HELLO CHINA & THIALAND!

Us chickens were starting to wonder when you would visit us here at Blu Bears' Garden !!!  In case you haven't had a chance to look at older posts,  our little farm is ran by a bunch of little stuffed bears.  Sounds silly doesn't it?!!  Well, don't tell the bears that.  They still look forward to the Easter Bunny & Santa Claus.

I mean, if adults can believe that  politicians actually get any work done...anything is possible.  Just like this rooster thinking he can visit the girls behind the fence and bird netting!

These miniature chickens are "Banties" and don't get much bigger.  We do have full size hens, that have a really cool house made from an over sized children's play house.  And, if you look through our "blog", you'll discover we actually have BLUE TURKEYS !!!  Any how, thanks for visiting us,  tell your friends to join us for this new growing season.  Things are really starting to get busy, and stay tuned for some big changes....Your pals Blu Bear & Straw Beary

UGLY TREE CONTEST WINNER!



ONE REALLY UKY TREE

No, we didn't have a contest that you missed out on.  But, it might not be a bad idea.  This lovely tree is on display at the Fulton Ag. center.  If you see something worse, why don't you post it?!!!  With readers all around the world, someone out there must run into something that beats this one!

Your on-line bear...Choo CHo

Natural Resources Conservation Service

We just posted a crop report for the 2012 growing season.  Although the numbers should have been higher, the growing season last year was too hot & too dry!  The ground was cracking, the rain was lacking, and us bears really fought hard to bring in a crop.  Aside from the birds (chickens & turkeys) which numbers probably should be added to the report, we did our best in one of the worst droughts in recent history.

But, the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service) has a program that we are hoping to become a part of.  This would provide assistance to improve soil , water, etc.   Its called the Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative.  Think low tech green house.  Crops would be grown in the "High Tunnel" directly in the soil.  This should allow for an extended growing season and early planting of Cole crops like salad stuff. (See older post for the salad crops we have in mind)

I guess the biggest question now, is if  our charity work will count some how as $$$ in production sales?  We realize that Blu Bears Garden has to start to pay its own way, and show a reasonable return to allow it to expand and sustain its self.  But, we have accomplished some of our primary goals of creating good will in the community we live and elsewhere.  And, we've accumulated seed stock, and learned many ways not to do somethings again!  Wish us luck with this next step...us bears could use it!  Blu Bear

UPSIDE DOWN WIND MILL???



"Upside down" wind energy system

 Yep....this really is something different!  Us bears get a copy of FARM SHOW once in a while, and it always has something a little off the beat and track...kind of like us!  Straw Beary

By The Numbers

The 2012 crop was primarily baking pumpkins, & squash.  Approx. 1400 lbs.  Our secondary crop was tomatoes, 4 varieties with yields of 23 bushel.  Peppers, both sweet and hot variety's - the third primary crop, with a yield of approx 11 bushel.  Our onion crop , green bean, wax bean, and pea crop suffered from the extreme heat and drought and were lost. (The drought greatly reduced all production)

Hand planting specialty crops

Farm market and at the farm sales were $372.00   Approx $1600.00 of our crop was made available to local food assistance/meal programs.  This was accomplished by both direct delivery & poster at outreach programs that invited families with children to "help themselves" to produce picked fresh daily and displayed at the farm. and web postings on our children's farm website Blubearsgarden.blogspot.com/  Additionally, approx (4) 72 cell flats of peppers and tomato plants were grown for low income families or the elderly .  Some of these were given away in 6" pots or patio containers. (for the elderly)

Seed stock was grown and collected from some of our most productive varieties, and are now in inventory.

Report compiled by Bobbi Urban & Randall Nalett

2012 CROP PRODUCTION REPORT





COME ON...LET IT BE SPRING!



The trees start to bloom

Our trees are getting really confused!  Some have started to bud, but that is not a good thing.  Last year we had record heat waves in March....This year I think we are going to have record cold.  But, I thought you might like to see a few reminders of what it is going to look like here on the farm in a few weeks!

Getting the garden ready to plant



Wild aspargras grows on the banks!



The grass finally turns green!



As you probably can guess, the real work is just getting started.  And, it goes well into fall.  But, if you've followed us from last year, you know that life is a bit slower on a farm frozen somewhere in time.  In fact, little has changed here since 1940! 

You never really own land...



Field Reporter O'Beary

 "You Never Really Own Land...you just get the privilege to take care of it for the next generation. "  

I'm not sure who said it first, but it's something to think about.  Lately, the local paper seems to be running too many stories about new ways to get "natural gas" out of the land.  Fracking is the name they give it.  But, they are pretty mum about the poisonous chemicals they pump into the earth, and what they do with them.  The "stories" about polluted well water and sick live stock are not fiction. 

All too often the few seem to think that the earth is their personal piggy bank...that "they own" mineral rights, and can do what ever it takes to make a profit.  Wrong!  No one has the right to harm others...especially for generations to come.  It really steams us bears up...and that is pretty hard to do!   Lets keep the earth safe for all of the future cubs to come.   Field Reporter 0'Beary

From Straw Bearys' Kitchen

Straw Beary

I've been seeing allot of new recipe's for pumpkin these days.  I guess folks are finally catching on to the yummy possibilities!  Almost everyone calls for cinnamon, brown sugar, or "pumpkin pie spice".  But, pumpkin can be used like a potato too.  That means it doesn't have to be sweet, but savory instead. (DON'T TELL BLU BEAR) 

Many  recipes use it in savory soups.  And, since we have so many new readers from France, I thought maybe we could get them to write and share some of their favorites with us!  We grow a French pumpkin that looks like Cinderella's carriage!  It is very much like the pumpkin that is named after me..."The Straw Beary"  And has excellent cooking qualities.  However, some bears think that chocolate chips need to go into just about everything.   I always ask all my readers from around the globe to share their favorites with me...Got any?  Straw Beary

Yes...GET YOUR SEEDS STARTED!



