Homestead Happenings

 

It's time for Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's been going on 

here on our Piedmont homestead.

More cut flowers this week included some gorgeous

multi petaled tulips in various shades.

This vessel was actually the milk pitcher

my mom transferred over from the milk bottles

that were delivered to our back porch when I was a wee one.

One of the few childhood treasures I ended up with.

We did it!

We expanded our family and picked up a few

Olive Egger chicks!

It's so exciting having young energy in the house.

They are the softest creatures I have ever felt.

What a blessing to be able to nurture new life.

The unused spa tub is being used as a brooder.

They are not too loud as they cheep and peep,

so they don't keep Big K up at night.

I was wondering if his snoring would keep them awake!

Our hummer feeders have been washed and scrubbed

and will be ready for the first day of April

to start taking care of our feathered friends.

A neighbor had given me the little cleaning kit,

which comes with tiny bottle brushes to clean the ports.

It also came with extra ports so they can be replaced as needed.

We are swimming in seedlings,

which I have to admit,

is a nice place to be.

I've never before had so much success with starting seeds.

Thanks to the winter sowing method.

there are plenty for us and more to give away!

red kale

speckled Amish butter lettuce

leeks

More of the winter sowing seedlings

were transplanted yesterday into larger cell packs.

The root system is absolutely fabulous,

and I'm hoping they continue to thrive in their new pots.

The soil recipe I'm using came from a good friend

and fellow Master Gardener.

She uses organic topsoil mixed with perlite

and vermiculite.

Peat moss is never used here,

as it is not a sustainable resource.

This combination seems to work well,

and we have a local supplier for the topsoil 

literally down the road.

tulips

On my daily walk,

it's hard not to notice the beautiful blooms.

One of our neighbors, and fellow veg gardener,

has an amazing display of phlox sprawling next to his driveway.

This is a favorite, and I have plans to plant it

along our slope, so that it cascades down to the street.

This candytuft fills in another neighbor's mailbox bed.

We have some of this growing in our pollinator bed,

but I plan to add more around the homestead.

It stayed green all winter,

and requires very little care.

Our wonderful next door neighbor's irises

were struttin' their stuff yesterday.

The blues are so intense,

and the contrast between the bloom and the green foliage

is certainly striking.

Life is good here on the homestead.

How's spring shaping up where you are?

Garden Friday

 

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday,

where we share what's going on in our Zone 7b Piedmont garden.

Having been laid up with a back injury for the last two weeks,

there isn't much to report.

There is, however, always something to see out there.

 

The Monarchs have eaten almost all of the milkweed,

but there are still a few stragglers left behind

for the remaining crops.

 

 

The caterpillar that was suspended on the "Wordless Wednesday" post this week,

got busy creating its chrysalis and hangs there still.

 

Another hangs underneath the porch table,

while several others have chosen the metal chairs to use as their resting spot.

  

Still others hide underneath plant leaves,

like this one on the front porch steps.

Care must be taken when watering pots

or moving just about anything!

 

I'm not sure what these critters are,

but they were found on the milkweed plant as well.

They are definitely NOT monarchs.

 

The gargantuan woodchip pile,

for which I've been pining,

will have to wait at least a few more days

until I feel fully recovered.

This mound will be distributed between the chook run

and the garden itself.

 

 Without much mobility,

one of the things I was able to do

was to collect and scatter seeds.

This buckwheat has been a great addition to the garden,

and I want to have more of it next season.

 

The colors of autumn are finding their way to us

 

and slowly, but surely, the temperatures are cooling.

Although the first day of autumn was in the 90's,

today begins a new wave of cooler, crisper days.

 

Seed heads are left in tact so that the birds

 

will have nourishment through the colder months.

Along with seed and suet feeders,

we enjoy taking care of our feathered friends.

 

After hearing about this product from a few gardeners,

it seemed like an experiment was in order.

(The name is Soil Cube.)

 

This potting mix is from a local company,

and I've used it in the past with mixed results.

 

I will be growing the same crops in each mix,

with as many of the same variables as possible,

and we'll see which performs better.

In this picture, the Soil3 is on the left 

and the Wallace Farms is on the right. 

The first thing I noticed when filling the cells,

is that the Soil3 is much smoother,

with less bark bits in it.

 

The same varieties of kale, leek, lettuce and snap peas

were each planted in these trays. 

They will be watered at the same time

and kept in the same spot with the same amount of sunlight.

Hopefully, by next week, we'll have something to compare.

(The wire on the top is to deter squirrels from digging in the soil.)

 The garden is winding down,

but not going completely to bed.

We will be sowing a handful of crops 

that can do well over the colder months.

There are also cover crops to sow in a few of the raised beds.

This year, I'm trying a few new things,

so it should be fun to watch them fill in the beds.

The girls will no doubt enjoy the cooler days.

 

How's autumn shaping up where you are?

 

 

 

 

 

The Maple Hill Hop 126

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*




One of the most glorious sights at FarmSchool
is the vast array of lettuce varieties.
They are truly a sight to behold.
The bonus is that they taste as good as they look!

Although Lynn is a marvel at growing the stuff,
every crop has a life span,
so it eventually bolts and must be replaced.
That's where  
Lynn's Sensational Self-Sustaining System  
comes in.
He's managed to keep his garden filled to the brim
by reusing his magical soil mix in his pots-o-plenty.

The spent plants are brought to a staging area
and lined up in rows of three or four for efficient processing.
Dontcha just love Faye's lil' red wagon that helps her get the job done?
What a sweet ride!

Pruners are used to cut the plants down to the quick.

These leftovers will go to friends 
who are starting their own compost pile.

The next step in the process is to
clean up any debris that may have been left on the pots.

The covers and nails are taken out of the pots so that they can be used with the next batch of crops.
In this 7,000 square-foot garden, 
Lynn has made hundreds of these covers for the various sized pots he uses.
They not only keep weeds to a minimum,
but the plants stay much cleaner,
which helps when you can't wait to dive into a luscious salad.  
The nails ensure that the covers stay in place until the plant is big enough to keep them there.

The contents of the pots are dumped into a large bin.
Most of the crops had been fertilized with turkey poop,
so that is another component that enriches the new batch. 
With one of his large cultivating tools,
Lynn breaks up each stack, loosening the soil.

The remnants of the lettuce are removed and discarded.

After completing this task a few times,
we end up with a mountain of rich, fertile, usable soil.
The cultivator can again be used to smooth out the mixture.

Lynn shovels it into more manageable sized pots
so that it's ready to use for the next set of transplants.
The soil, pots, covers, and nails are used all over again
to keep the garden humming along.
All that's needed is seed.
Pretty amazing, huh?

There are plenty of these cute lil' critters to be found.
You know it's good when the worms are hangin' out there.
There's always something new to learn at
Farm School.
Wanna learn more?
You can check out all of our Farm school posts 
by clicking on the tabs under our header.
Enjoy! 


What's happening outside where you are?
HOP to it!

   

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