Still here ....

our lovely daughter modeling our pallet deck and fire pit next to
 our mini orchard

 Busy busy  garden this year....  we installed water barrels, added 13 raised beds, 6 fruit trees creating a mini orchard,put together a great place to roast marshmallows and just enjoy the weather......   and made a pallet "boardwalk" of container plants .        Its only 2/3 of acre but we have accomplished much and this year will have a few more raised beds and hay bales of potatoes, peanuts, and other goodies behind the house.       My hoop house is in pieces but will be put together for spring this year. I am so excited....excited to begin Master Gardener program in a few weeks as well.   

The Boardwalk of container gardening.... I also planted a "gardenator" and several raised beds and plan on hay bales this year....

Hubby LOVES his roses.....and I  my magnolia tree...

 our newly contructed from recycled wood garden walk trellis completed with pallet walkway.....

  

For those of you that sew this is a wonderful pattern company and it's FREE

Happy Belated Winter

It seems I have wandered back here after a rather long hiatus. I have "dug into" this homestead thing with both hands and feet and found that its rather time consuming. Satisfying and time consuming. Things have changed in my little world and I hope to transform everything soon into self sufficient working 1/3 acre farm.

As I gaze out into the most snow we have seen this winter, I am sketching our new yard into raised beds, glassed greenhouse, pallet fenced and fruit treed maps. Front, back, left and right. I cannot wait to transform the whole thing into a jungle of green and growing wonderland. I cannot wait for sun and warmer weather and so thankful I was detained from planting a few days ago since we have been blessed with 5 inches of snow that should of made an appearance two months ago. I also cannot wait for the plants I have started in my basement and kitchen to be in their new outdoor homes...(smile).

This year promises to be awesome. Garlic was dutifully planted in the fall by the grape vines that are in their third year and promise grapes! Walking oninons are ready for the bed in front of them and I have new varieties of organic heirloom tomatoes, floriana red flint corn, ground cherries, and vine peaches I have never heard of prior to stumbling upon them this year. All my cole plants, broccoli, cauliflower,brussel sprouts, etc are up in their paper pots reaching for the grow lights and my organic heirloom savoy cabbage seeds are on their way from Russia. We also have sturdy, healthy thornless blackberries growing in their containers awaiting their day to see the sun.

I am eager to construct vertical growing areas with canopies and arches

and try my hand at an aquaponics venture with Tilapia. The possibilities are endless and I have discovered an ingenious method of growing with 55 gallon food grade barrels that offer 72 plantings per barrel.....what a space saver. Never have I been so excited to work so hard.

Plans to complete a Master Gardener program are in the works and I have a pound or two of red wigglers making me some wonderful castings for "tea". Who am I?

Extreme Bloodloss due to Tomato picking......

I think I lost several pints of blood today while trying to talk my garden into behaving. The cucumbers are joining black bean families and the pumpkins are VERY big social climbers that enjoy entertaining the tomatoes and reaching across the "walkway" to the "left" side of the garden over the cucumbers where the winter squash and sweet corn are. Its a tangled mess of vines you could get lost in . While your lost in this jungle wonderland the huge new crop of vampire insects drain you of your lifeblood.
I chose NOT to pick the ripening tomatoes or even attempt to weed or police the border crossings....just 5 minutes and a huge cloud of voracious mosquitoes had covered me. I read that the mosquito traps that generally trap about 150 females are now trapping 2,220 and up. That is a significant increase for sure and I am thinking I need to invest in a bee suit. Or wait to garden until winter.....sigh.........

Laundry soap and other makings....

Today I felt like I ought to be making stuff as my chores were done pretty early thanks to an "early bird" in my house that finds it her duty to awaken me whenever she needs to "pussyfoot". She isn't too fussy about when either as she sleeps about 17 hours a day and 4am looks just as good to her as 8am. She is on the left and Escher, her father is on the right....

Anyway I love to make my own laundry soap for a variety of reasons. Its of course economical but also free of dyes and imitation stuff. I make it in patchouli and lavender so it smells divine. I think I may have to order some rose petals and see how that smells too. It occurred to me that others may enjoy this little treat as well and I will be offering it for sale in quarts. Mason jar quarts are my choice as they can be reused and shaken as which is recommended for each time you use it. Simple ingredients like borax, soda ash, ivory soap or unscented with Fels-Naptha for heavily soiled laundry are used . I maybe experimenting with Plote which is a pink bar soap for laundry and works well too.

I am going to work on my daughter's double wedding ring quilt started 2 years ago and finally finally just needs some hand applique'd pictures applied. I bought a 1930s top made from some gorgeous feed sack fabric, hand pieced. This February 14th will be her 3rd wedding anniversary and I made it for her wedding....hmmmnn....It took me almost 2 years to finish hand quilting and sewwing the border. I hope I finish it before their 25th anniversary....

There is her wedding picture in the center circle and then outward are her hubbies parents, and grandparents as well as Chantel's and I found great grandparents and added in her brother and sister as well as other relatives in the circles. There is plenty of room for her to add children ect...if she ever has any....I, for one, tire of waiting.

Since hubby is on 12 hour shifts 2 and 3 days a week I find I have LOTS of time to get things done. I have the urge to once again create fall pumpkin head dolls and linens as well back to school and baby boutique clothing. I have slacked off this summer sewwing but its time to get back to... my machine has been getting a busy signal when it calls me. I am also eager to try my new serger that intimidates me just looking at it and havent even removed it from the box.

Pretty corn stalks and "hunting" for worms

I was so excited to grow corn this year for the first time ever and bought some heirloom organic bantam sweet corn just to see if I could do it. The stalks are beautiful fall decoration too and apparently that is all it will be because they are tall and majestic and deaf as a post as they have no EARS! Well they look good and give the garden added height and interest even though I wasnt growwing anything in hoping it would all come together like a nice livingroom design....I don't know why they they didnt pollinate because there are bees everywhere and everything else is very well pollinated.
Due to all the rain I haven't had to water in more than a week which is nice and it seems to have a positive effect on the worm situation. Last year we were inundated with very wiggly worms I tried not to cut in half when digging but this year the early "droughty" period must of made them go way deep until now. Night time produced a big crop of night crawlers for fishing. I am eager to replenish my worm composter as well...they are such helpful little creatures and make such wonderful soil.

Home is where .....you drag everyone to look at your garden.

Here at our little homestead the most exciting thing of late is our ever growwing garden and of course the chickens....its peaceful, serene and often reminds me of a lazy flowwing river full of activity under the surface but relaxing just the same.

I am not a "neat" gardener by any stretch of the imagination and tend to let it go were it will until I cant get in to see what's happening. In the beginning there are neat rows, dutifully hoed and weed free and as summer turns up the heat it becomes more "green inbetween" those rows and quite frankly I am okay with it. I have found that certain bugs are more interested in those weeds rather than my plants as well. Kind of makes me wonder if that is the way its supposed to be.