Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to a lazy, summer dazey Garden Friday.

The critters don't seem affected much by the heat of the season.

As for this gardener, I get out early

and spend most of the afternoon inside. 

The swallowtails have been visiting in full force.

The corn is coming along.

This is a first-time crop for me,

so it's very exciting to see any little changes!

 

 

This week, a handful of Jacob's Cattle beans 

were harvested.

They will be saved for next year's planting,

and hopefully, we'll get a few more to actually eat.

Aren't they just spectacular?

 

 

 

A couple of trays of herbs and flowers were sown.

Everything I plant is protected from squirrels

(and our resident chipmunk)

using welded wire. 

We were graced with 1/2 inch of rain this week,

for which I am sincerely thankful.

 

 

We have a lovely array of zinnia colors this year.

 

 We also have a few creatures that are sleeping the day away.

 

Not everyone is a slacker though.

There are plenty of pollinators doing their work.

 

 

This is the old oak tree that was taken down a few years ago.

It seems that fungi enjoy hanging around here.

This is the spot where wood chips have gotten dumped,

and I'm wondering if that lends itself to the mushrooms growing.

The chooks are enduring the heat as best they can.

It seems that the Golden Comets handle it the best.

I'm not sure if that is a trait of the breed,

or simply because they are a bit younger than the others.

They have been a wonderful addition to our homestead.

 

Life is Better with Chickens!

 

 

 

 

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to Garden Friday,

where we share what's growing in our Piedmont Zone 7b garden.

 

We picked and sampled our first cantaloupe this week.

What a thrill to bring this from seed to table.

The taste was mildly sweet,

but I'm still calling this a victory.

There are many more melons on the vines.

 The Blue Hubbard squash has set fruit

and I am hoping that we get to harvest it 

in the coming months.

This is a new-to-me crop,

and considering that none of my Candy Roasters germinated,

being able to eat something squash related will be a treat.

 

We do have a couple of peppers ripening

and when they turn orange, red or yellow they will be picked.

Peppers are so much sweeter when they are anything but green.

 

The volunteer squash (I think these are birdhouse gourds)

under the tree canopy continues to do well

with very little attention from me.

Can't wait to see what they turn out to be!

 

One of our watermelons is looking mighty fine

and getting me excited that we may actually be successful with this one!

(The mesh bags are tied onto the cattle panel trellis

to keep the fruit from dropping to the ground.)

 

The pollinator garden is exploding with blooms

and the bees and butterflies are eatin' it up!

The tithonia has filled in well

and it is still one of my favorite blossoms.

 

Something, it appears, has been lying down in one of our clusters of rudebekia,

but I can't think of what it might be.

Our irises also have this compressed state,

but in that location, it would be easy for something like a rabbit

or something similar to reach.

Hmmm, the mystery goes on.

 

This week, we were able to pick up a load of organic straw

for next year's garden.

We grow not only in raised beds and containers,

but in straw as well.

Construction will begin this fall on frames

in which to place the bales,

as this season, they collapsed fairly quickly.

Hopefully, the frames will extend their longevity.

 

One of the bales was shared with the chooks.

They enjoy scratching through it

to see if there are any seeds or bugs to savor.

It gives them something interesting to do,

which prevents boredom, 

which can lead to fussing and fighting.

Every few days, I rake it back up into a pile,

and it's like a new toy to them.

Life is better with chickens.

 

An orbital spider was spied on the canna stalks.

These good guys (and gals) help control the insect population,

and their webs are absolutely fascinating.

 

 

There is no shortage of bees in our garden beds.  

Behold...

 

Even the compost pile is gettin' prettied up,

with the addition of morning glory flowers.

Everything wants to bloom

during these dog days of summer.

How are things going in your summer garden?

Garden Friday

 

Greetings and welcome to another edition of

Garden Friday!

We're sharing what's growing in our Piedmont Zone 7b garden.
 

 

With a couple of nice rainfalls,

our crops are moving forward.

Here, some melons begin to set fruit on the female flowers.

 

The okra in the straw bale definitely doubled in size this week.

We have more seedlings to add to other bales.

