The New Arrival Peeps

The newest member of our farm household arrived unexpectedly on my daily walk of the property with the dogs last week.  Penny and Bagel were quickly closing in for the kill on something small and fast when I called them off with a few sharp words.  There, in the middle of the road, was a recently hatched feral chicken running in circles.  I looked around but there was no mother hen in sight.
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The chick would die that night if left on its own.  I scooped up the hatchling and it quickly quieted down to a soft chirping in my hands.  “Peeps” spent the first night in a shoe box with shredded paper for a bed and a heating pad under the box to replace the warmth of a mother hen.

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The next morning when I uncovered Peeps, he began busily scratching in the small food bowl and made a constant happy peeping.  I left him to fix some breakfast but as soon as he realized I was not there he launched into a very loud distress call. Peeps does not like being left alone, not for one minute, not for 30 seconds, not even for 10 seconds.  I end up placing him on the kitchen counter in the shoe box so he can keep an eye on me while I fix breakfast.  That seems to keep the volume to a soft chirping and contented scratching.  I regret not following my advice to others considering getting a chick, “Never get just one, they don’t like being alone,” but it is too late, I already took him in.

In the afternoon I take Peeps out to the worm bin as a special treat.  At first he squeaks shrilly at the sight of the many different bugs crawling around in the bin and he jumps back a little.  But he quickly gains confidence and skill as instinct takes over and he enthusiastically hunts the critters.
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From hatching, Peeps instinctively knows how to do almost everything an adult chicken does.
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I am amazed at the quantity of bugs he eats.  He even gets 3 good sized roaches and I am awed as he swallows the big bugs down his tiny mouth and throat.  .
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I am surprised that the worms are not his top choice but instead he prefers the various beetles and earwigs.

Back inside the house I am curious how much this tiny creature weighs and I pull out the gram scale and place Peeps on it.  A whopping 1 once after a big meal.  All that tremendous noise out of a tiny 1 ounce fuzz ball!

 

What Do Chickens Eat?

What do chickens eat?

If your first thoughts are bugs and worms, you are correct since these are definitely their top choices for tasty treats, but that is just scratching the surface, since chickens, like people, are omnivores and enjoy a very broad range of foods.  For this reason chickens can be called the ‘pigs’ of the feathered world and like pigs, they will eat most scraps and spoils that come from the kitchen.

I find it fun to see what my chickens will and won’t eat.  Some of the more surprising items I have seen them gobble up are raw onions, coconut meat pecked out of the shell, pineapple, and grass.  They love grass!  They also have an affinity for lettuce, collard greens, kale, bok choy, apples, tomatoes, grapes, and melons.  There is plenty of papaya on the farm and that is probably their favorite fruit.  They don’t mind if it has been sitting around a few days too long either.  They love yogurt and cheese and are big fans of all kinds of junk food, including pizza.  Rice, pasta, and breads are always eaten fast but fresh corn on the cob tops them all.  Bits of oyster shell and crunched up egg shells are nibbled here and there for calcium which they need plenty of to lay strong shells.  Small rocks are popular forage which they use in their gizzard to grind food with their powerful intestinal muscle actions.  Of course meat of any kind is always consumed quickly and If some little clump of dirt looks interesting, they will eat that to.  Seasoning I guess.

Chicken snacking on Chinese spinach (also known as amaranth)

There are also foods of which they have no interest whatsoever.  Raw sweet potatoes don’t entice them one bit and neither does any kind of citrus.  They don’t care for fresh herbs like basil, parsley, or arugula and they definitely don’t like hard crackers like saltines.  Avocado is on the ‘no list’ along with alfalfa and mung bean sprouts.  But just when I think I know them, they can throw me for a loop.  After an entire year of completely ignoring the sprouts I dumped daily in the compost bin, they one day gobbled up all the freshly dumped mung bean sprouts like an exotic treat they had never seen.  The next day’s addition of mung beans were ignored as usual.  Go figure.

