Any of you that grew up when paper grocery bags were the only option at the store knows just how handy the plastic bags are that we get now. I know they are annoying and they have a bad habit of multiplying in the cabinet, BUT could you imagine being able to carry in 9 [...]
Archive of posts filed under the gardening category.
Waiting for the hummers to arrive!
All the hummingbird feeders are ready and waiting……. The bottlebrush buckeye is in full bloom Columbine is happy, happy, happy! The coral honeysuckle is on a quest to take over the front porch! Surely they will be here soon.
Starting Sweet Potatoes
It’s always fun to get new things to “play” with here on the farm. This year there’s a “sweet ‘tater startin’ box” right next to the orchard. The box was constructed right on the ground, much like a cold frame—well, I guess technically it IS a cold frame, but its main purpose in life is [...]
Late winter on the farm
Although mud is still the most popular flooring in the great outdoors, spring is creeping through the cracks. A couple of freezer burned hyacinths stand amidst the bones and skeletons of the front perennial garden, and the spring peepers have been screaming out their mating calls for the past several weeks. Several sunny days have [...]
New USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map published
During the yucky days of winter the Happy Hoer does a lot of surfing ……. I also subscribe to several blogs of interest. Just this morning a new USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was published, with a feature where you can type in your zip code and your map will magically appear Check it out [...]
Nutritional help for the New Year
We all could use a little help getting our minimum daily requirements of vitamins, fiber, minerals and all that stuff that our bodies need to thrive. Recently, during a surfing adventure, I ran across a new website published by the USDA. It’s called ChooseMyPlate.gov and it’s a wonderful resource for finding out exactly what’s in [...]
Healthy Holiday Snack
OK, so this is supposed to be the “slower” season for farmers. I still haven’t figured out “slow” in what way? Well, maybe slow in that I don’t have to beat the sun up every morning–that’s quite a break in itself. The high tunnel is going great; harvesting greens about every 10 days or so. [...]
Turnips and Rutabagas
Last year, while in the produce section of the local supermarket, I purchased a rutabaga. I did a blog about how wonderful it tasted and made a note to grow them this year. In mid-July I planted three rows, each about 180 feet long. The seeds germinated, I dutifully thinned them to 5″ apart, the [...]
Really Good ‘naner puddin’
Bananas don’t grow on the farm, but a friend of mine gave me a recipe for Banana pudding that I just can’t keep to myself: 1 c. flour 1 stick butter 1 c chopped pecans Cut butter into flour to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans. Spread in 9×13 baking dish. Bake 350 degrees [...]
Seasonal Decorations
I’m not one who’s particularly fond of Halloween decorations these days. Sure, when “we were kids” it was fun to dress up the house, our bodies, everyone’s yard in the neighborhood….too much information… Anyway, I do like fall decorations of corn stalks, pumpkins, gourds and such, but who has time to do all that when you’re [...]