It’s been several weeks since an update, but a lot has been happening. Maintenance and upkeep on a remodeled house seems never-ending. A 200-foot deep yard to mow doesn’t help either.

The corn was finally ripe for picking Thursday evening. After fighting off mosquitoes, spiders and grasshoppers, I managed to pick a bagful. Sad to say, a lot of my crop was eaten by bugs but I managed to salvage enough to last for a while. - Jen Miller / Daily Journal

Something sinister is going on in the garden. A pest is eating my tomatoes. It’s the first time I’ve encountered this problem and I’m not quite sure what to do. I’m growing Black Krim’s and a cluster had started ripening. I was waiting for them to darken to their almost black coloring, keeping an eye on just the right time to pick.

Keeping up this mini-farm of mine is hard work. Not that I didn’t think it would be, but thinking about it and ‘doing’ it are completely different things. Not that I regret this choice, but I’m realizing that I have to shift priorities around.

I’ve been pulling fresh grass and putting in with the chicks. They went crazy over the greens, which disappeared in less than half an hour. I find that I now am not so squeamish about killing bugs as well. I just sacrifice them to the appetite of the chicks and don’t feel so bad about killing them. Ah, the circle of life goes on. Catch up with how the garden is growing in my weekly blog online here and leave your comments about your own problems or successes. - Jen Miller / Daily Journal

The chickens are finally out of the house. I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Not only am I not smelling chicken poop on the front porch, but I have my house back! I can only describe it as getting rid of a messy guest — only, they’re outside. I’m also grateful for the fact that they are in their element — fresh air, grass to chew on, insects to chase and lots of space to play and be happy.

While inspecting my garden, I noticed the flowering parts of the corn in one of the patches varies from pink to red in color. This is the small amount of painted corn that I have planted near the tomatoes. Catch up with how the garden is growing in my weekly blog online and leave your comments about your own problems or successes.  - Jen Miller / Daily Journal

The chickens are growing faster every day. Maybe it’s the heat or a conspiracy to get out of their cardboard box - I’m not sure. They’ve taken to flying up to the edge of the taped up sides, roosting and pooping over the edge. Have I said I’m tired of chicken poop? Not that it’s a hard job, but it’s constant. 

I was baking this evening when I noticed the chirping coming from the porch was starting to echo and get louder. Curious, I went out to check on them and saw that all seven had gotten out of their box and were wandering loose around the floor.

I was a little worried about growing corn for the first time, but so far, it’s been the best thing I’ve started. The rain held up my planting schedule, frustratingly because I’d already soaked my corn overnight. At first, I had them in damp paper napkins. Soon, they were sending out roots through the paper. I then transferred them to a plate with a little water surrounding the roots at the bottom. This caused my uncle to remark after seeing them on my counter, “I ain’t never seen anyone grow corn like that before.” But I wasn’t too worried, yet.

The baby chicks arrived a few weeks ago. Small and sweet fuzziness has turned into a smelly issue. Yes, I know chickens have a smell — they poop constantly. These girls are marathon poopers though. I constantly clean their water container, change bedding and refresh food. Countless papers and handfuls of hay can never be kept clean enough.

I started getting bombarded with gardening catalogs like most people do in the spring. When I found out I’d have this big backyard to maintain, I decided to try my hand at growing some of my favorite things. I started going through the catalogs I had, taking a marker and highlighting some things that I wanted to grow. Most of my choices came from a company called Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. I’ve bought other seeds by whatever caught my eye at the time.

I'm not what you'd call an "outdoorsy" kind of girl. Yet, like many people, I have concerns about what is sprayed on our produce and want something that tastes better. In this recession, it not only makes sense to grow a garden, it's also better for your health. The idea is to start small and go from there.