Wordless Wednesday

 

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share the goings-on 

here in our Piedmont homestead.

This will be short and sweet,

as I am still having difficulty loading pictures

onto the computer from my phone,

and I don't have the first clue how to fix that.

The good news is...

the monarchs are back in FULL FORCE!

We are absolutely crawling in caterpillars,

and you won't hear one complaint from me.

Making it even sweeter, is the fact that I 

didn't plant any milkweed this year,

these are all volunteers!

By the time this is posted, there will be many

caterpillars searching for a cozy spot

to form their chrysalis to make

the transformation into the beautiful

orange and black butterflies we love so much.

What a thrill to see all of these

critters devouring our plants,

knowing that there will be a few more beauties

in the world.

There were more pictures to share,

but it's so frustrating trying to post them,

that I only added a few.

Have you seen any monarchs where you are?

The other not-so-good news,

is that our dear Saffron is dying.

She took sick suddenly,

as most chooks do.

Chooks are known for hiding illness,

lest they be preyed upon by other animals,

or even their own kind.

I did everything I knew to figure it out,

and treated her with several natural remedies.

I finally found a vet that treats chooks,

but they were not available for 5 days.

When they finally did come,

the vet told me she thinks it might be

a tumor that is affecting her internal organs.

She gave us some pain meds,

and we've been treating her daily.

To her credit, I really didn't expect her to live this long.

She was on death's door just a few days ago,

so I will do what I can to keep her comfortable.

I'm happy to report that yesterday,

she took a walk in the woods with her sisters,

and seemed to be breathing easier.

I know we don't have long with her,

but I'm glad to know that at least

I did what I could and that she's had a good life with us.

Her buddies have been keeping her company,

which just melts my heart.

Sorry for the short post,

there are some things to report in the garden,

but along with the technical issues,

I haven't much been in the mood to chat.

I hope your weekend brings you all good news...

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

Autumn is finally here,

and you'll find no one more excited about that than yours truly.

Fall is such a great time to be in the garden,

whether it's sowing cool weather crops or picking what nature has provided to enjoy inside.

 

Sweet potatoes were harvested this week.

We got 14.5 pounds, which isn't bad, 

considering we planted only one small bed.

 

The tubers in this crop were smaller than in past years,

and they seemed to grow more in clusters, instead of individually.

The slips were started in February,

so this was a long process from seed to table.

 

They will cure in the garage for two weeks before being sampled.

We're using a hitch-haul and the bifold door that I use to use at the Market.

 

Some time was spent earlier in the season on planting the front flower beds.

I've added quite a few things and seeded many zinnias.

In fact, they grew so big,

that the evergreens and grasses behind them are well hidden.

 

Every morning when I open up my curtain,

I look down into this beautiful display of flowers and busy pollinators.

I even noticed a goldfinch eating bugs off of the milkweed!

The zinnias just went wild with the rainfall we got.

They are filling in the front bed so wonderfully.

 

 

Seed saving continues,

with flower seeds and dried beans making their way into our stash for next season.

It's a tranquil and fastidious task

that can be savored with the anticipation of future harvest.

 

The Seminole pumpkin has grown outside of its bed.

It's still too early to know if fruit will show itself,

but we'll leave it be for now.

The Piggot peas have started producing,

and I'm curious to learn more about them.

This is a new crop for me,

but so far, they have been easy to grow.

We're even getting some late-planted cucumbers coming up.

 

We've got visitors, folks!

Although we were not blessed with Monarch caterpillars this year,

a few black swallowtails were spied on the Rue.

This no-fuss plant is one of the host plants for this species.

What wonders have the fall season brought you?

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

 

Garden Friday

 

Greetings and welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share what's growing in our Zone 7b Piedmont garden.

I haven't been posting every Friday because,

well, sometimes there is absolutely nothing going on out there!

This was a recent harvest when our melons were still going strong.

 

There were two beautiful orange peppers

that got harvested and given to a neighbor.

Since my eczema is kicking up again,

I am off all nightshades, including peppers.

 

This wasn't grown by us, 

but I just had to share this carrot's whimsical shape.

It was promptly peeled and put into coleslaw.

 

 

Seed saving has been going on more

in the last few weeks.

Here are asparagus seeds that can be picked

after they turn a vibrant red.

I'm not sure what I'll do with them,

but more research needs to be done.

A patch of black-eyed susan vine was spied

out near the blueberries.

It was a wonderful surprise to find,

as I thought none of what was planted had germinated.

I'll be sure to save seeds so that I always have this beauty.

Maybe next year I can grow it on the chook yard fence.

 

Speaking of the chook run,

don't you love how this hyacinth bean vine

has covered the trellis,

giving the chooks plenty of shade?

It's gotta be at least ten degrees cooler under there.

 

Several cells of cool season crops were purchased

at a local nursery this past week

and installed in a few of the raised beds.

With my germination rates plummeting,

it was decided to just buy the dang starts.

I don't have to do it all!

 

 Broccoli, cabbage, kale and lettuce was planted

and anything that might be bothered by pests was covered.

I'm trying a new system of covers,

so we'll see how it goes.

 

 

We've had so many visitors to the garden this summer.

This is the first time I remember seeing a Zebra Swallowtail.

Although we don't have any paw paw trees,

someone in our neighborhood must.

It is the host plant for these amazing creatures.

