Homestead Happenings

Welcome to Homestead Happenings,

where we share what's going on here

on our Piedmont NC property.

Tropical storm Debby made Her way through our area,

bringing over 3 inches of rain, fierce winds

and a short loss of power.

All is fine here,

and the chooks were all kept on lock down

for the event.

 

Speaking of chooks,

our babies are now laying.

We had a full dozen eggs last week,

after months of having to purchase eggs

from other chicken keepers.

The girls are earning their keep!

The gorgeous olive-colored eggs will get bigger with time.

In the veg garden, the sweet potatoes

have been savoring every drop of rain.

The vines are now overflowing from their bed.

Looking forward to having sweet spuds in the fall.

A couple of new Cushaw squash have been spied

on their trellis.  The Seminole pumpkins are growing,

but have not yet ripened to harvest.

These two squashes will be staples in the garden

from now on.

Red ripper beans are coming along on the teepee,

along with some stringless green beans.

I have enjoyed watching the teepee fill in,

and will likely add a few more next spring.

All of the volunteer squash vines are sprawling

in every available spot.  

Thankfully, there is ample space,

and we'll see what we get by season's end.

A volunteer pumpkin near our pollinator bed

is starting to change color.

I have no idea what it is,

or how big it's supposed to get,

so I guess we'll just watch it and take our best guess

for harvest time.

Another volunteer,

near the sweet potato bed,

seems to be some type of melon.

There are quite a few fruit on the vine,

and I fear that the trellis I secured will not be enough

to hold them all.

It's so exciting to see all of this mystery food appear!

Last week, we had temperatures in the 90's,

and we took full advantage of the new

mister fans we picked up.

Here, Betty is getting some much-needed relief,

bless her skinny lil' self.

I've also used them for myself on the front porch,

not only for cooling, but to keep mosquitoes at bay.

The fan can be used without the mister, if desired.

The spiderwort border near the chicken run

had been cut back severely a couple of months ago,

as they were looking mighty raggedy.

With the ample rain we've had,

they are coming back strong.

It's so nice to have fresh blooms

when other things are looking so tired and worn out.

Speaking of fresh blooms,

the zinnias are popping up

in every shade imaginable.

The combination colors are one of my favorites.

This display is just under my bedroom window,

and it brings me such joy

when I open up my curtains in the morning

and am greeted with this beautiful sight.

It reminds me at the beginning of my day

just how blessed we are.

The cactus zinnias are another favorite

and grace our garden every summer.

The milkweed plants must be 6 feet tall,

but so far, no monarchs have been spotted.

We'll keep an eye out though,

as it should be within the next few weeks

that they will start devouring these plants.

This year, there were many volunteer milkweed,

so we have an abundant supply for the caterpillars to enjoy.

What wonderous things are happening on your homestead?

Bloomin' Tuesday-Bamboo fence

This butterfly vine was growing like gangbusters

on a bamboo tepee.

 

It started blooming again recently.

I think it gets its name because the shape of the dried blooms

resemble the flying beauties, not because it attracts them.

Recent winds toppled it

so I rethought its position.

This blue tub houses my attempt at composting,

but I really wanted to have a designated compost pile,

away from the eyes of the HOA.

The tepee was taken apart and with some remaining

bamboo not being used, this wall was created.

The twine is repurposed from our bales of pine straw mulch.

The vines wind easily around the stakes.

Blooms peek out and keep right on poppin'!

Along with creating a bit of privacy on this end of the yard,

the tepee's previous location

will contain the new compost pile.

There's always another project...

Have a lovely bloomin' day!

Tuesday Tidings-Bean Tepee

This tepee was recently moved to the backyard.

It was used for ornamental sweet potato vines

and morning glories.

Its new use will be more utilitarian.

 

We're expanding the edible garden by adding

a bean tepee.

I consulted this book

for the best type to grow in our area.

The nuts and bolts of our project.

We use what we have.

I didn't want to use stakes to anchor the fishing line,

so I tied it to old washers and buried it.

Same for these old screws.

These can be forced even further into the ground,

so I'm thinkin' they should hold pretty well.

Shhhhh, don't tell Big K that I raided his tool drawers!

Once you have the bottom part buried,

tie the fishing line to the top of the tepee.

You want it pretty tight.

Here's where the magic happens...

I bought organic seeds locally,

as the garden isn't really big enough to warrant

purchasing seeds from a catalogue.

Next house I want to go all heirlooms though.

Loosen up the soil around the base of the string or poles.

Add two or three seeds.

Cover 'em up and water 'em in.

Keep them watered for the first week or so,

until they sprout.

That...

didn't...

take long.

We're on our way to fresh beans!