Hey there, and welcome back to Homestead Happenings,
where we share what's going on here in the Piedmont area
of North Carolina.
The first daisy was spied this week, always able to cheer me.
The beds of lettuce continue to produce,
keeping the fridge full of crisp, flavorful greens.
It feels good to be able to share the bounty with others as well.
Several areas have been planted with garlic,
including this grow bag.
In the next 6 weeks or so, it will be harvested and cured
before storing it for the rest of the year.
Garlic is one of the easiest crops to grow in the home garden.
The bed of leeks seems to be sailing along just fine.
We finally got a good dowsing yesterday,
but before that, rain was very scarce.
No doubt all of the beds will be happy to keep growing now.
This is the most success I've ever had with growing onions.
The bed was filled with Walla Walla onion starts from
Sow True Seed in Asheville,
one of my favorite seed companies.
I'm looking forward to a bumper crop!
I purchased some starts from Piedmont Farmstead,
a local farm which supplies me with greens and other goodies
when my garden is less productive.
Just look at this mouth-watering head of lettuce.
There are still seeds going into the ground,
or container, as the case may be.
These are pigeon peas, a staple of the Carribean diet,
and I told sister I'd try to grow her some this year.
The first step was sprouting in a damp paper towel,
then planted into a pot to grow on.
I'd love to be able to give her a little taste of home.
Here are the soil block trays 2 weeks after sowing.
They did well and had to be watered regularly,
as our precipitation has been absent.
We have a combination of flowers and veg that will be
ready to be planted into the Birdie beds this weekend.
The beans and loofah can't wait for more space!
The continuing temperate weather has allowed
all sorts of perennials to pop back up
and fill our flower beds with lovely blooms.
The mailbox bed hosts thyme, yarrow, sedum,
guara, irises and baptisia.
The pink yarrow is such a treat.
Most of our beds house the white variety,
so it's always so fun to see this beautiful color
displayed among the greenery.
I recently read that yarrow is a medicinal plant,
and makes a wonderful tea.
The pollinator bed is awash in color.
The rue has certainly been a showstopper,
with a bright yellow addition to the bed.
Rue is one of the host plants for the
black swallowtail butterfly,
so we'll be looking for caterpillars soon.
The babies are gone!
The tufted titmouse babies have fledged.
It took only a few weeks before they were ready
to leave the nest.
The parents did an amazing job feeding
six hungry mouths.
The fresh milled flour voyage continues,
and I could never imagine going back to gluten-free eating.
What a wonderful discovery this was,
and I am encouraging everyone I know who has health issues related to digestion
to give it a go.
It's a great gift to me to be able to share this healing bread with others.
For all the mommas out there,
enjoy your special day this Sunday!
"Motherhood: All love begins and ends there."
~Robert Browning
