Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,
where we are ankle-deep in leaves!

With the freezing temperatures we've recently had,

we were stuck inside and haven't been able to 

work on mulching leaves.

Things are warming up again,

so we hope to get busy with that task this weekend.

I am so grateful to be able to experience autumn again

in the most magical way.

The chooks are all doing well,

despite the cold weather.

Here, one of our olive eggers (I think it's Esmerelda),

is helping herself to some fresh turnip greens.

This bed is left uncovered so that the girls

can enjoy the bounty!

The garlic that was planted a couple of weeks ago

has started to pop up.

The wire mesh keeps the chooks from digging up the soil

around it, so that it can grow undisturbed.

It has since been covered with used straw to insulate it 

over the coming months.

This is one of the easiest crops to grow,

and we hope that each of the 100 cloves sown,

will give us a beautiful, tasty bulb.

We'll know in nine months' time!

When pruning back some plants in the flower bed yesterday,

this lone phlox blossom was spied.

It's unbelievable how some of the ornamental plants

are unaffected by the harsh weather.

We still have blooms on our salvia,

the Florida ligustrum is flourishing,

and even the milkweed is keeping its leaves and color.

Some did not fare so well in the cold,

however.

The ginger has had it and was cut down

to the ground.

It will probably be moved to another spot,

as it was a bit in the way of a footpath here.

I also want to share some of it with neighbors.

Although the cucumbers didn't survive the freeze,

we did manage to get quite a few harvests,

even though it was planted after fall began.

The chooks love cucumber,

so this is another crop that I can grow for them to enjoy.

Once we get back to leaf mulching,

the other two bags like this one

will be filled to the top and left to sit

for at least a year, maybe two.

The decomposed leaves make a great top dressing for beds,

and add nutrients to the soil.

There will be enough leaves left over

not mulched to put into the chook run,

for the girls to scratch around in.

They love doing their chicken dance in the leaves!

The fresh-milled flour adventure continues,

and I'm happy to say that I am really feeling good about it.

So far, all the bread that I've made has been SO tasty,

and the rolls and pancakes have made me happy.

In the next couple of weeks,

I'm looking to make English muffins,

blueberry muffins and some sort of artisan bread.

My quality of life has improved immensely.

And believe it or not, I noticed that

all of my jeans are loose in the waist.

Hmmm, coincidence?  

I think not.

Something else I recently enjoyed was pot pie.

Instead of making a crust for the top,

I simply coupled it with one of the rolls I had made.

This is such a comfort food for me,

and I really need to put it on my monthly rotation

through the colder part of the year.

Soup is on the weekly menu right now,

as there are so many ways to make it.

And with a piece of homemade bread,

that's all the comfort I need.

We will be thankful for the warm up this weekend.

It's still plenty cool and with no humidity or bugs

to be bothered with,

it makes it perfect for spending time outside.

I'm sure there's something I can do out there!

How about you?

Do you enjoy being outside this time of year?

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what we've been up to

in the last couple of weeks.

Can you guess what this is?

At a recent dog sitting gig,

I cut back the okra plants in the garden,

so that they will be easier to pull up

when the time comes.

As I was hauling these to the compost heap,

they begged me to take a snapshot.

I am thinking about making it black and white

and framing it.

I love the texture that shows through.

Taking pictures always brings me joy.

The garden beds have been covered with brand new row cover,

as winter is just days away.

Broccoli, cabbage, kale and lettuce sit underneath,

and almost all of these would probably be fine without the  covers,

but why take a chance?

The first broccoli was harvested this week,

and it was scrumptious!

We still have several left to pick.

It is enjoyed raw or steamed.

I'm looking forward to adding this to 

a rice bowl for a delicious evening meal.

This particular garlic bed has been visited by Matilda,

one of our newer chooks.

She insists on digging in this bed,

looking for tasty morsels buried under the soil and leaves.

Wire was placed around the cattle panel frame,

to discourage her from digging up all of our plants!

This is the first time we have remembered 

to purchase the covers that encase the outdoor spigots.