This is the Clemson Spineless,

but we will be transplanting a few of the Bradford Family variety.

 

The bees managed to stay hydrated this week,

and found our new chook waterers helpful.

 

Our largest pumpkin plant is now flowering

and looking very healthy.

No babies found yet on the flowers,

but it should happen soon.

 

The Jacob's Cattle beans are filling out nicely.

They are also called Appaloosa beans,

as they resemble the pattern on those beautiful steeds.

The goal is to have dry beans,

so these will be left on the plant until they completely dry out.

 

The mystery squash is probably the healthiest plant in the garden.

It decided to grow underneath one of the straw bales,

and it looks like nothing will slow it down!

 

Cucumbers were spied on several plants,

so it looks like I'll be making refrigerator pickles

and cuke salads all summer long.

No complaints from me!

 

Our garlic was harvested last weekend.

The crop yielded about 80 heads,

but many were quite small.

It's drying or "curing" in the garage for another week.

 

My order has already been placed 

for garlic seed to plant in the fall.

Our harvest lasts us an entire year.

 

Once the garlic was pulled,

we were able to put in our sweet potato slips.

We grew these from organic sweet potatoes found at the grocery store.

It looks like someone discovered how good the leaves are,

as several plants disappeared the day after they were planted.

 One of the areas around the two south raised beds

was providing me with too much work in the way

of weed management.

It seemed like a good time to put down

these huge cardboard boxes to suppress all that nonsense.

Wood chips will be added on top.

 

Summer is right around the corner,

and the sunflowers tell the story!

Our pollinator bed is filling in with 

all sorts of beauties.

 

One of my momma's favorite flowers were glads.

This and several others were planted here before we came.

It's almost like Mimi was waiting for us.

vitex

The vitex is starting to bloom 

and the bees are all over it!

There is also a mockingbird nest in its branches.

We are blessed with so much nature around us.

What's happening in your garden?

Garden Friday

 

 

Welcome to the first Garden Friday of the New Year!

After weeks of mild weather,

'Ole Man Winter has come back and it looks like

He's here to stay! 

Amazingly, the other day we got 3" of rain overnight!

Sure hoping that helps our deficit.

It also snowed for exactly five minutes one day this week.

Who can predict the weather anymore?

 

With the temperature fluctuations,

it's no wonder the asparagus is confused.

I sampled several stalks that popped up 

and they were delicious!

Looking forward to a spring harvest.

 

The mint behind the chicken run is waking up.

I'd love to get into the habit of picking it and drying it for tea.

This crop was already here when we bought the house five years ago.

 

The carrots don't seem to mind the changes in the weather.

They keep company with beets in this bed

and just keep rolling right along.

I've decided I need to grow more carrots

since I discovered how good fermented carrots taste.

 

Nothing affects the garlic and parsley.

I was able to harvest quite a bit of parsley,

so it was washed, chopped and added to a freezer container

for use in all kinds of dishes.

The garlic is due for picking in May. 

It will grow substantially once spring comes around.

 

The blueberry plants are budding,

so I'm not sure if that will affect production.

This will be our first year with these plants,

as they were installed last spring.

Hopin' for bowls o' berries!

 

 Our sweet next door neighbor gifted us with two varieties of azaleas.

They both get quite tall, 

so I'll have to be careful about where they are transplanted.

 

 

 It's unbelievable, but the California poppies

are still looking gorgeous all through these cold snaps.

They have really filled out since they were seeded here in the spring.

 

The yarrow, as well, seems so cold tolerant.

This is one of the best plants for pollinators,

and I think more will be added to the property.

 

I worked on a new and improved version of our suet feeders,

by adding two side pieces of scrap wood,

to keep the suet from falling out.

They are working like a charm,

except that the one hung in front of the kitchen window

was knocked down and half of it was hauled away, 

no doubt by some rascally squirrels.

Ah well, back to the drawing board!

We are still getting no eggs, 

so I think that means that these girls

are just freeloading from now on.

Whatchagonnado?

They are part of the family now,

so they'll be here until their time comes.

 

How's your winter garden coming along?