Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

Our Piedmont home and garden is coasting toward autumn.

Here's what's been going on around here.

The zinnias and other beauties keep on comin'

and adding a touch of summer to the indoors.

The container is actually an old pitcher

my momma used to store milk in when I was young.

What a treasure!

The squash vines just keep on-a-sprawlin',

and are invading any bare ground they find.

We haven't had rain in a couple of weeks,

but you'd never know it by these crops.

It looks like we'll have a nice harvest

of red ripper beans.

This variety is always easy to germinate,

has no pest issues,

and provides months of pods to pick.

We let them dry on the vine,

so they are ready for storage for the rest of the year.

The teepee turned out well and will definitely be repeated.

Although we've had a fairly mild summer,

this week's higher temperatures

boosted the growth of the loofah.

We once again have gourds growing on our gazebo frame,

providing much needed shade for the chooks.

Although these can be eaten when picked small,

we will most likely leave them to grow

so that they can be given away as loofah "sponges".

Pumpkins keep showing up,

in various sizes, shapes and patterns.

Seminole pumpkin

Some were planted,

and some are volunteers,

and I have absolutely no idea

what variety they are.

It's the most success I've had with squash,

so I'll gladly give them a home.

The nasturtiums cheerfully fill in

some of the Birdie's beds.

The flowers added to the veggie beds

attract pollinators to work their magic.

Next season, more flowers will be added

around the veg garden.

It's a win-win!

Some time was spent this week

harvesting herbs from the designated bed.

There is no dark room in our home in which to dry them,

so I simply use paper sacks to accomplish the task.

Here, we have oregano, which will be placed in the food processor

so that we have it for the entire year.

The Monarchs butterflies are here!

One was spotted early on in the week,

and we have the milkweed plants to support them.

Here you can see the aphids that are covering the milkweed,

but not to worry.

After some observation,

I noticed that the plants where this lil' mystery guy (gal) resided,

the aphids were gone.

So, I've been moving them from plant to plant

in hopes that they will take care of the aphid problem.

This will create a healthier milkweed plant

whenever the Monarch cats decide to show up.

I choose to use the natural approach to gardening,

and don't spray or otherwise interfere with Mother Nature.

She knows what she's doing.

Once our baby chooks started laying,

they have been cranking out eggs like crazy!

We are getting almost 2 dozen weekly,

although they are smaller than the average size egg.

They will increase in size as the girls get older.

Feeling very rich, indeed!

3 out of 4 of our baby olive eggers

Speaking of the babies,

would you look at this?

There are three nesting boxes in our 

Omlet Pro coop,

and yet, they all want to lay in the same one

at the same time!

They seem to be working this out,

but now we have one broody hen 

who refuses to leave the box all day!

Every two hours, we take her out,

so that she can eat and stretch her legs.

It's always something,

but our lives are richer because of them,

so we will deal with any drama that comes up.

The three older girls, or as they are also known,

the bullies, get free range time at least once daily.

They live in their own run,

as they are merciless with the babies.

They seem to be enjoying their freedom,

and are very good about staying close to home.

Betty eating homemade applesauce

I'm sorry to report that our sweet Betty passed in the last few weeks.

She was a good friend to our beautiful Queenie,

her twin sister Wilma, and dear Ruby. 

I hope they are all together somewhere 

and catching all the crickets they can eat!

With each chook passing, I am getting better

at dealing with it and giving them some comfort.

It's never easy losing a beloved pet,

but I know that they've had a good life with us,

and I send them off with love and peace

(and a boatload of tears).

May September usher in for you

new adventures and a peaceful heart.

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome back to Garden Friday!

We're sharing what's growing on 

in our Zone 7b Piedmont garden.

 

 

Our veggie garden is making progress.

Several leeks were transplanted into raised beds,

but I sure wish I had planted more.

 

The garlic is up!

The entire bed germinated,

so no reseeding was neccessary.

This crop will be harvested in May or June.

 

An additional 20 or so cloves were planted

at the same time

along the border of our front flower bed.

Since I couldn't stop there,

I decided to add a few more to this area yesterday.

Can you ever have enough garlic?

 

Ooooh, the kale is lookin' good!

