Day 75 of 365

Sunny!

• Low: 27° F
• High 62° F

Finished one garden aisle all the way down to the wheat patch. Put the dirt in beds that needed to be built up. Added another terrace log to one new bed and planted Swiss Chard (Fordhook, seed from Pinetree Garden Seeds). Dan and I don't care a lot for chard, but I dried surplus a couple years ago and the goats loved it during winter. I'll grow it do do that again, plus it's a companion to tomatoes.

Took down the cattle panel pea trellis and fed the remainder of the dried vines to the billy boys. Elvis ate it all I think.

Planted:

• the Swiss Chard mentioned above.
• Jericho cos type lettuce, seed also from Pinetree. It's supposed to do well in hot weather. We'll see.

May 6 - 12. 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 50 - 64 ° F
• highs: 70 - 86 ° F

Rainfall: 0.5"

Planted:

• 16 sweet potato slips (Vardaman, home grown)
• field corn (Trucker's Favorite, saved seed)

Harvested:

• broccoli
• lettuce
• parsnips

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 4
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 11 (1 from everybody)
• Wed. 7
• Thurs 8
• Fri. 5
• Sat. 9
• Week's Total: 51

Observed & Accomplished

Sunday

• day of rest
• noted pea pods; lots, just need to fill out

Monday

• identified fire blight on one pear tree.  treated as per Gardeners Organic Handbook of Natural Insect & Disease Control
• id'd some sort of small (Flea?) beetle on turnips. Sprayed with pyola
• sprayed aphids on broccoli & cabbage collards with pyola

Tuesday

• rain
• buckwheat sprouting
• beans up
• wheat turning brown, need to keep an eye on when to harvest it

Wednesday

• tomatoes up
• volunteer dill coming up in the peas

Saturday

• raked hay until it started to drizzle
• planted sweet potato slips
• started planting field corn

Ap. 29 - May 5, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 55 - 67° F
• highs: 83 - 87° F

Rainfall: sprinkle

Planted:

• tomatoes, Amish Paste (Sustainable)
• borage (Pinetree Gardens)
• marigolds, antique (saved seeds)
• BOSS (boughten bird seed)
• cucumbers, Marketmore 76 (saved seeds)
• Eggplant, Florida High Bush (Seed Savers)
• soup beans, Dwarf Horticultural Taylor (Sustainable)
• buckwheat

Harvested:

• strawberries (just a few)
• lettuce
• broccoli
• carrots

Egg Counts

• Sun. 8
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 7
• Wed. 10
• Thurs. 8
• Fri. 7
• Sat. 8
• Week's Total: 55

Observed & Accomplished:

Sunday

• day of rest
• days are getting hotter
• potted ginger is sprouting

Monday

• pulled all but one collard cabbage for seed
• did a lot of my spring planting

Tuesday

• raked up hay and cut more
• Dan tilled part of this summer's corn patch
• ordered barley & flax seed

Wednesday

• magnolia is blooming
• planted buckwheat near the almond tree where the old landscape cloth isn't pinned to the ground
• brought house plants outside
• scales on Meyers Lemon (scraped & washed off)
• compost worms seems sparse in that big bed, but they're there
• starting to get hot. I'm not ready for that

Thursday

• scythed & raked more hay
• Dan finished tilling the corn patch
• repotted banana tree

Saturday

• Dan finished scything pasture for hay

April 22 - 28, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 39 - 70° F
• highs: 59 - 80° F

Rainfall: 0.75"

Planted:

• petunias

Harvested:

• broccoli
• lettuce
• strawberries
• parsnips

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon 8
• Tues 9
• Wed. 8
• Thurs. 6
• Fri. 10
• Sat. 6
• Week's Total: 52

Observed & Accomplished:

Sunday

• day of rest
• little bit more rain
• turning chilly

Monday

• too wet
• wind is cold

Tuesday

• hilled Red Norland potatoes
• hauled more logs for terraces

Wednesday

• weeded one of the herb beds & planted red petunias there
• raked up hay Dan had scythed last week but it sprinkled before I finished

Thursday

• worked on pulling out old landscape cloth from around almond tree
• finished raking up hay
• more rain 

Friday

• ground is wet
• made yogurt from frozen milk
• made pie from frozen blueberries

Saturday

• Dan scythed grass in front pasture
• ants in worm bed
• breaded & fried a quart of the canned green tomatoes

