Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on 

here on our Piedmont property.

Last week it felt so much like summer,

even though it is still days away,

but this week has been fairly mild,

which made it a pleasure to accomplish 

a few tasks outdoors.

This cattle panel arch will be soon supporting

our Seminole pumpkins.

This particular variety is less prone to trouble

with the vine borers that plague so many squash plants.

They store well and make a wonderful and hearty soup.

Garbanzo beans (also called chick peas),

are one of my favorite beans.

They are so versatile and I use them in everything

from hummus to salads to stews.

It makes sense to try to grow my own,

so I sprouted some in a bowl and planted them.

It's always exciting trying a new crop.

We'll see how it goes!

The new lettuce bed is making great progress,

thanks to some much needed rain.

Baby greens will be harvested in the next few days

and this bed should do an ample job of feeding me

for a couple of months.

I'm thinking of placing some sort of cover over the bed,

to keep the harshest of the sun's rays off of the plants.

It may be something as simple as a beach umbrella,

if that's all I can find to keep the crop cooler.

The straw will help with this objective.

It took me a minute,

but I finally remembered what had been planted in this pot.

It stayed in the garage over winter

and started to emerge over the past week.

It's turmeric, and it comes back

reliably, year after year.

Maybe I need to put a tag in there

so as not to strain the old noggin next year.

The garlic was harvested and is now curing 

on the front porch (see the photo below).

Out of 100 cloves planted,

we got about 50 bulbs.

A bit disappointing, as I grow for myself and sister,

but we are cooking less and less, so it will be enough.

Two new areas in the ground were used this season,

so perhaps the soil was not ideal.

We'll try a new spot in the fall and hope for the best.

Here on the front porch,

a rack was set up to cure the garlic, leek and onions,

as well as dry some herbs like lemon balm and rosemary.

We had been using the garage for curing,

until I thought about the emissions from the cars,

and decided to make a change.

When you learn better, you do better.

This lavender is bursting with blooms!

What a delight to brush up against it

and take in the fragrance.

Even I can smell it,

and I can't smell much these days.

I'm thinking about drying some of it

so that I can make something with the dried flowers and stems.

This low maintenance plant does quite well

with very little water and absolutely no fertilizer.

What a dream!

Going Local-Garden Neighbors

Recently, neighbors who live about 10 minutes away

started a garden group on our local community app.

It's been so much fun to participate in the conversations.

As you may know, gardeners are always happy to share

their tips, tricks and design ideas with others.

They were kind enough to allow me to have a tour of

what's growing in their beautiful garden.

Welcome to Tammy and Stephen's backyard oasis.

These folks relocated to our area after having lived

in both New Jersey and South Carolina.

They are diving into gardening with both feet!

Their beautiful beds are filled with all sorts of goodies

that will allow them to be quite self-sufficient.

Among the jewels you'll find planted are

carrots, green beans, lettuce, peppers (from bell to Carolina Reapers),

squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, and a host of herbs.

The raised beds were a recent project, and they also include

a complete irrigation system with a timer for ease of watering.

One unique fact about this particular garden is that

the residents on this block have access to a nearby stand of bamboo.

Tammy and Stephen have created a number of vertical frames

out of this free resource.

The patio hosts a number of herbs used for cooking.

This family does a lot of homemade meals,

and having the herbs right outside the back door

makes it convenient to add a little spice to their daily fare.

It was fun to meet up with another family who has caught

the gardening bug.

No doubt they will have a bountiful harvest!

Homestead Happenings

 

Welcome to Homestead Happenings!

We're here to share what's been going on

here on our Piedmont property

over the last couple of weeks.

Here is a well crafted nest found recently,

which had been meticulously created inside an azalea bush.

It wasn't removed until the eggs inside were long gone.

What a work of art!

After some much needed rain,

(over 4 inches in a week!),

the pumpkins sprouted right up.

These were planted in a straw bale

that I had left over from the winter.

The seeds were collected from volunteers

last fall, so we don't really know what we'll get!

The okra also germinated in the other bale,

and two plants is all I need.

I'm the only one in the household who eats okra,

and if I get more than I want,

I'm sure I can find someone who will use it.

If you're not familiar with straw bale gardening,

there is a long process of prepping the bales

before planting, involving heavy watering and 

adding fertilizer periodically.

I skipped all of that because I knew we were

going to be getting a lot of rain.

I simply made a hole in the bale,

added some soil and compost and waited 

for Mother Nature to do the watering.

Voila!

These "new" potatoes were harvested last week.

They had been planted in February,

according to my plant marker in the bed,

but never developed beyond this size.

A bit disappointing, but they sure tasted good!

There is another potato bed growing for a future harvest.

The loofah is coming along.

The past couple of years have been discouraging,

having had germination problems.

This year, I stayed on top of it,

and have several plants growing at the base of

the gazebo frame.

I'm hoping to harvest some young for eating,

and allowing the rest to mature

so that I can give away some to be used as exfoliators.

There are green beans growing inside the chook run.

So far, they seem to love this spot,

getting ample sun and being protected from

the chooks scratching.

I love green beans, and hope for enough to put away in the freezer.

A new bed of lettuce was planted last week,

and because of the generous addition of rain,

it's looking very encouraging.

The other beds where lettuce is growing,

is starting to dwindle, as the plants are beginning

to bolt.

They have given me so many fresh salads this spring!

This border of spider wort has been a bee haven!

Every morning when i come out to free the chooks,

the sound of their buzzing is almost deafening.

Grateful for all the magic they do!

Another pollinator-friendly plant is this milkweed.

We are growing a ton of it in the outside run

for the monarch caterpillars.

We are a Monarch Way Station,

and have been supporting this species for a while now.

This particular variety volunteers every year.

We look forward to watching the transformation

from caterpillar to butterfly that we witness each summer.

Although we've had hydrangea plants on the property

for a couple of years,

this is the first time I remember seeing a blue bloom.

What a stunning display.

I look forward to bringing some of these inside 

and also sharing with neighbors.

The babies have graduated to living outside!

They have their own coop and run,

and will stay put until they reach a similar size

to the older girls.

Then we will begin the process of 

combining the two flocks.

So far, these girls seem to get along fairly well,

as you can tell by the way they all sun bathe together.

I hope it stays that way.

Goodness knows, there can be some drama with chooks!