Having sampled some (just to make sure),

I can assure you that it is crunchy and sweet.

This is another of my favorite things to eat.

There are several varieties planted,

including lacinato, Siberian and Vates kale.

 

A new variety to me, Curly Roja,

finds space in another of the smaller raised beds.

 

Although some of the cabbages have been munched,

this beauty is coming along nicely.

This is the first year I've grown cabbage to this stage.

I think covering the beds when they were small

helped them get a leg up on the growing season.

Snap peas were added to a couple of the beds.

I haven't thus far had much success with this crop,

although it's one of the tastiest snacks in the garden.

Try, try again.

 

 

The cover crops are filling in the beds

that aren't being used this season.

The bonus is that the chooks love the taste!

Some for the bed, some for them.

 

I'm about halfway through the wood chip pile,

which is a good thing, 

because we are planning on having some tree trimming done

at the beginning of the year,

so another load will be added to this spot.

 

Most of the spent perennials have been removed

from the pollinator bed.

A fall cover crop was sown and is popping up.
 

 

Some of our ornamental plants are breezing right through.

The yarrow just doesn't quit.

This will need to be divided in the spring.

I'll find somewhere to put it,

or give some away to other gardeners.

 

The orange mums that kept company with these purple ones 

were removed, as they started petering out.

I'm not sure if they were simply crowded out,

or if it was user error.

These need to be relocated,

as they are spilling over onto the walkway.

 

Coneflowers are still blooming!

I never tire of their cheery perfection.

This bush daisy adds a bit of brightness 

to the front porch bed.

I like the combination of purple and yellow.

The girls are doing well.

Most have gotten all their feathers back

after a molting period.

They enjoy snacks in their Omlet treat caddy,

as well as cabbage or kale that we hang up on a hook.

They are one of the best things about our homestead.

 Life is just better with chickens.

Garden Friday

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday

on this beautiful Earth Day!

It seems that winter is on its way out,

at least here in the Piedmont.

We are warming up to temps in the 80's in the next few days.

 

Our mailbox irises are bustin' out all over. 

I love that I can see these from the front window.

Not sure if you can see this,

but I noticed the two varieties of carrots

have very different germination rates.

Danvers 126 (top row) has about three times the seedlings

than the Tendersweet variety.

 Duly noted for next season.

 

The strawberries are coming on strong!

Soon it will be time for some serious sampling!

 

 

Some of our containers were seeded with an herb and flower combination.

Can't wait to see these getting filled up with goodies!

(The wire on top discourages squirrels from digging.)

We had another frost just the other night,

and I didn't want the potatoes to have to struggle to stay warm.

I used some cloches made from 2-liter bottles

and these bins to cover the crops.

 

The next day, they were just fine.

Hopefully, this is the last of the cold weather 

until autumn.

 The potatoes in the buckets were simply covered with a lid to keep out the cold.

Even though I know they would recover from the frost,

the fear of stunting their growth was enough for me to act this time.

 

A soil sample was taken from the blueberry patch.

These were planted last year and I wanted to compare the numbers

from the initial sampling to see if I've done enough to acidify the soil.

In a matter of weeks, I'll have my answer.

Want to know how to take a soil sample?

Read this.

 

  Our woodland garden is coming along.

I keep adding shade loving plants to our backyard,

as it is wooded.

It was a thrill to see these hosta plants pop up,

for I had all but lost hope that they would return.

Along with Soloman's Seal and Toad Lily,

it's beginning to fill in slowly but surely.

 

 This particular yarrow plant is taking up too much space

in the front flower bed.

It's making it difficult to see the gorgeous poppies,

so maybe I'll just swap them out.

After it finishes blooming, I will relocate it elsewhere,

or simply divide it.

The flower beds are enjoying the newly installed irrigation!

 A trip to the IGA was made earlier in the week,

and I may have gone a bit crazy.

There were so many perennials for sale,

and at $2 a pop, it was more than I could do to resist.

I've never grown stevia before,

but look forward to learning more about this natural sweetener.

A couple of different thyme plants were picked up,

as well as coneflowers, Gerbera daisies, alyssum,

and a few other odds and ends.

