Saturday and Sunday

Saturday was spent mostly in the gardens and yard. Son and I worked during the morning to get a bed finished off for planting. I’d used it last year but, in truth, there wasn’t enough soil and composted material in it to really support plants. So, we laid down more compost, put a layer of newspapers in, then put in about 3 inches of soil. By the time we’d finished that bed it was time for lunch, so we ate frozen pizza.

Went back out after lunch and finished that bed by planting tomatoes (three kinds of heirloom tomatoes – big boy, mountain something, and black), a half dozen sweet banana pepper plants, and a short row of summer squash. I laid newspapers all over the bed, from edge to edge and right up next to the plants and the squash row. Then we added a layer of leaf mulch to the whole thing and watered it down.

In another bed, where there is plenty of soil and composted materials, I planted a half dozen cayenne pepper plants and treated them the same as the first bed. There’s room in that bed for more stuff but I wanted the hot peppers planted away from the sweet ones. Otherwise, you wind up with them all being hot! I’ll plant jalapenos in the bed with the cayenne, then probably finish it off with okra.

There is yet another bed framed up but it needs to be filled with layers of newspaper, composted material, and soil before it can be planted.

After all that, we took a couple old feed sacks out around the yard, picking up trash and debris that has blown in during the winter storms, and that Neighbor’s dog dragged up. Also, picked up any downed limbs and pruned the fruit trees. I’m afraid one of my apple trees did not survive the winter, but the others are blooming and getting leaves. I’ll be looking for a replacement apple tree soon since it takes two of them for pollination.

Supper Saturday was old fashioned mackerel patties with gravy, rice, biscuits, and baked sweet potatoes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sunday was a lazy day. Son went to a tiny town up the road to get Sunday papers so we can see about the coupons. Other than that, not a very eventful day.

Had a late breakfast of bacon, biscuits and gravy when Son got back home. then we looked through the coupon inserts to see what we could use shopping. Next weekend is payday, so I’ll do my shopping then.

Did laundry and got that hung out. It’s a beautiful, sunny, breezy day. Just right for laundry on the line.

Supper will be leftovers from last night, but without the gravy. I’ll make the leftover rice into fried rice with a bit of veggies in it.

I had thought to get out and work in the yard today, but instead decided to just chill pretty much all day. I guess I got a lazy streak in me today!

Technorati Tags: gardening,shopping

Beginning with Friday

I have the weekend off. And, I have a few plans if the weather cooperates. I did have frost on my truck when I left for work at 6 Friday morning, but the day warmed up nicely, though it was breezy.

I picked up some tomato and pepper plants Friday afternoon, so I’ll be planting them in the raised beds. I hope to also develop another bed while I’m at it. Because there is still a moderate danger of frost, I’ll use old milk jugs as hot caps for the tender plants.

The rest of the stuff I planted seems to be growing, though it’s still pretty small right now. The onions really took off so maybe soon I’ll be enjoying those fresh. I also hope to have enough to dehydrate some. I’ve been thinking about getting another 2 pounds of them to put here and there so I’ll be sure and have plenty, since they seem to be something that grows nicely here.

I also hope to start hanging laundry out again. I don’t have a dryer, so I’ve been just hanging small loads in the bathroom and turning the heater on low when the nights have been chilly.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

This and that Tuesday

I was off work yesterday and really didn’t get anything done. Well, I did a little laundry, but that’s about it. Oh, I filed my taxes. Ok, that’s really about it this time!

Son fixed supper for us last night. It was a recipe he found online so he could use some venison salami. The other ingredients were olive oil, various herbs, and garlic made into a sauce to put over spaghetti noodles, along with the diced salami. It was very tasty, having a Greek flavor to it.

I wound up having a real day off. I’m sure I needed it because I just didn’t have the willpower to get around and do much. I feel a lot better today, so I’m thinking I just needed the rest.

We put out a lot of the gardens the other day. I like using my “claw” to loosen the soil in the beds but I kind of wish it had u-shaped handles to make gripping it easier, instead of what looks like bicycle handlebars. Still, it doesn’t run on gasoline and it really does work to break up the soil and lift out clumps of grass or weeds that have tried to take over since last fall.

I worked today and got home around 6 pm. Neither of us was hungry at the time, so later we grabbed a couple pizzas out of the freezer for an easy meal when we did get hungry. I needed to eat and get into bed fairly early tonight since I have to be at work at 5:30 am Wednesday!

