Going Local-Garden Neighbors

Recently, neighbors who live about 10 minutes away

started a garden group on our local community app.

It's been so much fun to participate in the conversations.

As you may know, gardeners are always happy to share

their tips, tricks and design ideas with others.

They were kind enough to allow me to have a tour of

what's growing in their beautiful garden.

Welcome to Tammy and Stephen's backyard oasis.

These folks relocated to our area after having lived

in both New Jersey and South Carolina.

They are diving into gardening with both feet!

Their beautiful beds are filled with all sorts of goodies

that will allow them to be quite self-sufficient.

Among the jewels you'll find planted are

carrots, green beans, lettuce, peppers (from bell to Carolina Reapers),

squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, and a host of herbs.

The raised beds were a recent project, and they also include

a complete irrigation system with a timer for ease of watering.

One unique fact about this particular garden is that

the residents on this block have access to a nearby stand of bamboo.

Tammy and Stephen have created a number of vertical frames

out of this free resource.

The patio hosts a number of herbs used for cooking.

This family does a lot of homemade meals,

and having the herbs right outside the back door

makes it convenient to add a little spice to their daily fare.

It was fun to meet up with another family who has caught

the gardening bug.

No doubt they will have a bountiful harvest!

Homestead Happenings

Hey there!

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont homestead.

It's been a busy couple of weeks.

Our first rudbeckia of the season has bloomed!

One of the bigger projects this week,

was to get our tall Birdie's beds filled for planting.

As with the hugelkultur method,

logs, branches and twigs are added to the bed,

to reduce the amount of soil needed to fill it.

Everything added will decompose over time.

Shredded leaves from our autumn collecting

makes up the next layer of the bed.

These deep beds take a lot of material,

and it's great having everything on hand.

 

Woodchips make up the last layer before soil.

It fills up any gaps in the bed,

and will break down over time

to enrich the planting medium.

A variety of beets, kale, leeks, 

lettuce and onions fill this bed.

A topping of shredded leaves allows for

moisture retention and weed supression.

It's so gratifying to see veg out there,

knowing it will feed me well.

Succession seedlings await their turn.

We are still harvesting asparagus once or twice a week.

The lettuce that I've been eating off of for the last few months

is starting to bolt, so the new starts will be stepping in.

Since they are still small,

I'll enjoy some baby greens in my salads for a while.

The succession planting idea keeps food coming in

throughout the season.

The irrigation was completed this week,

so the veg garden can be put on a timer

and water itself.

There is still some work needed on our southmost beds,

which contain pollinator plants and garlic.

The flower beds will also get a thorough testing,

to make sure that the drip is working well.

Might as well do everything now,

while the weather is still cool.

The update on the skunk

is that s/he seems to have found somewhere else 

to look for food.

Since adding the hardware cloth around the perimeter

of both runs, there haven't been any signs of digging under.

I did find this lil' guy when I was spreading woodchips.

I added a couple of impromptu fences to areas of the garden.

This area next to our A/C unit has what looks like

cover crops that have come up.

It's been so long, I'm not sure what I planted there!

I like the kind of wild, carefree way it's growing,

but I wanted to keep it off of the pathway in front of the bed,

so I added this brick we had laying around.

Then, next to the two chook runs,

there is a strip of canna lilies coming up.

For some reason, our naughty girls like to eat the leaves.

I decided to add another length of hardware cloth

bordered by more of that brick.

Let's hope they make it!

Speaking of chooks,

our little girls seem to be doing fine.

Here they are enjoying some supervised outdoor time,

getting used to grass, the sunshine

and the strange noises all around them.

They are 4 weeks old this week.

If the weather stays warm,

they should be heading out into their own coop

in about 2 or 3 weeks.

After their size matches the gals we have,

they will be introduced to the flock.

The rest of the birdhouses were hung on trees

instead of using the conduit as in past years.

Another job that will make it easier for me in the future.

Our next-door neighbor's holly 

is loaded with berries!

No doubt the birds will have a feast,

and I'll have some beautiful branches to bring inside.

The loofah has been planted at the base of the gazebo frame.

This will add some shade to the chook run,

as well as provide loofah for anyone who would like some.

Once harvested, it is offered up on a local trading site for free.

Loofah support

The canna lilies are starting to shoot up 

in the front porch bed.

The flower beds are really starting to fill in.

This week, I noticed how the daisies, coneflowers,

rudbeckia and this rue have taken off.

Rue is one of the host plants for the

black swallowtail caterpillars,

so we hope to have many visitors.

Let me know if you want seeds.

With the irrigation project under control,

it's nice to be able to focus on adding to the flowerbeds,

seed sowing and enjoying our flock.

What's going on at your place?

Garden Friday

 

 

Season's Greetings on this Garden Friday!

Today we celebrate our fifth year in North Carolina!

We moved here 5 years ago on December 31st,

so that we could start the new year in our dream state.