April 15 - 21, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 51 - 61° F
• highs: 59 - 78° F

Rainfall: 2 inches

Harvested:

• lettuce
• broccoli
• carrots
• 1st strawberries

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 9
• Mon. 7
• Tues. 8
• Wed. 7
• Thurs. 8
• Fri. 8
• Sat: 8
• Week's Total: 55

Accomplished & Observed:
Sunday

• day of rest

Monday

• Dan scythed weeds & grass for where we'll plant corn
• gathered up dried grass & weeds and put in hay mow
• bought corrugated poly roofing sheets for worm bed cover

Tuesday

• Dan scythed grass & weeds by fruit trees

Wednesday

• poured all day long

Thursday

• too wet & muddy to do much outside
• compost worms arrived!
• gathered more kudzu for hay
• made yogurt from frozen milk

Friday

• ground is still very wet
• I hope it dries up tomorrow so I can plant 
• gathered honeysuckle vines to dry 
• started to weed echinacea patch
• gave a dozen eggs to DIL

Saturday

• damp & drizzly
• fresh strawberries on cereal & yogurt this morning!
• too wet too plant!
• took a peek into the worm bed, I see wigglers!

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

Mar. 18 - 24, 2012

Temperature Range

• lows: 56 - 63° F
• highs: 73 - 82° F

rainfall: 0.85"

Planted:

• potatoes, Red Norland, 5#

Harvested:

• kale
• lettuce
• broccoli
• collards
• cabbage collards
• mangels

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 10
• Mon. 10
• Tues. 7
• Wed. 5
• Thurs. 9
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 8
• Week's Total: 55

Observed& Accomplished:
Sunday

• day of rest
• more rain!
• peas up
• wheat heading
• crabapple & sand cherries starting to bloom

Monday

• weeded some in garden but soil very wet
• tulips blooming

Tuesday

• pulled more weeds
• spirea blooming
• found 4 surviving comfrey plants from 2010

Wednesday

• worked on weeding strawberry/asparagus patch
• decided where to transfer the strawberries
• strawberries beginning to bloom
• Came home from TSC to find a hawk circling over the chicken yard just above the pecan trees. Cowboy had all the hens huddled safely together under the cedar tree.
• bought 10# Norland potatoes from TSC
• also bought 2 more sand cherry seedlings

Thursday

• planted the sand cherries
• planted half the seed potatoes
• 1st bed full of ants!
• noted quite a few volunteer potatoes growing too

Friday

• more rain
• strawberries & elders arrived

Saturday

• noted lots of vetch growing around the place

Mar. 4 - 10, 2012

Temperature Ranges

• lows: 28 - 57° F
• highs: 46 - 71° F

Rainfall: 0.5"

Planted

• turnips, Golden Ball (Pinetree Garden)
• Peas, early bird experimental (Shumway freebie)

Started

• sweet potatoes for slips

Harvested:

• broccoli
• kale
• lettuce
• carrots

Preserved:

• broccoli, frozen, 3 qts

Egg Counts

• Sun. 3
• Mon. 8
• Tues. 9
• Wed. 10
• Thurs 5
• Fri. 9
• Sat. 8
• Week's Total: 52

Observed & Accomplished:
Sunday

• day of rest
• very windy; blew the top off the corn crib
• wheat is greening up a bit

Monday

• bought & applied more blood meal to wheat
• pulled dead vines & plants out of next summer's corn patch
• peach trees beginning to bloom

Tuesday

• finished pulling dead weeds from corn field
• started sweet potatoes for slips, hope it's not too late!

Wednesday

• raked up some of my piles of leaves
• mulched another garden bed
• noted fresh deer tracks in garden

Thursday

• raked & mulched
• weeded & mulched carrots, lettuce, multiplier onions
• planted peas & turnips

Saturday

• broccoli starting to flower
• harvest most of the rest of the broccoli, only small heads
• Froze broccoli

Feb. 12 - 18, 2012

Temperature Range:

• lows: 18 - 53° F
• highs: 41 - 63° F

Rainfall: 0.1 inch

Harvested:

• cabbage-collards
• kale
• lettuce

Gathered:

• acorns for the goats

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 7 - 1 = 6
• Tues. 9
• Wed. 5
• Thurs. 5
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 6
• Week's total: 42

Observed & Accomplished:
Sunday

• day of rest
• 1st dip into the teens this year
• cabbage collards wilted most from the freeze

Monday

• hauled more logs out of the woods for garden terraces
• completed one more terrace
• caught one of my Barred Hollands eating an egg! It'd better be the only one or she's a goner. 

