They're Up!!!!!!!

I went outside to make some pictures of a chest of drawers William had refinished so I could list it on a local buy, sell or trade site.  While I was outside I checked on the garden.

The kale and Swiss chard was planted on Wednesday of last week (9-16) and I'm happy to say it seems every seed planted has popped out of the ground.  When the plants are little larger I will need to thin them so they'll have space to grow.

The turnip greens were planted on 9-18 and they are up thicker than hairs on a dog's back!   If we can just keep the henbit and chickweed from overtaking them we'll be alright.

The collard greens are beginning to grow and that's a good thing.  I hope they get a good growing spurt before the weather gets cold. 

Just had to report on the progress of the garden.  Thankful the seeds have come up and pray they will continue to grow and produce plenty of fresh food for us this fall and some good frozen food for us this winter. 

Nothing like garden grown veggies.  Don't you agree?

Happy To Say:

We have the collard greens transplanted.  William picked up a dozen plants at our local county co-op on Tuesday.  He also bought some turnip green seeds (2 varieties) and mustard seed (2 varieties). 

We got the collard greens in the ground on Wednesday and planted the turnip greens and mustard greens yesterday afternoon (Thursday).  Right after we tamped the soiled down over the seeds a good rain came.

The kale and chard are coming up already.  Good! 

I received the row covers one day this week.  Now we need to make a frame for it over the beds.  We'll use PVC pipe to do this.

William also bought a pack of long red radishes.  These I am going to put in two large pots we bought roses in.  Then if there's a frost in the forecast I can set them inside and put them back out the next morning.  I could keep a pot of radishes going for most of the winter unless we have a winter such as we had last year and then everything will probably freeze including the kale and collards.

Nothing much is going on around here.  Just wounding down the summer and waiting for fall like temps to come visit us.  Thankful we finally have our fall garden planted and hope to harvest plenty of greens for winter from them.

Thanks for dropping in and please come back again.

Finally!!!!!

We finally put the kale and Swiss chard in the ground.  We should have gotten this done a couple of weeks ago.  Now, we will wait and hope that these greens will have time to grow some before a cold snap comes along.

We have to cover the beds with chicken wire to keep the cats from using the bathroom in them.  Also, to keep the cats from scratching the dirt and getting all the seeds mixed together. 

I did order some row cover for both this bed and the bed we will put collard greens in.  According to the advertisement for the row cover it is supposed to protect crops from frost and keep the temps up a few more degrees than the outside temp.  Maybe, just maybe we will pull this off.  The kale will be o.k. because it survives our winter but the Swiss chard won't  survive the cold.

The row cover will keep the cabbage moths from laying eggs on the greens or any other kind of bug from dining on the greens while they're growing.

I think I will put out a dozen collard plants and then in front of them plant a row of turnip greens and mustard greens mixed. 

With the kale, collards, chard, turnip greens and mustard greens we should be fixed up for greens this fall and winter. 

I am thinking of canning or freezing as many greens are possible because William and I both like greens and the fresh ones are expensive in the grocery stores.  If we can get them out of our garden that is money in our pockets.  And that my friends makes me HAPPY!

I have noticed more hummingbirds coming to the feeder so they must be either on their way south or getting ready to move southward.  I am trying to keep fresh food in the feeder for them.  I so enjoy watching the birds every spring and summer.   If the feeder isn't up there's one hummingbird that buzzes the window to let us know "I'm BACCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKK!".   

Time to get up and get something accomplished.  Thanks for coming by and I hope to see where you have dropped by again very soon.

Sometimes Life Gets In The Way!

Yesterday we had a death in our community.  The woman who died was one of our neighbors when I was growing up.  I remember helping her get cows back into the pasture when they'd escape and helping her pick pears (later on after I was grown she gave me pears to preserve off those same trees).  I loved to visit with her and we could talk for hours even though I was about ten or eleven years old. 

When I was grown and had a family of my own she lived across the road from me.  I remember her coming to my house when I was making hamburger patties.  She ate lunch with me and gave me the nicest compliment.  She was an excellent cook herself but she told me that hamburger was the best she'd ever eaten.  I don't know what I did differently to the burger but she enjoyed it.  Maybe it was that she didn't have to cook it herself.

Over the years I moved around to different areas of the state and we drifted apart.  I had not seen her in quite a while.  I kept saying I was going to see her but I waited too long.  So, if you have someone who means or has meant a lot to you, don't put off going to see them or at least give them a call.  Tomorrow may be too late!

We have been planning to get the collard greens bed ready for two weeks.  It's finally ready as well as the Kale/Swiss Chard bed.  Now, I hope we can still find some collard green plants.  I have seeds but we need to put in plants since it's getting later in the summer time.

Every time we thought we'd get to work on the bed it either rained or something came up and we had to go somewhere.  Or we had company (which is the nicest kind of hindrance). 


I made a lemon pound cake to carry to the children of my friend.  I have made this cake time and again without any hint of problems until today.   For some reason the cake stuck to the pan around the tube, the pan and on the bottom of the pan.  It tore all to pieces when I tried to get it out of the pan. Sooooo.....Hubby has a lemon pound cake all his own.    Disheartening is the only word I can think of to describe the experience. 

I guess that's enough rambling for today.  I need to ramble over to the love seat and fold that basket full of towels to put away.


I do appreciate you all stopping by and hope you will come back again. 

More Canning And More To Do

I've canned more watermelon preserves and pickled some peppers since my last post.  I hope to make one more batch of the preserves before the watermelons are too ripe and there's plenty more peppers that will be ready for pickling in a few days.

The pickled peppers that I canned one day last week.  The slice jalapenos are for a friend and the rest are for us.  The chopped chilies will be used with our greens this winter.  I'm looking forward to that.


Enough heat in these four jars to warm the whole country.  LOL

I have another picture I want to share just because I think it's unique and pretty.  We had a hard rain one day last week and I made this picture of the rain running off our roof.

 

 

We could use some of this about now.  It is hot and dry here.  According to the weather forecast we were predicted to get rain today but so far all I've seen has been sunshine and lots of it with intense heat.

The rain will come when it's time!

 

That's about all the news from here at Hunny Bunny Haven for now.  We do have a wedding coming up on September 13th.  Our grandson, Jonathan and his fiancé, Alexandria will be getting married in Fayette, Alabama that afternoon.  Jonathan is our first grandchild to get married.  We are looking forward to being there to see the beautiful ceremony and to wish Jonathan and Alex a lifetime of love and happiness. 

 

It's time to start dinner for my Hunny Bunny so I'll say "So long."  for now and I hope to see you all soon.