Heat.....

It is hot! Yes... I know I live the deep south. That tends to happen. In all honesty, it isn't as hot as it could be. It just feels that way. The humidity is ridiculous. I feel like I could swim across the yard when I step out the door. It feels like it is 105F every day, even when the temperature only gets in the low to mid 90's. I'm sure being over 39 weeks pregnant doesn't help me feel any cooler. Yes, I'm still waddling about. Baby Liam is in no hurry to get here, despite my doing everything I can think of to get things started. Brad says that it is further proof that I have good genes and that it is evolution in the works. It doesn't make me feel much better at the moment. In the meantime...

I got out my seed stash today. It is about time to start planting fall crops. While they were out I sorted things to figure out what seeds I need more of, and what I wanted to change up. I am definitely changing cucumber types. The ones I have used for the last 2 years have succumbed to some kind of wilt or mold too quickly to make it practical to keep planting them. I went ahead and picked out which seeds I am hoping to get, but haven't sent the order yet. I may go ahead and start some seeds inside later this evening. At the moment I am doing this in between working on finishing dinner. Mmmm Meatloaf, mac & cheese from scratch, and baked corn. I'm hungry!

Maybe I will manage to get some seeds planted in the garden in the next couple of days. The cucumbers are completely gone. The tomatoes will soon follow. They are looking worse every day, but are still ripening what tomatoes are left on the vines. Mostly egg yolks. The peppers have gone crazy! I am getting more jalapenos than I could possibly find something to do with. I have been doubling up on bell peppers in everything that I cook to try to use them up rather than freezing or canning them like I really need to be doing. Yes... I'm being lazy. Speaking of lazy, I have been letting the beans go. I really need to pick them but I may just let them go to seed. I have canned 2 batches of them. I think I got 9 pints in the last batch. Not a lot but something for the winter.

The pigs are doing well. They STILL haven't figured out how to work the waterer. Bless their little piggy hearts. Maybe at some point they will work out how to push the button.

I have just been keeping their wallow full and pushing the button myself to let the cup fill every time I am out there.

I let them out of the hog ring last night. They managed to make it until this afternoon before they escaped from the garden. The dogs were going crazy so I went out to check on things to find both piglets standing in the front yard. I called them and walked toward the garden and they followed me. After I unplugged the fence I grabbed a scoop of feed and the male pig immediately ran through the fence and started happily eating. The female was less willing to get near the fence. Luckily I already introduced them to the incredible edible egg.

They will do anything for eggs. She paced back and forth, squealing loudly, for a few minutes but once I raised the fence wire so she didn't have to step over it she ran through after some eggs I tossed on the other side of the fence. The fence is now functional again and they are on the right side of it. I sure hope they stay in now. It will be really bad if they get out while I am in the hospital and there is nobody here to realize it. If they don't learn to respect the fence they will have to go back in the ring. Brad is supposed to bushhog tomorrow so I can start putting their big fence up. They have just about cleared that section of garden and it won't be easy to keep them in when there are so many more tasty things to root around for on the other side of the fence. Maybe after my doctors appt tomorrow afternoon. We shall see. If only it isn't too hot...

Goings On ... and Sunflowers!

 Today while I was in the garden tending to things and picking veggies Brad came out and took beautiful pictures of my sunflowers which have started blooming over the last couple of days. These are Titan sunflowers. The others didn't make it. Partially thanks to the armadillo that kept digging in that area, and partially simply because of poor soil I think. Even these didn't get as big as they should have before blooming. They sure are pretty though. Sunflowers are my FAVORITE! The bees seem to be enjoying them too!

