Homestead Happenings

Hello there!

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on here on our

Piedmont homestead.

The weather here has been beautiful and quite conducive

to working outdoors.

Unless you count the six inches of rain

we've gotten in the past week.

Oh, it's been a wet, soggy mess,

but the garden is soaking it all in.

The rain is about the only thing

that could keep me inside,

as our temperatures have been oh, so mild.

Our handy neighbor Joe,

who has helped us with several projects,

put together this shelving for me.

I told him how I like things tidy,

even outside, and he whipped up these two beauties.

The one pictured here is near the garden and 

corrals all of my pots and bins.

He also created shelving under our deck,

so that I can keep all of my trellises, conduit,

and the like well off the ground.

Another request fulfilled was a frame for my soil blocks.

I'm working my way toward using less plastic,

and soil blocks are a great way to get plants started.

We have the best neighbors.

It's been a wonderful spring for meeting other gardeners,

while having the opportunity to share my extra starts.

Everyone who comes to collect something

has been so kind and gracious,

even offering up seeds or plants in exchange.

Gardeners are a generous lot.

Our dahlias have started to open up,

and what a treat they are to gaze upon.

The bonus is that the pollinators love 'em!

The asparagus is still giving us a few stalks a week,

but it has mostly gone to seed.

I didn't think I would tire of eating it,

but for the last little while,

I've been giving it to neighbors.

I tried an experiment with these seedlings.

The pots were put in with the chooks,

which they quickly and thoroughly devoured.

This is what they looked like after a week.

One regrew and the other did not,

but it was cool to see one rebound.

The two new Birdie beds have been filled 

and are ready to grow some food!

Big K helped me place a cattle panel arch

between the two beds.

Seminole pumpkin and Cushaw squash/melon

have been planted alongside it.

This is the view of the garden from our "spa" room.

I'm pleased with the layout so far.

There will surely be some tweaking,

but I like the more condensed, streamlined look.

The babies have been outside fulltime for a few weeks now.

They seem to be adapting well to all the sights and sounds

around them.

Once they become similar in size to the other hens,

they will be integrated into the flock.

The decision has been made that Gandalf will

live the bachelor life in this coop, out on the grass.  

He will still be able to have free ranging time,

but he will be separated from the girls.

As we have not been able to find a suitable home for him elsewhere,

this is the best we can do for him.

lamb's ear blooms

I'd love to hear about what's happening 

on your homestead!

Do tell!

Homestead Happenings

 

We’re expanding our flock this season.

When Omlet came out with this larger coop,

we knew we needed more living space for our girls.

The other thought was that it would mean

only one coop to clean for me.

How exciting it was to find these awaiting me 

when I arrived home one afternoon.

Omlet gives you everything you need!

Omlet coops come with great, easy-to-follow instructions,

and there are videos found online if needed.

Big K and I had this assembled in a couple of hours.

The improvements, like the new ramp,

should make life even better for the chooks.

There are so many wonderful features about this coop

that I really love,

like the new separated nesting boxes,

which allow hens more privacy,

the larger size, and the enhanced security doors.

It is worth the high price tag,

because we’ll never need to buy another coop.

I don't endorse many products, 

but I believe in Omlet products so much,

that I became an ambassador.

The second improvement we made for the chooks,

was replacing our janky fencing

with a new enclosed run.

Another diy project,

Big K and I tackled this job in steps.

The frame came with chicken wire,

but we wanted a sturdier material for the surrounding cage.

This 1x1 inch welded wire did the trick.

We also found stainless steel tie wraps 

to connect the wire to the frame.

It took us about 6 hours over a few days, as weather permitted,

to get the structure up.

We love the more streamlined look,

and the chooks are getting used to their new digs.

It makes me feel better

knowing that the hawks that live in our neighborhood,

will have to go elsewhere for their lunch.

The buffet is closed.

Remember I said that one of the reasons

I wanted a bigger coop was so that I would have 

only 1 to clean?

Well, that didn't really work out,

because Betty, our barred rock,

still has issues with her balance,

and I don't think she'd be able to use the ramp.

She is also mercilessly picked on by three of the girls,

so we have her and Queenie living in style

on the other side of the big run.

This will get some updates as well,

we just haven't gotten to them yet.

For now, they seem content in their Omlet Go.

Big K installed this automatic door to the run,

so that the chooks can free range at least once a day.

We have it set to open for an hour in the afternoon.

The bonus is that we now have a working camera out there,

so that we can check on them from inside the house.

Overall, we're happy with the added security,

and although we've only had one predator attack (a dog)

in the three years we've been chicken tending,

these additional measures should give this chicken momma

a lot of peace of mind.

What’s new on your homestead?

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome back to another Garden Friday,

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

Well, the snow is gone, but the winter chill is not.

The temperatures are usually in the 20's or 30's in the early morning hours,

but sometimes it has gotten up to the high 50's during the day,

thanks to abundant sunshine.

Today we will have rain all day long.

 

It took me a while, but I finally got the loofah sorted out.

I'll be listing this online to see if anyone can use it.

Our crop was not as prolific this year,

and the gourds never got a chance to dry completely on the vines,

so we ended up with a lot less than last year.

