Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

We are bloomin' up a storm this week,

and tweaking our Zone 7b Piedmont garden.

This dandelion and spider wort combo really strikes a pose,

don't ya think?

 

Turmeric was harvested this week,

and replanted for another season.

This crop grows all summer into a beautiful, lush plant,

almost tropical in nature,

and then hibernates during winter in our garage.

Not much to look at, but oh, so good for you!

 

You may not believe this,

but I actually got to eat this plump, ripe,

and very juicy strawberry!

The netting I put over the bed has kept the chooks out of it.

(They still get all the wild strawberries they I can find.)
 

These probably look like brownies, right?

They are actually my first attempt at using

the new soil blocker that was acquired for the spring season.

I'd love to do away with as much plastic as possible,

and this seemed like a good start.

 

Old sheet pans are being used as a base,

until I construct something else.

Or maybe I'll like the cookie sheets.

They can always be found at thrift shops,

so maybe we'll just stick with that.

It's always so much fun to hone your system.

 

 A large section of this 3X8 bed

was sown with corn.

There is probably not much chance that

the squirrels won't beat us to it,

but I just had to try it.

A section of welded wire covers the newly planted seed,

to allow the seeds to germinate without pesky squirrels 

digging it up.

The Who Gets Kissed? variety from Sow True Seed was planted.

Who could resist a name like that?

 

The salvia in the front porch bed has gone bonkers!

The deep, rich purple hew is a sight to behold.

I am so grateful for eyes that see color.

Shasta daisy

 I'm enjoying the way this yarrow is 

enveloping the stem of the crepe myrtle tree out front.

 

 

This rue (in the forefront with the yellow blooms),

was planted to foster the black swallowtail caterpillars.

It's one of their host plants, along with

dill, parsley, carrots and fennel. 

Plant some and see what happens!

 

One calla lily has bloomed so far,

but no doubt there will be many more.

What a magical looking plant this is.

Clumps of these have been planted 

around our bird bath.

 

There is so much color out there right now,

and I know it's just the beginning!

Spring is so exciting!

dahlia

 

Who doesn't love a coneflower?

I find them lovely at every stage,

and the pollinators adore 'em!

 

Our front porch pot is growing well,

with Gerbera daisies, nasturtiums and several types of lettuce.

This experiment was inspired by Brie Arthur,

who encourages folks to try foodscaping.

Here's a link to her YouTube channel,

where you're sure to learn something new!

 

Here's a peek at the front porch bed in transition.

We still have a ways to go,

but we're making steady progress.

Lamb's Ear and lettuce have been used as a border.

Our beloved Betty is back with her friends 

after being isolated for a while because of health issues.

She seems happier, but her skin condition is still there.

We don't know what other steps to take,

other than what has been suggested to us,

so as long as she seems content,

we will let nature run its course

and continue to pray for healing.

 

 

Life is Better with Chickens.

 

How's your spring garden coming along?

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

rudbeckia

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

Our buds are bloomin' and the heat is comin' on strong!

 

We're still getting a few strawberries here and there.

Whatever the squirrels decide to leave us.

 

On my daily walk, I pass along an empty lot

where raspberries grow.

They're getting close!

I may bring a bucket with me next week.

 

The third set of cukes I planted are looking like they might make it.

The first batch was eaten, when I had planted them in the ground,

then the second batch (planted in pots) succumbed to the heat.

 

I think we're on the right track!

I fertilized anything in the garden that developed flowers this week.

The netting is used to deter squirrels from digging in the pots.

 It looks like the pumpkins are getting close to setting flowers.

So far, these are the most promising pumpkins I've grown,

but we still have a long way to go.

 

Oh my stars!

We have beans!

One of my favorite veg is moving right along.

I had to get over the idea that it was necessary to grow

everything from seed.

I'd rather have something to eat than bragging rights.

 

This volunteer squash will be a mystery fruit.

I have no idea how it got here, but I'm glad it will have

a trellis to climb next to the straw bale.

Love me some squash soup!

Unfortunately, none of the Candy Roasters germinated.

 

The garlic will be harvested this weekend

to make room for sweet potato slips.

This is a motley looking mess of garlic.

Not sure what happened,

but my garlic usually looks a lot better than this.

Ah well, it should be enough to keep us fed all year.

Instead of saving the largest heads to replant in the fall,

I decided to go ahead and order new seed from Sow True.

 

Two varieties of lettuce seeds are being saved.

This is the green oakleaf variety,

and I also have buttercrunch bolting.

A new salad blend will be added to another bed

for harvesting through the summer and early fall.

 

Surprisingly, the kale is making progress next to the newer carrot crop.

I had just about given up on the two varieties of kale I had in this bed,

but lo and behold, it decided it wanted to grow.