 

The magic has begun!

We are inundated with these miraculous Monarchs!

 

If you plant it, they will come!

Milkweed, that is.

And we have plenty of it.

Can you spy all four of the cats on this plant?

 

We have two types of milkweed in our garden,

and they don't seem to be too particular about which to devour.

Soon, we will have chrysalises all over the place!

We are happy to give them a home.

One of my jobs this week

was digging up a ton of daylilies.

They will be listed on our local swapping site for free.

Good news is, I only dug up about 1/4 of the bed.

Hope we can find homes for these.

 

 

These two girls fight all the time,

but it seems they are having some kind of conference here.

Henrietta (on the left), chases Houdini any chance she gets,

but at least there are moments of peace between them.

 

A chicken keeper's work is never done.

 

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

Today, it's all about the Monarchs!

 

As you can see here, our milkweed has been stripped bare.

Most of it has been left in ruins, eaten until there is nothing left.

 

I couldn't be happier about it.

We grow milkweed specifically to support the Monarch caterpillars.

We are a certified Monarch Way Station,

which means that we provide all the resources necessary

to enable these critters to proliferate.

 

With an ample food source, they found our homestead

and decided to stay a while.

 

Some time last week,

the count of cats stood at 23.

Thankfully, we had enough plants to feed them all.

Milkweed is the host plant for Monarchs.

It is the only thing they eat.

 

This was the first time I'd ever seen one 

trying to get into the house!

This is the space between the screen door and the jamb.

No doubt this lil' one was ready to form its chrysalis,

and was looking for a safe and protected spot.

It was relocated to

 

the front window.

I left it to roam on the window sill,

where it is sheltered under the porch overhang.

It must have decided the spot would do,

and went about attaching itself to the top of the sill.

That "J" shape means it's getting ready to spin its covering.

 A few hours later I checked back, 

and this is what I saw.

The Monarch chrysalis is unique in that 

it has tiny gold specks adorning the emerald green casing.

 

 

 By the end of the week, we found quite a few 

underneath our front porch table, 

as well as several in other spots near the porch.

It amazes me that they know just where the chrysalis

will be the safest and most likely to complete its transformation.

It should be quite a show!

 

 

We'll do a follow up as soon as there is anything to report.

 

 

Here's hoping that you find something absolutely breathtaking on your homestead!

 

Here are some other caterpillar and butterfly posts:

 

Home to Monarchs

Native Milkweed 

Nurturing Caterpillars and Butterflies

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

Summer has come back to visit

and we are feeling every bit of the heat and humidity

we are usually accustomed to.

The only positive thing I can say about it

is that it does foster abundant blooms like these beauties.

 

 

A load of compost was unloaded from our trailer,

to be used to fill up the raised beds

which have settled since last being filled.

This will need to sit for at least another week

before being added to the beds,

as it may still be too hot to plant in.

I will plan to add some Daddy Pete's to it and mix it in well.

 

Some plastic scraps were placed underneath

the melons to keep them healthier. 

I just cut up some distilled water jugs.

It keeps them off the ground to avoid fungal problems

and promotes better air circulation.

The sweet potatoes, planted at the onset of summer,

are vining out onto the grass.

No flowers have yet been spotted,

so they still have a ways to go.

 

 

It's sad to see even the drought tolerant plants

struggling in the heat.

With no rain to speak of in weeks,

supplemental watering has been helping them along.

 Even the bees are trying to find what they need.

These watermelon rinds were placed in the run,

and the chooks couldn't even get close to them.

I've been feeding the chooks melon rinds all summer,

and I've never seen the bees go so ga-ga for them.

 

The chooks got a layer of organic straw added to their run.

It gives them something to scratch and they seem to enjoy

peeking underneath for new bugs that might be hiding there.

 

 

I'm working on a plan to redesign the chicken run,

including lots of cottage-style plants along the fencing. 

I got this photo from my research online

(sorry, I didn't write down the source),

to help me visualize what I want to add.

I have a very hard time designing garden areas,

and need to find clear examples of what I hope to accomplish.

It might be worthwhile for me to hire someone to make a plan,

but it seems so difficult here to find folks to follow through on jobs.

 

 

This is one of the beds at one of my client's home,

(one I weed quite often),

and it is a good jumping off point to help me with ideas.

This fascinating web was found yesterday,

and it makes me wonder what type of critter created it.

It's a work of art.

 

A few weeks ago, these caterpillars were found on the milkweed.

At the time, I didn't know what they were,

except that I knew they weren't Monarchs,

as the coloring is quite different.

After some research, I found out that they are tussock moth caterpillars,

which, as far as I know, are not native to North Carolina.

One caution with this particular caterpillar

is that their fuzzy outer covering can cause a skin rash.

Here's more about this fascinating creature. 

They have since disappeared, and the milkweed

is awaiting the arrival of the monarch caterpillars.

 

These hot and sticky days don't find me out in the garden much.

I am looking forward to fall planting,

which will occur in the last days of August,

after beds are prepped.

This season, I will not be following a plan,

but simply adding to beds with the crops I know I can grow.

I'm also planning to grow some cover crops

in the 3X8 bed that usually houses our garlic.

Once the sweet potatoes and melons are harvested,

the cover crops will go in for the season.

The garlic will be planted in another bed in October.

What's happening in your summer garden?