Tuesday

• wet, chilly, indoor day
• 100% homestead dinner: slow cooked chicken, steamed cabbage collards, baked sweet potatoes, & salad of lettuce, kale, radishes, & pickled, hard-boiled eggs
• made more pickled eggs

Wednesday

• Dan worked on fencing for the blueberry bush

Thursday

• cold and rainy

Friday

• my comfrey order arrived

Saturday

• bought hay
• Dan worked on gate for blueberry corral
• so far, no more egg eating by chickens
• experimented some with wheat threshing
• started raining again around bedtime

Jan. 8 - 14, 2012

Temperature range

• lows: 24 - 50 F
• highs: 39 - 60 F

Rainfall: 1.25"

Harvested:

• lettuce
• radishes
• turnips
• kale
• broccoli & mangel leaves for goats
• collard, cabbage collard & cabbage leaves for goats

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 2
• Mon. 3
• Tues. 3
• Wed. 3
• Thurs. 3
• Fri. 5
• Sat. 3
• Week's Total: 22

Observed & Accomplished

Sunday

• day of rest
• rain
• some of the wheat looks a tad yellowish. Should I be concerned? Need to research

Monday

• damp and drizzly all day
• raked leaves & mulched empty garden bed

Tuesday

• another damp drizzly day
• raked leaves in the back field and mulched
• planted the potted lemon cypress Dan got me for my last birthday
• mulched the lemon cypress

Wednesday

• worked on the summer garden plan & seed order

Thursday

• winter blew in 

Friday

• I'm surprised the garden survived the low temps as well as it did
• Daffodils trying to bloom!

Saturday

Applied nitrogen fertilizer to the wheat. I hate to use a chemical fertilizer but I do believe it is nitrogen starved and that is what we had. 

Dec. 25 - 31, 2011

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

Dec. 4 - 10, 2011

Temperature Range:

• lows: 27 - 55 F
• highs: 41 - 62 

Rainfall: 1.3"

Harvested:

• collard greens
• cabbage collards
• kale
• lettuce
• radishes
• turnips
• dill weed

Egg Counts

• Sun. 1
• Mon. 0
• Tues. 1
• Wed. 0
• Thurs. 1
• Fri. 1
• Sat. 0
• Week's total: 4

Observed & Accomplished
Sunday

• day of rest
• took some garden photos for a blog update

Monday

• buried a bucket of kitchen scraps in last summer's turnip bed
• raked leaves & mulched until it started to rain

Tuesday

• rain

Wednesday

• garden post up on my blog
• rain, then windy and cold
• picked some lettuce & radishes for lunch
• sweet potato fries for dinner

Thursday

• picked kale for dinner
• ice on the edges of the chicken's water this morning

Nov. 13 - 19, 2011

Temperature Range:

• lows: 29 - 63 F
• highs: 49 - 68 F

Rainfall: 1.95"

Harvested:

• green tomatoes
• green peppers
• collards for the goats
• rosemary
• kale
• Hutterite soup beans (last of)
• Christmas limas (very scant)
• radishes
• lettuce

Gathered:

• pecans
• persimmons

Preserved:

• 1 hard cheese
• 7 qts. green tomatoes
• froze sliced green peppers

Egg Counts

• Sun. 1
• Mon. 1
• Tues. 0
• Wed. 0
• Thurs. 0
• Fri. 1
• Sat 0
• Week's Total: 3

Observed & Accomplished
Sunday

• day of rest

Monday

• Rearranged pantry. Again.
• Dan put down some flooring in the attic for storage

Tuesday

• shelled pecans & popcorn
• I think the Ameraucanas are hiding their eggs. But where???
• sprinkle of rain

Wednesday

• rain
• made yogurt
• made cheese
• put empty canning jar boxes in attic
• canned green tomato slices for frying
• sliced & froze the last of the green peppers

Thursday

• still raining in a.m. then turned colder
• picked last of Hutterite soup beans
• picked Christmas limas, very poor production
• rain knocked almost all the leaves off the trees

Friday

• opened last jar of 2010 pizza sauce
• had one of the last tomatoes for lunch

Saturday

• gathered pecans & persimmons
• both patches of wheat are growing well
• ate the other 3 red tomatoes in salad for dinner

