Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

It's been a while, thanks to some technical difficulties.

Summer is winding down here in the Piedmont,

with next week's temperatures becoming 

more moderate and less humid.

I'm all for it!

Look at this gorgeous striped cosmos that is coming up.

The shed was recently cleaned out and organized.

I was able to find a friend who could use many

of the things I no longer needed.

It's such a blessing to have a place

for the gardening and chook materials.

To my astonishment,

the loofah is starting to flower.

I had all but given up on getting any loofah this year,

as the vines were so slow to get started.

But here we are.

It's doubtful that we will have enough warm weather

to enable a full harvest, but ya never know.

This ginger plant (that I basically forgot was planted),

has blooms so fragrant,

even I could smell them.

This plant lends a tropical vibe to any landscape,

and requires very little attention.

I look forward to digging up the tubers

to share with fellow gardeners.

Another small project was refashioning this workbench.

The old, rotted wood was removed and

the hardware cloth was added.

I had just enough to cover the two tiers.

This picture reminds me that I need to dig up

that turmeric plant to give away.

Dust bathing beauties

All of the chooks are still doing well,

and no broodiness has returned.

These three girls are having quite a molt though.

Better now than when the cold winds blow.

Egg production has amped up big time!

We are getting about 20 eggs a week

from our four younger chooks.

Our egg basket runneth over!

The raised beds are gradually being filled

with soil.  I've had a difficult time finding 

quality top soil to complete my personal mix,

so I am resigned to using the bagged stuff.

We have a local organic resource here called

Wallace Farms,

so at least I can feel good about supporting a local business.

Several crops were started in cell trays

in the past few weeks.

It's time to get the fall garden started.

A variety of kale, cabbage, broccoli,

snap peas and cucumbers were sown.

Germination for the most part was spectacular,

with seedlings showing up after only 3 or 4 days.

In fact, the cucumbers were just potted up

yesterday.  They already have their second set of leaves,

and it will be fun to share the extras with friends.

I've never tried growing cucumbers in the fall,

but with less bug pressure and mild days ahead,

I think it's worth a try.

What's happening in your garden 

during this transitional season?

For those of you wondering,

C is still awaiting his surgery,

but we've finally found the right doctor

and it will be scheduled soon.

I'll keep you posted

and thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

Looking for the best possible outcome!

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

Wow, we're on a roll,

posting two weeks in a row!

It's good to have some progress to report.

The Carolina blue skies are lookin' mighty fine these days.

 

The shed is assembled and it looks as if

it has been there all along.

It'll be so handy to have tools for the garden

and items that the chooks might need under one roof.

It also provides more room in the garage for other things.
 

 

The interior will be worked on this weekend, 

with transferring and organizing the garden and chicken materials.

It's no secret that the organizing is my favorite part!

For now, a set of shelves will be used to corral like things.

 

We're also sprucing up the chicken run.

Removing the spent blue tarps has been on my list for a while.

A new white one has been added to the arch over the older coop.

It really adds protection from the rain and sun.

 

This green one was found at a local store.

It was wonderful to see how closely it matched

the Omlet coops.

If this one works well, 

I may go pick up another to make custom 

rain jackets for the metal run.

I'll simply use the leftover blue tarps as a template

and sew the new ones out of this material.

crocus

 

Signs of spring are popping up all over.

 

The first dandelion of the season has been spied!

No doubt the chooks will love this!

 

 

The daffs are coming up in the front flower bed.

They are so cheery on a cold, wintry day.

 

On Wednesday, the canna lilies

were found making their entrance.

 

This is the trunk of our magnolia tree out front.

We often spot a woodpecker out there,

doin' what he does best.

It looks like (s)he's gotten a mess of meals out of it.
 

 

The winter sowing has been fruitful.

Out of the four containers I sowed a couple of weeks ago,

three have fairly good germination.

Looks like we'll be having a good start on the 

kale and lettuce crops.

Buttercup

It feels so good to finally cross some things off of the list.

It just goes to show,

with a little help, things get done!

snack time!

Garden Friday

 

 

the first daff of the season!

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we (sometimes) share what's happening

in our Zone 7 Piedmont garden.

 

 

Not eggs-actly garden related,

but I'm so happy to share that our girls 

are amping up their egg production.

Our chooks have consistently been laying

over a dozen eggs a week for the last few weeks.

We've even been getting blue eggs again!

It has been wonderful to have eggs to share once more.

 

 

This rue had been planted in the butterfly bed

near the mailbox last spring.

I'm thrilled to see that it made it through winter

without any trouble at all.

This is one of the host plants for the black swallowtails.

 

The blueberries are starting to form buds.

They will be pruned soon to remove

any dead material and give new life to the crops.

I'm planning to watch this how-to video on the subject.

 

I'm not expecting much in the way of production,

as our soil measured much too high on the ph scale

once again, even though I amended it last year.

The option for growing them in pots is making more sense,

as the soil acidity is much easier to control.

Our garlic border out front is unfazed by the cold.

It'll be nice to have some extra garlic to share!

 

bug snatchers

 Planning your spring garden?

I've been looking for a free online planner

and found this great article

about a few of the selections.

I've used the Gardener's Supply planner

in the past, but it is not available at this time.

I'm not sure if that's true for the others,

but it's a good place to start looking!

