BarredBuff's Homesteading Shenanigans

[BarredBuff]

HAPPY MOTHER"S DAY!

Today, my sister and I forgot our momma at church--I'm not going to live this down for a while. Luckily, someone dropped her off.

I'm about to load the truck up, and head off to where I'll be working for the summer. I've been home for a week, and it is gonna be hard to see the old cabin in my rear view mirror, but I'll have to do it.

Y'all have a blessed day!

 

[sumi]

Oh my goodness, you had to go and forget her on Mother's day, of all days?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Today, my sister and I forgot our momma at church

OH yea - you're gonna hear that one for years (probably forever)!

Have a safe trip!

 

[Wannabefree]

Good to see you're doing well buddy!! You have plenty of time to find a girl to settle down with, just get yourself together right now. Us women folk make you men folk lose focus.

 

[BarredBuff]

Everything is going alright here on the homestead. My garden is doing okay. My cucumbers, onions, and summer squash are thriving. I can watch them grow. My tomatoes are doing okay in places, and other spots are dying. I am not sure what is happening to them. Sweet potatoes look good. Some of them are rough looking for whatever reason.

I counted four winter squashes sprouting. Should have plenty more, and watermelon, greasy beans, lima beans, and corn coming up soon. It is slow for some reason. They look good, but slow.

I am trying to get my neighbor to bring about two manure spreaders full this fall and put on my garden. I need more organic matter in there. The last four years of nothing is showing. I am trying not to get too bummed about it though. It'll take time to rebuild.

I am harvesting blueberries and a few blackberries. I am also planning for the fall garden. July 15th is when I will start sowing crops for that. I have some raised beds to build first. Planning on fixing up a permanent space for beds. I am going to mulch around them, and utilize filter fabric as a weed barrier. We live a few minutes away from a saw mill. So, it won't be an issue getting lumber or good mulch.

Any good ideas for design? I want long beds.

Our weather has been hot and steamy. Supposed to be 94 this weekend plus humidity. I washed clothes yesterday, and had them out on the clothesline. I LOVE clothes dried on the line. They smell so good! Hopefully, next month I can build another one. We need it.

Today, I canned up the remaining sweet potatoes from 2017. I had two potatoes that each made a quart a piece. I ended up with seven quarts in all, and some to feed the chickens and compost. They were still very firm, and probably would have kept longer. However, I like to keep everything cleaned up and used before we start canning this year's harvest (if I have anything).

Tonight, we are making a trip down the country to Costco. Since I came home, everyone is back on board with saving money and canning. (Probably, because I am a good workhorse). Oh well! Going after some meat, butter, cheese, and pickling supplies. Going to stock the freezer, and get some items to can up for the pantry before vegetables are rolling in.

Tomorrow, I am going to mulch the sweet potatoes and late cucumbers. If I have enough energy, I'll start on the tomatoes.

 

[BarredBuff]

Pulled up three more tomatoes and a pepper plant. I'm still not set on the cause. I'm wondering if it could be fertilizer burn. (For the record, I normally don't use synthetic fertilizer but was worried about fertility in the ground since no amendments in 4 years). I am collecting my plants and going to take them to the extension office in the morning, and get our agent to check them. He also has a produce business on the side. So, he should be able to point me in the right direction.

 

[BarredBuff]

Pulled four more plants this evening. I am almost convinced it is fertilizer burn. After the purple tint, they shrivel up and match the photos for fertilizer burn on the internet. Oh well. Typically, I utilize compost and soil amendments. That is where my best harvests came in the past. However, due to my unplanned return and eagerness to yield a harvest--- I used synthetic fertilizers to try and boost them. I think I boosted too much.

I think it is the most rational thing to have happened. It explains why it happened all over, and to a variety of plants in different families. I'm working on figuring out how to safely re plant them now. I can buy trays of plants for six bucks tomorrow.

This morning, we had a jewel of a church service. We rejoiced, prayed, shouted, sang and worshipped. Those are the best meetings. Then spent some time with dad for Father's Day.

I just finished mulching my second cucumber crop, and chopped a few weeds out of my okra. Then I got too hot. It is miserable outside. I need to go water and feed the chickens. I did get 12 eggs today. Which is a high, since I have been home and got their diet back on track.

Tomorrow, I plan on pulling a few weeds and taking my plants to the extension office for confirmation. Then, hopefully, I can go pick up some zinnias, marigolds, and tomatoes. AND reap a late tomato crop. I just want plenty to can up this fall. My pantry is soooo low on canned tomatoes and tomato sauce.

