Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday!

Today, it's all about the Monarchs!

 

As you can see here, our milkweed has been stripped bare.

Most of it has been left in ruins, eaten until there is nothing left.

 

I couldn't be happier about it.

We grow milkweed specifically to support the Monarch caterpillars.

We are a certified Monarch Way Station,

which means that we provide all the resources necessary

to enable these critters to proliferate.

 

With an ample food source, they found our homestead

and decided to stay a while.

 

Some time last week,

the count of cats stood at 23.

Thankfully, we had enough plants to feed them all.

Milkweed is the host plant for Monarchs.

It is the only thing they eat.

 

This was the first time I'd ever seen one 

trying to get into the house!

This is the space between the screen door and the jamb.

No doubt this lil' one was ready to form its chrysalis,

and was looking for a safe and protected spot.

It was relocated to

 

the front window.

I left it to roam on the window sill,

where it is sheltered under the porch overhang.

It must have decided the spot would do,

and went about attaching itself to the top of the sill.

That "J" shape means it's getting ready to spin its covering.

 A few hours later I checked back, 

and this is what I saw.

The Monarch chrysalis is unique in that 

it has tiny gold specks adorning the emerald green casing.

 

 

 By the end of the week, we found quite a few 

underneath our front porch table, 

as well as several in other spots near the porch.

It amazes me that they know just where the chrysalis

will be the safest and most likely to complete its transformation.

It should be quite a show!

 

 

We'll do a follow up as soon as there is anything to report.

 

 

Here's hoping that you find something absolutely breathtaking on your homestead!

 

Here are some other caterpillar and butterfly posts:

 

Home to Monarchs

Native Milkweed 

Nurturing Caterpillars and Butterflies

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

It's Garden Friday!

Welcome to our lil' Piedmont garden,

where we were blessed with a bit o' rain yesterday.

The flowers just drink in every drop!

 

Both of the mystery melons that grew in our melon bed

were either eaten or split before they could be enjoyed.

 

This sometimes happens when watering is inconsistent,

although when this photo was taken,

we hadn't had any significant rainfall,

and the drip irrigation is very consistent.

All is not lost though,

these were fed to the chooks,

who suck up the seeds like a Hoover vacuum.

 

I managed to save some seeds for planting next season as well.

 

 Speaking of seeds,

my order from Sow True Seed came in the mail,

so I will be ready to complete my fall planting.

I got a bit behind, as I was dog sitting last weekend,

and didn't have time to work in my own garden.

I hope to remedy that this weekend.

 

 

This year, I will be trying their raised bed mix

on one of the larger raised beds.

Every year, I choose a different bed,

and sow cover crops in it. 

I will also be sowing some white Dutch clover

to the drain field in our yard.

The chooks scratched up quite a bit of it over the last year,

and it needs a bit of resowing.

 

Each year, I snap a picture of our Mammoth sunflowers,

although this year I'm a bit late to the party.

They were well past their prime by the time we got a photo.

Fortunately, the squirrels did not climb the stalks this year,

so I will be able to harvest huge heads of seeds for next year.

 

A surprise greeted me when I was perusing the garden.

A few more of the Kajari melons popped up in the grass.

We'll see if we get to sample any.

So far, we haven't had much luck with melon tasting.

 

The sweet potatoes are surfacing, for some reason.

I've grown sweet potatoes for a few years now,

and never seen them come up out of the ground like this.

It'll be fun to see what's under there!

 

Strawberries in September?

Is it me, or are things a bit off this year?

I never expected to see berries forming now.

Not complaining one bit!

 

The loofah are getting huge!

I have sampled some of the smaller ones,

and was surprised to find out that the chooks enjoyed them as well.

The rest will be left to size up and harvest 

to use as "sponges" once they dry. 

 

The chooks have relished the extra bit of shade the vines provide.

The pollinators have delighted in the flowers.

Everybody wins!

This sweet basket was made by a friend's husband

so that C could use it to collect eggs.

I gathered some basil for pesto making

and it was exactly what I needed.

 

There are quite a few projects planned for when it gets

just a wee bit cooler.

It's coming, little by little.

I'm hoping that the drier air and cooler temperatures

will motivate me to get out there and get things crossed off of my list.

I'm not sure if I'm slowing down,

or just not willing to go out into the heat anymore.

 Do you notice the asparagus bed in the foreground here?

We've not had any significant wind events,

but the ferns are always laying over in the bed this way.

Any ideas?