Technorati Tags: work,job,gardening

Gardening and weather

Last weekend was so beautiful. Warm and sunny and everything spring days should be. So nice, in fact, that we were able to get out in the garden beds and do some work there. Using a “Claw”, we loosened the soil in the raised beds and were able to plant radishes, lettuce, carrots, and 2.5 pounds of onion sets. We also planted lettuce and radishes in some hanging pots, just to see how that would work out.

The pots were given to us by a friend who had originally bought them to resell at a yard sale last year. She was tired of having them stacked up in her garage, though, so we benefitted from her desire to clean her garage and get rid of stuff. We had taken down a couple of round raised beds (kits you can get at the Big Box Store) and reused the soil and composted matter to fill several of the pots. Now to watch and see if they work out ok for a suspended garden.

This being The Natural State, naturally the weather took a turn for the worst the rest of the week. It got colder. It got rainy. Then Thursday night, it got snowy! We received about 2 inches of snow, although it was gone by the next afternoon. However, we are left with unseasonably cold temperatures, overcast skies, and chances for rain storms this weekend. I’m pretty sure the groundhog is a big fat liar! I was so hoping to be able to do some more gardening and yard work while I’m off this weekend, but it’s just too miserable outside to do anything.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Tree trimmers

Weather wise, it’s been another odd few days. It’s gone from low- to mid-twenties for overnight lows to upper 50s for daytime highs, then near 40 for an overnight low again. Maybe spring is trying to fight its way into our lives, finally.

This morning there was a knock on the door. A tree trimming service was in our driveway and the fellow informed us that they’d be trimming up the two large cedar trees near the end of our driveway, as well as a little oak tree and a couple more trees. They are cutting trees and limbs to keep them away from the power lines. This is to help prevent damage to the lines if there is another ice or snow storm.

Now, I have to say, this is probably a good thing. However, the cedars they trimmed back are now butchered looking, and didn’t go into the power line that leads to our house. They also cut some limbs off a hickory in front of our house. Those limbs, also, didn’t go to the power lines and did provide shade in the summertime for that portion of the house. No more shade there anymore, I guess.

I’ll be taking some pictures of the result of the trimming. The energy company hired them to do this, and it’s been going on all along the roadways, but I wasn’t expecting it to be right at my front door. My head knows it’s necessary, but my heart hates it anyway.

Probably the only good thing from this, to me anyway, is that they gave us a big pile of wood chips that I can use for the garden, for walkways between garden beds, or even in the chicken house. They only did this because I asked for the chips. I noticed a neighbor stopped on the road, and he was asking the very same thing – would they dump some chips at his place. They have to wait till their machine is full before they dump it, but this way it keeps it out of the landfill, at least.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Two day update

I've had two days off and they've been moderately productive.

Yesterday, I pulled all the butter bean plants and got the beans off them. A lot were dry, which is just fine. Others were still green so I'll fix them for the freezer. Pulled the last few purple hull peas, too, which were all dry.

We went around to the spots in the gardens where I could remember planting sweet potatoes. Got a few of those. I'm sure I missed some. The best ones came from the raised bed and the big planter pots I have, so that's something to remember for next year. What we got were nice big ones, though, so I was pleased about that. It was probably only about 5 pounds of them but I didn't plant very many. They were from sweet potatoes that were sprouting in the bin, so basically were free.

I boiled up 3 dozen quail eggs and put them in pickling solution. The mix has minced garlic, minced onion, vinegar, peppercorns, dill, crushed red pepper, and salt in vinegar. I put them into three half-pint jars and stored them in the fridge. We tried them tonight and they were really tasty! So tasty, in fact, that I just boiled another 77 of them to pickle. I'll process them so they'll be shelf safe. They are sitting in plain vinegar right now to dissolve the shells. That takes about 12 hours, so I'll deal with them tomorrow when I get home from work. It's a pain shelling quail eggs. lol.

I boiled up a dozen hen eggs to pickle, too. I selected the smallest ones. They'll still take more than 24 hours to be good, though. The quail eggs only take 24 hours and they are ready to eat. I've been able to sell hen eggs, but we are now getting 11 to 12 a day, so I need to not only sell them but find other good uses for them.

Today, I was walking around outside and found regular potato plants sprouted up, so we dug those. Must have been some we missed in July. There were about 2 pounds of nice size red skin potatoes, which is enough for a meal.

We took care of the animals early because I was afraid it would storm this afternoon. So far, not even a sprinkle. But it's been pretty cloudy all day and windy, so it could still roll in here. Because it could come severe storms, I have the generator set up and ready to run in case the power goes out.

Now I'm about to put ingredients in the bread machines so we can have bread. White bread tonight, then molasses raisin bread tomorrow.

Technorati Tags: gardening,quails,chickens,eggs

What happened to fall?