Hopefully, I can work out my mess this week.

 

[BarredBuff]

Yesterday, I had a fairly productive evening. My aunt and Mom finished burning the garden off. We were going to get the ground turned tonight (it was dry enough), but the plow man's tractor was flat and we had no easy way to fill it. So, that gets delayed. I was hoping to get some potatoes, onions, and brassicas in the ground at end of next week. But, no luck.

However, Dad took the Gator to the farm last night. I had done all of the service and general repairs on it over the Winter, and it was still over heating. He took the radiator, and fan out. Fan wire had been chewed in half. I am hoping that is all that the fix up on it requires. While he has all of it tore out, we are going to drain the antifreeze and replace the censor on it. Hopefully, the gator will finally be usable.

I've got lots of trees to cleanup, and prune. Plus, I'm still cleaning around the coops. This will help me get all of those jobs done easily.

Fires starting to burn. This was the second round. I had terrible weeds last year. It really helps to do this I believe.

While cleaning round the coop, I found an nest of Easter eggs. My girls are laying out! A true Easter egg hunt.

As always, Ticky had the watchful eye as I work.

Today was a good and busy day at work. We are transplanting in my school greenhouse. I'm gearing up for flower season. I walked approximately 16,000 steps at work today. I need the exercise.

Then got to enjoy teaching our Wednesday night Bible Study at the home church. Love my Wednesday evening "booster shot" it is much needed!

Have a blessed evening!

 

[BarredBuff]

Today has been a crazy day! Lots of stuff accomplished. I had to go to work this morning and care for my transplants. They look good and she start growing well this week. While, over there Mom and my aunt sowed the heirloom tomatoes, peppers, and flowers for the garden this year. I had quite a bit of room left over from my school sales, so, I decided to do my plants there too. I bought the materials, but using the space. Sown about 600 tomatoes, peppers, and flowers. I've actually got more to take back over there to do. I forgot my Bill Bean tomato seed at home, and Gran had some she wanted raised too. About 24 varieties of tomatoes. There's no way we will use them all, but that gives plenty to plant, re-plant and give away. They should germinate around Wednesday or Thursday.

The plow man came back and disced the garden today. The soil worked really well. I was able to till it up for my potato patch this year too. I've never been able to plant potatoes this early. I bought a peck each of Kennebec, Yukon Gold, and Red Pontiac plus some onion sets. That should be able to be planted on Monday evening. I've worked up a 40' x 20' plot and if they do well that should produce plenty of potatoes to eat, store, and can next year. Not had any potatoes out of the garden for 4 years. None were planted during my sabbatical.

This evening, I was able to plant 28 garlic cloves in one of my old raised beds. The bulbs were poor quality. They were dried up and one was rotting. I threw a lot away. I'll be surprised if they come up. But, it was a last minute decision to plant garlic. I've grown Elephant garlic in years past with good success. If this comes up, it'll provide plenty to can with and store this Winter.

I think I am going to use my old chicken run to raise broccoli and cabbage in. The soil is rich and worked up well with a spade this evening. I can probably treat it as a raised bed and do it by the square foot. I've got to get the weeds out of it, and till it well, but it should grow some good cabbage and broccoli. It's also fenced in which is a plus.

I should get the gator back this week. Then I will be able to start hauling manure like crazy to the garden from the neighbor's. He is going to let me have all I want. Weather and timing are working in my favor this year, and I am thankful to GOD for that. Praise his HOLY name.

One of my brassicas from early this week. My older plants have four leaves now.

 

[BarredBuff]

I'm going to try my best to sell my eggs to the local health nuts. We have several transplanted city folks that live, and have businesses here that would love farm fresh, free range eggs. I want to try and contract with them to sell eggs to them once production starts up like crazy. I can probably sell them cheaper than what they currently sell. I just want to pay my feed bills and supplies, and any extra is gravy. Our church also does a food pantry once a month, and I would like to give some away through that avenue if possible.

I'll be canning, storing, and eating all of my spuds! We have an unheated basement to store root crops, and an emptying pantry to fill. I also want to experiment with a tater hole outside to store carrots, onions, sweet potatoes and Irish taters in.

This last part of the week has been very productive. The John Deere gator is up and running well. I have hauled two loads of rotted hay to the compost from the back field, and a load of manure from the neighbors. I will be hauling manure most of the day tomorrow to the garden.

My Zinnias and Cosmos are coming up well. I only have one tomato sprouted, but hopefully more will be up in the morning when I go to water the greenhouse. I also started my sweet potato plants this week.

Busy week, and more work to come! SO wonderful to be back!