I woke this morning to a light dusting of snow on the ground. It was nice to see all the animals huddled together for a bit of warmth and the few plants Charlie and Butterbean didn't manage to ravage in the garden were a bright spot of green. It seems winter is showing itself in NC again.. Although I'm sure it will be back up to 70 in a day or so!
Winter offers up a lot of time to nest. Time to plan for the seasons to come, time to ready the ground, and to clean out old piles. Those days, like today, when it's too cold to do anything productive, are good ones for reflection.. what went wrong, what should be repeated? What can be improved?
I've had a lot of changes happen in the last few months. My brother moved out, my boyfriend moved on to other things, and I've been spending a lot of time alone. This can be both a positive and a negative. I have admitted before, and will again, that it scares the shit out of me to have this much land and this many dreams in my head without someone here to help when I need to lift the other side of something too heavy. I often question what exactly it is that I'm doing, and if I should even try for something more. Maybe it would be more practical to live in a little house in town with a small garden and two chickens again? Maybe that wouldn't be as scary? But then I wake up and walk my property on a cold day like today and I stop to count my blessings. I'm fortunate to have found a little piece of Earth to call mine. I'm lucky to have the room to dream big, to build and create, to turn this place into my own little fairytale. I see asparagus shoots peeking out, bluebirds readying the new nesting box, snow on the ground, and can't help but smile.
Thank you Mike Gerken for this amazing image of Ms. Papa doing her thing!
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Winter Happenings
Last weekend it was 75 and sunny. Three days later the nighttime temperatures dropped to around 17. The weather in NC can be very up and down. We are lucky enough here at the coast to have a very long growing season but this wacky weather sure makes it confusing! And tempting! A weekend of 75 degrees makes me want to rush out and put seeds in the ground. From all the classes and readings I've done people say that's the most common mistake.. getting too excited. Getting ready for Spring a bit too early, getting seeds in the ground, and only being met with that late season frost. I'm trying to resist the urge! I started my seeds this weekend inside under lights and am waiting impatiently for those first little green spouts to show themselves. I'll put fava beans, english peas, and crimson clover seeds in the ground this weekend.
The rest of my time has been spent getting through chores to make spring easier. I'm ordering seeds, planning new garden spaces, bringing in compost, and mending fences. The rescheduled Crop Mob date is March 30. Look for more details to come out soon!
The rest of my time has been spent getting through chores to make spring easier. I'm ordering seeds, planning new garden spaces, bringing in compost, and mending fences. The rescheduled Crop Mob date is March 30. Look for more details to come out soon!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Winter Chores
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. Visiting with friends and family, enjoying a much needed break, and keeping up with winter chores has kept me busy and smiling. In between all of the festivities, I've managed to get a few things done around this place..
I've been working on the addition of permanent raised beds in the garden. The rain and soggy ground have made it difficult at times but most of the timbers are in place. My next task is to start bringing in compost to fill the beds. It will take a while before these beds are ready to plant but with time, they'll be home to more asparagus, ginger, and horseradish. The other beds are still green in a sea of brown Winter. Dinners can still include lettuce, radishes, bok choy, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, and arugula.
I'll spend the next few weeks lounging around and browsing through the new seed catalogs with dreams of Spring!
I've been working on the addition of permanent raised beds in the garden. The rain and soggy ground have made it difficult at times but most of the timbers are in place. My next task is to start bringing in compost to fill the beds. It will take a while before these beds are ready to plant but with time, they'll be home to more asparagus, ginger, and horseradish. The other beds are still green in a sea of brown Winter. Dinners can still include lettuce, radishes, bok choy, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, chard, and arugula.
I'll spend the next few weeks lounging around and browsing through the new seed catalogs with dreams of Spring!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Nesting Time!
It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is just a few days away! Is it just me, or does time go by much quicker these days? It seems I'm so rushed now after work. I tutor most days of the week and don't get home until close to 5pm so I've been going out with a headlamp to take care of feeding and other chores. I do love the time to nest inside but it makes getting anything done a real pain.
The chickens are in nesting mode as well. This time of year, with decreased hours of daylight, the ladies don't lay much at all. I've had 3 eggs this week and will be setting those aside for a Saturday morning breakfast, keeping them all for myself! Their coop is full of fresh straw to keep them warm at night and I look forward to the newer hens laying more in the Spring. I should have plenty of fresh eggs to share. Over the winter I will be researching new breeds to raise. I'd like to get a few funky chickens.. mohawks, fuzzy feet and such and hope to get started on building a new coop soon.
Charlie and Butterbean are enjoying a newly expanded paddock. Their grazing area is now doubled and they seem happy to run into their shed with full bellies every night. This is only after they get their daily treat of "All Stock", which is a molassas covered barley they love. Their winter coats are thick and full to keep them warm at night. I'm still giving thought to expanding the herd soon but don't know that I'm ready to start breeding and milking just yet.
