Day 59 of 365

Sunday

• Low: 42
• High: 67

Today, cloudy all day with forecast for 100% chance of rain.

• Low: 49
• High: 66

Rained all night: 1.1"

Planted two new red raspberry plants I bought at Tractor Supply. Also transplanted my surviving plants which have never done very well. I think this is because they were in a place that dried out quickly and was difficult to water. I moved them all to a row near the front pasture fence. It will be easier to water them there. Divided the four transplants into 7, so now I have a row of 9 red raspberry plants.

Finished transplanting the asparagus plants. Almost a little late to be doing that because a few were beginning to sprout, but it had to be done. I now have two, 4 x 16 foot beds of asparagus. None of the previous transplants are sprouting yet.

Extended one of the new pathways by another bed.

Mowed part of the big pasture with bagger. The bagged dried grass was for fresh chicken litter. Also, it exposed new growth for the boys.

Tried our kefir soda for lunch. Delish! What a treat to have our own, healthy version of a carbonated beverage.

April 8 - 14, 2012

Temperature Range

• lows: 35 - 52° F
• highs: 64 - 77° F

Rainfall: 0

Frost: Thursday, April 12

Planted: nothing this week. Glad I waited too.

Harvested:

• lettuce
• broccoli
• beets
• asparagus
• collard flower stalks for goats

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 8
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 7
• Thurs 8
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 7
• Week's Total: 49

Observed & Accomplished
Sun

• day of rest

Mon

• transplanted 3 volunteer rugosas
• finished bedding for worm bed
• cut grass by wheat field fence, drying for hay
• geese flew overhead, heading east
• wild roses are blooming

Tuesday

• harvested all the fall beets except a few for seed
• filled in potatoes

Thursday

• frost!
• potato growth frost bitten
• Dan tilled the bottom of the garden
• also tilled bed near almond tree except where landscape cloth is fixed to the ground thanks to the wire grass
• mixed old grass cuttings into worm bed
• gathered up cut hay
• transplanted a volunteer forsythia

Friday

• posted a garden update on the homestead blog
• new elder bushes leafing out
• blueberries on new blueberry bush
• raspberry bushes dwarfed in weeds

Saturday

• ordered compost worms
• made top for worm bed
• made yogurt from frozen milk
• transplanted rugosas not doing so well even though I'm giving them lots of water

April 1 - 7, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 45 - 62° F
• highs: 64 - 87° F

Rainfall: 1.45"

Planted: nothing this week

Harvested:

• asparagus
• broccoli
• kale
• lettuce
• carrots

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 8
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 9
• Wed. 7
• Thurs. 11
• Fri. 8
• Sat. 4
• Week's Total: 54

Observed & Accomplished:
Sunday

• Day of rest
• all the trees are leafing out

Monday

• postcard from Kinsey Ag, they got my soil sample

Tuesday

• weeded
• hilled potatoes
• lots of volunteer potatoes coming up too

Wednesday

• light rain

Thursday

• got an egg from everybody, except someone laid theirs in the middle of the goat barn & it got broken
• made yogurt from frozen milk
• cleaned out chicken coop
• raked out manure piles in back field
• spread coop cleanings in the back field too, in the bare spots
• rain

Friday

• Dan cut the grass & weeds at the bottom of the garden with the scythe
• cut between the patches of wheat too
• something has been in the wheat, knocking it over

Saturday

• cut kudzu & fescue to dry for goats
• worked on worm bed bedding

Mar. 25 - 31, 2012

Temperature Range

• lows: 52 - 62° F
• highs: 66 - 83° F

Rainfall: 0.25"

Planted:

• potatoes, Red Norland (TSC), 5 #
• elder bushes, 2 (Shumway), 1 York, 1 
• strawberries, 25 Junes, 25 evers (Shumway)

Transplanted:

• strawberry plants

Harvested:

• broccoli
• kale
• lettuce
• asparagus

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 7
• Mon. 9
• Tues. 8
• Wed. 8
• Thurs. 8
• Fri. 9
• Sat. 9
• Week's Total: 58

Accomplished & Observed:

Sunday

• day of rest
• sprinkle of rain

Monday

• planted the rest of the potatoes
• planted the 2 elders
• discovered that the 2 I planted last year weren't dead
• apples, cherry, & pears blooming

Tuesday

• sent soil sample of back field to Kinsey Agricultural Services for a detailed soil test
• Dan built the frame for our worm bed

Wednesday

• planted 50 strawberry plants in lettuce & multiplier onion patch
• weeded herb beds

Thursday

• pulled all but 2 cabbage collard plants for seed
• fed pulled plants to goats
• transplanted strawberry plants being choked out by wiregrass 
• shredded cardboard & paper for worm bedding

Friday

• made yogurt from frozen milk
• newly planted comfrey blooming
• potatoes coming up

Saturday

• a little bit of rain

March 11 - 17, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 38 - 58° F
• highs: 64 - 82° F

Rainfall: 0.2"

Harvested:

• turnips, all except a few for seed
• mangel
• collards
• cabbage collards
• broccoli
• asparagus 
• beets
• carrots
• parsnip (just 1)
• kale

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 9 (1 broken)
• Tues. 9
• Wed. 8
• Thurs 7
• Fri. 8
• Sat. 4
• Week's Total: 50

