Today I had #3 move the last surviving hen out of the chicken coop and into the bunny barn with the other birds. The chicken coop is now solely for the colony rabbits.
I feel like today I did a lot of work but accomplished almost nothing. I got the girls to work on cleaning their rooms, which lead to a mountain of laundry for me to wash. Bedrooms still aren't 100% but I'm closing in on getting caught up on laundry again. It's a never ending battle, but one day when all of my babies are grown and moved on with their lives, I will miss washing and folding their laundry. How boring when I just have to wash clothes for two people?
I decided to tackle the containers we've been saving for winter sowing. I believe there are 31 all together so far. I filled the bathtub with bleach water and sanitized all of them. They're in the bathroom drying now. If I have time tomorrow I will drill all the holes and possibly cut them open so they're ready for planting.
My mom wants some cherry tomatoes this year, so those are definitely on the list. My brother asked about growing tobacco, but never finished the conversation. I have seeds for several varieties, and I may grow some just to use it as an insecticide. I can dry out the leaves and then stuff them in the crawl spaces and around the edges of the garage and barn to keep mice away (outside, not inside - don't want to bother the rabbits). I suspect growing tobacco plants in and around the other plants will deter some of the insects that might come along and cause harm. I do worry that it might also deter the beneficial insects that pollinate and eat the bad insects. Does anyone know if tobacco can be grown in proximity to black walnut trees?
While cleaning her room, #1 decided that her favorite pair of boots had finally come to the end of their usefulness. She said she couldn't wear them anymore because they were so worn out, but she loves them and doesn't want to part with them. I told her she could keep them and have them take up space in her room, or she could throw them away. Or she could donate them to my garden project... A stick in each will keep them upright. Filled with dirt and planted with some kind of edible fruit or vegetable, they'd be placed outside and allowed to rot away while growing food for us in a cute whimsical fashion. She thought about it for a minute, and handed me the boots. Yay! That makes three shoe planters I can do this year!