Tiny Tim Tomato Plants

 It might seem like spring should be just around the corner, but it is suppose to get down to 18 degrees tonight.  We are going nuts holding back starting all of our seed flats....But, keeping all of them at above 70 degrees means using allot of energy for heat.  If this "THE RETURN OF WINTER" keeps up much longer, we really won't have a choice.  Keep your fingers crossed and your toes warm! Your pal Blu Bear

SALAD ANYONE???





Salanova Lettuce

 We've been looking at this new line of salad mixes from our friends at Johnnys' seed.  It might be a tad on the expensive side to produce the first crop, since we would have to buy "floating row covers" to protect it from insects and hungry Bunnies!!!  And, the seed is not cheap!   Molly does a great job of warning us, but she does need her beauty sleep, and the "garden" is a bit on the big side. 

This might be a good mix for the farmers market, and I'm sure the food pantry programs would love something this early in the season.  (Most salad crops are cool weather/late spring to mid summer.)   Us bears would have to start with about 800 plants grown in flats and transplanted to the garden to make it worth doing.  But a crop failure would be disastrous!  I'd never get the bears to try something that takes so much free labor again!  Any thoughts???  Blu Bear

Mollys gotta a boy friend!



NINJA (Mollys' new boy friend)

Meet Ninja, a Whymer "pup" that thinks Molly is the cats MEOW!  They hit it off like long lost pals, nice to see ya! Blu Bear 

Good Afternoon France!



The "bears" @ Blu Bears Garden

 I was just logging on to update some plans for this years "garden" when I noticed that 7 people from France were logged into Blu Bears' Garden !!!    Welcome, and All of us bears hope you'll follow this years garden!  Your pal  Blu Bear  p.s.  I'm the one with the Blue Bow !

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE !!!!

We hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday week.  And, for the "spring break" why don't you spend some time looking through our OLDER POSTS  if it is too nasty outside...  Us birds are just glad were are not on the menu!!!  But, if you are a Chocolate Bunny....BEWARE...BLU BEAR LOVES YOU!!!!

TINY TIMS BEGIN TO SPROUT!



New "tiny tim" seedlings

This must be the week for new things to start happening here on the farm!   Pictured is a 72 cell flat of cherry tomato plants that will be the first ones we give away for the 2013 growing season.  Since they are happy to grow on a patio or sunny window sill, this variety is one of our favorites to share. 

We are planning a plant give-away at an area food pantry out reach program for late spring/early summer.  Hopefully this will become an anual event that we establish at food banks in other areas besides our own.  It just makes sense to help people grow some of their own food, and to get them active in gardening....even if its' just a few container grown plants at first.  PLANTS....seeds...potting soil...patio contairners are in great need, and we gladly accept any help in getting them to thouse who need it most!  IT ALL STARTS WITH ONE LITTLE SEED...and grows into something wonderful!  Blu Bear

OUR FIRST BLUE TURKEY EGG!



Turkey egg (left)  Jumbo Chicken egg (right)

It has finally happened!  We've been patiently waiting for the Blue turkey hen to start laying eggs for what seems like forever.  Our breeding pair of rare Blue Turkeys are only about 10 months old.  They've come along way from the little chicks we started with last spring.  Hopefully we'll have chicks and fertilized eggs available for sale by the time the weather warms up.  (funny since the weather man says we are gonna get hit with the biggest snow of the year tonight!)  Straw Beary couldn't be happier.  Stay tuned for updates, and pictures of the new flock!  Your pal....     Blu Bear

BLU

Blu Gives Molly the "would you please stop barking" look!

Seed Flats...And the PLANTING BEGINS!



The first 2 flats seeded for 2013



"Pelleted Seed"

 Wow...it must be spring!   The first seed flats have been started...  These are 72 cell flats.  Meaning they will have, with a little luck, 72 seedlings in them.  With enough light, we can sometimes keep the plants in these trays right up till it's time to put them in the garden.  But,  most of these will be transplanted into 4" pots, or into patio planters. 

We've started 54 Tiny Tim tomato plants (all to be given away) 54 Giant Green Pepper, 26 Better Boy (slicer tomato) and 11 Habanaro peppers (really, really hot!)  The "Better Boy" is pelleted seed, meaning that the seed is coated (kind of  like a chocolate covered raisin) to make it easier to plant.  Most pepper and tomato seed is really small, and the coating makes it easier to plant.  But most of the time we just use uncoated seed, and lots of it!

By the time we are done seed starting, there will be hundreds of different plants looking for a new home.  Of course several flats go right into the garden.  Some seed is "direct sown" meaning that we plant the seed in the garden.  We've got a big garden, but it never seems big enough!  I guess you could call it a Market Garden....for now.    If you haven't started you seeds yet, you still have lots of time, but don't put it off too long.   Your pal   Blu Bear