About the only type of shopping I enjoy is nursery shopping.
 

 

One of our neighbors gifted us with two different azaleas.

This one is called Florida Flame.

I can't wait to see them both in full bloom!

 Would you look at the sweet lil' flowers on this chive plant?

I think I see some potato salad in my future!

 There are always more pots to fill,

and I look forward to making a few more trips to the nursery

before the spring is over.

Spring has sprung, baby!

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share what's growing in our Zone 7b garden.

You know it's full-on spring 

when the apple blossoms come out.

Our tree is usually loaded with fruit,

which the squirrels promptly enjoy.

 

 

Several projects were undertaken this past week,

as we had the glorious weather to accommodate our plans.

One thing on my list was to straighten out the edging on both

the mailbox bed and the adjacent butterfly bed.

As you can see, the bricks got all askew and were just a mess.

In about a half an hour, it looked much better.

Hopefully, the mail carrier will be able to 

keep his tires on the road.

 

 

The butterfly bed was akimbo as well.

I blame the squirrels.

 

 

It felt good to get this tidied up

and looking like a proper bed.

Alright, squirrels, keep off the brick!

 

Another task was to get the flower beds in the front of the house

set up with irrigation.

My original plan entailed digging underneath the sidewalk

to place the poly, so that the water line would be seamless under the ground.

Well, I got this far in digging and gave up.

It was so difficult to get under there,

even with my auger to help me.

I went to Plan B.

(It's always handy to have a Plan B.  And Plan C.

Just in case.)

drip holes are every 12 inches

Well, Plan B meant that I scrapped the idea of all that digging.

(Who's gonna argue with that?)

I simply tucked the irrigation line underneath our welcome mat

and connected it to drip on the other side of the sidewalk.

Not professional, but it works.

All of our front flower beds are now fully irrigated.

Can't wait to see all of our lovelies enjoying their hydration.
 

 

I dug up and transplanted some clematis

on the outside of the chicken run.

A piece of welded wire was added as protection

from curious beaks.

The hope is that this vine covers the welded wire run.

 

 

Can I just tell you how magical these California poppies are?

There are more blooms each day

and they are like a pop of sunshine on even the most 

dreary of days.

Gotta plant more of these.

 

This week, I spied the beautyberries coming back.

We've had lovely 70 degree days

and they are lovin' it!

All of the gardeners are too!

 The rosemary I took cuttings from and planted in a pot

didn't fare so well.

I had moved both the rosemary and the lavender

so that they could get more sun

and took these cuttings in case the rosemary didn't survive the transplant.

Ah well, it's the chance you take.

I've heard it's difficult to grow from seed,

but I'm up to the challenge.

 Our potatoes didn't much like the last frost we had.

Well, some of them will have to bounce back.

 

 Others did just fine in the same bed.

Go figure...

 

The sweet potatoes are lined up facing south

and have begun forming slips.

We still have a ways to go before things will be warm enough

to put them in the garden beds.

Sweet potatoes love the heat!

At least someone does.

Roots on the bottom, slips on the top!

 

 

A few strawberries are teasing me whenever I venture out.

The blueberries are getting closer too,

and I can't wait to get enough to fill my belly!

 

I've been enjoying the asparagus in salads

and in my scrambled eggs too.

It's such a blessing to have this delicious and nutritious crop

growing right in our back side yard.

 

The area over the septic tank got a little sprucing up.

You may think that's kind of a waste of time,

but I am working on disguising the area as much as possible.

Here, there are spider wort lining the curve near the chicken run.

A healthy patch of oregano is growing,

thanks to the last owners of the property.

We won't be eating that.

 

The balloon flowers are coming up in the butterfly bed

and they look so healthy.

These will take partial shade,

which is exactly what they'll have

once the crepe myrtles leaf out completely.

 

The first iris bloomed this week,

and it is still such a thrill to witness.

The mailbox bed will soon be filled with these beauties.

Queenie and a friend

Most of my main projects have now been completed,

including several chook ventures,

which I hope to share sometime next week.

Until then,

here's hoping that you get to spend lots of time outdoors.

It really does a body (and spirit) good.

Be Blissed!