 I had to straighten some of the sunflowers, along with some corn. Some of the peppers had to be tied up and the tomato row fence reinforced. It has been raining for the last couple of days, and will continue for the next week or so. The wind during storms, coupled with the water logged soil, has been causing plants to topple. The tomato row is simply getting too heavy. Next year I need to put more t-posts in spaced closer together to support the heavy plants and fruit. Also, next year I only need to plant a couple of egg yolk plants. They produce a ton of small tomatoes, but we don't use them as much and they take garden space away from the larger tomato producing plants. Next year will contain primarily Cherokee purple and Amish paste tomatoes. Maybe a couple new varieties.. just because I can't help myself when it comes to buying seeds. only a few will be aded to sample if that is the case though. I probably need to add another entire row of tomatoes so I will be more likely to have enough to can next year. I love the taste of Brandywine tomatoes but those plants seem to be the most susceptible to issues and either die or not produce fruit. Very few Brandywines survived long enough to make it to the garden, most of the ones that did died shortly after planting, all but a couple immediately started showing signs of blight, and those ones were the plants that I found nearly all of the caterpillars on causing destruction this year. Now, the caterpillars could be a coincidence, but I also wonder if they are perhaps more tasty or less caustic than the other plants? Regardless, I have harvested a single pink tomato this year, and while huge and delicious, it is not worth the massive amount of space taken up. This has happened every year I have planted them and I have to just decide that they don't do well in this area and move on. The Cherokee purples are delicious too, and much more productive and sturdy plants that I have had good luck with. I have already saved seed from a massive amish paste, and quite a few perfect egg yolk tomatoes for next year. I still need more amish paste when I get some more perfect specimens to collect seed from, and a lot from the cherokee purples. I keep getting overly excited and eating them all before I collect seed from them...

The tomatoes and cucumbers are starting to produce well. I'm still not getting enough of either to can though. I'm ready to make pickles and relish! There are tons of little cucumbers on the vines, which are taking over my pathways, but I never seem to find many perfect sized fruits. A few of those and a few gigantic ones which the chickens and turkeys really enjoy as a treat when it gets hot. The jalapenos were really full of peppers today! All of the pepper plants are getting massive. Granted they are in raised beds (1-1.5 ft) but they are almost shoulder level with me and I am almost 5'10". I am excited to say that I have harvested 4 perfect zucchini! Those plants have grown to massive proportions too and haven't succumbed to vine borers yet. A basket of green beans have been coming in every other day too. I made green bean casserole last night (one of keegan's favorites). Next year I need to plant more so I can pressure can some for winter. We just aren't getting enough for a canner load. I may start doing a couple of quarts at a time though.

I have been more and more disappointed recently about the prospect of not having pigs this year. Aside from the very end when the pigs were really big and getting a bit aggressive (and I was miserable because of severe morning sickness and didn't have the strength to deal with them) having pigs was a joy! I love having pigs on the homestead. They are so full of spirit and it is nice to have something to eat all of the scraps (not just being picky like the poultry). I also love having such high quality pork in the freezer. My Father in-law asked my BIL to raise some this year instead of me since I am expecting soon. He was trying to make my life easier. I was surprisingly saddened by this, and became more and more disappointed as the time went on. I talked to my MIL yesterday and asked if my BIL had gotten the pigs yet. She said that they hadn't been picked up yet because the pig enclosure had not been prepared yet. I eagerly told her that I would take them again! All I need is a new fence charger, as Brad has been unable to fix ours. Putting up electric fencing is extremely easy, and I have a section of unplanted garden that can be sectioned off to train them to the fence while I fence off the rest of the pig area. She said she would let my FIL know. I may be raising the family pigs again this year! I even woke up excitedly making plans to prepare for them before I even opened my eyes. I am so excited! Hopefully I will still feel that way over the next month or two. Liam is due in 5 weeks. Keegan is also going back to school in around 3 weeks and Brad about a week and a half later so they won't be here to help as much. We shall see. I still can't help but to look forward to the prospect. Pigs really are such easy creatures to care for when they are on pasture.

Bounty

This is today's bounty! I went out to the garden with a single gallon sized bucket and ended up having to come back in to unload the bucket, and a my shirt which was also overflowing with veggies. They were encroaching on Liam's space and he was kicking the cucumbers. Then I went out after beans and peaches. All the while Keegan was picking blueberries. Quite a few of those berries are soon destined to be the filling of a pie. Brad brought me home ice cream just for the occasion. First I have to make calzones with the pizza dough that is currently overflowing from the bread maker. It takes a lot of hard work, but I am definitely feeling blessed.

Photo Heavy Early July Garden Update

I've gotten behind in my posts again. Partially because I have been busy. Partially because I have been tired and very pregnant. But mostly because I feel like a broken record in every post just updating on things. I looked back at the pictures from the last couple of posts and am amazed at how much things have grown! If nothing else, it will help me in the future to see how things progressed at this part of the year in the past.

Elliot was helping to show off my beautiful little Rose of Sharon bush. It was a twig when I planted it a couple of years ago and now it is so big and covered in flowers. It sets outside my front living room window and the bright blooms still surprise me every time I glance that direction. I even saw a little hummingbird eating from one the other day.

No walkabout would be complete without my boys circling at my feet.

