I guess it’s appropriate that my first post of the year is always of either chicks or newly planted seeds. This time it’s both. Our six new Ameraucana chicks arrived yesterday, a day old, and this morning proudly stood for their first portraits.
Nearby sat the pots in which I just planted seeds for tomatoes (my favorite heirlooms: Large Red and Riesentraube), peppers, basil, roselle, and ground cherries, so I snapped a picture of them as well!
For those of you curious about the brooder I’m using for the chicks, this year it’s an old cat litter box nested snuggly in a cardboard box, with a 60-watt bulb for heat. Over the next few weeks, the bulb will get downgraded to 40 watts and then to an energy-efficient bulb when the chicks no longer need the extra warmth.
And if my potting soil doesn’t look like any you’ve ever seen, that’s because it’s homemade: 1 part compost to 2 parts garden soil with 1/4 cup of organic homemade fertilizer to every gallon of finished product. I’ve been using this mix for five years now–it’s cheap and works just fine! For more details on starting seeds on the cheap, see this post.
gettin' fresh! 
Ooo chicks! They are so cute! I’d love to see a pic of your brooder setup too. Hope you get some sprouts soon!
More info on the brooder is coming… Thanks for your well wishes–I’ve got sprouts poking out all over now!
Yay! I don’t know if l’ll ever outgrow the excitement of seeing new sproutlings.