We started the season out with very cool temperatures, both day and night. Now, the overnight temperatures are in the 60s and the daytime highs are around 80. It's like summer is starting again.

I'm not really complaining, though. I like warmer weather and it's helped extend the growing season on my garden beds. I'm still picking beans and peas, so that's a big help. I even pulled a few carrots the other day. Those can stay in the ground all winter, so I'm not concerned about dealing with them for the freezer or canning them.

It looks like the few sweet potatoes I planted are making tubers. There won't be a lot of them, but after the vines die back, I'll dig them up and see what we've got.

Wild rabbits have taken a toll on some of my fall plantings, such as lettuce and spinach. I'm going to have to figure out some way to keep the critters out!

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Trip to Mom's

I took a little trip to visit my Mom, Sister, and Brother-in-law last weekend. I arrived there on Sunday evening, just around suppertime and stayed until Wednesday evening. I make this kind of trip once a month. My heart wants to go more often and for more days, but I have to work to pay bills which means many days away from them.

I always find rest and relaxation on the visits. I need that. My job is fairly stressful at times so I really need the down time.

While there, we went to an outdoor movie over at the college in their town. We saw "Secretariat", which is a very fine movie. I highly recommend it. The weather, though warm, wasn't unbearable. Sis provided snacks of home made trail mix and ice cold bottled water.

One night we played rounds of Skip-bo, Mom's favorite card game. It's a simple game but fun to play. Luck wasn't really with me as far as winning, but I don't even care. For me, it's more about the conversations around the table than the game itself.

Tuesday, Sis and Brother-in-law headed to another town for a visit with family members and shopping. Mom and I spent the day mostly working on a jigsaw puzzle, which we completed that evening. I enjoy the puzzles and it's something I do while there. I don't set one up at home because of lack of space but also because it's something I can look forward to while visiting them.

We did get a couple of strong storms while I was there. One woke everyone up in the wee hours of the morning with a loud clap of thunder. I'm guessing there was a lightning strike nearby, maybe in the patch of woods near Mom's house. The heavy rain was welcomed, though, as the state has been experiencing drought conditions through part of June and all of July.

When I got home, Son told me it stormed here, too. The soil is still quite damp, but that's ok. It's helping my little garden patches. The turnips, lettuce (two kinds), radishes, collards, spinach and cucumbers that I planted before I went to visit Mom are already sprouting. I planted the cukes in old hay bales and I think that's going to be a success for the fall. Beans and peas are blooming like crazy so soon I'll have those to pick. After having so much other garden stuff fry in the heat, it's good to see things growing well.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Pleasant weather

It's another lovely day here. Tolerable heat and some nice breezes make the day more comfortable. There is still a chance of rain this evening, but the fronts that have made their way through our fair state have done so much good. We've had a lot of rainfall. The last one over half filled a 2 gallon bucket that was sitting outside in the yard. I don't know how that translates in inches, since I don't have a rain gauge but it sure made my garden plots look better!

The storms did make a lot of leaves and small limbs hit the ground. I figure after all the heat and drought conditions, they were the result of weakened trees. I'll go outside in a day or two and pick it all up then toss the leaves into the compost bin and the limbs into the woods.

If it stays on the cooler side (90 degrees or so), I can get outside and finish up other projects, too, such as building a storage shed/feed room. Right now, I'm having to keep poultry and rabbit feed in the house to protect it from the elements.

I'm wanting to develop some rock-edged beds around the back of the house where there's a considerable slope. That means cutting down some scrub bushes and trees to open the area up more and hauling rocks, which we have plenty of, back there and stacking them. No way I want to do that when it's 100 degrees out!

My inspiration for that area comes from a house next to the river over near the town where the grape festival was held. Every time we've gone by that house, I've looked at their back yard where the people have put in terraced gardens, white picket fences, and yard ornaments on the slope leading to the river. It's a lovely place even though it's small and I can just imagine my back area looking something like that.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Catching up on my homestead gardens

Our weather lately has switched from viciously hot to quite pleasant but very rainy. We've had thunderstorms almost daily the past week. I'm not complaining. We desperately needed the rain and I'm very happy to see it come.

My gardens were practically fried from the heat and drought conditions. Even with frequent watering, there just wasn't any way to get away from the 100+ degree daily temperature highs, and lows in the upper 80s to mid 90s at night. It does look like I'll still have beans of several varieties and purple hull peas, though. The few sweet potatoes I planted seem to be thriving, so maybe we'll get a few meals from those. It'll be late summer or early fall before they are ready. I might even get a few ears of corn, though it is pretty stunted from the heat.