I finally got my serenity garden weedeated and mulched! Every time I mow I get through there, but I have put off weedeating all summer because my battery life is at a premium and usually reserved for the veggie gardens. This was a 4th of July project while Brad bush hogged the outer property. Everything looks so nice now! We celebrated by watching fireworks that evening at the park with Brad's family, which is a tradition that I love! This photo was taken several days after I mulched and surprisingly most of it was still where I put it. I sprinkled an entire canister of cayenne pepper on top of it after I watered it down to deter the chickens and turkey hens from scratching it all back up. Apparently it worked!

The fig trees have little figs on them. I'm still new to figs and not sure what to do with them once they ripen. I will have to remedy that before these two trees get much bigger and start producing enough fruit to need to be worried about. Right now there are probably 15 on each tree, most of which the birds will probably get to before me.

The rooster coop is starting to empty out. Only because I have had no choice but to release all of them except the two white bullies and the three silkies that can hold their own. The other roos are roaming the property for the time being. Processing will happen very soon. I have never had such an aggressive batch of roosters! And the agressive ones are easter eggers! They are usually so nice! Those two white ones are nasty fellas though. I won't miss them one bit.

While checking out the chicken coop the sun started shining through the clouds onto my little front yard. So pretty! I was checking out Tabby, the bourbon turkey hen that was nesting in the bottom of the run. Something stole her eggs one by one until a few days ago she had none left and is back with the flock. Tallow, my slate hen that made a nest in the wild about a month ago, has not been seen since. I think it is about time to assume the worst. Poor Yellow has no ladies left and is the lone blue turkey.

My garden is really starting to fill out. I wish I could get pictures of the whole thing that really did it justice.

The pepper plants are getting huge. They must be 3.5ft tall. I have harvested a few jalapenos but no bell or pepperoncini peppers yet. Soon though. There are little baby peppers growing all over! There are also volunteer watermelon vines growing under them at intervals.

I can't believe how much the cucumber row has filled out! I replanted that row three times and was worried that I would have no cucumbers. They are taking over now! Every day when I walk through the garden I turn each of the vines trying to grow into the walkways around to grow back toward the middle. They are still escaping their rows.

I have been harvesting about 2 a day for the last week. There are so many flowers and little cucumbers everywhere! If things don't change drastically in the immediate future I should be able to make pickles soon! I'm afraid to get too hopeful quite yet because it is amazing how fast things can change in the garden.

The background in this picture is a good example. That is where my broccoli plants were up until a few days ago. They were getting big and pretty and then the other evening when I went in there they were being completely swarmed by writhing caterpillars. The leaves were destroyed and the only way to keep them from moving on to the rest of my tasty garden was to remove them. Keegan was my hero and cut them all immediately and disposed of them. On a happier note, in the foreground is the other end of my cucumber row where my watermelon vines are also happily  spreading and flowering.

My beautiful little Egg Yolk tomatoes have been ripening, a few at a time, for a little over a week. They are so little, but so full of flavor! I have been making a nightly cucumber and tomato salad with these little guys.

The bottoms of some of the tomato plants are starting to look a bit sickly. Hopefully I get a lot of tomatoes before they really succumb to anything too severe. Look at the size of these amish paste tomatoes! Last years were small even on the roma side of tomato sizes. These are softball sized and not even ready to ripen yet. Baker Creek seeds are amazing. These guys are on the end of the row which has the worst soil too. The vines are over 7 feet tall and are starting to fall over the opposite side of the rows. Impressive.

The first Cherokee purple tomatoes to start showing some color! I promptly picked these after taking this picture. They are on my table ripening.

This is what happens if I don't get to the low lying ones in time. Naughty naughty chickens! They take bites out of every tomato they can reach and they jump to reach higher ones. Brad has been unable to fix my fence charger. On the positive side, I haven't seen nearly as many insects on the plants as I would have expected. I mainly credit the guineas for that though. They patrol my garden without scratching up mulch or eating plants. They just grab every bug they see and move on. It makes me nervous to even state that my tomatoes are doing well for risk of them being smited. Please spare my tomatoes!

My sunflowers are looking very happy! Well... this side of the row. The other side must really have terrible soil even after amending. I will have to really make more of an effort to fertilize that area this fall. This side of the row already has flower buds appearing. The plants are around 4 ft tall and I am hoping they continue growing! They are supposed to reach around 12 feet.

The Indian corn is getting tall too. The pumpkins haven't spread as much as I had hoped, but the ones that are still up are looking healthy.

