Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

our feature where we share what's been

going on here on our Piedmont Zone 8A property.

Having been pup sitting for a bit,

there wasn't much chance to garden here at home,

but things are humming along nicely.

Earlier in the week,

I tweaked my lower back,

and recuperation didn't lend itself to anything strenuous.

Things are better now,

and I hope to be back up and in full vigor by the weekend.

It felt triumphant to be able to again 

walk the neighborhood without any discomfort.

Some of the beds are about done,

and some will be replanted with fall crops.

This (lower) bed full of lemon balm

never stopped growing, even through

our severe drought this summer.

Good to know there will be enough tea

to get me through some chilly days!

As vigorous as this pumpkin vine looks,

we have only a few gourds to show for it.

I figured I might as well leave it growing,

and maybe we'll get a handful more before Thanksgiving.

The loofah hasn't done much either,

but we do have a smattering hanging on the trellis.

The drought really made it difficult this season,

but we'll be grateful for whatever we can harvest.

The turmeric seemed unbothered by the heat

and lack of precipitation.

It will be harvested and the roots given away.

I have plenty growing elsewhere in the ground.

The first picking of the new lettuce happened this week.

There's nothing like fresh greens from the garden.

More lettuce has been sown,

along with beets and kale.

These will be succession sown over the next month or two.

This bed was prepped for garlic sowing later this month.

The tarp will keep the sun off of the bed,

which should kill any weeds or other plants from creeping in.

This will be a new location for garlic,

and I'm curious to see how it does.

My garlic harvest over the last 3 years has been less than ideal.

We had a pleasant surprise this week!

The babies (Wyandottes) started laying!

Their eggs are tiny compared to the older girls,

but they will grow in size with time.

Each of these mini eggs is about half the size

of a standard egg.

The Wyandottes lay brown eggs,

while the four Olive Eggers lay green.

Fresh milled flour is still being used for 

all of my bread products.

I'm looking forward to Sunday,

when it is supposed to rain all day long.

Rainy days just put me in the mood to bake.

I'm thinking I might try scones next!

All of the following pictures reflect my

utter fascination with Monarch caterpillars.

They are such magical creatures and 
I never tire of watching their magnificent transformation.

There are at least a half a dozen out in our 

front porch bed,

and I find myself checking them each morning

when letting the chooks out.

I hope you have some milkweed growing

so that you can be mesmerized by these captivating creatures!

Two for one!

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont property.

There are still plenty of blooms to cherish,

as we welcome the end of a very dry summer season.

One decision that was fostered by the dry weather 

is that I want to do a refresh on the flower beds

and make the switch to mostly (and eventually all) natives.

I'm researching now, using the wealth of information provided

on the Cooperative Extension websites for our state.

It will be exciting to make the changes,

knowing that we will be feeding more wildlife, obliging pollinators,

and doing our part to support Mother Nature as best we can.

Baxter

I've been taking care of these two (see below) sweeties

for the past week.

They are such a delight and allow me to scratch my 

"dog itch".  We cannot have furry friends at our house,

because of C's allergies, so this is really a treat for me.

Smokey

They keep me company,

and I truly miss them when I go back home.

Thankfully, I still get to see them once a week

when I come back to help with the gardens here.

They will forever have a piece of my heart.

Back at home,

we've had some serious molting!

Two of our olive eggers have lost so many feathers,

and I can't say it bothers me.

I'd certainly rather them go through their molt

in the heat of summer,

when they are surely relieved not to carry so much insulation.

We'll see how the other two do.

In other chook news,

we have combined both flocks together into the large run.

The olive eggers, the Wyandottes and our elder, Henrietta,

are all sharing space.

Each group has their own coop.

Chickens are like us, they don't much like change.

There are pecking order issues,

but we trust that they will work it out.

The spring babies, the Wyandottes,

seem very comfortable around the other girls,

especially if they stick together as a group.

They really enjoy foraging and are very curious.

Unfortunately, because they look so much alike,

their designated names have not been given yet.

They are most often referred to as "the babies" or

"the golden girls".

At 23 weeks, they should start laying anytime.

In our garden, the covers have gone back on the beds,

mostly to keep the chooks from digging in them.

