It’s been a crazy weekend here, so sorry for no post Friday. The kids are off for spring break for one more day and we’ve been busy cleaning out the house to make it ready for the baby. This has required sweet husband’s time as well since I can pack a box of things, but […]
Things Are Growing
Spring is actually finally here. We had 70 degree weather last Friday and Saturday and then snow on Sunday. I spent some time in the garden Friday. I must have had morning/all day sickness in the fall, because it is a mess out there! I raked and cleared some of the beds so the kids […]
Starting Seeds
Well, it’s finally time to start planting around here. We’re about 8 weeks out from our last frost, so cold crops like peas can go in the ground outside and the plants I’m starting from seed to transplant later can be started inside. It’s windy today, so I did the inside plants first. I’m using […]
New Chicks!
It’s been two years since the last chicks, so knowing they’ll be slowing down on egg production (although right now they’re laying plenty), we’re introducing some new chicks to the flock this year. A baker’s dozen of “hatchery choice pullets”. That means we’ve got 13 random breed chicks that are more likely hens than roosters. […]
Saving Seeds: Squash
Saving squash seeds is pretty simple. The pictures I’m using are from a winter squash called Long Island Cheese. For summer squash, you want to let the squash get big and over-ripe like we did with the cucumber so the seeds can mature before trying to save the seeds. The squash will be long past […]
Saving Seeds: Cucumber
Saving cucumber seeds is a bit more tricky than saving radish seeds. So how do you save seeds from a cucumber? First, start with a non-hybrid cucumber plant. You can get non-hybrid seeds at a number of places–I do my shopping online, and a couple of my favorites are Hometown Seeds and Baker Creek Heirloom […]
Saving Seeds: Radish
If you have an heirloom garden going with non-hybrid seeds, usually the point of going through the extra trouble of getting the non-hybrid varieties is so that you can save seed from your plants to plant again the following spring. Right? Saving seeds is not always as easy as it sounds, with some plants being […]
Survival Situations #1: Winter Breakdown
There are a lot of different scenarios for which you could be preparing. Economic downturn, natural disaster, societal collapse, job loss, etc. Not every situation will apply to you directly (like I have no fear of hurricanes where I live, but for someone else that is an annual concern), and not every situation is as […]
Chioggia Beets
We grew a couple of new varieties of beets this year. I’m not a huge beet fan, but other members of the family really like them. To me, they pretty much have always tasted like dirt. That is, until last year, when I took my mom’s advice and froze them instead of bottling them. That […]
Go Vote! And Some Fun Stuff from the Garden
It is midterm election day today. Please find your polling place and go vote. I know there is no president on the ballot this time, but I’m sure you have important elections for Congress and possibly Senate plus there may be other fun things to voice your opinion on like state constitutional changes and things […]
