Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Wishing you a sweet Thanksgiving Day!

Blessings...daisy

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 back to Garden Friday,

where we share what's going on in our

Zone 7b Piedmont homestead garden.

Between nursing my injured back

and some technical difficulties,

it's been a while since I've checked in.

Fall is in full swing,

as the colors and temperatures are showing us. 

As I write this, it's 30 degrees outside.

This picture was taken at a nearby park,

where sister and I enjoyed a long hike

before the frosty mornings hit.

 

 

The mums in the front porch bed make it known

that autumn is indeed here to stay.

These are paired with a purple version,

and are spilling over onto the walkway.
 

 

This goldenrod recently came up in our yard,

right over the septic tank area.

It's a bright pop of color in a sea of oregano

that had been planted there by someone else.

Some surprises are a good thing.

 

This clematis had been moved from

the back of the house, which was much too shady,

to the fencing around the chicken run.

It finally decided to grace us with a bloom!

 

Garlic was planted in one of our 3X8 beds

last week.

I bought garlic seed from Sow True Seed this year,

as the last two years,

our heads have been on the small side.

 

We had enough to fill the entire bed, 

with a handful of smaller cloves leftover.

This harvest is always shared with sister.

The leftovers were added to a flower bed as a border.

 

Placing some welded wire stakes across the top of the bed

should deter the squirrels from digging in the soil.

This bed has drip irrigation, which we are still able to use through the colder months. 

Cover crops were also sown in a couple of beds

and germinated within 3 days!

 

The sweet potato harvest was a bit disappointing.

We got about eight and a half pounds.

The foliage was not as abundant as in past years,

so I wasn't that surprised.

I'm thinking maybe I didn't water enough.

 

They are curing in our coat closet for a few weeks.

Then they will be ready for eating!

 

One of the pots of turmeric had cracked open,

so I replanted it in a bigger pot.

I will do the rest in the spring,

as they are all in need of repotting.

For now, they will spend the winter in the garage,

along with the aloe vera.

 

A few of the tubers were removed for use.

It can be used as a tea, or grated right into any dish.

Turmeric is one of the best things to aid with inflammation.

Poor Wilma.

She is molting something fierce,

and with this cold snap,

I pray that she will be okay.

Several of the chooks have already gone through

the molting process, so our egg production

has gone down just a bit.

They are enjoying their greens and cabbage every week.

Sometimes I think I need to grow these things just for them.

They are worth any trouble it might be.

How are things in your fall garden?

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?

 

 

 

 

 

Wordless Wednesday