I am beginning to think that my skills as a beekeeper are lacking, seriously. I'm trying not to be discouraged but I am just not having the best luck. I combined my two weaker hives earlier this week and it did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I was already stressed because I had to kill a queen for the first time, something I did not want to do. While looking through the weakest hive to find the queen, she managed to fall to the bottom of the hive and a lot of the few remaining bees in the colony followed her. This means they were not on the frames that I needed to move to the other hive. A long and depressing story made short, the few surviving bees from the weakest hive are now combined with the "stronger" of the two and I'm waiting for them to eat through the layer of newspaper that separates them for the time being. For those of you wondering.. when combining two hives one queen must be killed. If not, the two queens will fight and the other worker bees will also attack an unknown queen resulting in more deaths. Therefore, it's best to kill one of the queens. A layer of newspaper is placed between the two boxes. The bees from the two colonies are able to smell one another and eat through the paper over about a week period and are given time to adjust to new bees being in their territory. This lessens the likelihood of an all out bee battle. To add to all of this, I'm having to feed them sugar water still and will probably have to continue through the winter. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that these are some really tough ladies who will keep each other warm through the winter. If not, I'll be ordering even more in the Spring.
The garden is doing well. I've got tons of greens and have been eating salads as much as possible. I've had a few folks come out to pick their own but haven't had as much business as I'd hoped for. I think it adds to the experience of getting a box of garden fresh goodies if you can pick them yourselves. Busy schedules seem to always get in the way, which is exactly why I haven't been able to deliver boxes during the fall. The short days and busy work make it very difficult to get into "town" to deliver. I'm hoping folks will be up for the drive out to Mill Creek to gather their own sweet potatoes, arugula, lettuce, chard, radishes, chives, cilantro, and collards. I've already started flipping through seed catalogs for Spring and am again in love with the colors and varieties! Every year is something new.
I have been making plans for a hoop house and/or greenhouse and again, as soon as I win the lottery they will be constructed. Until then, I'm saving scraps of wood, windows, and anything else that I might be able to one day use. If you come across old windows or wood put it aside for me and I'll be more than happy to come out and get it from you.
This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy time with family and friends. Be thankful. And take a minute to think about where the food in front of you comes from. Most of America goes to the grocery store for our Thanksgiving meal. Canned pumpkin pie filling, prepackaged Turkey, and green beans in a can.... If you know your farmer, thank them for putting time and love into the food that sits on your plate. And cherish every bite.
The chickens are in nesting mode as well. This time of year, with decreased hours of daylight, the ladies don't lay much at all. I've had 3 eggs this week and will be setting those aside for a Saturday morning breakfast, keeping them all for myself! Their coop is full of fresh straw to keep them warm at night and I look forward to the newer hens laying more in the Spring. I should have plenty of fresh eggs to share. Over the winter I will be researching new breeds to raise. I'd like to get a few funky chickens.. mohawks, fuzzy feet and such and hope to get started on building a new coop soon.
Charlie and Butterbean are enjoying a newly expanded paddock. Their grazing area is now doubled and they seem happy to run into their shed with full bellies every night. This is only after they get their daily treat of "All Stock", which is a molassas covered barley they love. Their winter coats are thick and full to keep them warm at night. I'm still giving thought to expanding the herd soon but don't know that I'm ready to start breeding and milking just yet.
I am beginning to think that my skills as a beekeeper are lacking, seriously. I'm trying not to be discouraged but I am just not having the best luck. I combined my two weaker hives earlier this week and it did not go as smoothly as I'd hoped. I was already stressed because I had to kill a queen for the first time, something I did not want to do. While looking through the weakest hive to find the queen, she managed to fall to the bottom of the hive and a lot of the few remaining bees in the colony followed her. This means they were not on the frames that I needed to move to the other hive. A long and depressing story made short, the few surviving bees from the weakest hive are now combined with the "stronger" of the two and I'm waiting for them to eat through the layer of newspaper that separates them for the time being. For those of you wondering.. when combining two hives one queen must be killed. If not, the two queens will fight and the other worker bees will also attack an unknown queen resulting in more deaths. Therefore, it's best to kill one of the queens. A layer of newspaper is placed between the two boxes. The bees from the two colonies are able to smell one another and eat through the paper over about a week period and are given time to adjust to new bees being in their territory. This lessens the likelihood of an all out bee battle. To add to all of this, I'm having to feed them sugar water still and will probably have to continue through the winter. All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that these are some really tough ladies who will keep each other warm through the winter. If not, I'll be ordering even more in the Spring.
