The Seed Bank

I stopped by the Seed Bank in Petaluma on the way back from a trip. This heirloom seed store, owned by Baker Heirloom Seeds, occupies an old bank building in downtown Petaluma. The interior is stunning, and almost all the sell are seeds. They've got some standards (Kentucky Wonder Beans, for example) but many that I've never heard of. I talked seeds, and eventually chickens, with the woman behind the counter. I asked for seeds I could plant now (late June/early July) and were interesting - not the standards. I ended up buying "Lollo Rossa" lettuce, "Romanesco Italia" brocolli, Chioggia beets, Squash Lemon ("the size of a lemon, with huge yields"), and Purple Podded Pole beans. I'll try to get these seeds in the ground over the next few days. First, I've got to harvest the Cauliflower, which is finally ready for harvest. I've been getting tired of having those plants taking up space for what seems an inordinate amount of time.

- Bruce

Chicken Hide and Seek

Snowball, our black Modern Game Bantam, took to playing hide-and-seek the past two days. We let the flock roam the backyard when we're home and we put them in at dusk. Saturday evening, Snowball was nowhere to be found. The other three hens trotted on into the enclosure, and Henny Penny settled on the roost where she always sleeps with Snowball beside her, but Snowball wasn't there. We searched our yard, our neighbors' yards, trees, and the sidewalks. No chicken anywhere. Once it turned dark, we gave up, for finding a black chicken at night would be almost impossible and she'd have settled down somewhere by then and be hard to find anyway.

The next morning, at 6:30 AM, there she was in the backyard, looking for grubs. We corralled her with the others. That evening, she vanished again and returned this morning at 7. Now she's grounded; we've let the other chickens out but not her. I suspect she dug a nest somewhere under a bush, maybe laid an egg or two there, and is calling it home. We've called her home and will hope she drops the habit after a few days of being cooped up.

- Bruce