 

The weather is starting to change,

and once again my favorite season will be here.

It's such a blessing to be able to send the heat of summer packing,

and welcome in a milder season.

Here's hoping you enjoy all the loveliness of this very day.
 

Garden Friday

 

Garden Friday is on hiatus until I come back 

from my time with a special friend.

Life is good.

~daisy

Garden Friday

 

Welcome to Garden Friday! 

 We got over 1/2" of rain from tropical storm Ida

on two separate days.

Our thoughts and prayers go to those affected by the storm.

Mother Nature's strength is astonishing.

One raised bed was filled with soil and planted with leek, 

three types of lettuce and tatsoi.

The other beds will be worked on over the weekend.

 

fall garden candidates

An order will be placed for cover crops and seeds that I was low on

so that I have a better chance to restock my supply.

With seed shortages, I'm ordering early.

I'm also getting better at saving seeds where I can.

The cover crop will be used on the bed where we have grown

garlic for the past two years.

The garlic will planted elsewhere.

The beautyberry is starting to bear fruit

and will soon be feeding some of our visiting wildlife.

Speaking of visitors, look who showed up this week!

At last count, there were 17 eggs 

and last night I counted 10 caterpillars on the milkweed.

Oh, I see some gorgeous Monarchs in our future!

The gazebo frame is becoming covered in the loofah.

I love the bright golden flowers almost as much as the bees!

I hope your holiday weekend is just the way you like it.

Personally, I'll be hoping for more rain!

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

It's another Garden Friday and we are in a state of transition.

While we have a few things still growing in the garden,

it will soon be time to seed our fall and cover crops.

 

Believe it or not, this is our first okra of the season.

We got a late start with this heat lover,

but by the looks of the future temperatures,

summer isn't going away anytime soon.

Who knows?

We may get enough to pickle!

 

The basil was another late bloomer,

although it was planted early in the season.

I'm hoping to get at least a few batches of pesto made

and put into the freezer for later use.

 

The Red Ripper beans are starting to strut their stuff,

climbing the bamboo A-frame.

These are one of the best drying beans I've ever eaten.

 

I somehow lost the tag to this melon plant,

so I'll have to refer to my seed packets to find the variety.

I believe it is a cross between a honey dew and a cantaloupe.

 It doesn't look close to being ready to harvest.

 

A few of the Kajari melons have ripened,

but were split from the inconsistent rain we've been getting.

I'm hoping I'll still get to taste one this season.

In any case, seed was saved for next year's planting.

The sweet potatoes keep on a rockin' the bed!

They are sprawling all over the place,

and I'm thankful we have the space for them to ramble.

This bed will be filled with cover crops when it is harvested.

 

The loofah has taken on some size.

Before you know it, they are huge!

By the time the fruit gets to be this size,

it starts to get squishy,

which means that the "sponge" is starting to develop inside.

I hope to have enough to share again this year.

 

The pumpkin flowers are so striking.

So far, no fruit is forming,

but we are as patient as we need to be.

 

Some time was spent this week mixing up our soil

with the amendments we had on hand.

I had planned to fill the raised beds with it on Tuesday,

but I lost a day due to the effect of the shingles vaccine.

I hope to tackle this task on the weekend

so that I can start planting!

 

I've been working on collecting various seeds.

These are from the gorgeous moonflowers 

we've been enjoying each evening.

It looks like I'll have plenty to give away.

 

The tithonia, or Mexican sunflower, always provides lots of seeds

so that they can be planted every year.

This is one of my favorite summer blooms. 

I really want to be better about saving seeds each year.

 

This woody patch in our backyard is where I think the bunnies live.

We purposely pile up brush for critters to have a safe haven.

We often see rabbits in the front or side yard.

 

Look at this cute lil' thing I spied one evening.

When I picked it up to show C,

it squealed and squealed!

I'm not sure who was more surprised!

We've been having a problem with finding dead bees

on the front porch every morning.

Several will be found curled up in this position.

It's curious, as we don't use chemicals on the homestead.

 

I have a mind to transplant some of this supple grass.

This resides underneath a canopy of trees,

but it's so graceful that I would like to use it elsewhere.

I love any kind of native grasses

and hope to add some to the property over time.

We got over an inch of rain this week,

for which we are so grateful.

This seasonal transition is always an upbeat time.

With the hope that every lil' seed brings,

we dream of what could be,

and work to make it so.

 

May your garden and your homestead be blessed.