The garden is doing well. I've got tons of greens and have been eating salads as much as possible. I've had a few folks come out to pick their own but haven't had as much business as I'd hoped for. I think it adds to the experience of getting a box of garden fresh goodies if you can pick them yourselves. Busy schedules seem to always get in the way, which is exactly why I haven't been able to deliver boxes during the fall. The short days and busy work make it very difficult to get into "town" to deliver. I'm hoping folks will be up for the drive out to Mill Creek to gather their own sweet potatoes, arugula, lettuce, chard, radishes, chives, cilantro, and collards. I've already started flipping through seed catalogs for Spring and am again in love with the colors and varieties! Every year is something new.
I have been making plans for a hoop house and/or greenhouse and again, as soon as I win the lottery they will be constructed. Until then, I'm saving scraps of wood, windows, and anything else that I might be able to one day use. If you come across old windows or wood put it aside for me and I'll be more than happy to come out and get it from you.
This week, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy time with family and friends. Be thankful. And take a minute to think about where the food in front of you comes from. Most of America goes to the grocery store for our Thanksgiving meal. Canned pumpkin pie filling, prepackaged Turkey, and green beans in a can.... If you know your farmer, thank them for putting time and love into the food that sits on your plate. And cherish every bite.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Fall Happenings
I am sitting on my back porch on a beautiful Fall morning with a nice cup of coffee... I could not be happier but what is that sound??? My bees are not as happy and all I can hear is their buzzing around the yard! I went into my three hives yesterday to inspect the situation for the upcoming cooler weather. What I found is not what I was hoping for. One hive is doing great. They have plenty of honey to get them through the winter. Their numbers are strong and they are content to feed on goldenrod. The other two hives, however, are a total mystery to me. I found NO honey in either hive. They have been weak all season and I was hoping the fall bloom would strengthen them, but to no avail. I made the decision to take off the extra boxes since bees will freeze if given too much space and wax moths will come in. After taking off the boxes I noticed that the two weak hives were attacking one another. I went to bed in hopes of a resolution in the bee wars but came out to find hundreds of bees on the outside of the hives. Not a good sign. I quickly put on my gear ad replaced one of the empty boxes to give them more room. I'll watch them for a few days and see what happens. The real concern is the lack of honey. Bees need honey to eat during the cold winter months and since mine have none, I am going to have to feed them. This is not something I normally like to do since sugar water is not their natural diet but I am forced to give it a try. Without it, they will surely perish. I am keeping my fingers (and toes) crossed for a mild winter and determined bees.
My friends Kelly and Erica brought over their shiny red "Whiz Bang Chicken Plucker" and I'm going to give it a whirl today. I've always plucked chickens by hand so today will be a new experience. I've already processed most of the broilers but three chunky birds are still waddling around the coop. Today is their day. They have proven to be very tasty and at about 10 pounds each, they provide a lot of meat. I cooked one in a browning bag covered with Apple Butter and it was the tasiest chicken I've ever had. I plan to add the others to the freezer and enjoy them through the winter. I do have some Mango Chutney just needing to be enjoyed so chicken may be on the menu tonight in Mill Creek!
Charlie and Butterbean, my dwarf Nubian goats, are starting to get their winter coats and have fluffed up quite a bit. A few weeks ago Josh, Jordan, and I spent a whole day making a new paddock for them using electric wire. They have now eaten most of the green in the area. It amazes me how much they are able to clear out in only a short time. One of my students came over yesterday and just loved spending time with them. He fed them carrots, one of their favorites, and discovered that Charie will take a carrot right out of your mouth! They are entertaining and cute to say the least! I am giving more thought to breeding Butterbean so that I can venture into the world of milking but do believe I'll hold off until I've gone through a winter with them first.
The garden is alive and beautiful! I now have planted the following: 3 varieties of lettuce, swiss chard, arugula, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, chives, cabbage, spinach, kale, corn salad, leeks, onions, garlic, beets, radish, carrots, and cilantro. The first salad of fall was wonderful and I look forward to many more. I also look forward to starting up with CSA boxes again and should be able to make a full delivery in a few weeks.
On another note, my house now has a beautiful new red roof! After working for 4 days straight, it is finally done. Thank you to my amazng brother for all of his hard work. Friends also came over to pitch in and without them I'd probably still be nailing! I chose to go with Ondura roofing. It is a recycled composite material that I am very happy with. The waste was close to nothing since we were able to put it right over the one layer of shingles on the roof. The only drawback is that it takes a lot of nailing and a nailgun can't be used since there are rubber washers on each one. This was a project that has, most literally, been hanging over my head for quite a while. Now maybe I can start saving for a shiny new TRACTOR!!!!