My poor tomatoes bit the dust early on in the heat, though. Next year, I'll be planning on some kind of shade for them. Squash and cucumbers were invaded by beetles that destroyed them. I don't like to use insecticides on foods we plan to eat, so I'll be shopping for diatomaceous earth (a natural, organic, and completely safe insect killer) for next year. It can also be fed to animals to get rid of worms or put on them to kill fleas, ticks, and mites.

It's about time to plant turnips, so I'll put them out where I had the potatoes planted. I'll work the dirt up a little and just broadcast them out there along with radishes and probably mustard for a mixed greens plot. Because I don't want them to be too crowded, I'll mix the seeds in with some sand and dirt, then toss that around.

I'll also clear a couple of the garden beds and put out fall radishes and lettuce. I have a lot of buttercrunch lettuce seeds and some black seeded simpson seeds, so I'll create three small salad beds. It's been our experience that we can pick lettuce, radishes, turnips, and carrots well into the winter months.

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Seed exchange

I am really looking forward to the seed exchange next weekend. I've never been to one, so I asked by email what would be good to bring along. It was suggested that I get small coin envelopes. So, Monday I'll be shopping for those at a wholesale store in the town where Mom lives.

It's supposed to storm Monday, so I hope we get get down there and back before it hits. I really don't want to be on the roads in stormy weather, and I doubt Sis does either.

If I can't get the coin envelopes here, then I'll just check in Big Town at the office supply stores to see if they have them. Even though it's a seed exchange, I don't actually have seeds to exchange this year. They are looking for heirloom varieties. I hope to have some by next year, though.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Dreaming of a mowerless lawn

I generally love to spend most of my time outside. Weather permitting, my days off are largely spent out in the yard, even if all it amounts to is me sitting on my front porch with my laptop.

While some people dream of a 5.1 home theatre system, I dream of a yard crowded with growing things, garden beds, flowers, herbs, and vegetables. I wish I could convert my whole yard into nothing but gardens and walkways.

Maybe, given time, I will finally be able to do just that. It's not something I can do in a day, but I can add projects as I go to create the kind of yard I really want -- one that doesn't require mowing!

Technorati Tags: gardening

Chilly spring weather

Ok. So just where is spring? We got a hint of it last week, but this week it's been overcast, rainy, foggy, and downright chilly every day.

I know we'll turn the seasonal corner soon enough, but I can actually remember years past where we got a snowfall or a hard freeze before Spring finally had her way with the weather. Winter just doesn't seem to want to turn loose this year.

I keep a close eye on predicted temperatures in case I have to go cover any of the tender plants that are starting up in the gardens. Speaking of gardens, I'm only partly finished with working on them and setting them up. Why? Rainy weather has held me up, of course.

I suppose it will all come together eventually, won't it?

Technorati Tags: gardening,weather

Had Monday off

I was able to get out and do a little gardening again yesterday, since it was sunny. I wanted to get outdoor things done before I had to put on the brakes for another few days of rain. Since I live on a hill and some of my stuff is planted in containers or raised beds, drainage isn't a problem here.

I got a lot of laundry washed and hung out, too. I think I use hanging clothes out as an excuse to be outside, but it works.

I haven't done a lot except work lately, and it seems to make me more tired these days. Part of it is the pollen in the air, making me sneeze and sniffle a lot. Part of it is just the fact that I'm on my feet for so many hours. My supervisor has begun reducing the number of days I work, which is the way I want it. Not as much money, but I have enough home time now and time for rest.

Technorati Tags: gardening,work

Gardening update

Son and I spent a lot of time outside today, since it was so beautiful. I only just a few minutes ago turned my computer on!

We raked and trimmed and planted. We filled containers with the topsoil and potting soil that I had left, amending it all with compost and manure. There are still containers to fill and an area out front where I want to start a "lasagna garden", so I'll need to get more topsoil and potting soil. I have enough manure and compost already.

Today, I planted:

• cabbage
• broccoli
• garlic
• onions
• radishes
• beets
• carrots

In the coming weeks I'll plant:

• cucumbers
• all kinds of tomatoes
• all kinds of peppers
• squash
• corn
• several kinds of beans
• cantaloupe
• watermelon

It's all going to be intensive gardening methods so I can get the most out of the space I have. I'll do some companion planting, which I started on today with a few items. I still need to get herbs and plant them to add dimension to all these organically grown veggies.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Spring fever

I haven't posted in a few days, I know. Mainly, I've just been working although Son and I did get outside a few days ago and mixed some soil for some of the garden containers. I'm collecting the 5 gallon oil jugs from work, cutting one side out, then binding them together with zip ties to create some containers for gardening.

