Homestead Happenings

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on here

on our Piedmont NC property.

Tropical storm Debby made Her way through our area,

bringing over 3 inches of rain, fierce winds

and a short loss of power.

All is fine here,

and the chooks were all kept on lock down

for the event.

 

Speaking of chooks,

our babies are now laying.

We had a full dozen eggs last week,

after months of having to purchase eggs

from other chicken keepers.

The girls are earning their keep!

The gorgeous olive-colored eggs will get bigger with time.

In the veg garden, the sweet potatoes

have been savoring every drop of rain.

The vines are now overflowing from their bed.

Looking forward to having sweet spuds in the fall.

A couple of new Cushaw squash have been spied

on their trellis.  The Seminole pumpkins are growing,

but have not yet ripened to harvest.

These two squashes will be staples in the garden

from now on.

Red ripper beans are coming along on the teepee,

along with some stringless green beans.

I have enjoyed watching the teepee fill in,

and will likely add a few more next spring.

All of the volunteer squash vines are sprawling

in every available spot.  

Thankfully, there is ample space,

and we'll see what we get by season's end.

A volunteer pumpkin near our pollinator bed

is starting to change color.

I have no idea what it is,

or how big it's supposed to get,

so I guess we'll just watch it and take our best guess

for harvest time.

Another volunteer,

near the sweet potato bed,

seems to be some type of melon.

There are quite a few fruit on the vine,

and I fear that the trellis I secured will not be enough

to hold them all.

It's so exciting to see all of this mystery food appear!

Last week, we had temperatures in the 90's,

and we took full advantage of the new

mister fans we picked up.

Here, Betty is getting some much-needed relief,

bless her skinny lil' self.

I've also used them for myself on the front porch,

not only for cooling, but to keep mosquitoes at bay.

The fan can be used without the mister, if desired.

The spiderwort border near the chicken run

had been cut back severely a couple of months ago,

as they were looking mighty raggedy.

With the ample rain we've had,

they are coming back strong.

It's so nice to have fresh blooms

when other things are looking so tired and worn out.

Speaking of fresh blooms,

the zinnias are popping up

in every shade imaginable.

The combination colors are one of my favorites.

This display is just under my bedroom window,

and it brings me such joy

when I open up my curtains in the morning

and am greeted with this beautiful sight.

It reminds me at the beginning of my day

just how blessed we are.

The cactus zinnias are another favorite

and grace our garden every summer.

The milkweed plants must be 6 feet tall,

but so far, no monarchs have been spotted.

We'll keep an eye out though,

as it should be within the next few weeks

that they will start devouring these plants.

This year, there were many volunteer milkweed,

so we have an abundant supply for the caterpillars to enjoy.

What wonderous things are happening on your homestead?

Garden Friday

 

 

 

It's been a wet and stormy week,

and we're happy to report no serious damage

on this Garden Friday.

We were blessed with over 3" of rain,

after being without any precipitation for many weeks.

 

The loofah is gracing us with beautiful blooms,

and is starting to cover the top of the frame.

The bees are its constant companion.

 

A few fruit were spied on the vines yesterday.

These will be eaten when less than 8",

and I will enjoy a wonderful zucchini substitute.

I want to see if the chooks will eat them as well.

Checking on the pumpkins,

I couldn't help but notice there were no female flowers visible.

The plants look fairly healthy,

with the exception of a bit of squash beetle damage.

 

Our okra is way behind the growing season,

but marching on just the same.

We'll see if we're able to harvest some for pickling.

Depending on how long summer lasts,

we could get lucky.

 

The hyacinth bean tepees are looking glorious.

They are being covered in delicate purple blooms.

These are purely ornamental, and they add a nice bit of color to the garden.

 

They also ensure their longevity by forming oodles of seed pods.

 

The milkweed is also producing seed pods,

which will be harvested so that we have fresh seed

for next season.

We are expecting the monarch caterpillars any day now.

 

The moonflower seeds have been gathered a few times a week,

and I will be happy to be able to share some of these beauties.

 

The lantana has done well planted in some

old lawnmower tires.

These heat resistant flowers just keep blooming,

all summer long.

 

The stormy weather on Tuesday caused our maple tree

to fall forward.

I think I spied a crack in the trunk, way up high.

This tree will most likely have to be felled,

even though it doesn't threaten anything but the drain field.

Although I'd be sad to see it come down,

it would be enough wood chips to cover the whole garden

and then some.

Two of the hoses I use near the garden and chicken coop 

burst at the same time.

We've been looking for replacements,

but haven't liked what we've found.

They just don't make them like they used to.

 One of these is connected to the irrigation,

so it will need to be replaced soon.

There's always a project on the homestead.

New goals with each new day.

Garden Friday

Welcome to Garden Friday!

Summer's fading fast and cooler temperatures are on the way!

Here's where the garden is on this 2nd week of September.

The okra forest is getting ready to be removed.

With fall planting ahead,

I need to make room for our new raised beds.

Next year, less okra will be planted (it was a prolific producer),

and they will be settled into straw bales.

The harvesting is much easier because they are off the ground,

and they do quite well in them.