October 23 - 29, 2011

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:

• okra
• antique marigolds

Gathered:

• pecans
• wild onion tops

Egg Counts:

• 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

• waxed cheese #15

Saturday

• a light rain
• autumn has definitely arrived
• frost warning for tonight

October 2 - 8, 2011

Temperature Range

• lows: 42 - 53 F
• highs: 67 - 78 F

Rainfall: none

Planted:

• radishes (saved seed)
• garlic (saved cloves)
• multiplier onions (Territorial Seed Co)
• lettuce (saved seed)

Harvested:

• beet thinnings
• Swiss chard
• 1st lemon
• tomatoes
• melons (to feed chickens & goats)
• radishes

Seeds Saved

• 4 o'clocks
• antique marigolds
• okra
• melon

Egg Counts

• Sun. 1
• Mon. 0
• Tues. 0 (found broken egg shell out in the field though)
• Wed. 1
• Thurs. 2
• Fri. 1
• Sat. 2
• Week's Total: 8

Accomplished:

Sunday
• day of rest
Monday
• planted radishes & garlic
• found 1st lemon on the ground
Tuesday
• waxed a cheese for food storage
Wednesday
• thinned beets
• gathered 4 o'clock seeds
• watered fall garden
• made mozzarella
Thursday
• multiplier onion sets arrived from Territorial Seed Co
• fed overripe watermelons to chickens
Friday
• gathered antique marigold seeds
• planted multiplier onions & more lettuce (Ruby lettuce had poor germination)
• cut broom corn sprouts to dry for goats
Saturday
• planted radishes & lettuce
• gathered seeds
• weeded fall garden
• waxed cheeses

Aug. 28 - Sept. 3

Temperature range:

• lows: 60 - 68 F
• highs: 88 - 97 F

Rainfall: none :(

Planted:

• red salad bowl lettuce
• cherry belle radishes

Harvested:

• broom corn (1st half)
• green beans
• 1st few onions
• last tomato

Saved for seed:

• green beans

Preserved:

• pizza sauce, 3 pints canned
• okra, 2 quarts frozen
• bell pepper, handful frozen
• half-pints milk, 24 frozen
• watermelon, dehydrated
• green nutmeg melon, dehydrated

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 3
• Mon. 6
• Tues. 3
• Wed. 3
• Thurs. 2
• Fri. 4
• Sat. 1
• Week's Total: 22

Accomplished:

Sunday
• day of rest
Monday
• cleaned out chicken coop
• started new compost pile
• canned pizza sauce
• froze okra & bell pepper
• watered pepper plants
Tuesday
• sorted and packaged saved seeds
• picked okra
• froze 1/2-pints of milk
Wednesday
• harvested part of the broom corn
• weeded
• watered pepper plants
• froze ice cube tray of whey
Thursday
• watered fall garden
• made hard cheese
Friday
• checked on field corn
• picked green beans
• dried overripe melons
• started shelling cowpeas
Saturday
• planted lettuce & radishes
• dug up 1st few onions, need to do the rest soon
• watered fall garden
• watered sand cherry bushes
• sorted & packed saved lettuce seeds

June Wk 2: 12 - 18

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

Egg Counts:

• 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

May Wk. 1: 1 - 7

Temperature Range:

• lows: 37 - 63
• highs: 68 - 83

Rainfall: none

Planted:

• white broom corn (Baker Creek)
• okra, Clemson Spineless (saved seed)
• eggplant, FL High Bush (Seed Savers)
• habanero peppers (Pinetree Garden)
• cosmos (saved seed)
• black oil sunflowers (feed store)
• summer squash, Bennings Green Tint (Pinetree Garden)

Harvested:

• lettuce
• strawberries

Egg Counts:

• Sun. 5
• Mon. 5
• Tues. 6
• Wed. 4
• Thurs, 4
• Fri. 6
• Sat. 6
• Week's Total: 36

Eating our own:

• fresh lettuce
• fresh goats milk
• fresh eggs
• fresh beets
• fresh carrots
• fresh strawberries
• canned green beans
• canned tomato soup
• canned pizza sauce
• canned dill pickles
• frozen summer squash
• frozen okra
• frozen green pepper
• dried cantaloupe

Accomplished:

• continued mulching strawberry bed
• fenced off corn field

Observations:

• pea pods filling out
• corn coming up!