Early last week the bees looked like they were going to swarm again. They eventually settled down but we figured we should keep an eye on them for the next few days.
Thursday morning my husband said they were overly active and figured that was the day they were going to swarm. He brought out another hive to set up in case he could capture another swarm
Thursday afternoon he discovered the swarm in the nearby spruce tree again. He got the hive set up.
He then put on his protective gear and got his bucket ready.
Holding the bucket under the branch where the swarm had landed, he shook the branch causing much of the swarm to fall into the bucket. He put the lid on the bucket as he carried it to the hive.
He dumped the bees into the hive and put the top on the hive. He then returned to the spruce tree to repeat the process with some bees who had gathered back on the branch. As of today, Sunday, the bees are still in that hive. We now have three bee hives.
Shades of Purple
Lilacs
Lilacs
and more Lilacs
Chives
Thyme
Salvia with Violets
Salvia
Creeping Phlox
This Week’s Harvest
I harvested some chives and some oregano this week, both of which I am drying. I also harvested about 3 lbs. of asparagus. We have eaten some and I put some in the freezer. I also added some to a pot of split pea and asparagus soup that I made. The soup turned out really good. Hopefully we will continue picking asparagus for a couple more weeks.
as is the strawberry patch. There are a lot of blossoms, some beginning to turn into berries. We should have strawberries in a week or two. YUM!
The salvia is blossoming,
as is the thyme,
and the chives. Did you know chive blossoms are edible? Learn more here.
The peach trees have many small peaches. too many for this young tree to support. I read that the fruit should be thinned, leaving only one peach every 6 to 8 inches. This will be done soon.
I spent some time over the last two days pruning some of our forsythia and lilac bushes. When we planted the peach trees we put them on the berm where the lilacs and forsythia are. We wanted them on higher ground since the last few years had been extremely wet and we didn’t want them to drown.
I pruned down the lilacs and forsythia that are near the peach trees so the trees will have enough air flow and sunlight.
With hot weather in the forecast early this week we will need to get the pump in the pond so that we are ready to water to gardens if we don’t get enough rain. My husband claims it is my turn to put the pump in the pond so I’ll be sure to take some pictures so I can show you how we use pond water to irrigate our crops.
Some of my blogging friends do “Wordless Wednesday” posts (just pictures) and today I decided to join them. I hope you enjoy the photos and if you have any questions about them just leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to answer.
As we turn the corner toward summer I’m going to back up into May and share some of the things that I didn’t get a chance to blog about as they were happening.
MOTHER’S DAY
Sunday, May 8th was the perfect day for the Mother’s Day picnic we had planned at the farm. Before going to the farm, I took a short walk in our back yard to see if the trilliums were coming up in the woods. My mom loved trilliums and each year on Mother’s Day I look for the trilliums because they are normally in bloom. This year they were not.
All of our spring blossoms are running about two weeks later than normal this year due to cool and wet weather conditions. Our cherry tree was full of blossoms the week of May 8th and buzzing with pollinators. Last year on April 21st I blogged that our cherry tree was blossoming, and we were worried about freezing temperatures that were in the forecast.
My two youngest daughters came out for the picnic. They brought me this t-shirt from all four of my girls.
Love you girls! 💞
RAISED GARDEN BEDS
I had mentioned in a previous post that we decided to plant some of our garden in raised beds this year. With prices skyrocketing, buying lumber to use as garden beds was not an option.
We decided to use something that we had on hand and were not using for anything else -barrels.
My husband cut the barrels into various sizes.
The portions that had a bottom in them he also drilled weep holes to allow for drainage.
We put paper bags on the ground before placing the barrel pieces in place. This will keep weeds from growing up around the garden beds. After we placed the beds in place we added a layer of pea gravel to help with drainage. We then added our soil mixture which included some topsoil and sand.
The tomatoes were planted deep in the barrel to help protect them from the elements.
They continue to grow upward, reaching toward the sun.
Marigolds are said to help protect against various pests so we planted some with tomatoes and peppers.
We also planted green bean, beet and carrot seeds – they have begun to sprout. Some of the beds are awaiting the arrival of our new strawberry plants.
OTHER GARDEN NEWS
The cabbage that we had planted in the ground, earlier in May, is looking good,
as are the potatoes.
This past weekend my husband finished planting tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. He has also planted sweet corn, a patch of buckwheat and a patch of alfalfa.
The garlic is up and looking good.
My husband finished up the blueberry patch. It is now robin-proof (we hope). Bring on the berries!
The apple trees blossomed and are now making fruit.
IRRIGATION
This pump is placed in the pond to pump water out. It is run by the windmill.
I don’t remember what day it was when my husband put the pump in the pond (sometime in the first half of the month). I do remember that, in my opinion, the water was not warm enough to be in.
I think my husband agreed.
One hose connects from the windmill to the pump. It pumps air into the pump when the windmill turns. Water comes out another hose that is connected to the pump. We run that hose into a tank like the one in the picture below.
These tanks are raised above ground level and a garden hose is connected to a spigot near the bottom of the tank. When we open the spigot gravity feeds the water though the garden hose, so we are able to water our plants.
BEES
We are not the only ones who have busy. The hives are all very active. After my husband removed the feeders and added new boxes, he said this is the nicest breed of bees he has ever worked with.
BEAUTY
When I left for my vacation the forsythia were still blossoming.
When I returned the lilacs were blossoming.
Their beautiful fragrance carried in the wind.
(I didn’t get a picture of them, but the trilliums were also blossoming at that time.)
My husband discovered these mushrooms growing near the prayer garden. While they look much like a morel, we are not mushroom savvy enough to try them. We decided just to let them be.
WISDOM
Lastly, I wanted to share this message. It’s what my sisters call tea bag wisdom. Some brands of herbal teas print inspirational messages on the tags that are attached to the tea bag. I received this message on my tea bag about a week ago.
Don't Eat It! Soap and Skin Care 