News & Articles

Wednesday, September 22nd marks the fall equinox. Shortening daylight is especially more noticeable this time of year. One of the most common questions we get here at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op is, “Why are my chickens laying fewer eggs?” The answer can be simple: There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Chickens are photosensitive. This means that they react to light, specifically white light. Most chickens, especially older hens, require twelve to fourteen hours of daylight to stimulate egg production. There are a few types of chickens that tend to keep laying eggs throughout the winterlike Australorp, Buckeye, Delaware, Plymouth Rock, Rhode Island Red, and Wyandotte. Younger hens also tend to keep laying through the darker days the year. Most hens, though, will require supplemental light to keep up egg production through the shorter autumn and winter days.

Lawns love the cool weather of autumn in the Pacific Northwest. The grass returns to its bright green color and begins to grow in earnest again. Mowing to the correct length is important for your lawn’s health. A length of 2.5 to 3 inches is the ideal length for autumn lawns preparing for winter. Mowing too short will result in shallow roots, and your lawn won’t be able to cope with the stresses of freezing weather. Spare yourself the trouble of hauling and dumping bags of lawn clippings, and leave them where they land on the ground. Lawn clippings provide a natural mulch, and gentle fertilizer for your lawn. Leaving lawn clippings on your lawn throughout the mowing season can equal an entire treatment of fertilizer.

Cover crops, also known as green manure, help cover and improve soils that aren’t being cultivated for production. Cover Crops also improve tilth. Tilth refers to the structure, or physical suitability for planting. Available at the Snohomish and Monroe Co-Op, explore our selection of cover crops like Field Peas, White Dutch Clover, Crimson Clover, Common Vetch, and a 5-Way Cover Crop.