Temperature Range:
- lows: 27 - 42 F
- highs: 48 - 59 F
Rainfall: 1.35"
Harvested:
- collards
- cabbage collards
- lettuce
- kale
- calendula blossoms
Egg Counts
- Sun. 1
- Mon. 0
- Tues. 1
- Wed. 0
- Thurs. 2
- Fri. 0
- Sat. 1
- Week's Total: 5
Observed & Accomplished
Sunday
- scalloped homegrown sweet potatoes
Tuesday
- heavy rain then winterish winds
- garden is very muddy
- lots of seed catalogs arrived today
- used a few more windowsill ripened garden tomatoes in scrambled (frozen) eggs
- violets are blooming
Wednesday
- finished off the rest of the roosters (all but 1)
- froze 3 chickens
- cleaned out goat stalls & started new compost pile
- put last of made compost where new comfrey bed will be
Thursday
- raked more pecan leaves for mulch
- mulched parsnips
- 2 Welsummer eggs today
Friday
- chilly & drizzly
- saw 3 black vultures in the old oak trees
Saturday
- Barred Holland started laying again
- seeded most of the broom corn
Temperature Range:
- lows: 31 - 54 F
- highs: 54 - 68 F
Rainfall: 0.05"
Harvested:
- rugosa rose hips
- sweet peppers
- green tomatoes
- broccoli thinnings
- calendula flowers
- volunteer potatoes
Gathered:
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 1
- Mon. 1
- Tues. 1
- Wed. 1
- Thurs. 0
- Fri. 2
- Sat. 1
- Week's Total: 7
Accomplished & Observed
Sunday
- day of rest
- picked up several pocketfuls of pecans
- found a few more persimmons
- gathered rugosa rose hips
- noted fresh deer tracks in the garden
Monday
- sorted and packed sweet potatoes
Tuesday
- finished scattering compost over wheat
- 2nd patch of wheat sprouting
- processed persimmons with food mill & froze pulp
Wednesday
- still picking up pecans
- cleaned out goat stalls & started new compost pile
- thinned broccoli & steamed for dinner
Thursday
- a sprinkling of rain
- gathered more pecans & persimmons
- started shelling popcorn
Friday
- killing frost this a.m.
- harvested all the tomatoes, peppers, & potatoes
- found 9, gallon glass jars at the thrift store for $1 each
Saturday
- made mozzarella out of 1 gallon. Didn't turn out so put it in the press
Temperature Range:
- lows: 33 - 49 F
- highs: 56 - 64 F
First Frost: Oct 30
Rainfall: 1.2"
Planted:
- 2nd section of wheat (total 46#)
Harvested:
- green peppers
- green tomatoes
- thyme
- spearmint
- calendula blossoms
- Hutterite soup beans
Gathered:
Egg Counts
- Sun. 2
- Mon. 2
- Tues. 1
- Wed. 1
- Thurs. 1
- Fri. 0
- Sat. 1
- Week's Total: 8
Accomplished & Observed:
Sunday
- day of rest
- first frost
- picked frost damaged green peppers
- green tomatoes still look okay
Monday
- sliced & froze those peppers
- planted most of the rest of the wheat
- sprinkled compost over most of that
- shelled pecans
- noted frost damage on tender plants but everything seems to still be alive
- watered Egyptian onions, mangels, broccoli, lettuce, radishes
Tuesday
- made & froze banana bread & muffins from bag of overripe bananas
Wednesday
- made mozzarella (1 gal milk)
- made hard cheese (1.5 gal milk)
- gathered a few handfuls of pecans & hickory nuts
- gold Ameraucana is starting to lay again
Thursday
Friday
- more rain
- the wheat is up! (1st planting)
Saturday
Temperature Range:
- lows: 41 - 51 F
- highs: 57 - 74 F
Rainfall: 0.25"
Planted:
- 1st section of winter wheat
Harvested:
- horehound
- sage
- Hutterite soup beans
- calendula flowers
- kale
- beet greens
- broccoli thinnings