Then there are the things the hens want to eat but I really don’t want them eating, like my fingers and toes, especially when I am wearing ‘slippahs’ or crocs.  No matter how many times I chase them away for trying to eat a toe, they maintain a very high interest. Anything that is small, round, and shiny, like buttons on my clothes or jeans, or even a pattern on my clothing is fair game.  After the 200th time of attempting to eat the same button on the same pair of jeans, you would think they would give up, right?

All the “bird brain” analogies start coming to mind.

Besides the occasional annoyance, the quirky qualities of the hens makes them fun to watch and they are a pleasure to care for.  On the health side of the equation, the immense variety of healthy, fresh food they eat gives the eggs a rich and complex flavor that no store bought eggs can compare with.  It is a pleasure to observe the vitality and lustiness of a happy healthy hen who is really enjoying her environment and a complex varied diet is a big part of that.  You just can’t beat those farm fresh eggs!

 

Preventing and Treating Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew on stem

Powdery mildew can prematurely end a great tomato season, especially in Hawaii where conditions are ideal for the fungus. Powdery mildew thrives in warmth (between 60-90 F) and as the season here changes from dry to rainy the spores germinate en mass, travel through the air, and begin to take hold on plant surfaces. Powdery mildew is recognizable by whitish or light-gray fuzzy spots on leaves, stems, and even fruits. It prefers the youngest leaves and it will often start on them but it can take hold at any stage of growth. Leaves appear distorted, stunted and fall off earlier than healthy ones. Below are some preventative actions to help deter powdery mildew from taking hold as well as recipes to control it.

1. Keep tomato plants off the ground. Being in contact with the ground places the plants in an environment where the mildew thrives by decreasing air circulation and light penetration. In addition, bugs have easier access to the tomatoes. A trellis works great.
2. Plant tomatoes in a spot where they will receive direct sun all day long, if possible. The sunniest side of the house or garden is best.
3. Make sure there is plenty of air flow around and between plants. Planting tomatoes too densely or in too close proximity to other plants can encourage the powdery mildew. Also regularly prune the plants to keep them open so air can flow between branches and leaves.
4. Water plants at the roots (try to avoid wetting the leaves) during the day so that any wet foliage dries quickly and don’t water at night.
5. Check plants frequently for signs of the mildew.

Powdery mildew on leaves

If the fungus is discovered on your plants there are many recipes that can be applied to bring the situation under control but a speedy response is necessary since the mildew can quickly overwhelm and kill tomatoes. First check the plant thoroughly and pick off all leaves and stems showing any signs of powdery mildew. Destroy all diseased plants and definitely don’t put them in a compost pile which will return the spores to your garden. If they are really infected the whole plant should be removed. Some plants never recover once infected and a lot of time can be spent on trying to rehabilitate them. I really enjoy making my own  garden remedies.  Below are some recipes to try both as preventatives and eradication.

Baking Soda

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon insecticidal soap or liquid dish soap
• 1 gallon water

This mixture can be poured into a spray bottle or a larger agricultural sprayer, if you have many plants. The amount of baking soda can be increased but test on a small area of the plant first and observe for 2 days as it can “burn” the leaves. During application be sure to shake up the bottle every few minutes since the baking soda tends to settle on the bottom. Baking soda kills the powdery mildew within minutes but may need to be re-applied every 5 days or so.

Soap acts as a surfactant spreading the baking soda evenly over the plant and causing it to stick. In this next recipe oil replaces the soap and serves a similar function.

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon horticultural oil
• 1 gallon water

Milk

Amazingly, milk is a great remedy for powdery mildew as evidenced by several studies. It also boosts the immunity of the plant. Apply once a week.

• 1 part skim milk
• 9 parts water

Sulfur

An alternative is powdered agricultural sulfur which acts mainly as a preventative. Do not use sulfur within 2 weeks of using oil since they can react and cause damage to the plant. The sulfur can also be mixed with a small amount of  insecticidal soap (not dish washing liquid). A commercially available source of sulfur made specifically for the treatment of powdery mildew is ‘Safer Garden Fungicide’ which is listed as safe for organic farming. Or choose to make your own.

• 2 tablespoons sulfur
• 1 gallon water
• 1/2 teaspoon insecticidal soap (Safer Soap)

Biological Control

‘Serenade’ is a biological control available on the market that helps prevent mildew with its active ingredient bacillus subtilis, a bacteria. It is certified for organic farming.  Apply according to directions.

