Chickens (not mine) enjoying yard art (not mine, darn it)

Posted on Sep 16, 2014

Years ago I saw this wonderful bamboo star in the chicken run at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and have wanted one ever since.  

Easy free plant markers for seeds and transplants

Posted on Sep 15, 2014

Our community doesn’t offer recycling for any plastics other than 1s and 2s, so we can accumulate quite a few yogurt containers. I like to find new things to do with them…

Signs of Fall & Missing Cover Crops

Posted on Sep 12, 2014

Fall is peeking out from behind the green leaves. Long before the oranges and reds take over, colors begin to shift from the velvet and verdant greens to summer to a shinier, more silver hue in the newly angled light. Yellow plumes of golden rod wave along the roadsides, fooling people into believing that is what is making them sneeze this time of year, but it’s not.

Blue Ridge Postcard: Wild Turkeys

Posted on Sep 8, 2014

I woke wondering what kind of bird was making the soft chuckling in the woods.  When I looked out the window into a foggy half lit morning, it wasn’t one but a dozen. The wild turkeys that frequent the low field across the creek had crossed the footbridge and were strolling on the lawn between the tool shed and the house.

Starting again, somewhat afresh…

Posted on Jul 24, 2014

When we returned home to the Blue Ridge last year, I knew I’d be starting a homestead all over again. That was challenging in every way, but I’m happy to say it’s starting to feel like home again. I was not thinking I’d have to start anew with the blog. But hey, when it rains…and it has been raining.

So shortly after getting back to blogging in the spring, it all melted down. 

Slow Gardening

Posted on Apr 20, 2014

The forest trees are still bare except for the red tipped maple branches. The bees are having a field day with the maple blooms and are no doubt sniffing around the apple trees—a few are starting to show pink buds.

Throwing away chicken food

Posted on Apr 16, 2014

How can we be throwing away so much chicken food? OK not really throwing away, but feeding to the composter. Which is good but not nearly as satisfying as watching a bevy of biddies TEAR into a fresh pile of kitchen scraps with a gleam in their eyes.

Kale germinated in 48hrs – Love it!

Posted on Apr 9, 2014

Nothing like seeing tiny green specks 48 hours after putting the seed in trays! This is dwarf Siberian kale from the end of March. Yes, that is quite late to be starting from seed. For our mid-May frost day, you can start kale indoors under lights in late February, early March and transplant out around April 1st. With row cover over the transplants, you could probably do all that a week or so earlier.

First spring veggies in the new garden

Posted on Apr 2, 2014

This is the time that you are really glad you started preparing some veggie beds last fall! Springtime at 3000 feet is slow. The soil is chilly and often wet. Raised beds prepared in fall are excellent: they dry out and warm up much quicker. All the better to put in little transplants like this spinach! Full confession is I bought these spinach starts at the store. 

Mountains to Sea and back again

Posted on Mar 26, 2014

Sometimes you need to get away to come back ready to begin. The quick getaway to the South Carolina shore for Mendy’s birthday, besides being great fun all around, was just what this gardener needed.  The warm breezes reminded me that spring is working its way slowly (very slowly) but surely up the mountains.