- lettuce
- collards
- cabbage leaves
Seeds saved:
Gathered:
- Sun. 0
- Mon. 1
- Tues. 2
- Wed. 0
- Thurs. 1
- Fri. 0
- Sat 1
- Week's total: 5
Accomplished & Observed:
Sunday
- day of rest
- added chopped wild onion tops to scrambled eggs
- found one of my layers (the Delaware) dead in the coop
Monday
- picked herbs & dried beans
- gathered & shelled pecans
Tuesday
- pulled half the okra plants & fed to goats
- pulled 1 bed of popcorn stalks
- cleaned chicken coop & spread litter over an empty bed for the winter
- pulled dead melon vines. Noted nematode nodes on roots
- made yogurt
Thursday
- planted 1st section of wheat
- tilled for a 2nd section
- cut broom corn sprouts to dry for goats
- gathered more pecans
Friday
Saturday
- a light rain
- autumn has definitely arrived
- frost warning for tonight
Temperature Range:
- lows: 57 - 72 F
- highs: 64 - 89 F
Rainfall: 1"
Harvested:
- green beans, KY Wonder
- bell peppers
- tomato
- field corn, Truckers Favorite
- corn silk
- amaranth (volunteers)
- Red Pontiac potatoes
- calendula
- watermelon, Small Sugar
Preserved:
- 1 hard goats milk cheese
- 1 quart okra, frozen
- sweet pepper, frozen, a handful
- milk, dozen 1/2-pints frozen
Seeds saved:
- pole beans, Kentucky Wonder
- okra, Clemson Spineless
- Mirabilis
- calendula
- Hutterite Soup beans
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 4
- Mon. 4
- Tues. 2
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 3
- Fri. 2
- Sat. 2
- Week's Total: 21
Accomplished:
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday - harvested field corn and green beans
Thursday
- made hard cheese
- harvested field corn
- started shucking corn
Friday
- harvested field corn
- husked corn
- build corn crib
Saturday
- finished harvesting field corn
- turned goats into the corn field
- finished husking field corn
- dug potatoes (disappointing)
- harvested green beans & okra
- gathered seeds for saving
Temperature Range:
- lows: 61 - 71 F
- highs: 79 - 95 F
Rainfall: 1.3"
Planted:
- sweet basil plant (garden center)
- sweet pepper plant (garden center)
Harvested:
- peaches
- cucumbers
- dill
- calendula flowers
Preserved:
- 2 gallons milk as 2 mozzarella cheeses (shredded & frozen)
- 5 half-gallons milk, frozen
- 11 pints dill pickles, Di-Lish Dill pickle recipe
Seeds gathered:
- peas
- lettuce, Romaine & oak leaf type
Eating Out Own:
- fresh eggs
- fresh potatoes
- fresh cucumbers
- fresh peaches
- fresh goats milk including:
- yogurt
- yogurt cheese
- cheese
- sour milk (cake)
- mozzarella (pizza)
- whey (pizza dough)
- canned blueberry jam
- canned cucumber relish
- canned dill pickles
- canned green tomato salsa
- canned apple butter
- canned pizza sauce
- frozen cantaloupe (smoothies)
- frozen potato soup
- frozen bell pepper
- frozen okra
- dried cantaloupe
- lacto-fermented Swiss chard
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 4
- Mon. 5
- Tues. 4
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 4
- Fri. 6
- Sat. 6
- Week's Total: 33
Accomplished:
- compost applied to comfrey plants
- raked more leaves for mulch
- defrosted chest freezer
Temperature Range:
- lows: 59 - 67 F
- highs: 82 - 91 F
Rainfall: 0.95"
Planted:
- dwarf basil blend (Shumway)
- popcorn, calico (Territorial Seed)
Harvested:
- turnips (volunteers)
- potatoes, Red Pontiac (volunteers)
- lettuce, Romaine (volunteers)
- onions (leftover from last year?)