These styrofoam covers are used to protect the tap

from freezing during the colder months.

We've had quite a long cold spell,

with only a few breaks in between,

so we are grateful to have these as a bit of insurance.

There are still plenty of leaves to gather,

so this will be an ongoing task as the winter progresses.

We have a few months to accomplish the goal

of filling up our two big totes with mulched leaves

to be used in next season's garden.

We work on this as weather permits.

The classic Madeleines have been baked and delivered.

None of us has much holiday spirit this year,

so we are having a laid-back Christmas.

Minimum effort has been made to celebrate the season,

and it feels good to have the pressure off.

We will enjoy our traditional meal

and watch some holiday movies, but that's about it.

As we get older, we need less and less to be content.

Inside our new storage area,

we are slowly making progress on arranging

and organizing the space.

My seed bin is located here and the task

of seed sorting will begin in earnest

when frigid weather shows up.

We also want to paint the room and find

a more updated light fixture for the ceiling.

It's such a gift to have this additional room.

What an amazing sky we saw yesterday.

And what a welcome sight that azure color was,

as we've had quite a few dreary and somber looking days.

Whatever the weather, there are always projects to do,

both inside and out.

We are thankful that we have a home to take care of.

We send you our best wishes for the holiday season,

whatever you celebrate.

~Blessings.

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

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

This fall has been an amazing display of color,

with plenty of interest just outside of our kitchen window.

This is the pathway I take each morning

when I let the chooks out of the coop.

We are so blessed to live here.

 

The strawberries have turned a brilliant shade of red,

as if to greet the Christmas season.

This fruit does well over the colder months,

just awaiting the spring thaw to work their magic.

 

The blueberries also turn a variety of colors,

as they enjoy their winter slumber.

I'm  hopeful that this coming spring we will be awash in berries!

 

Our raised beds are just starting to get a foothold 

on producing broccoli, lettuce, 

 

and leek.

I've been a bit disappointed in the germination rate,

and not having as many things growing as I'd like.

We'll enjoy what we can and think toward springtime planting.

 

The cover crops are filling out one of our beds nicely.

Each fall, a different raised bed is sown 

with a cover crop to add nutrients to the soil.

A thick coat of shredded leaves has been added here.

 

We have a couple of parsley plants growing,

one in a raised bed (see below),

and this one planted in a pot.

They both do just fine over the winter,

and it's a real treat to be able to harvest something

on a regular basis.

You've gotta love crops that need no coddling!

garlic and parsley

 

The garlic is doing well

and will be well worth the 9-month wait to harvest time.

Garlic is the best hands-off crop ever!

Just plant it and forget it!

 

I was so perplexed about the asparagus.

It's a new to me crop,

and I wasn't sure what I had done wrong

to make it turn this harsh amber hue.

A fellow gardener told me that this happens to hers every year.

She simply adds a bit of magnesium sulfate to it,

cuts it back and mulches over the top.

What a relief to know it wasn't me!

I will be putting this task on my list.

Our leaf mulch pile has grown leaps and bounds!

Our sweet neighbor allowed us to use her riding mower to mulch and bag up

the leaves on our property, so we did hers as well.

I still have bags and bags to go,

but no doubt we'll be set for leaf mulch until next fall. 

It really is the best mulch to use,

and best of all, it's free!

snack time in the chicken yard

Excuse my absence from the blog of late.

I am struggling with the motivation I need to write.

Although I do my best to focus on the blessings in my life,

so many folks I know are having a difficult time right now,

and I'm afraid I am more sensitive to that than most.

I can't promise that I will be here every week with a garden post,

but I will make an effort to at least post some photos from the week.

It's so beautiful here, especially this time of year.

Maybe it will even help me get out of my funk.

Blessings...daisy

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday,

where we share what's been going on in our Piedmont garden.

This plant was acquired last year from a local vendor

who decided to get out of the plant selling business

and gave them away for free!

Sure wish I had grabbed a couple more,

because these beauties are giving us abundant color in late fall.