I recently found that some beet and kale seedlings

had been eaten by something.

Our pill bug population is fairly healthy,

so I will probably use the sliced potato method of deterrent

when I reseed them.

I look forward to getting back to fall planting.

The beans I had identified in the last post as Jade green beans,

were, in fact, cowpeas.

I haven't grown them in a few years, so I had forgotten

that they turn purple before harvest time.

Next year I will plant a lot more,

because I find them to be easy to grow

with no pest pressure to speak of.

Overall, I'd like to increase the variety of beans for drying.

The Seminole pumpkin plants have been a bit

disappointing.  With only a few fruits, it

doesn't look like there will be many for winter storage.

Other than the drought conditions,

I don't really know why they are so sparse.

They will be planted again next year,

with the idea of giving them more hydration

to see if that increases our volume.

Of course, we can't do much about critters

who help themselves before they are even ripe.

Big K suggested putting wire cages around them

to deter squirrels, groundhogs, or whatever

creature made a meal of this one.

It's the first time we've had this type of damage

with this particular fruit.

There's always another challenge with gardening.

I'll be home for the weekend, so I can check on the family,

the chooks and the garden.

There is a definite shift in the air,

and I have no doubt that autumn is indeed, on its way.

Enjoy the changes the seasons bring.

25 Years

 

Wordless Wednesday

 

Homestead Happenings

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on here

on our Piedmont homestead.

We've been visited by many yellow swallowtail butterflies,

and I learned that this is a male because there are no

blue markings on the bottom of the wings.

These critters love our butterfly bush.

I'm excited to announce that the first monarch

was spotted this week,

so we look forward to a multitude of caterpillars

performing their magic on the milkweed!

The pumpkins continue to sprawl

every which way.

So far, it seems we are lacking proper flower

development, but there are signs of hope.

Several of the Seminole pumpkin vines

are sporting little gems,

as seen here next to the arrow.

I'm hoping to be able to store some

through winter, as these make fantastic soup!

There are turnips coming up nicely.

These are mostly grown for the chooks,

as this variety is grown for the greens,

rather than the root underneath the soil.

Another bed of mixed salad greens was sown.

It took only a few days to germinate.

There are other beds where lettuce seeds will be sown,

so that we can have a succession crop deep into fall.

Carrots are also getting established,

and I even remembered to thin them out!

This bed shares space with onions and lettuce.

Recently, beets and snap peas were also sown,

and kale is next on the list to be planted.

Then the fall garden will be complete!

The green beans are beginning to scale up the bamboo poles.

These are Jade green beans,

which I have heard from other homesteaders

are quite prolific.

It would be so wonderful to have home grown

green beans on the Thanksgiving table.

Jade green bean pods

For the first time, I am attempting to grow

chick peas, or garbanzos.

I'm not really sure what to expect here,

as I've never seen anyone grow them.

We'll just continue to monitor them 

and see what develops.

I eat chick peas so often that

this would be one crop well worth growing.

These are rattlesnake beans,

which are grown to use as a dried bean.

In the next few years, I would like to

continue to experiment with growing a larger variety

of drying beans.

As I don't eat meat, beans are an important part of my diet.

They're also great for sprouting!

The ginger has been blooming for the past week,

and I've enjoyed the tropical look it gives to this corner.

We have been enjoying bringing in small bouquets

of zinnias, mixed with other treasures we are finding in the garden.

Summer is my least favorite season,

but the flowers help to get me through it.

I asked for a retractable hose reel for my birthday,

and Big K came through!

A neighbor installed it for us,

and it's been working quite well.

Sure is easier than dragging a hose

all around the garden.

The only thing I don't like about it,

is that it is mostly plastic.

On the front part of the yard, under the maple tree,

another hose is handy for watering and

cleaning the chooks' coops.

This metal hose has so far worked well.

It's flexible, lightweight, and doesn't kink.

Summer seems to be winding down here, 

even though next week is predicted to have 

high temperatures in the 90s again.

It won't last long.

Everyone here is ready for autumn and its cool mornings,

absence of mosquitos and less humidity.

I hope you are counting your blessings,

 no matter the season.

"We cannot direct the wind,

but we can adjust the sails."

~Dolly Parton