Late Spring

Hard to believe that one week ago we got 7.2 inches of snow.  Here's a quick tour of the flora happenings (or not happenings yet) around the homestead.

Full tour after the break:

Still Early

Not a lot happening yet, still too cold.  I took this yesterday, last night it snowed again.  Hopefully we should start warming up by the end of the week.

First Look Around, 2018

Too early to do anything yet.  Even the compost is too frozen to turn.  Back later.

Last Look Around, 2017

We had unseasonably mild weather yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, and I took advantage of it to get some outside chores completed.  Cleaning out the gutters, mulching leaves, run the lawn mower out of gas, test out the snow thrower, vacuum and put winter mats in the car, you get the idea.  This may be a last look at the yard and gardens for 2017.  I took these pictures before noon and you can see by the shadows how low the sun gets at its highest this time of year.  The wood has been scavenged from the roadside over the last few weeks for next year's fires.  More after the break.

Late October Cleanup

It is late October, almost Halloween.  We've cleaned up the yard some, and the gardens, but we're still waiting on the leaves left to fall.  Everything is on time, I'm just anxious to get everything set for winter since I know it is inevitable.  The hanging plants, front and back, have been tossed as well as some of the potted plants.  And I've mulched many of the poor looking hostas so far, frosts will kill the rest and the lily of the valley greens along the garage and I will mulch them with my string trimmer, too.  Leaves will be added eventually.

Kate got the west garden strawberries and herbs laid out with straw for the winter yesterday.






And in the east garden she got the garlic planted and covered with straw and a screen last weekend.  Also the other day she mulched plants and replanted some stump flowers to the garden for winter.  If they make it then they get replanted in spring.

Another look around the back after the break.

Fall Update

Last weekend Kate replanted the plants in the corner of the porch area.  They should now fit the space better, especially if we can keep the nibblers away.  The weekend prior she cleaned up the gardens.









The plants that are left here on the stump will be either replanted into the ground somewhere or end up in the compost bin.  I'd like to keep the purple grassy one but I'm not bringing it in over winter again.

Also last weekend, I emptied the left side of the compost bin into the east garden.  The soil needs the nutrients badly.  Very soon the garlic will be planted here.

Late September

I know I haven't been posting regularly over here this year, but I have been posting so that's good!  Today I did a lot of work outside before taking these pictures shortly after midday.  I trimmed the arborvitae out front and power washed the front of the house.  We get a lot of insects and spiders on the front of the house, and their excrement and webs really make it look dirty so I wanted to clean it again before it got too cool out and before winter.  Not ideal sun angles for pictures, but it's when I had the time so that's when it happened.

We really haven't paid a lot of attention to the gardens lately.  It seems to be managing just fine for now.  The strawberry plants are all still alive in the east garden, and I noticed a random tomato plant growing in there, too.  It's in the top left of the picture.


The west garden is, well, just is.  The onions are from a poor batch of seeds and the herbs are all alive still.  Before long it will be time to add the soil from the compost bin and clean them up for winter.


After the break is another yard tour.  It is autumn now and the plants are showing the wear of a long summer and recent dry spells.  This tour has commentary added to the pictures for context.  Come along, let's take a look at our yard and garden as it is now!

It's all after the break, go on, click it!

Late August

As we get toward late August, I noticed I hadn't posted here in a while.  Here's the gardens now, yard tour after the break.  No writing, just pictures.

Garlic, Plus More

In the past couple days we harvested the Dill, Garlic, Lettuce and Radishes.

On Thursday I harvested the dill plants that had popped up all over the east garden, and got all the weeds out from around the garlic.

Yesterday, Kate harvested that garlic and it was a rather good crop.  Still not enough to last until next year's harvest, she said.








In the west garden she also got the radishes.  She may try planting again for a third harvest of them this year.  I'm not a fan but she likes them and she also gives some to her dad.


She also brought in the romaine lettuce, but the leaf lettuce was very overgrown so most if not all went into the compost bin.  A shame, but lack of time and growing hordes of mosquitoes have kept us away from the garden.

Late July

Even though I'm posting this first, this yard and garden tour is from after my bike ride this afternoon.  When I got home I first put my bike up, and by this time the yard was dry enough to mow so mow I did, then I took these pictures.

We've had a very wet spring and summer so far, in fact we had a some little lakes again in the back yard last night.  Something to remember for when I install a permanent fire pit in the yard.









And there's usually a few slugs every year, but more so this year with all the wetness.  Maybe not quite the damage my blogger friend Blue Witch has described to me, but you can see their damage on some hostas and the lettuce in the garden if you look close.

Otherwise, it has been a fine year for the yard and garden for us.

After the break is the full picture tour.