Happy Fall to all! I'm off to kayak the Newport River today and enjoy the perfect North Carolina temperatures.
My friends Kelly and Erica brought over their shiny red "Whiz Bang Chicken Plucker" and I'm going to give it a whirl today. I've always plucked chickens by hand so today will be a new experience. I've already processed most of the broilers but three chunky birds are still waddling around the coop. Today is their day. They have proven to be very tasty and at about 10 pounds each, they provide a lot of meat. I cooked one in a browning bag covered with Apple Butter and it was the tasiest chicken I've ever had. I plan to add the others to the freezer and enjoy them through the winter. I do have some Mango Chutney just needing to be enjoyed so chicken may be on the menu tonight in Mill Creek!
Charlie and Butterbean, my dwarf Nubian goats, are starting to get their winter coats and have fluffed up quite a bit. A few weeks ago Josh, Jordan, and I spent a whole day making a new paddock for them using electric wire. They have now eaten most of the green in the area. It amazes me how much they are able to clear out in only a short time. One of my students came over yesterday and just loved spending time with them. He fed them carrots, one of their favorites, and discovered that Charie will take a carrot right out of your mouth! They are entertaining and cute to say the least! I am giving more thought to breeding Butterbean so that I can venture into the world of milking but do believe I'll hold off until I've gone through a winter with them first.
The garden is alive and beautiful! I now have planted the following: 3 varieties of lettuce, swiss chard, arugula, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, chives, cabbage, spinach, kale, corn salad, leeks, onions, garlic, beets, radish, carrots, and cilantro. The first salad of fall was wonderful and I look forward to many more. I also look forward to starting up with CSA boxes again and should be able to make a full delivery in a few weeks.
On another note, my house now has a beautiful new red roof! After working for 4 days straight, it is finally done. Thank you to my amazng brother for all of his hard work. Friends also came over to pitch in and without them I'd probably still be nailing! I chose to go with Ondura roofing. It is a recycled composite material that I am very happy with. The waste was close to nothing since we were able to put it right over the one layer of shingles on the roof. The only drawback is that it takes a lot of nailing and a nailgun can't be used since there are rubber washers on each one. This was a project that has, most literally, been hanging over my head for quite a while. Now maybe I can start saving for a shiny new TRACTOR!!!!
Happy Fall to all! I'm off to kayak the Newport River today and enjoy the perfect North Carolina temperatures.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Slow Times In The Garden
My poor, pitiful garden... Right now I have two eggplant bushes that have somehow managed to survive the flooding, and okra. Everything else rotted from the roots up. To remedy this problem, I've had lots of help building raised beds. I'm spending my days after work filling wheelbarrow loads of dirt to take over. However, even this is a problem since the yard is saturated. The wheels dig into the ground and pushing gets ten times harder.. not to mention the unsightly ruts left in the grass! For now, I just keep wheeling along and hoping to fill each box before planting time arrives!
The seedlings that I have planted are doing well. I have lots of lettuce, arugula, kale, asian greens, broccoli, and collards. The other seedlings will come from Newport Garden Center. They have a great selection right now and I always enjoy the conversation when I stop in for feed or plants. They are great folks and I'd encourage you to support your local growers!
I'm heading up to Raleigh this weekend for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Eastern Triangle Farm Tour. You can find out more information on their website at http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/. They are a great organization with lots of helpful tips and wonderful programs. I'm looking forward to touring the farms on this year's list and am secretly hoping to pet a few adorable baby goats!
For now, I'm trying my best to stay positive and looking forward to the time to plant. The rains over the last few weeks may have wiped out my summer garden but that's the wonderful thing about gardening.. you can pull up one plant and start all over again!
The seedlings that I have planted are doing well. I have lots of lettuce, arugula, kale, asian greens, broccoli, and collards. The other seedlings will come from Newport Garden Center. They have a great selection right now and I always enjoy the conversation when I stop in for feed or plants. They are great folks and I'd encourage you to support your local growers!
I'm heading up to Raleigh this weekend for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Eastern Triangle Farm Tour. You can find out more information on their website at http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/. They are a great organization with lots of helpful tips and wonderful programs. I'm looking forward to touring the farms on this year's list and am secretly hoping to pet a few adorable baby goats!
For now, I'm trying my best to stay positive and looking forward to the time to plant. The rains over the last few weeks may have wiped out my summer garden but that's the wonderful thing about gardening.. you can pull up one plant and start all over again!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Rain!!!
Due to the endless rain over the last few weeks, and more to come this week, I've decided to postpone the Crop Mob scheduled for this weekend, until a later date. My yard is a pond and the garden is even worse. I'll update everyone as soon as a new date has been set. Thanks so much to everyone who has offered to come out and help.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)