Wonderful Watermelon!!

I have always dreamed of growing watermelons and now the dream has come true. A lonely, unlabeled watermelon plant was left after the Plant and Seed Exchange in April. I adopted it and moved it into the greenhouse to protect it until the weather warmed up. We had a cool spring this year and I was traveling in June, consequently it didn't get transplanted into the garden until the third week in June. I wasn't too hopeful, but had to give it a try.

The vines grew and set on four melons. They were so pretty and looked ready that I cut one on August 13. Unfortunately it was mostly white with just a little blush. I was apprehensive about picking another one and asked every gardener I knew 'How do you tell when a watermelon is ripe?' The gardeners I spoke to live outside of Weaver ville and at higher elevations, so they have never had a ripe watermelon in their gardens. After a little Internet research I decided that the melons met the definition of ripe (the spot on the bottom where they rest on the ground turns from white to yellow; the tendrils closest to the melon have browned; the vines are dieing back). I cut this beauty open on August 28 and - after the picture taking - promptly ate about a quarter of it all by myself (over the sink no less). Happy Gardening! Donna

Winter at the Ranch

Cold nights, foggy mornings and clear afternoons - that's been the story for most of January 2011. With a new SMART crew at TCRCD, the ranch is getting some sprucing up. The crew has removed blackberries around the property, including along the garden fence. New posts are going in as well, to try to deer-proof the garden. Burn piles are(ahem) piling up, and fruit trees have been pruned.
















The hens are still ruling the roost and have returned to producing some eggs, although not more than 4 or 5 a week.

I'm anxiously awaiting gardening weather. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the winter sunshine.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Young Family Ranch! Winter is here, with plenty of rain and an occasional snow shower. The hens are weathering the season just fine. They spent one night in the hen hotel (in the basement of the ranch) when temperatures dipped below 20 F, but have otherwise been fine. With the solstice just a day away, we'll be returning to longer days and, hopefully, egg production will resume.

Are We Entering Autumn?

How the summer has flown by! The Young Family Ranch was a hotspot for summer goings-on. Activities included:

• Family Film Nights sponsored by a grant from the Child Abuse Prevention Act



• Backyard Poultry Workshop & screening of Chicken Run



• Resource Conservation District's Weaverville Summer Day Camp



• Lambs and Turkeys raised by FFA students



• Improvements of the Property (weatherized windows, accessible parking space and ramps, a new well, a new chicken coop)

As August comes to a close with chilly mornings and occasional rain showers, the ranch is becoming a bountiful food source! The chickens continue laying gorgeous eggs; the vegetable garden is putting out tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, and beans (pumpkins and corn are on their way!); the perennial garden has grapes ripening on vines and splendid artichoke flowers in bloom; onions and garlic fresh from the earth have been hung to dry; and those magnificent sunflower blossoms, will they yield tasty seed morsels?!

Turning into Summer

Here are some images of summer getting started the the YFR. We have a beautiful new turkey house, modified from the plant shed by John. There are 7 turkeys in there! The garden is growing (weedy) and we'll be transplanting tomatoes, peppers, and squash pretty soon. There are also two 4H lambs at the ranch! The chickens seem to be happy - they cause some raucous in the flower beds so Carol and Mandy have been chipping away at a portable PVC pen for them. The new accessible ramp into the house is looking sharp.

Weaverville Summer Day Camp is right around the corner. The month of July will be busy here at the ranch as youngsters come to play and learn. Applications for campers are available at the Trinity County Resource Conservation District.

Hens and Friends and Spring

Carol's Photo of the Free-Ranging Ranch Hens (and deer)!

As the 2nd Annual Plant and Seed Exchange approaches this Saturday (see the earlier post for details), the Ranch is a-flutter with activity. Four new laying chickens have moved into the hen house! The beautiful adult hens were donated generously by Sonja Williams and her family of Sun Mountain Natural Products. They are Laci the Black-Laced Wyandotte, Henny Penny the Rhode Island Red produciton breed, Wily Matilda the Black Australorp, and Sam the Auracana.

Members of 4H will be bringing little lambs to move into the Ranch this weekend! Rod Plew and Jason Proburko have been working hard to prepare the lambs' yard and to repair the water faucet that will serve the animals and the annual vegetable bed.

AmeriCorps Watershed Stewards Project members Bo Kimball and Mandy Monroe have begun spring planting in the annual vegetable garden! Mark Dowdle has been busy at work rototilling the garden beds in preparation for the new season. Bo added yellow, red, and white onion sets to the garlic beds that she started last fall while Mandy layed out and planted a bed of root vegetables including carrots, radishes, beets, parsnips, and rutabaga. In the greenhouse, spinach, kale, swiss chard, kohlrabi, and broccoli starts are awaiting their transfer to the great outdoors.

The perennial garden is also filling in this spring. Carol Fall, with help from Mandy and Bo, has added patches of asparagus, artichoke, and rhubard (that latter donated by Ingra Smith). Pat Frost and Mandy braved the spitting sleet and rain one April day to add a strawberry patch (the plants are transfers from Pat and Carol's own garden) to the perennial beds. Still in store is a sunflower patch! Participants in the Plant and Seed Exchange this Saturday will have an opportunity to help mulch these new perennial patches.

The weather has been warming and the vermicomposting (aka worm) bin has been returned to its outdoor locale. Food scraps form the kitchen will be eaten by the hungry red worms who will turn the food waste into rich castings to be used as soil ammendment. Basic composting systems will be installed in the perennial and annual garden beds to encourage decomposition of garden and yard waste into rich humus for soil ammendment, as well.

Duane Heryford, Rod Plew, and the Young Family Ranch Trustees have been working around the clock to make the Young Family Ranch more accessible for persons with disabilities. A sparkling new cement parking space and sidewalk from the driveway to the downstairs of the house are an attractive and utilitarian addition to the Ranch property. Additionally, the Trustees have been investigating the property for a potential new water source and well. Bill Cargill and Bill, electrician extraordinaires, spent a day at the Ranch rewiring the circuit board in the basement to ensure safety and integrity of the house electric suply.

The newest member of the Young Family Ranch family is Lilly Franke, a nutritionist hailing from the Bay Area and currently living in Douglas City with her three children. She joined the UC Cooperative Extenstion Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program in March and has been busy making the YFR a cozy and functional work space for herself. Her bright attitude and charm are an energetic addition to the Young Family Ranch community.

Contributions from Trinity County community members near and far, from vast walks of life, have made the Young Family Ranch a rich and inviting resource for folks in the Weaverville region.

Come on out for the Plant and Seed Exchange and see for yourself!

Spring at the Ranch Part I