Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome back to Homestead Happenings.

It's been a while, thanks to some technical difficulties.

Summer is winding down here in the Piedmont,

with next week's temperatures becoming 

more moderate and less humid.

I'm all for it!

Look at this gorgeous striped cosmos that is coming up.

The shed was recently cleaned out and organized.

I was able to find a friend who could use many

of the things I no longer needed.

It's such a blessing to have a place

for the gardening and chook materials.

To my astonishment,

the loofah is starting to flower.

I had all but given up on getting any loofah this year,

as the vines were so slow to get started.

But here we are.

It's doubtful that we will have enough warm weather

to enable a full harvest, but ya never know.

This ginger plant (that I basically forgot was planted),

has blooms so fragrant,

even I could smell them.

This plant lends a tropical vibe to any landscape,

and requires very little attention.

I look forward to digging up the tubers

to share with fellow gardeners.

Another small project was refashioning this workbench.

The old, rotted wood was removed and

the hardware cloth was added.

I had just enough to cover the two tiers.

This picture reminds me that I need to dig up

that turmeric plant to give away.

Dust bathing beauties

All of the chooks are still doing well,

and no broodiness has returned.

These three girls are having quite a molt though.

Better now than when the cold winds blow.

Egg production has amped up big time!

We are getting about 20 eggs a week

from our four younger chooks.

Our egg basket runneth over!

The raised beds are gradually being filled

with soil.  I've had a difficult time finding 

quality top soil to complete my personal mix,

so I am resigned to using the bagged stuff.

We have a local organic resource here called

Wallace Farms,

so at least I can feel good about supporting a local business.

Several crops were started in cell trays

in the past few weeks.

It's time to get the fall garden started.

A variety of kale, cabbage, broccoli,

snap peas and cucumbers were sown.

Germination for the most part was spectacular,

with seedlings showing up after only 3 or 4 days.

In fact, the cucumbers were just potted up

yesterday.  They already have their second set of leaves,

and it will be fun to share the extras with friends.

I've never tried growing cucumbers in the fall,

but with less bug pressure and mild days ahead,

I think it's worth a try.

What's happening in your garden 

during this transitional season?

For those of you wondering,

C is still awaiting his surgery,

but we've finally found the right doctor

and it will be scheduled soon.

I'll keep you posted

and thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers.

Looking for the best possible outcome!