Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

It's been a while and we are well into winter weather,

regardless of what the calendar says.

We've already enjoyed the first fire of the season.

Here's what's going on around the homestead.

 

Composting can be done in a number of ways.

We have a weekly compost bucket that we empty into a closed bin.

It contains whatever food scraps our chooks or worms don't eat.

Another area holds our yard waste and is an open-air system.

I wanted to try to make compost right in the chicken run,

as I've seen it done on "The Hollar Homestead" YouTube channel.

Welded wire was used to make a ring,

and wood chips, leaves and some food scraps were placed inside.

 

The chooks showed interest at first,

but wouldn't scale the wire mesh to explore,

so I took it off.

Since then, they've been digging, scratching

and pooping up a storm!

I occasionally add treats in the pile to keep them interested.

We'll see how it goes.

 

The yard waste area has been cleaned up for fall,

and we are starting over.

One side is for the debris that is accumulated

from fall to spring,

and the other side is what accumulates from spring to fall.

The "sifted" finished compost was added to this bin

and two 5-gallon buckets for use throughout the year.

 

 Top dressing with compost is one of the ways

we feed the garden.

It also encourages worms to work their magic.

 

 

Help was garnered for creating this massive leaf pile.

The boys mulched the neighbor's leaves,

then ours, and transported them to the designated area on our property.

It made such a difference having assistance.

These mulched leaves will be added to 

all veggie and flower beds to keep the soil covered.

This will not only feed the soil, but

deter weeds as well.

 

The cover crops are helping in that area as well.

This is a cover crop of winter wheat

that not only covers one of the beds,

but doubles as a treat for the chooks!

They enjoy it when it is tossed into their run.

The other cover crop being used this season

is a fall/winter mix.

This was sown in the pollinator bed.

 

 

A few things are still growing out there,

despite the cold temps we've seen.

This parsley is a real trooper

and seems unfazed by the dip in the thermometer.

 

For the life of me, I can't remember what I've planted here.

The leaves are almost spiny,

but the chooks seem to enjoy it.

 

 

A few cold-hearty crops are making it through,

although seem to be growing v-e-r-y slowly.

We'll take anything we can get.

 

I'm happy to report that the wood chip pile

is almost completely gone.

It's been used to cover the chook run as well as the garden paths.

And just in time, as we are to have our trees in back

trimmed and another wood chip pile will fill this space.

Such a blessing!

 

The flower beds look a bit barren,

as some time was taken this week to tidy them up.

As you can see, the yarrow is still going strong.

 

Our blueberry bushes have a wonderful blush of color.

I'm awaiting soil test results for this area,

as we did not have a great harvest last year.

 

The chooks continue to produce eggs,

amuse and delight us with their antics.

We've recently learned how much they adore

cauliflower, so we've been adding it to their diet weekly,

along with turnip greens and any leftover kale or lettuce.

Here's hoping that December is finding you well,

at peace and enjoying the spirit of the season.

Friday Fotos

 

 

 

 Welcome back to Friday Fotos,

where we share a bit of what we're up to

during the lull in the gardening season.

As you can see, these characters have been

keeping us entertained.

 

 

One of the tasks I got done early in the week

was to clean out all of the birdhouses on our property

and our next door neighbor's.

It is always amazing to see how intricately they are crafted.

Who wouldn't want to cozy up in this sweet nest?

 

 

 I spied a couple of bluebirds already scouting out a new home near the garden.

We relocated these three birdhouses from around other areas of the property.

We will most likely be adding a few more before spring gets rolling.

 

 Another job that has been continued

has been to create mounds of leaf mulch.

The weather has been dry and clear for over a week,

so the leaves that were sitting in bags since the fall

finally got dried out enough to mulch.

This stuff is gold in the garden!

 

 

 

 Some time was spent prepping the new blueberry planting area

by adding our own leaf mulch and worm castings.

We ordered three more blueberry plants from our local Extension office,

and this sunny spot will do nicely.

The soil will be amended with some type of sulfur product.

It would be best to do a soil test first to check the pH,

but with the plants coming in next week, time may not allow.

We will have 6 plants of different varieties with plans to add more in the future.

 

 

The broccoli is bolting, but still tastes good.

Did you know that you can eat the flowers?

They make a great addition to salads.

With the glorious weather we've been having,

I have been so motivated to get things done.

These welded wire panels were given to me by a friend

who no longer needed them.

I used them to "chicken-proof" the raised beds.

 

They were simply cut in half and stapled to the wood on the sides of the beds.

So far, so good.

The chooks go elsewhere when they are foraging.

We received a load of gravel this week

which will be used to create a walking path along the back of the house

and also to be used to make it easier to park our trailer on

along the side of the garage.

This has been on our project list since we bought the house

almost four years ago.

I don't know what it is,

but the sound of crunching gravel under my feet

just  

does it for me.

 

We also went and picked up a load of compost

to add to the raised beds before the planting begins in earnest.

I'm thinking of adding some perlite to the mix

to see if it makes a difference.

One of my daily chores right now is to pick dandelions.

A friend of mine needs seeds that have not been sprayed

to use for her tinctures and teas and such.