 

We have a few things to report this week,

and I'm happy to say, it's all good news.

 

We got our first load of free wood chips dropped off,

just before Christmas day.

I've been on the list for Chip Drop for almost 3 years,

and this was the first time we have been graced with a load.

 

This mountain of mulch was put to work

as soon as it cooled down enough to move.

It's also been offered to several neighbors,

should they need them for projects.

 

The trees will savor the extra insulation

and utilize the nutrients to enrich the soil below.

I'd like to eventually plant some bulbs 

around the base of some of the trees,

but at the moment, the ground is heavy clay and 

nearly impossible to penetrate.

 

Some of the chips were added around the two raised beds

from the former garden location.

These beds didn't have to be moved,

and they are in their permanent spot.

The mulch will help to keep weeds down.

 

Another area near the old garden area

is dotted with birdhouses.

This may become an ornamental area in the future,

so adding the mulch helps me visualize the parameters.

 

Great news on the chook front!

Gandalf is feeling more himself

and has even started crowing again on a regular basis.

Of course, this means that he is back to "bothering" the ladies,

but I guess it all goes with the territory.

So grateful that he has healed well from the dog attack

a few months ago.

 

One thing recently discovered was that the chooks

love turnip greens!

We will have to make a point of buying them regularly

to add to their mix of cabbage, kale and lettuce greens.

 

I finally got the bulbs planted this past week.

These were gifted us by the local Extension Center,

and I just couldn't get to them until now.

 

New tulips and crocus will be a welcome addition come spring.

 

Piedmont Farmstead is a local farm that sells their produce and personal care products

at the farmers' market during the season.

On the off-season, they sell from the farm directly,

so I paid them a visit to purchase some Christmas gifts.

I'm hoping that I can pick up some of their lettuce and kale

on a regular basis.

They are good folks, doing what they love.

 

Back at home, I've covered most of the raised beds

for protection from the winter chill,

(although there hasn't been much of it),

and found that using t-posts works well to weigh down the sides.

 

The lettuce has been doing well under the covers,

and is finally big enough to pick for salads.

 

It feels fantastic to be able to harvest during the winter months.

 

The chooks go through quite a bit of water each week,

so I decided to fashion a 5-gallon waterer

out of an old bucket I had laying around,

 

and these poultry nipples purchased at our local hardware store.

 

So far, so good.

It saves me from having to fill it so often

and keeps debris out of the water as well.

Several other improvement projects are lurking

to make the chicken run a bit better.

Hopefully, the weather will continue to cooperate

and I can find the time to get it done.

Wishing you a multitude of blessings in the New Year!

~daisy
 

 

Garden Friday

milkweed and salvia

 

 Greetings on this Garden Friday!

Autumn has arrived in all of Her splendor!

A few remnants of summer remain,

gracing us with beautiful blooms.

 

 

The garlic we planted last week was up in a matter of days.

We planted out almost this entire bed

with one of the easiest crops to grow.

We use garlic for almost every savory dish,

so it is a staple in our fall/winter garden.

It will grow a bit more before becoming dormant for the winter.

In early spring, it begins to fill out and soar!

 

The cover crops are slowly making progress.

This is a special "raised bed" mix 

that I'm trying for the first time.

We were blessed with some rain this past week,

and nothing helps crops along like Mother Nature's gift.

 

I ended up purchasing lettuce and broccoli starts,

something that felt very strange to me.

With poor germination to blame,

I decided that it was necessary if I want to eat homegrown this winter.

 

There is abundant color popping up all over the area.

Our neighborhood has some glorious trees

peppering the sky with golds, oranges and reds.

It's one of the best things about my daily walk.

 

A bit of clean up was in order,

so I tidied up a few of the flower beds.

I'm amazed that we still have some blooms 

looking untouched by the cooler temperatures.

 

Our local Extension Center gifted some of the Master Gardeners

with free bulbs for planting this fall.

I hope to get these in over the weekend.

It's time for pansy planting!

The cooler temps don't bother these sweet things one bit,

and some were added to the mailbox bed,

as well as the pots on the front porch.

I look forward to many months of color.

 

I'm trying an experiment after watching a few videos

about trapping yellow jackets.

We have some near in our yard waste pile,

and I don't wish to use chemicals to eradicate the problem.

I'll share the results of this homemade trap next week.

 

 

We had a bit of a crisis this week,

when our rooster was attacked by a dog

who roams our neighborhood.

He was injured pretty badly, and shaking like a leaf when we finally found him,

but he survived the night and we hope is on the mend.

 

We now have a trap in our yard

so that the dog can be caught.

It has no collar and is quite skittish,

so it's difficult to get close enough to nab him.

The neighbors I've asked do not know where he lives,

but we're hoping the trap does the trick.

For now, Gandolf is in the garage mending

and the girls are on house arrest in the coop.

 

This life isn't always easy,

but we try to find the silver linings where we can.

 

Enjoy your weekend,

wherever you are!