Walk About

Just some photos to show how the weekend on Sunflower Hill went.

I love hanging clothes on the line! It is one of the best things about summer. In my opinion, anyway. I don't hang clothes in the winter because the dryer helps to heat the house. In the summer, hanging clothes drastically helps to reduce electricity usage and from undue heat entering the house. I even hate to use the oven in the heat of the summer.  I can't wait to get to hang little cloth diapers soon!

I cut all of the wood for the bean/squash arbors on Friday evening and put them all in stacks to make assembly easier.

  The big garden is hiding behind the clothes line.












Of course, where ever I am, the boys are not far behind.

 It doesn't look like much at the moment, but I have high hopes for my garden! I'm already excited just thinking about it.











One of the first little tomato flowers! MmMmM Fresh heirloom tomatoes are in my future.

 I tied all of the tomato plants up to the trellis this morning before I watered the garden. I just used ripped up pieces of some old t-shirts Keegan had outgrown. I tried two ways of tying them. Some I made a loose loop around the plant under a sturdy branch and attached it to the fence. On some of the taller ones I attached the tie to a lower part of the stalk, looped it around the plant a few times up the stalk and then attached the tie to a higher part of the fence. I'm curious to see if one way works better than the other. Some of the lower leaves, especially on the smaller plants, are still showing signs of flea beetle damage. I hand killed all that I saw on the plants while tying them. I didn't see anymore caterpillars or damage from them.

A new little sunflower peeking through the soil.

Beautiful broccoli and peppers all in a row.

Happy little cucumber plant. This is one of the few that came up with the first planting. I have spied a couple smaller ones coming up from the second planting. No cantaloupe yet, though. I'm still hoping. I love melons and have been craving them!

This is where I planted the corn and pumpkins. I spotted a single corn leaf peeking through the soil this morning. Hopefully its friends will join it soon. The guineas like to check out what I'm doing when I take walk abouts. They always keep their distance and never bother anything in my garden though. I wish the turkeys would take some lessons in manners from them.

 Until the herbs I planted inside are ready to be transplanted outside, and I manage to get the herb bed turned and prepared, this is my little herb garden on my back steps. Complete with oregano, rosemary, and lavender. I also have a couple of flowers simply because they make me happy. Thankfully the chickens haven't eaten them yet. I sorely miss having fresh basil. I have lots started inside!


This is why I'm in such a hurry to get my bean/squash arbors built. These are the seedlings I am keeping safe in the spare hoop coop tractor. The beans are already looking for something to climb, and the squash will begin vining soon too. I'm worried that transplanting them will hurt their roots if I don't hurry.

 My serenity garden is starting to really come alive. The irises have gone, but the day lillies are blooming now, soon to be followed by the Easter lillies.

 And again, the boys are not far behind...











Meanwhile, in the other hoop coop tractor the babies are doing great. Always happy as long as they are fed and they love to be moved to fresh grass everyday. They make happy chirpy sounds and search feverishly for any bug that is in their new found area.

 My blueberry jungle. I don't think they have ever grown and taken over quite like this. I had to tie some of them up to train them to grow in the right direction this weekend. While I was at it I staked and tied up the peach and fig trees.








Yummy, yummy, blueberries! Not quite ready yet, but soon.

My little peach trees.

I'm so excited about my peaches! There are 20 or so on this tree. I waiting with bated breath to see if they make it long enough to ripen. I have found a couple smaller peaches on the ground under the tree. Apparently the tree couldn't handle that many and dropped a few. The blueberry bushes do the same thing.

The bean/squash arbors got their final coat of paint this morning. They have been drying for a while but the plan is to do the final assembly this afternoon. We shall see what happens. I had hoped to get them done by now and have been working on them for days. Keegan spent the weekend with a friend so he wasn't here to help me. I never realize how much I rely on his help until he isn't here. I was lost without him! Even going to the grocery store was more difficult without his help. He is back now. Presently, laying in the floor playing with the new chicks and turkey poults that have hatched over the last couple of day. They are promised to a friend and should be going home with her in the next couple of days. We love them while we have them though. :)