Speaking of carrots, 

I decided to let some of it go to seed.

The flowers are amazing

and it will allow me to save seed

while fostering the pollinators in the garden.

 

The asparagus is one hot mess.

I'm not sure why it lays down like this, 

I've always seen it standing upright.

Harvesting has slowed down,

but we are still getting spears months after it started growing.

What a valuable food source!

 

For the first time in years,

I bought some brand new pots.

This fountain grass had been purchased a couple of weeks ago,

and I knew they would be perfect in pots on the front porch,

but I didn't have anything I could use.

These pots are not only made in the USA,

but they are made from 100% recycled plastic.

Win-win-win!

 

The daisies are still going strong,

and most likely will continue through the long, summer months.

They are deadheaded a few times a week.

 

Our butterfly bed out front is filling in

with lots of additions like echinacea, zinnias,

lantana, gerbera daisies, shasta daisies and some herbs.

 

This pile of branches and twigs has been sitting next to the driveway

for months, and the dry weather lent itself to tackling this project.

After all, we can always use more wood chips.

 

 With the three of us working,

it took a few hours to mulch up the pile.

The chips were added to various areas of the chook run.

Nothin' like fresh wood chips!

 

What didn't get shredded was burned,

so we have a bit of ash to use in the garden as well.

It's amazing to see how all of that "rubbish" burns down to nothing.

 

Sprouting has begun again.

While organizing a cabinet the other day,

I spied these alfalfa seeds and decided to give it a go.

I figured whatever I couldn't eat could go to the chooks.

Turns out, they didn't even try them.

 

Ah well, more for me!

I love them in salads, on sandwiches or added to cheese and crackers.

So good for you, and you've grown them yourself in just a few days!

Our days will soon be heating up,

but thankfully, some of our garden friends enjoy it.

As for me, I'll do what I can outside,

taking breaks as needed

and keeping the coconut water flowing!

What's your spring/summer garden up to?

Garden Friday

 Welcome to the first Garden Friday of June!

Everyone I speak with says the same thing,

"Where did the time go?"

It's feeling more like summer these days,

and we are surrounded by colorful blooms!

 

The apple tree that had fallen over in last week's storm

has been removed.

We have a neighbor who takes care of these types of jobs

for folks in the neighborhood.

He's an older gentleman who likes to stay busy,

and so he quickly took the wood home in his tractor.

 

What apples that remained 

were added to the compost pile.

The squirrels and bunnies have helped themselves.

 

The pollinator-friendly plants are coming alive with the heat

and the rain we have gotten over the last week.

Coneflowers are one of my favorite blossoms.

The pollinators love 'em as much as we do.

 

This is the first time I've grown these sweet lil'

fire zinnias.

I will work on collecting seeds so that I can grow them again.

 

The rudebekia is surrounding the birdbath

and loaded with flowers.

The bees are on them all day long.

 

They are gorgeous even before they open up.

 

The Shasta daisies will no doubt make a lot of pollinators very happy.

We have these planted in almost every ornamental bed.

 

This tickseed easily self sows,

as I found out this year when it came back in the pollinator bed.

Another great flowering plant from which it is easy to collect seed.

 

The yarrow is still flopping over and I was wondering

if I should cut it back halfway to encourage the stems to get thicker.

I am still looking for supports for this and a couple of other plants.

Any suggestions?

front porch container

 

 

 

Our pumpkins enjoyed the soaking we got this week.

Although there is no irrigation here,

I've been consistently watering these two plants.

 

I planted another three pumpkin seeds in a different hill.

 

I was happy to spy flowers on some of our melons.

It will soon be time to give them a dose of fish emulsion,

to encourage more flowers and forming fruit.

chooks and cannas

 

The best news was saved for last!

We had wanted to get 4 chicks this spring

to add to our flock of 6 hens and 1 rooster,

but never got our act together in time.

Well, after perusing CL last weekend,

I happened to notice someone selling an Omlet Cube

(like one of the coops we already own),

and I was curious.

The coop came with four 1-year old hens!

Sold!

We are thrilled that we were able to grow our family this way.

We are being overrun with eggs,

but I'm not complaining one bit!

The new girls lay almost every day,

so we will have plenty to give away.

What a gift to be able to share our bounty with others.

These girls are being kept separate from the others

for a month, just to make sure they are all healthy.

Then we will introduce them slowly to each other.

Thus far, we kept the name for the black Australorpe,

which is Jubilee.

Her feathers glisten a brilliant emerald green

when the sun hits them just right.

The darker Comet (inside the run here) is Ruby,

and we are still awaiting the names for the other two to come to us.

We are SO very blessed!

I hope this week brought you wonderful surprises as well!