We got some light rain yesterday and there is more in the forecast for tomorrow. Boy is that a good thing. Our garden is planted but we haven’t had much rain so we’ve been watering plants to keep them alive.
On Saturday, May 15 my husband put the pump in the pond so we could begin filling the tanks that we use for irrigation.
It may or may not have been my turn to put the pump in the pond but here’s how that works each year.
My Husband: “It’s your turn to put the pump in the pond.”
Me: “Ok as soon as we have a couple of consecutive days of 80 degree F (26.6 C) weather for the water to warm up I’ll do it.”
My Husband: Puts the pump in the pond when temperatures are still in the 60’s or 70’s F.
OR some Years it goes like this
My Husband: “It’s your turn to put the pump in the pond.”
Me: No honey. Last year was my turn. I know you did it but it’s still your turn this year.
My Husband: Puts the pump in the pond.
I didn’t get any pictures of the planting or the garden as of yet but I’ll tell you what we have planted. Potatoes, onions and cabbage were plated first and are all doing well at this point. Tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant, melon, cucumbers and basil were planted as seedlings or young plants. Beets, carrots, Swiss chard, green beans, three types of squash, dill, sweet corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, and broom corn were planted as seed. ** My husband brought home a package of okra seed yesterday and we are going to plant some. We have never grown okra before and I have only eaten it a few times but we decided to give it a try.
While it feels good to have the garden planted we realize the work has only just begun.
Now for other farm happenings:
Puppy Playground
This spring we doubled the area that we have fenced in the back field. It’s an area where we have apple trees, our blueberry patch and our strawberry patch. It is now known as the puppy playground. It’s over 52,000 square feet where Ranger can safely run off-leash and sniff ’til his heart’s content.
Prayer Garden
As always the prayer garden is a work in progress.
We decided this year to add mulch to dress it up and for weed control. I started by weeding then edging.
Then we began adding the mulch.
It’s nearly done and I hope to have it finished by this weekend.
Mean while we have watched the transition from mostly yellow blossoms to lots of purple and some pink blossoms.
Chicken Coop Construction
We are in the process of building a new home for the chickens. It’s a slow process because it gets worked on in between other things that need to be done. I don’t have any photos yet but as we get further along I’ll share some of the process. Hopefully by the end of June our chickens will be in their new home.
Bees
Our bees arrived as scheduled on May 13. It was a lovely day for hiving bees and my husband had the two new hives set up before noon.
My husband and I agree – it’s nice to have bees on the farm again.
Mowing
It seems like I’ve spent a lot of time mowing grass this spring. According to the mower it’s been over 18 hours. The task has been made easier by this new mower we purchased last month.
Outdoor Décor
When the local greenhouses opened in the beginning of May we stopped by a new one just down the road to purchase flowers for our hanging baskets and porch pots. Their prices were a little higher than the one we usually shop at but we wanted to support this new local business.
They did have a nice selection.
Thanks to my husband’s diligence in taking them inside on the frosty nights and making sure they have enough water each day they are all thriving.
The one above has a volunteer sunflower growing in it. Not sure how it got there but I see it as a gift.
Play Time
It’s not been all work though.
We’ve been blessed to have a couple visits from the grandkids (and their parents).
And we’re looking forward to many more of these.
Thanks for visiting. Do you have a garden planted?
We witnessed something we have never seen before on Sunday. Honey bees were foraging in the daffodils.
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