Every day when I get home from my walk,

I peruse the property and pick whatever I can find.

She lives in Oklahoma and was told that dandelions don't grow there.

She might become a dandelion farmer,

although folks may not take kindly to that endeavor!

Here's hoping that you are blessed 

with sunshine and time to spend outside enjoying it.

Laundry Made Fun

A couple of weeks ago,
I was scanning some local ads on Next Door,
which is similar to Craig's List,
except that it contains items relevant to your immediate area.
It's fun once in a while to see what bargains might be out there,
or things that people are giving away that we might be able to repurpose.
It was quite surprising to find a patio set listed for $40,
so we went to see it and ended up purchasing it.
It looks brand new, 
and although I wasn't really thinking about buying deck furniture,
this just fell into our lap.
What does that have to do with laundry, you ask?
Bear with me...

 Well, one of the items on my wanna have list,
was a clothesline.
I had one in Florida, even though our HOA tried to keep us from having one.
(It's against the law to prohibit clotheslines.)
Until now, I've been making do here with one large drying rack,
setting it out on the deck to dry my clothes and linens.
Big K and I talked about how we could make a clothesline work out there,
so that I didn't have to go up and down the steps with a heavy basket of wet clothes.
We stumbled upon this folding clothesline.

One of the most appealing things about it
is the lack of packaging that came with it.
This paper, cardboard box and plastic wrapping paper
are all recyclable.  
How refreshing to have a minimal amount of packaging.

 Contained in the package is this spike which the user
can pound into the ground,
thereby eliminating the need for concrete.
It even comes with a rubber cap to place over the top
when the clothesline is removed for storage.
This prevents critters, dirt or rainwater from getting inside.
The spike just happens to fit in the grooves of our deck.

 The table and chairs I mentioned earlier?
The pole for the clothesline fits perfectly in the hole of the glass table.
Now I can use the clothesline right on the deck,
which is directly off the kitchen.
No need to rig something up or come up with some new idea 
about how to make it work in our application.
Don't you just love when things come together effortlessly?

The clothesline is retractable, so you can store it elsewhere
or purchase a vinyl cover if you'd rather leave it up.

 Another feature I love about this clothesline,
(or rotary dryer, as it's called by the company),
are the notched arms where hangers can be placed
to dry dresses, shirts or sweaters.

 There is plenty of room for a full load,
maybe even two at the same time.
This clothesline is the perfect addition to our homestead.
It makes me look forward to laundry day!

(I'm not compensated by this company,
I just like to keep the good stuff moving.)
Here's 
where you can find out more about this amazing product.

Garden Friday

On this Garden Friday,

the garden is in a state of transition.

As temperatures are getting a bit more tolerable,

we are excitedly awaiting the onset of the spring garden.

Here is what remains of the fall/winter crops.

The cold weather has taken its toll on some plants,

while others just seemed to go along for the ride.

 The shallots are still doing just fine.

These weren't phased in the least by the cold,

snow or ice!

Amazing how something can still be green after all of that.

 The remaining broccoli head doesn't look like

it wants to do anything but wrap itself up in its leaves.

I'm thinking of starting some new seeds for spring,

but not sure how well it will do if its gets warm quickly.

I guess it's just seed, so why not try?

In the wooded area of our property,

I've had a couple of projects going.

One was to tidy up this leaf bed.

I'm hoping that I can use what's under here

to lay down a foundation of good, loose compost.

It's so great having a spot on the property just for dried leaves.

Goodness knows, we get our share!

This is the area we call "Old Man Kelsey's Woods".

If you are an Andy Griffith fan,

you'll know where the name comes from.

(Hint:  Ernest T. Bass)

See the green compost bin in the center of the picture?

We've been using that since we moved in here last summer,

so it will soon be dumped and examined to see what goodies might lie in wait.

The leaf pile is just to the left of the bin.

When the trees start leafing out,

this area is so private,

no neighbors in sight.

 Here is Kelsey's Woods from the street side,

facing the side of our house.

C and I have been working on clearing out the dead wood

and tidying it up in there.

With most of the trees being deciduous,

it has made it much easier to tackle this job.

We still have a way to go,

but the new Saw-zall that Big K picked up

has made it a breeze.

I think it's my favorite new toy.

I don't know what this nasty varmint is,

but it is certainly a nuisance.

This stuff grows up from the ground

and wraps itself all through the branches.

The thorns are razor-sharp,

so long sleeves and long pants are a necessity.

This is one of the piles of this obnoxious invader.

I may add vinegar to the sites where I cut it off at the quick

because I surely don't want to have to fight this off again.

We have a full week of rain in the forecast ahead,

so I am hoping to get out this weekend and start some seeds.

I'm still a bit unsure of how the spring garden will look.

I'm vacillating between sticking with containers,

or creating some raised beds for growing our spring veggies.

The organizer in me prefers the tidy look of a bed,

without the mismatched pots to look at.

We're also planning to restart the straw bale garden.

If the weather continues to warm up,

I imagine I'll be feeling a bit more ambitious,

so perhaps I may create some raised beds,

and maybe I can even rope C into helping me.

How's your spring garden planning coming along?