Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to a lazy, summer dazey Garden Friday.

The critters don't seem affected much by the heat of the season.

As for this gardener, I get out early

and spend most of the afternoon inside. 

The swallowtails have been visiting in full force.

The corn is coming along.

This is a first-time crop for me,

so it's very exciting to see any little changes!

 

 

This week, a handful of Jacob's Cattle beans 

were harvested.

They will be saved for next year's planting,

and hopefully, we'll get a few more to actually eat.

Aren't they just spectacular?

 

 

 

A couple of trays of herbs and flowers were sown.

Everything I plant is protected from squirrels

(and our resident chipmunk)

using welded wire. 

We were graced with 1/2 inch of rain this week,

for which I am sincerely thankful.

 

 

We have a lovely array of zinnia colors this year.

 

 We also have a few creatures that are sleeping the day away.

 

Not everyone is a slacker though.

There are plenty of pollinators doing their work.

 

 

This is the old oak tree that was taken down a few years ago.

It seems that fungi enjoy hanging around here.

This is the spot where wood chips have gotten dumped,

and I'm wondering if that lends itself to the mushrooms growing.

The chooks are enduring the heat as best they can.

It seems that the Golden Comets handle it the best.

I'm not sure if that is a trait of the breed,

or simply because they are a bit younger than the others.

They have been a wonderful addition to our homestead.

 

Life is Better with Chickens!

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share our Zone 7b garden.

The sunflowers have been gracing us with their beauty.

It just isn't summer without them.

 

This volunteer squash plant showed up near the canna lilies

earlier in the summer.

Pumpkins had been planted around here last year,

but nothing ever came of it.

 

After checking it for a couple of weeks,

a female flower was finally found yesterday!

Even if we don't get any harvest,

it's fascinating to watch the development of a volunteer.

 

The sweet potatoes are rockin'.

All it takes is some full-on heat,

they don't even mind not getting watered much.

With rain scarce these days,

it's a good thing.

If you look closely, you might see insect damage on the leaves,

but we grow it for the tubers, so it doesn't really matter.

 

All sorts of beans are poppin' up out there.

We have green beans and beans for drying.

These are Jacob's Cattle beans,

which will be left on the vines to dry.

 

 We've got tassels, folks!

So exciting to see this corn get this far.

It's a fight to the finish though,

with squirrels creating pressure for harvest.

 

Another heat lover,

the loofah is making fast work of climbing the trellis

in the chook run.

The shade it will provide will be most welcome.

 

With most of the kale and lettuce having bolted,

the chooks have been given free rein in this bed.

They are allowed to snack on whatever remains.

 

Surprisingly, a few asparagus spears were harvested last night.

Since most of the crop has gone to seed,

I assumed it was done providing for the season.

Always a delightful treat.

 

The hyacinth bean vine is decorating the north side of the chook run.

The purple flowers are so dainty

and I can't wait to see how it fills in.

 

We have some milkweed flowering in the front porch bed.

The pollinators are swarming them daily.

This is the host plant for the Monarch caterpillar. 

We have quite a few of this variety that volunteered in the bed,

but we have yet to see our usual type of milkweed pop up.

 

A few of the frustrations of dealing with squirrels

have been shared on many occasions. 

Here's the latest.

These two sunflowers were toppled over

and the entire heads have been removed.

No doubt someone is enjoying a nice, round belly full of seeds.

 

 

The bluebird eggs we showed a few weeks ago

have hatched.

These four sweet babes will soon be on their way
after careful tending by their parents.

 

A few of the chooks have discovered

that lying in the compost bin is indeed

a very nice place to be.

Here, Betty and Wilma share the space

and enjoy the coolness of afternoon shade.

Any way to beat the heat, girls!

 

 

Life is Better with Chickens!
 

 

Happy Independence Day!

 

 

 

 

God Bless America!

 

So grateful for our independence

and our interdependence with each other.

We're all in this together.

Blessings~daisy