Greetings, Rural Sprout readers,  Another week has come and gone, and taken another month with it too. Knowing my boys are practical jokers, I fully
expected April Fools to be an eventful day. But it seems they forgot what day it was, and the day passed prank-free.  Oh darn.  Although, we did manage to cobble
together a little something at the end of the day.  Last year, when we got our chicks, my youngest son’s turned out to be a surprise rooster. Unfortunately, the bird had to go as we can’t have roosters where we live.  This spring, when ordering
chicks, I told my son he could pick out any breed he wanted. While shopping online last night, we found the most bizarre chicken breed.  It’s called a Turken or Transylvanian Naked Neck. They have no feathers on their scrawny necks and few on their heads.  It looks a bit like its head was run over, and the poor chicken just got up and kept on going.  Anywho, we sent a link to this chicken
to the Big Sister, telling her that’s what her little brother picked out. She replied with a polite, “That’s…something.” Then we called her and yelled, “April Fools!”  As I am the prime target of most April Fools pranks in our house, I’m okay with that being the only lame attempt for the day.   I think the weather was the biggest prank yesterday.  We started with a sunny day topping out at a balmy 70
degrees in the early afternoon. We decided to pack a picnic lunch and get outside to enjoy the warm weather.  An hour later, the boys and I were driving home, carefully avoiding fallen tree branches on the road while we watched the trees in the forest twist and bend in the wind. A cold, driving rain came along with it.  Our glorious spring day disappeared, and suddenly we were right back to winter temperatures.  After all that, we
decided it was a good evening for soup, and suddenly I was glad I still had all those jars of tomato sauce in the pantry.  I whipped up a tomato soup real quick, and threw some sauteed onions and red peppers in while it was cooking, then I blended it all when it was ready. Boy, did it turn out good. We threw some bagels under the broiler with ludicrous amounts of shredded mozzarella and garlic powder on top.  Even my picky eater loved the tomato soup.  Now I’m rethinking my tomato plans
for the garden. After I just made up my mind not to grow so many sauce tomatoes this year. Isn’t that the way it always goes? My best-laid garden plans all go out the window with all the last-minute changes we make. It will all turn out alright.  That’s one of my favorite things about gardening, the flexibility and how things always seem to have a way of working out. It’s what keeps me poking seeds in the dirt year after year. For all the
things that go wrong, there’s always enough that goes right.  Of course, our goal is to help make sure more of your gardening endeavors go right.Â
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After a long, dreary winter, there's nothing like the visual shock of yellow splashed throughout a…
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As any seasoned weed-puller knows, keeping on top of weedy growth in the lawn and garden is a…
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Getting baby chicks is so much fun. Those fuzzy balls of fluff have a way of melting even the…
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If you're looking to diversify your garden with a strong, beneficial plant, then look no further.…
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There is no need to wonder why growing strawberries is so popular. They're extremely rewarding, not…
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French fries, fried potatoes, hash browns, baked potatoes with sour cream and chives, mashed potatoes…
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If you spend any time reading garden-related topics, you will be inundated with posts about raised…
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Before we jump in, I want to disclose that Rural Sprout is a Garden Tower Project affiliate. Should…
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Strongly flavored and incredibly versatile, onions ( Allium cepa) are a hardy, cool season crop…
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Following a plant spacing guide to plan your garden is like copying a recipe in a cookbook. Your…
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates.  That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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Sincerely, Tracey Besemer Editor Rural Sprout
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