 

The yarrow seems to be bouncing back,

despite our temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

This is one of the best plants for pollinators.

There are also some Shasta daisies and California poppies near the brick wall.

 

The salvia just won't quit, no matter how cold it gets.

I expected this plant to die back with the frosts and freezes,

but it's still popping out color like nobody's business!

 

The liriope is tucked near some of the raised beds

and seems to be unfazed by the cold and wind.

I love using this as a border plant,

because it asks very little and doesn't overtake the spot.

 

The lantana has not fared as well as some.

It didn't like the cold one bit,

although with as many weeks of color as its given us,

I really can't complain.

Hopefully, it will come back next year.

 

The nasturtiums in the vegetable beds are about ready to come out.

They thrive in the heat of summer and give us months of color.

Seed has been saved so that we can plant it again when the season starts up.

 

The loofah was harvested, 

although it had not yet fully dried on the vine.

I am leaving it outside on the porch in the sun,

hoping that it will continue to dry out.

One of my projects this weekend will be to

peel the loofah that are starting to dry,

to see if it's a bit easier to do at this stage.

Most of this will be given away.

 

The leaf mulching has begun.

I began the process of creating leaf piles on the lawn,

so that all I have to do is take our handy-dandy backpack mulcher,

and create wonderful, rich mulch for our beds.

I'll never need to buy mulch again!

The stuff is GOLD!

 

This has been a beautiful fall,

with leaves of every hue gracing us along our way.

Here are a few glimpses of neighborhood trees

in all their glory.

Enjoy!

 I hope you are enjoying some fall color

and the magical feeling that comes with autumnal changes.

Garden Friday

 

 

 

It's time again for Garden Friday!

We are relishing our autumnal weather,

and were even blessed with a smattering of precipitation.

Our pansies are enjoying their time in the rain.

 

The cover crops are filling in 

and will create a warm, cozy blanket for one of our 3X8 beds.

 

The garlic is growing well, especially considering our colder temperatures.

I sowed a few extra cloves from some of last year's garlic,

as we had some bare patches.

 

The cattle panel frames have been placed on some of the beds

for the winter, just in case we need to put row covers on.

These did a great job last year to keep out the cold.

 

The lettuce is still fairly slow growing,

and even the starts that were purchased aren't doing much.

I fertilized them this week with worm compost tea,

so we'll see if it helps them along.

 

I was surprised to find peas growing on the pea vines.

They kind of snuck up on me, 

but I'm so happy they are here.

 

I need to take some time to do a bit more clean up,

like cutting these irises down for the winter.

Once the foliage starts flopping over and turning brown,

it's time to put them to bed.

Some of them will be transplanted to other areas.

 

Some of the lavender didn't do well.

The gap shown here used to be lavender.

It may not be getting enough sun,

as it is planted directly under our crape myrtle.

It will most likely call another place home come spring.

One of its uses is to keep the chicken coop smelling good.

 

Leaves, leaves, leaves!

It's that time again to repopulate my leaf mulch pile,

and we've got plenty of leaves to get started.

Leaf mulch has done a tremendous job

in keeping weeds down in the flower beds.

It also adds nutrients to the soil in the veggie garden.

And best of all, they're free!

 

These nasturtium seeds are drying inside.

They are sown in the corners of our raised beds,

to attract pollinators to our vegetables,

by providing nectar to those who thrive on it.

 

Just by taking this step,

I am assured another season of these beautiful (and edible) flowers.

 

I have yet to plant the bulbs I was recently gifted.

I should still have some time, as our ground never really freezes.

I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

 

For those who were concerned about Gandalf,

he is doing much better and acting more like himself.

He still has a way to go to fully heal,

but it's heartwarming to see him once again strutting around the coop.

We will be starting a project to keep the chooks better protected.

The dog who injured him has not yet been caught,

but he visits our neighborhood almost daily.

 

Autumn has been delightful thus far,

and we are patting ourselves on the back

for our decision to move here a few years ago.

Once again living with the seasons was a great idea.

 

 

Are you enjoying some seasonal living?