I was trying to capture how tall that pear tree in the center has gotten. It is easy to see in person but my sad broken camera just can't seem to do it. The tallest branch is at least 18 feet tall! And I may be under guessing that figure just to be safe.

Here are my beautiful bean/squash arbors! I am in love with them. The little beds that they are growing in are still mostly unplanted and being neglected. The logs are starting to rot away and I still haven't replaced them. That may be a project for next spring.

This bed is an exception. This is the arch that was most recently assembled and put in the bed. The beans were a later planting and are just barely visible in the picture. What I am most proud of here are the huge zucchini plants! The plants are bigger than I have ever grown them. They have some flowers on them, but no fruit yet. I will be happy if I get just a few zucchini before they succumb to squash vine borers like they always do. I love zucchini!

I can't wait until all of the arches are covered. I think it will be so pretty.

This Rattlesnake Pole Bean arch is already covered. It is so pretty to stand under. Always shady, even in the heat of the day. All of the little beans hang through to top and are so easy to pick. This actually makes picking beans an enjoyable experience. Not usually the case, in my opinion.

The beans really seem to be enjoying climbing the arch. Very little encouragement on my part was needed. I just wrapped the little vines around the first layer of wire to get them started. That was primarily because the arch was placed after the vines had grown that tall. I imagine that if they seeds were planted under the arch to begin with they would have found their way up from the very beginning.

The butternuts are doing amazing as well! They require a bit more training, but not much. Every day when I go out I just poke any vines that have grown through to the other side of the wire, back and forth each time they grow a few inches. It just takes a couple if minutes. Some of the vines have reached the top of the arch and there are at least 8 good sized squash growing.

 This is a single volunteer gourd vine that found its way to this bed. It is taking over despite my effort. I keep pulling it down from the sides of the fencing and throwing it back on top of itself. If it doesn't stop crowding my beans I may have to pull it up completely. Who would have thought that a gourd could be invasive?!

The peaches look, and smell, amazing! There aren't nearly as many left as there were. The fire ants keep climbing the tree and boring into the unripe fruit.

 I did manage to find a perfectly ripened peach. I ate it on the spot. Heaven. Since then I have managed to find another. I need to go check them today and see if I can scavenge any more before the stupid ants get to them.

My haul wrapped around my big pregnant belly. This is average for what I have been bringing in every other day. Loving it! 

Hay!

We finally have some! My amazing father in-law sent my BIL and SIL over with two giant round bales of perfect fluffy hay this morning! I mentioned about a week ago that I desperately needed some for the turkey coop and to mulch the garden with. I really meant old hay that was no longer any good for animal feed. Usually there is left-over hay on the trailer that the cows eat off of or an old forgotten bale sitting in a field somewhere that is decomposing and full of fire ants that I can go and toss into the back of a truck and bring home. I feel guilty for using the hay of dreams for mulch and turkey bedding. I am so grateful though! I feel like it is my birthday or something! It seems silly to be this excited over something like a bale of hay, I know. I have been stressing about needing to mulch the garden and especially about the turkey coop needed bedding for weeks. I also usually have to use any hay I get very sparingly because there is never enough to go around. Never do I get to put such a beautiful thick layer of it where ever I need it and have some to spare!

Needless to say, I spent the entire day mulching the garden. The turkey coop got tended to immediately, of course, but the rest of the day was spent in the garden. I mulched every area that there is something planted and then watered it in well. By the time I was finished I thought that the mosquitoes and and no see-ums were going to carry me away and I wanted nothing more than to get inside and take a shower and some benadryl. I will have to take pictures tomorrow. I am looking forward to sleeping well this evening. That doesn't happen to often lately, as is typical in late pregnancy. I am already struggling to keep my eyes open.

While I was working the guineas made several trips by the garden. I am in the habit of counting them every time I see them to see if I have lost any. There have been 2 missing for a few weeks. I assumed that they were a mated pair and had nested somewhere, but didn't think I would ever see them again. Usually when any birds go missing for more than a night around here it is a guarantee that something ate them over-night and we will never see them again. I was surprised when I counted all 8 guineas. Then I noticed a little brown splotch move by one of their feet. It was a little baby guinea keet! It looks to be a week or two old and is the only one. The little guy sticks close to the group and the group keeps it tightly enclosed in its ranks most of the time. Hopefully it will make it. There are plenty of dangers for little birdies around here. Especially the hawks and snakes. I could hear the resident hawk close by most of the day. Brad took lots of pictures of them and I need to get them off of his camera. Our blue-slate turkey hen has been missing for a couple of weeks as well. I kn ow she was building a nest somewhere, but never found it before she started sitting full-time. I am holding out hope that she, too, will soon come wandering through the yard followed by sweet babies. It is doubtful though. I'll be happy if she come back in one piece, babies or not.