Natural Oils

Jojoba oil or neem oil can be used in mild to moderate cases of powdery mildew.

• 1 ounce neem oil
• 3 drops liquid soap
• 4 cups  (1 quart) water

Cornmeal

Cornmeal is another great preventative and fungus suppressant that works by attracting a member of the Trichoderma fungus family that kills off disease causing fungi within weeks.

• For every 100 square feet, work 2 pounds of cornmeal into the soil.

Horticultural cornmeal is used mostly for feeding livestock and it is cheaper than food grade cornmeal. Cornmeal “juice” can also be made.

• Soak 1 cup cornmeal in 1 gallon of water overnight
• Spray on plant surfaces

Spraying Tips

When using a spray, be sure to spray all surfaces of the plant including the undersides of leaves. These recipes should give the plants good protection for about 1 week but if it rains, most solutions will be washed off and the application will need to be repeated. Spot apply to new plant growth as well.

 

Tomato Christmas, In October

Tomatoes have extremely hardy seeds and they are always making it through the compost pile and into my homemade potting mixes.  When I plant a flat of bush beans, I may get a dozen or more tomato plants along with them.  This irritates some people but I don’t mind.  I call them “volunteers” when they just happen to show up to help out in the garden.  The majority I pull out but every now and then I save a few plants and find corners of the garden for them.  Then I wait.

As they grow I muse about what kind of tomato each plant will produce.  The feeling is reminiscent of when I was a kid waiting for Christmas to arrive.  What is inside each box?  I hope it’s just what I wanted.   The flowers appear, we are getting closer.  The anticipation increases.

Tomato plants can have different leaf shapes, sizes, and growth habits depending on the variety.  I try to guess based on some subtle differences in each plant.  It’s like squeezing the present to feel what is inside.  I make some more guesses.

Ah, finally the fruits are forming.  How big will they get?  The big ones are fun (or frustrating) to watch growing but I have really come to appreciate small tomatoes in Hawaii.  They hide from bugs and birds much more reliably and the flavor is frequently more intense than most big ones.   What shape and what color will they be?  I have gotten everything from grape and cherry sizes all the way up to big ‘beefsteak’ ones and colors from purple to many shades of red, orange, and yellow.

Finally it is time to begin harvesting and as I gather the tomatoes  it feels a little like Christmas.

I like to group each variety and compare  them. What did I get this time?

The small and medium yellow ones are more mild in flavor and less acidic.  The small dark red ones are bursting with flavor and everyone wants to eat those first.  The pale whitish-green-yellow variety is very unusual.

Being an artist I have an impulse to arrange them on a plate.

It’s just what I wanted and the most successful tomato season I have had.

Now I am waiting on these guys, something-big and something-roma.

 

The Beggining

My first garden             .

Most people think that living in Hawaii means it is easy to grow anything all year around.  They are right about one thing… you can grow food all 12 months of the year.  But like anywhere else, not everything will thrive in every season and in some cases, will not grow at all.  The summers here have intense sun and the winters are very, very rainy (at least where I am in my back-valley micro-climate).  The result is that the cilantro fries in summers’ heat and the parsley drowns in winters’ downpours.  On top of that, there is no cold season to reduce pest and disease populations and the jungle is always growing in –and don’t get me started on the very tenacious invasive species that out compete everything.  In spite of all that, I must say, it is very nice to garden here.

7 week old chicken            .

My first garden manifested about 3 years ago and it has been growing ever since and now includes many small plots all around the house.   Our small flock of laying hens has also been here 3 years and the new youngsters are rapidly growing.  My 2 small dogs, Penny and Bagel, have found their true calling in life as the rat and mouse patrol in the chicken coop and compost bins.  We have expanded so much that my husband recently declared us a “farmlette”, somewhere in between serious gardeners and a sporadic mini farm.  The experience has been one of learning, fun, and lots of hard work.

I enjoy sharing what knowledge I have gained, telling stories about life, learning from others, and passing on a sense of what it is like living on our farmlette in the back of a lush green valley on the beautiful island of Oahu.