 

I've been experimenting with the winter sowing method.

The idea was inspired by a video on Hooked and Rooted,

which you can find here.

Three types of lettuce and one kale mix

were started in clear food trays

and placed on top of the soil in one of the raised beds.

Potting soil was used to plant the seeds,

and holes were made on the bottom

and top of the bins.

This allows for proper drainage and for the 

collection of any rain (or dare I say, snow?)

that may provide moisture.

It's a very hands-off approach.

 Once watered, the lids are kept on to act as a mini greenhouse.

By keeping the bins outside,

no hardening off should be necessary when transplanting

these seedlings to their designated beds in the garden.

 

 

 

Our shed construction is under way!

Due to cold and rainy weather,

we have been keeping this project on hold.

We got a break in the weather this week,

and began assembling the shed.

We started with leveling the ground

(our property is quite sloped).

Trex boards were added as a base.

The shed we chose was purchased at a big box store.

The price went up over $300 from the summer,

when I started seriously looking at them,

until the time purchased in January.

I was able to get a discount by opening a Lowe's account,

so it all evened out in the end.

This shed appealed to me because it is made right here

in the good ole' USA.

This was the progress made on Wednesday of this week.

We hope to finish it today (Thursday),

just in time for the weekend rains!

I so look forward to adding my shelving and 

organizing all of my tools and equipment.

How are your spring garden plans coming along?

Homestead Update

Welcome to Garden Friday(?)

This is more of an update on the Homestead in general,

as not a dang thing is going on in the garden.

We have some garlic and asparagus planted out there,

but the only thing really growing right now (thanks to ample rain) is the cover crop.

We planted Winter Rye in the beds that we are not using for fall/winter harvest.

What had been growing was decimated by the freeze.

One bright spot, our sunrises have been exquisite!

We had our overhanging trees trimmed 

on the back of the property.

As you can see here,

there was quite a bit hanging over the house and back deck.

This growth was also interfering with Big K's HAM radio antennas.

 After the work was done,

it not only looks neater,

but it allows for more light into the north side of the house.

No worry of branches causing damage to the roof either.

 

 

 The 2023 project list has been assembled.

Last year we really didn't do much to the house,

but now that I have started receiving my Social Security money,

we will be able to tackle a few things on our list.

Looking forward to getting some of the house updated.

 

 

 

With the initial leveling work completed,

the area for the newly purchased shed is being prepped.

We need to add gravel which will be the base for

our Trex planks and then the shed itself.

I'm so looking forward to having all of my tools

and equipment in one, covered space.

Some of our chook supplies will be kept in the 7X7 shed as well.
We hope to get to work on assembling it this coming weekend,

weather permitting.

The price of eggs is the most common topic of conversation around these parts.

Makes me so grateful to have our girls providing

one of nature's most perfect foods.

Life is better with chickens.

Hope the sun is shining where you are!

 

 

Community Garden Workday for March (2019)

With temperatures finally breaking 50

and no rain in the forecast,

we had a productive day at the monthly Community Garden workday.

The beds have been sitting mostly untended,

and with the amount of rain over the winter,

there was plenty of weed-pulling to be had.

This Community Garden occupies space at the Y in Denver, NC.

(You can see it off in the distance.)

The garlic we planted in the fall is doing well,

regardless of irrigation issues.

Thankfully, the rainy winter took care of our watering.

A few of the other beds had some yummies growing.

These beds are sponsored by individuals

who pay $50 a season for the chance to grow their own food.

The cost covers soil and water,

they just need to add their veggies of choice!

There are several "community" beds as well,

and the food grown in these beds is used to support

the local food bank here in Denver.

Some folks end up renting a bed here

because they just don't have space

or the right growing conditions where they live.

This hardy lettuce has made it through the winter

and is still going strong.

In my garden at home,

I have watched the lettuce sit dormant for months,

and have just now been able to harvest greens.

It was a strange winter for gardeners.

For the most part,
we were all on weed duty.
The beds are tended by the renters,
so they clean up their own soil.
The walkways and community beds
were our target,
and there was plenty for us to do.

What a beautiful day to work together
making something better.
I feel truly blessed to be a part of this benevolent group.

It seems to be the season for shed cleaning.

One of the projects that several of us worked on last week

was cleaning and reorganizing the tool shed at the Community Garden.

Currently, it is shared by two separate groups,

but it will soon be solely the garden's storage unit.

We took out every single item in the shed,

and swept the shelves and floor thoroughly.

The right side of the shed is where we've been storing the garden supplies.

It's nice to see that we have room to spare on the shelves.

The left side is currently housing materials for a summer camp program.

The Y is making another area available for these supplies,

so the garden will have more space for our equipment.

The space under this shelf was ideal for the wheelbarrows,

and they can be safely tucked underneath and out of the way.

Once the camp materials are rehoused,

we will be able to use the entire shed for our purposes.

One of the most important components when organizing,
is to use as much of your vertical space as possible.
The hanging racks for the tools is the perfect example
of an efficient use of space.

Here are the befores (left) and afters (right).
I'd say it'll be a bit easier to find what we need from now on.

Another good day's work done.
Looking forward to next month's planting time.
It's an exciting time in the garden!

"Giving back creates a virtuous cycle
that makes everyone more successful."
~Ron Conway