 

 

I'll keep a couple for us and look forward to growing it again this year.

One thing with loofah, 

there are plenty of seeds left for growing again.

 

While working on a closet organizing project,

I discovered that some of our sweet potatoes 

have started to sprout.

Not to worry, they will be saved in a brown paper sack

until it is time to create slips for this year's crop.

I also found a bag of white potatoes that are even further along

and they will get planted as soon as it warms up just a bit.

 

We started our work on the new chook run

using this welded wire and conduit.

In the fall, our rooster, Gandalf,

was attacked by a stray dog,

and was quite badly hurt.

This is our attempt to keep them all safer.

 

The conduit looks more streamlined than using t-posts,

and are much easier to install.

Simply pounding them with a mallet does the trick.

In no time at all, the posts were put in the ground.

 

 You can see here that the new run will give them

quite a bit of extra room to roam.

The girls will be happy to have more space

to get away from Gandalf's romantic advances.

Once the fence is completed,

the inner flexible fencing (shown here on the left),

will be removed.

That will be used for allowing free ranging during the afternoon.

 

Another idea I'm working on

is creating what I call "grazing tractors"

using cattle panels that have been cut in half.

These frames were originally used on the raised beds

so that row covers could be used in the winter.

I'm finding that they are a bit too tall

and the row covers are not completely covering them,

so I decided to make new frames for that purpose.

These cattle panel frames will be covered in either bird netting

or 1x1 wire so that the chooks cannot escape.

It will also keep any stray critters from getting at them.

They can be moved around the yard every day.

 

This is another "grazing tractor" idea I had,

using some leftover wire and shaping it into a rectangle

with the bottom open for grazing.

 

 I'm trying to use what I already have on the property,

and it looks like Queenie doesn't mind being in there one bit.

(At this point, the ends were open

and she willingly walked in there with no prompting.)

 

 

On other chook news,

someone is blessing us with blue eggs again!

We've gotten 5 over the last two weeks,

and we're hoping it starts a trend!

The girls have been on an extended laying break,

and I've had to buy eggs from other chicken keepers.

 

I was able to get my self-made "shed" moved this week.

It was too far out into the garden space.

 

The easiest way I could get it moved

was to lay it on its side

and drag it to its new location.

 

It's tucked underneath some trees

and nestled right next to the compost bin.

I need to clean up the leaves around it and lay down some wood chips.

I also tidied up the equipment after moving it.

 Now I have another area in which to plant,

as well as room for the mower and trailer to get by

in case I need to dump compost or soil in their designated spots.

The mailbox, which contains my tools,

will be moved closer to the "shed".

I'm thinking about planting an azalea here

that our neighbor gave us.

This spot is between our houses, so she would get to enjoy it too.

 

 

Can you believe this?

We rescued a squirrel from the inside of our gutter pipe.

The poor thing got himself stuck up there and it took

a swift yanking of his tail to get him out.

He took off for parts unknown and we wish him well.

 

 

It's been a fairly cold winter,

but I'm not complaining.

I absolutely adore living with the seasons.

How do you feel about winter?

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to the first Garden Friday of the New Year!

After weeks of mild weather,

'Ole Man Winter has come back and it looks like

He's here to stay! 

Amazingly, the other day we got 3" of rain overnight!

Sure hoping that helps our deficit.

It also snowed for exactly five minutes one day this week.

Who can predict the weather anymore?

 

With the temperature fluctuations,

it's no wonder the asparagus is confused.

I sampled several stalks that popped up 

and they were delicious!

Looking forward to a spring harvest.

 

The mint behind the chicken run is waking up.

I'd love to get into the habit of picking it and drying it for tea.

This crop was already here when we bought the house five years ago.

 

The carrots don't seem to mind the changes in the weather.

They keep company with beets in this bed

and just keep rolling right along.

I've decided I need to grow more carrots

since I discovered how good fermented carrots taste.

 

Nothing affects the garlic and parsley.

I was able to harvest quite a bit of parsley,

so it was washed, chopped and added to a freezer container

for use in all kinds of dishes.

The garlic is due for picking in May. 

It will grow substantially once spring comes around.

 

The blueberry plants are budding,

so I'm not sure if that will affect production.

This will be our first year with these plants,

as they were installed last spring.

Hopin' for bowls o' berries!

 

 Our sweet next door neighbor gifted us with two varieties of azaleas.

They both get quite tall, 

so I'll have to be careful about where they are transplanted.

 

 

 It's unbelievable, but the California poppies

are still looking gorgeous all through these cold snaps.

They have really filled out since they were seeded here in the spring.

 

The yarrow, as well, seems so cold tolerant.

This is one of the best plants for pollinators,

and I think more will be added to the property.

 

I worked on a new and improved version of our suet feeders,

by adding two side pieces of scrap wood,

to keep the suet from falling out.

They are working like a charm,

except that the one hung in front of the kitchen window

was knocked down and half of it was hauled away, 

no doubt by some rascally squirrels.

Ah well, back to the drawing board!

We are still getting no eggs, 

so I think that means that these girls

are just freeloading from now on.

Whatchagonnado?

They are part of the family now,

so they'll be here until their time comes.

 

How's your winter garden coming along?