By placing them side by side, then joining another group together and tying them all together, I have created, so far, a planting arrangement that's got 16 jugs in it. As I go along, I can create more of these and already have 7 or 8 more oil jugs ready to go. These are free and after the side is cut out of each one, it's just a matter of rinsing them out well.

If the weather would ever cooperate, I'd take a picture of the arrangement and share it with you. We've had a lot of rain, and some storms, the past couple of weeks which has prevented me from doing much outside. I have some seedlings that can be put out and covered with plastic to protect them, though. Broccoli, cabbage, and a few other cold weather plants can go out anytime now.

I stopped by a local small store and picked up 5 lb. of seed potatoes. Those need to go in the ground very soon if I expect to have potatoes by mid-summer. Other seedlings I have will need to wait for warmer weather, but by then I should have everything set up just the way I want it.

I'm off work tomorrow, and the sun is supposed to be shining, so maybe I can really get some gardening done then!

Technorati Tags: gardening

Beautiful Wednesday

It's been a lovely day today. I got outside and hung laundry to dry, which is a favorite activity of mine. I also roamed around the yard, checking out the garden beds and planning where to put new ones.

Now it's time to get ready for work. I close tonight. I'd much rather stay here and get some gardening done, though.

Tomorrow, I'll head to Mom's house, about 80 miles northeast of here. I'll be there for a nice 4 day visit, returning on Sunday for Son's birthday. Mom's birthday will be this week, too.

I'm really looking forward to the days there. I am able to relax a little more and not have to worry about work at all. During the visit, we'll eat out at a place Mom loves. I'll have my hair cut again. (It's time for that.) Sis said there's a big yard sale on Saturday, so I'm eager to see what's offered there.

Sunday evening, I'll take Son out for a birthday dinner. It will be his choice of restaurants, and I bet he chooses the Japanese one in Big Town. I could be wrong, but I know it's one of his favorite places because of the sushi. Now, sushi isn't something I enjoy at all, but it's not my birthday. They do have other delicious foods, though, such as the grilled salmon.

Technorati Tags: gardening,birthday

Gardens and dogs

Ok, what has happened to the weather? It was warming up pretty nicely and now it's only about 43 degrees. I thought it was supposed to be warmer than that today!

I know it will warm up eventually, though. I went ahead and planted two kinds of lettuce in one of my raised beds -- Black Seeded Simpson and Buttercrunch. Both do pretty well and I think they will germinate and grow just fine, as long as the neighbor's dogs stay out of the beds. I'm thinking I need to surround each raised bed with some low chicken wire to discourage them.

They were keeping them put up all the time, but now I've noticed they are more lax about it and the dogs are once again running loose, especially late at night. That's when they bark at everything that moves, and also when they dig stuff. I wish I could afford a fence all the way around the place to keep them out of my yard!

Always the optimist, though, I'll continue planting all I can, when I can. I hope I don't have to talk to the neighbors myself. Son-in-law already spoke to them about this matter, I think.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Dirty fingernails

I get dirt under my fingernails...and I love every minute of it! Of course, it has to do with gardening. I'm sure you already figured that out. The fresh air is good for me, as is the exercise of digging in the dirt and hauling compost to the raised beds.

I'm way past ready for spring here. I've got cucumber seeds sprouting in my mini-greenhouse already. I just need to get out and fix a good place for them to grow when planting time comes. I've got several varieties of veggie seeds ordered and they should come in any day now. I'll put some of them in the mini-greenhouse to get an early start. Others can be sown directly into prepared beds later in the spring.

I'll be expanding my front yard gardens so that I can have a lot more produce this summer. I don't mind getting dirty and sweaty outside when I'm working toward something this worthwhile. Of course, I may have to learn how to get rid of blackheads with all the dirt and sweat I'll have on me, but I figure just scrubbing up with a good goat milk soap should do the trick.

Technorati Tags: gardening

Early garden beginnings

Yes, gardening is in the air...at least, somewhat. I have some seeds started in a starting tray. Today, I picked up some onion sets and will get them in the ground, a few at a time, over the next few days.

I'll space them out so that every couple of weeks, I'm planting more so I should be able to have green onions, then maybe some bigger onions, over the course of time instead of all at once.

Soon, I'll be looking for herb plants. I've never had much luck growing herbs from seeds for some reason. Anyway, I'll replace all my mints, the sage, and anything else that was either mowed down last summer or that the neighbor's dogs dug up.

I want to get some lavender growing well so I can add it to my home made beauty products like creams and maybe even some soaps. Of course, I grow culinary herbs as well. Nothing is more delicious in home cooked food than home grown herbs.

Technorati Tags: gardening,herbs