All in all it was a very productive and positive day. Tomorrow has been officially named as d-day. Tomorrow we are renting a shampooer and cleaning all of the carpets. It has been put off for far too long and I must get it done before I'm not able to. It is so daunting because we have a very small living space. I enjoy that most of the time. I won't get off on a rant, but I will just say that I think that people in our country have gotten entirely too out of hand when it comes to huge houses and the vast majority of people in most countries (yes even the highly developed ones) live in much smaller homes with more people per household (think extended family). Stepping off of my soap-box now. Anyway, if I am going to put in the effort I want it done all the way. That means moving the furniture, every piece, and cleaning under it. With a small space it is quite a bit like those square puzzles where you have one empty space and you have to move all of the pieces around and around to solve it. Luckily, I am not allowed to move heavy furniture in my condition so that lot falls to Brad and Keegan. I will be doing all of the vacuuming and shampooing while they shuffle everything around. Tomorrow should be a busy day. I'm looking forward to it being done.

Now, off to bed! Sweet sweet blissful sleep. It has been far too long.

Progress Report

It amazes me how hardy and fast growing these gourds are! I haven't been watering or caring for them at all. They look all wilted during the heat of the day, but then at it cools in the evening they perk back up.

They have big white flowers that bloom at night. I'm assuming that they are pollinated by moths. Interesting plants. I'm curious to see which type these gourds turn out to be. I planted a lot of different types last year and apparently one got tossed in the compost at some point, but I don't know which.

 I finally (mostly) cleared the entire garden. I'm not sure if I am going to plant anything else until fall crops start going in. At least it is clear.

 I (very sheepishly) admit that I have been doing most of the "weeding" with the weed-eater. Having the issues with the sciatic nerve, and having a big pregnant belly, has made it difficult to bend. Or rather, difficult to straighten back up after bending. I hand weed between individual plants while I am watering and checking on things, but the paths and edges are done with my trusty weed-eater.

I tied tomatoes again last night. Some are so tall that they are sticking up above the fence. The t-posts are 8ft tall and are probably 1-1.5ft in the ground so they are at least 6.5ft tall. The plants in the middle of the row are bigger and healthier than the ones on the outside edges. The soil is better there. Hopefully with continued amending it will even out eventually.

 Twining the vines vertically with t-shirt fabric has (so far) been working wonderfully! It has allowed me to direct them to less crowded areas. It gives the vines plenty of support. I'm not sure how things are going to go with the vines that grow higher than the fence. No ripe tomatoes yet. I'm still waiting patiently.

 The peppers and broccoli are doing well. Especially the peppers. I had to stake the larger plants because either the wind or the chickens have been knocking them down. The broccoli has had some issues with cabbage worms. I have been picking them manually, but may need to spray them soon. So far I have used no form of insect control other than observation and hand picking this year. I have seen a few stink bugs which worries me because those and aphids were the downfall of my garden last year.

The cucumbers are starting to do well! They are even flowering. I'm looking forward to fresh cucumbers from the garden.

 The corn is starting to really grow as well. This area still needs to be weeded. I can only do small areas at a time, but slowly it gets done.

The beans have reached the top of the arbor. My hope is that next they will fill out and get thicker to completely cover the fencing. These are rattlesnake pole beans. The butter beans are not growing as well. I still have not gotten the last pole bean arbor put together, but the beans in that area are up already and looking for something to climb.

The butternut squash are starting to climb (with my help) up their arbor. They are looking thick and beautiful! Some even had small blooms on them.

The baby chickens are moving in their tractor behind the peach trees and are heading behind the little garden soon. It will be time to add the females to the big coop soon and allow the males more room to grow out.

The last few days have brought a few ripe blueberries! Not a lot of them. Just enough to snack on while standing under the bush.  Very soon we will be spending a couple of hours every other evening picking gallons of berries before the birds get them. Keegan has been dreading it for weeks already. It is very time consuming and can be boring and mosquito ridden work.

These little beauties make it worth while though! He will forget when he gets his first fresh blueberry cobbler, pie, or fresh berries over ice cream. MmMmMm blueberries....