- peaches
- strawberries
- calendula flowers
- cucumbers
- Sun. 4
- Mon 4
- Tues. 2
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 5
- Fri. 4
- Sat. 7
- Week's Total: 30
Eating Our Own:
- fresh turnips
- fresh peaches
- fresh strawberries
- fresh eggs
- goats milk including:
- yogurt
- whey
- cottage cheese
- hard cheese
- yogurt cheese
- stored potatoes
- canned blueberry jam
- canned green tomato salsa
- canned dill pickles
- canned apple butter
- canned pizza sauce
- frozen green peppers
- frozen okra
- dehydrated watermelon
- lacto-fermented Swiss chard
Accomplished:
- seeds from turnips, broccoli, and radishes sorted and labeled
- tilled most of fall garden & wheat patch
- mulched spearmint & horehound
- continued mulching main garden
- made two new permanent beds
Temperature Range:
- lows: 60 - 68
- highs: 73 - 93
Rainfall: 0.8"
Planted:
- pole beans, Kentucky Wonder (in the field corn)
- pumpkins, Small Sugar (in the field corn)
- sweet peppers (2nd try), Chinese Giant
- yellow cosmos
Transplanted:
- dill volunteers, to sweet potato beds
- peas
- 1 lone potato
- garlic
- yarrow
- sage
- oregano
- thyme
- Swiss chard
Seeds Collected:
- radish (variety unknown)
- shell peas, Wando
- calendula
Preserved:
Eating Our Own:
- canned green beans
- canned green tomato salsa
- canned sweet potatoes
- canned pizza sauce
- canned Swiss chard
- goats milk including:
- cheese
- yogurt
- yogurt cheese
- whey (in muffins)
- fresh eggs
- fresh peas
- fresh strawberry jam
- fresh Swiss chard
- stored potatoes
- stored carrots
- stored pecans
- frozen blueberries
- frozen cantaloupe
- frozen strawberries
- frozen bell peppers
- frozen eggs
- dried herbs
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 4
- Mon. 5
- Tues. 5
- Wed. 5
- Thurs. 0
- Fri. 6
- Sat. 5
- Week's Total: 30
Accomplished:
- watered herb garden & corn field
- watered fall garden & Brandywines
- cardboard mulched side of garden by corn field fence
- tried bunches of sage as fly repellant
- tried bunches of thyme too, but the goats ate them
- scythed part of hay field
- transplanted volunteer dill plants to sweet potato beds
Observations:
- daylilies, daisies, & hydrangia blooming
Temperature Range:
- lows: 47 - 61
- highs: 60 - 88
Rainfall: only sprinkles
Planted:
- sand cherry bushes (Burgess)
- butternut squash (saved seed)
- borage (Pinetree Gardens)
- field corn, Truckers Favorite (Shumway)
- black oil sunflowers (feed store)
Harvested:
- peas
- Swiss chard
- yarrow
- calendula
- comfrey leaves
Eating our own:
- fresh strawberries
- fresh peas (in salad)
- fresh Swiss chard (in salad)
- fresh goats milk, including:
- fresh eggs
- canned strawberry jam
- canned sweet potatoes
- canned Swiss chard
- canned green tomato salsa
- canned dill pickles
- canned cucumber relish
- canned pizza sauce
- frozen bell pepper
- dried wild onions (in rolls)
- dried figs (in cake)
- stored pecans & hickory nuts (in salad)
- Sun. 5
- Mon 6
- Tues. 5
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 5
- Fri. 5 + stash of 3
- Sat. 5
- Week's Total: 33
Accomplished:
- mulched early potato beds
- finished planting corn field
- watered main garden
Observations:
- fall garden is a weedy mess
Temperature Range:
- lows: 41 - 63 F
- highs: 51 - 82 F
Rainfall: 0.65"
Planted:
- spearmint seedlings (Shumway)
- green nutmeg melon (Pinetree)
- St. Johnwort seedlings (Pinetree)
- marigolds, antique (Chris)
- zinnias, antique lavender (Chris)
- horehound seedlings (Pinetree)
- horehound seed (Pinetree)
- skullcap seed (Baker Creek)
- pyrethrum seed (Shumway)
- chicory seed (Sustainable)
- calendula seed (saved)
- cukes, Marketmore (Baker Creek)
- Hungarian poppy (Baker Creek)
- Valerian (Pinetree)
- giant marigolds (Chris)
- broad leaf parsley (Pinetree)
- Ruby Chard (Baker Creek)
Transplanted:
Harvested:
- beets (last of, except a few for seed)
- lettuce
- carrots
- 1st 2 strawberries!