Observed & Accomplished

Sunday

• day of rest
• blueberry bushes blooming

Monday

• cleaned out barn
• dumped manure in field to till in
• weeded Egyptian walking onions & 1 herb bed
• composted fruit trees
• gave a dozen eggs to a neighbor
• made yogurt from frozen milk
• drizzled at sunset

Tuesday

• harvested & ate our 1st ever asparagus!
• weeded the parsnip patch

Wednesday

• published my March garden post on the homestead blog
• harvested all the turnips except a few for seed
• pulled a first parsnip for roasted veggies tonight!
• Thinking about making the turnip bed into a permanent strawberry bed
• weeded the collards

Thursday

• light rain

Friday

• wet & drizzly

Saturday

• another light rain
• dogwood trees beginning to bloom
• found a source for dolomitic limestone by the ton

March Wk 5: 27 - Ap 2

Temperature Range

• lows: 36 - 46 F
• highs: 46 - 66 F

Rainfall: 1.45"

Harvested:

• broccoli
• carrots
• Swiss chard
• lettuce

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 5
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 6 + 2 found in hay
• Thurs. 4
• Fri. 5
• Sat. 4
• Week's total: 37

Preserved:

• froze 10 eggs

Eating Our Own:

• fresh eggs
• fresh beets
• fresh turnips
• fresh cabbage
• fresh carrots
• fresh Swiss chard
• fresh lettuce
• fresh broccoli
• canned blueberry jam
• canned blueberry pie filling
• canned vegetable soup
• canned pizza sauce
• canned dill pickles
• canned salsa
• dried watermelon
• dried cantaloupe
• dried sage leaves
• frozen okra
• frozen cantaloupe
• frozen green peppers
• stored potatoes
• sauerkraut

Feeding to chickens & goats:

• amaranth
• sunflower seeds
• frozen cantaloupe
• stored winter squash

Accomplished:

• again not much because of rain
• our neighbor plowed/tilled ground for our corn field!
• removed 2 sweet potato sprouts & put in water to root

Observations:

• Asparagus sprouting!  14 of 30 roots. This is a relief because I planted it in the mud.
• Blueberry bush flowering. Only the part where the goats couldn't reach.
• onions coming up
• DH gave me a lemon cypress tree ( Cypressaceae.m.golden wilma) for our anniversary. Never heard of them before but smells heavenly!
• left my tomato, herb, cabbage seedlings out in the pouring rain, but they seem to have survived. (Fortunately)
• dogwood beginning to bloom

March Wk 3: 13 - 19

Temperature Range

• lows: 40 - 58 F
• highs: 48 - 81 F

Rainfall: 0.8"

Planted:

• asparagus roots, Purple Passion & Barrs Mammoth
• yellow onion sets

Harvested:

• broccoli
• carrots
• turnips (last of)
• lettuce
• Swiss chard
• cabbage (last of)

Preserved:

• cabbage - 1 gal sauerkraut

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 4
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 6
• Thurs. 3
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 5
• Week's Total: 37

Eating Our Own:

• fresh cabbage
• fresh carrots
• fresh turnips
• fresh broccoli
• fresh lettuce
• fresh eggs
• canned figs
• canned green beans
• canned strawberry jam
• canned applesauce
• canned apple butter
• canned beet pickles
• canned swiss chard
• canned pizza sauce
• canned salsa
• frozen sweet pepper
• frozen chicken broth
• sauerruben
• stored potatoes
• dried watermelon
• dried popcorn

Feeding to chickens & goats:

• amaranth
• sunflower seed heads
• turnip tops
• carrot tops
• cabbage scraps
• overripe winter squash
• weeds
• dried, crushed egg shells

Accomplished:

• harvested last of the turnips & cabbage except those being left for seed
• fed turnip tops & Swiss chard to the goats
• mulched the rhubarb
• bordered and raked out the new bed in the herb garden
• transplanted a forsythia bush
• weeded mesclun, garlic, lettuce, & broccoli
• mulched mesclun, garlic & lettuce
• fenced blueberry bush (from goats)

Observations:

• echinacea, rhubarb, & comfrey starting to grow
• really still too muddy to do much outside
• 1st horehound, bergamot, & skullcap seedlings coming up
• Meyers lemons still green but getting bigger
• cabbage & some of the mesclun flowering
• soil is still cold

March Wk 2: 6 - 12

Going to try utilizing my garden calendar again.

Temperature Range:

• lows: 33 - 41 F
• highs: 48 - 71 F

Rainfall:  3.75 inches

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 2
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 3
• Wed. 4
• Thurs. 6
• Fri. 5
• Sat. 5
• Week's total: 32

Planted:

• tomato seeds (Roma)
• asparagus roots (Mary Washington)
• onion sets (yellow)

Harvested:

• lettuce
• radishes
• broccoli
• cabbage
• Swiss chard (for chickens)

Eating:

• canned figs
• canned green beans
• canned dill pickles
• canned strawberry jam
• canned pizza sauce
• frozen chicken
• frozen okra
• frozen green peppers
• sauerruben
• dried watermelon
• fresh lettuce
• fresh broccoli
• fresh radishes
• fresh eggs

Preserved:

• canned chicken stock, 11.5 qts.

Accomplished:

• not much due to all the rain
• started new compost pile
• started planting asparagus & onions but the ground was too muddy

Observations:

• violets blooming
• almond tree blooming
• Periwinkle (Vinca Major) blooming
• chicory seeds sprouting
• 1st tomato seeds (Brandywine) sprouting
• chickens don't like Swiss chard
• they do like grubs