Monday, June 13, 2011

The Status of Growing Things

Before I show you what's going on around here, I want you to know that my friend, Mavis, announced a great giveaway this morning.  If you don't know Mavis, you should know that she feeds her family of four (two adults and two teenagers) on $100 a month through gardening, chickening and couponing.  Go check it out, but don't forget to come back.  I mean, I know I'm not quite as exciting and entertaining as Mavis, but I'd appreciate it:-). (Photo courtesy of Mavis)

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Despite the heat and the little dry spell we had, everything keeps growing.  Some things below look a bit thirsty.  When I took these pictures we were hoping for some rain that evening, otherwise we would have started watering.  Our water tanks are still working out beautifully.





Our first picking of peas yielded 8 pints to freeze.  I would have had more to freeze, but Sadie eats probably a good pint of raw peas a day. This year, I've decided to do what my mother-in-law does which is to put her freezer bags into boxes.  I love using bags because they conform to your space and are easy to thaw, but as stuff gets moved around in the freezer, they shift and slide and cause much angst. 


Our chickens really aren't growing anymore, but I wanted to mention them here because I feel a bit sorry for them.  In a week or so, their world will change when we add another family of hens (about 15) to theirs.  It makes my stomach queasy just thinking about it.  I feel for them.  I feel for the new hens.  I've never really prayed for chickens before, but I may start this week.






In order above we have 1) Sour cherries almost ready for picking.  Our mulberry tree is in full berry which is keeping the birds away from the cherries (for now- this can add a false sense of security), 2) Ripening pears, 3) Red raspberry bushes, 4) Wineberries- they are prolific this year.  I can't wait to see how many we get, 5) Wild black raspberries just starting to ripen.  Between the black raspberries and the mulberries, my kids hands and mouths are stained a semi-permanent purple.





 
Tomatoes, newly planted sweet potatoes, regular potatoes.


Can you tell what this picture is?  What's growing to the right of the potatoes?  Yep.  They were our green beans.  Our new boarder and her baby (of the ground hog variety) chowed down and destroyed our beans.  Jamey cleared some new space in the fenced in garden, and replanted this past weekend.  We need beans. 


We'll end on a happy note, though.  Here is our sunflower bed.  It's okay that there are weeds, as long as they stay below the sunflowers (which they're doing).  Jamey (and Sam) plant in stages.  The closest section was planted first, then the second.  The section that looks like dirt with the stakes at the ends was planted a week or so ago.  Beyond that are weeds that will mowed down prior to the next planting.  Planting in stages like this will give us sunflowers to sell most of the summer.  The first section should be ready around 4th of July weekend.

So, there you have it.  Green, green everywhere.  This is what I long for in the winter.  Don't forget to stop, breathe in the warm (or hot) air and give thanks. Pin It

7 comments:

  1. I heart buzz cuts, shelling peas and pictures of chickens... and you too of course :)

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  2. great post! Wow I would love to have that many peas! We don't have enough room :( Your garden looks great!

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  3. I have prayed for chickens many, many times. Beautiful garden!!

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  4. Thanks for the tour! So much fun to "see" your place.

    What a great idea to succession plant the sunflowers! Duh. Not sure I would have thought of that!

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  5. Great show. I saw a video the other day on sustainability.These people had so many square feet to grow so much. It sustained a family of 8 for,veg. for 6 month's

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  6. What an amazing garden! And wonderful to see it flourishing. I don't know very much about chickens...are they territorial? Will they peck each other? How long do they take to get used to each other? I hope they'll be calm and adjust quickly - perhaps the warm weather will make them too tired to cause a ruckus!

    I love the box idea for the bagged produce. I am going to use that in the future.

    I can't wait to see your sunflowers in bloom...they are one of my favorites.

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  7. It looks like food production on Thy Hands Family Farm is well under way, everything looks to be growing like crazy. Great idea staggering the sunflowers, hope they do well for you this year...and those peas, very nice.

    So, I managed to aquire a few wineberries last summer and am very excited to see them grow and produce over the next few years. I was wondering though, do they produce runners like raspberries? I am hoping so.:)

    Hope you and yours are having a wonderful Wednesday.

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Just a friendly reminder, if you know me personally please try to refrain from using my name. There are those who may try to locate me, break into my pantry and steal my pickled beets. Thanks:-).

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