Gathered:
- dehydrated wild onions
- dried cleavers herb
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 4
- Mon. 5 (+2 hidden)
- Tues. 6
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 2
- Fri. 2 (+ 1 hidden)
- Sat. 7
- Week's Total: 33
Eating our own:
- canned green beans
- canned pizza sauce
- canned Swiss chard
- canned sweet potatoes
- canned blueberry jam
- dehydrated onions
- fresh eggs
- fresh broccoli
- fresh lettuce
- fresh carrot
- frozen green peppers
- frozen corn
- frozen summer squash
- sauerkraut
Accomplished:
- made more terraced garden beds
- weeded echinacea/hollyhock bed
- weeded asparagus & strawberries
- starting to fill herb beds
Observations:
- English peas blooming (at last!)
- 1st echinacea bloom
- small peaches forming
- strawberries beginning to ripen
- everything needs mulch!!!
- ginger rhizome sprouting
- wheat heads forming
Temperature Range
- lows: 44 - 61 F
- highs: 63 - 83 F
Rainfall: 1.65"
Planted:
- fingerling salad potatoes
- cabbage plants
- marigolds, mixed Brocade
- cow peas, Ozark Razorback
- tomato plants, Roma
- tomato plants, Brandywine
- petunia plants
- chicory seedlings
Transplanted:
Harvested:
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 5
- Mon. 5
- Tues. 3
- Wed. 6
- Thurs. 6
- Fri. 4
- Sat. 5 (+1)
- Week's total: 35
Eating our own:
- fresh eggs
- fresh lettuce
- fresh broccoli
- fresh beets
- frozen okra
- frozen green pepper
- canned blueberry jam
- canned apple butter
- canned applesauce
- canned dill pickles
- canned figs
- canned green tomato salsa
- canned pizza sauce
- dried cantaloupe
- dried apples
- sauerkraut
Fed to chickens & goats:
- amaranth
- broccoli plants
- sunflower seed heads
- cabbage plants
- rose bush prunings
- weeds
Accomplished:
- tilled annual rye in
- weeded strawberries
- working on permanent beds
- pulled old cabbage, broccoli, & Swiss chard plants
- cleaned out goat shed & started new compost pile
Observed:
- Mourning doves calling in the evenings
- heard an owl back in the woods
- poison ivy taking over again (sigh)
Temperature range:
- lows: 35 - 67 F
- highs: 52 - 81 F
Rainfall: 2.05"
Planted:
- sweet pepper seeds (indoors)
Potted:
- horseradish root
- Dan's olive tree (into larger pot)
- 1 sassafras tree
- 2 redbud trees
- 1 Sargent crabapple
- violets
- daffodils
- strawberries
- 1 crepe myrtle
- forsythia
Harvested:
- beets
- lettuce
- broccoli
- carrots
Egg Counts:
- Sun. 6
- Mon. 5
- Tues. 5
- Wed. 4
- Thurs. 5
- Fri. 6 plus a stash of 5
- Sat. 3
- Weekly Total: 39
Eating Our Own:
- fresh beets
- fresh turnips
- fresh lettuce
- fresh carrots
- fresh broccoli
- fresh eggs
- stored potatoes
- canned strawberry jam
- canned blueberry pie filling
- canned dill pickles
- canned cucumber relish
- canned applesauce
- canned tomato relish
- canned blueberry jam
- frozen hash browns
- frozen blueberries
- sauerruben
- amaranth
- sunflower seeds
- cabbage leaves
- Swiss chard
- overripe buttercup squash
Accomplished:
- measured & staked new permanent garden beds
- pulled cabbage plants except those going to seed
- moving strawberries to new double dug rows
- Sprouting:
- St. Johnswort seeds
- Roma tomato seeds
- Spearmint
- creeping thyme
- pyrethrum
- volunteer calendula coming up
- strawberries flowering
- fig tree beginning to leaf out
- blueberry flower buds forming
- azaleas blooming
- robins everywhere
- lots more rain on Saturday