This was yesterday morning's harvest,

which allowed me to make two jars of pickles,

and have another dozen for roasting.

The two varieties grown this season were

the Clemson Spineless and the Bradford Family Heirloom.

The runner beans seem to enjoy the hot, dry conditions.

This is a new crop for me and I think I will grow it every year.

It's been trouble-free and very low-maintenance.

 The sweet purple blossoms were an added bonus.

 The dried beans are picked off of the stalk and left out to dry.

I hope to have a Mason jar full of shelled beans to use throughout the year.

They also make great sprouting beans.

So far, the t-shirt slings seem to be keeping the melons cozy.

We have 5 or 6 that are growing and doing well.

 Some have been overtaken by critters.

I didn't bother to do anything about these,

just let things run their course.

I'm hoping the beneficial insects will balance things out.

That's something I've been leaning more toward,

trusting nature to keep things in balance.

The loofah took its time getting started,

but once it did, it never turned back.

There are still a ton of blooms on the trellis,

attracting all sorts of pollinators.

 Some of the gourds are turning color on the vine.

I've been told that it's best to let them get brown and dry before harvest.

There are more than I can count at this point.

I love me a carefree crop!

The strawberries in the straw bale looked almost dead at one point.

For some reason, they've perked up.

If I can keep them alive a little while longer,

perhaps we will be in for a tasty treat.

I'm thinking they may need to be covered with loose straw over the winter. 

Research is in order...

The white sweet potatoes have taken over the entire east side of the garden.

With dozens of blossoms and vines running amok,

they don't look close to being ready to harvest.

I'm waiting until the foliage starts to turn brown and dry up

before I begin the treasure hunt for spuds.

sweet potato blossoms

The orange sweet potatoes are far behind,

but are at last climbing the arches.

 The eggplant has been getting picked weekly.

There are two varieties growing, 

the long purple (Japanese) and Diamond.

Scrumptious!

milkweed seeds

Although I tried to locate them,

the four Monarch chrysali could not be found,

although I know that all four caterpillars grew to adult size.

It's probably too late in the summer to count on any more

making it to that stage. 

Hopefully, next spring and summer, 

we will have many to enjoy.

Look at this amazing spinner I found yesterday.

S/he was dangling from the maple tree

and appeared to be suspended in mid-air!

 This week, Big K and I were finally able to go and pick up

some free mulch, offered by our county.

This will be used in flower beds and underneath trees,

once we get our layer of newspapers laid down.

zinnia

The new rain gauge I got for my  birthday a couple of weeks ago,

has regretfully not had much use.

We are dry, dry, dry,

but ever hopeful that rain will grace our garden.

I'll be taking some time off from blogging,

but will be back here next week for Garden Friday.

Wishing you continued blessings...

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful...

Not really.
I just love that song.

It's been a mild winter here in Central Florida.

No cold fronts to speak of so far.

Most days our highs reach the high 70's.

That suits me just fine.

The skies have been a brilliant blue 

and a smattering of wispy clouds loom overhead.

We're sharing some of the beauties from our fall garden

and a couple of surprises too!

This Mexican sunflower has been blooming non-stop since summer.

It brings a smile to my face every single time I walk past.

The blooms are sometimes cut for kitchen bouquets.

Sunflowers in December?

Whodathunk it?

The thryallis seems exceptionally happy.

The blooms just keep on comin'.

It's a hedge-in-the-making

and makes its home here on the east side of the house.

Sweet potato vines grow underneath and add a vibrant pop of chartreuse.

The native milkweed has been producing seeds like crazy.

The breezes scatter seeds all through the garden.

Some have been saved for sharing.

We are happily inundated with caterpillars.

Here, two (of many) monarchs share some milkweed leaves.

We are proud to be a Certified Monarch Way Station.

Another milkweed lover is the queen caterpillar.

You may notice that the coloring is a bit different,

and queens have 3 sets of tubercles (spikes),

while monarchs have only two.

It's a joy to watch the parade of butterflies 

fluttering through the garden on a sunny, fall day.

The grackles have been visiting more frequently.
We use a bird seed mix to entice blue jays, cardinals, doves, 
Carolina wrens and other species to our yard.
The grackles and blue jays also enjoy the peanuts 
that are sprinkled near the main bird bath twice weekly.

While noticing the abundant blooms on the passionflower vine,

something caught my eye...

Hello!

In case you're having a hard time spotting him...

time for your close-up!

This lil' guy is a frequent visitor.  

He (or his kin) have been observed many times through the years.

Imagine our surprise a few hours later 
when we spied this duo.

These critters are harmless and we welcome them in our yard.
Big K is not a fan, but we'll just keep this between us, huh?
They really are beneficial to have in the garden,
as they keep the population of rodents and lizards under control.
They also serve as prey for many wild birds,
and are quite fascinating to watch.
Even though we live in suburbia,
we have worked to create a welcoming habitat for God's creatures.

Although I do appreciate a good, solid blast of cooler temperatures,
it's been pleasant enough that more time is being spent outdoors.
After a long, sweltering summer, it's delightful.
I hope you have some interesting developments that lure you outside.
Enjoy your weekend, y'all.