Homestead Happenings

We're experiencing a true (for us) winter

here in the Piedmont of North Carolina, 

minus the snow.

We've been living here for just over 7 years,

and this is the coldest temperature we have had thus far.

Thankfully, the extreme chilliness only lasted for a few days,

and our averages are again ranging in the 40's to 60's.

So grateful for our toasty fireplace!

Most of the brassicas did well with an extra layer of protection.

The additional row cover saved most of the broccoli,

kale, and even lettuce plants.

The cauliflower was not so fortunate.

The leaves can still be shared with the chooks.

A few of the broccoli heads were harvested before the coldest weather,

even though they were not full-sized.

Oh, my, they didn't disappoint.

It was the tastiest broccoli I think I've ever eaten.

The remaining crops will offer side shoots for future picking.

Winter sowing has begun!

Time spent indoors allowed me to work on

the crops I want to grow for this spring.

The focus for this season is on crops I eat regularly.

The basics are carrots, kale, onions, potatoes,

and a handful of herbs.

Several containers were sown using the winter sowing method.

You can read about that here.

The bins remain outside placed in the asparagus bed,

and will be watered only when necessary.

Fortunately, we've had a long stretch of rain visit the garden,

so these should be quite content.

As the weather allows, more seeds will be started.

Betty actually spent some time inside.

We used our closet-sized room 

off the master bathroom to nurse her.

She has been limping for a while,

although I can find no sign of problems with her feet or legs.

She stayed warm, dry and bully-free for a week.

She's walking better and is back outside.

Several of the mailboxes in our cul-de-sac have been destroyed.

For some reason, over the course of a week,

someone found it necessary to

knock them over, run into them or

somehow make them unusable.

We ended up replacing the post with a metal one

and replaced the box on top.

These were originally purchased at the library bookshop.

I am looking for a local "free library",

(the kind where folks can give and take books)

so that they can be donated.

With the book banning going on these days,

it makes it a bit more difficult to find the right spot.

Hopefully, others will get to enjoy these.

The blueberries are waking up!

I spied buds on the branches about a week ago,

and despite the neglect over the summer,

(I didn't water them much),

and their poor placement in the garden,

they still keep working toward a harvest.

A few of the blueberry crops were stretching to reach the sun,

so the pots have been moved to the outside of the chook run.

I'm hoping they will get a better distribution of sunshine here.

The plan was to put them in the ground this year

and hope for the best.  I have thus far not had a great harvest from the plants,

but I am still tweaking the soil to get the right balance of acidity.

Maybe the proximity to the chooks and their fertilizer will help.

The cold is part of winter,

and we are so glad to be living with the seasons.

It does require me to alter my day-to-day a bit.

One thing I enjoy doing in the heat of summer

and in the cold of winter is jigsaw puzzles.

Almost done with this beauty!

I usually go for a 1-mile walk through the neighborhood

at least four days a week.

With the rain and cold, that's not possible,

so I have found a great resource for walking inside.

It's called "Walk at Home", and it can be found on YouTube.

Each day I can pick from a number of videos to complete my walk for the day.

In fact, I've been enjoying them so much,

that I have increased my walk inside to 2 miles.

If you need an alternative or just want to get started

taking better care of yourself,

this is an easy way to do something for you.

Even better, have family or friends join in!

Here's the link.

What's happening on your homestead?