be to the left behind where I now have my pots of tomatoes and eggplants.

I think we'll replace the horizontal window in the coop with a regular double hung to match the garden shed.

This is the back view of the "chicken porch" where the chicken run will be. My chickens used to sit along the rail on their little porch. There were always more chickens wanting to be on the rail than there was room. One would fall off one end, then run back around to the other, bumping the next hen off, and so on and so forth.

I haven't blogged much this growing season, because... well, not much has happened. The artichokes were a success, and fascinating as a perennial, and I have some started for next year.

I made a pesto dip for the artichokes. I didn't like it much. I preferred it as still life.

This was my best year for onions ever! These are Walla Wall, a gift from my neighbor, which were planted at Mom's house. Thanks Mom! And some elephant garlic which was also a gift from a friend and lived in a whiskey barrel in the perennial bed. They were a disappointment, but still much better than my last attempt. I don't use much anyway, so this will be replanted.

Sweet Pickle Pepper plant that I grew strictly as an ornamental... doing it's job.

This was a banner year for eggplants. Last year I got 2 off of four plants. This year each plant has upwards of 6 each. They're so pretty. These are Prosperosa. I'm still sad my Round Mauves didn't germinate. Next year I will buy fresh seed. I got a lot of tomatoes, but the plants look so ratty, I haven't taken photos. I will take some pictures of the actual tomatoes (although that delays the actual eating of them, and I still haven't had my fill!)

It was also an excellent year for blackberries. I've had so many, I've even decided to share a few. Look at his little left hand reaching up!