April 25, 2011

Has a month gone by????? We've been so busy.  The lawn is needing to be cut alot - alot of rain.  We're slowly getting our "lasagna" garden in.  I hate how ugley it looks the first year or so.  I'll be expanding it every year until I can get 50' by 50' all filled up - pretty easy.  Trying to find topsoil for the beds of compost from around the farm.  I haul two wheelbarrows full each day - or try to!

We're picking lettuce and spinach from the cold frames now.  Delicious!  The broccoli came up real well and they're under cover in the garden.  Peas and onions all coming up.  Have several tomatoes in and getting more tomorrow.  Planted strawberries and put in cucumbers on a trellis today.

Sweet pea is growing big.  Have a beautiful barnyard fence now.  Got a new dog - Duke.  A mutt.  He needs alot of training - but Sweet Pea is'nt alone.  Will hopefully be picking up another Ramboullet on Sunday for a companion.  Will get another ewe.  Have to wait another year before breeding them.  That'll give us more time for fencing.  The estimates came in real high for the perimeter fence so we'll be putting it in ourselves.   Need to order a temporary fence today from Premier.  Visited Unplanned Peacocock Farm today and that's almost all she uses.  It'll get us by for a while.  Right now I'm staking Sweet out in some fresh grass during the day.

One grape vine came up and the other didn't grow.  All the trees I planted on either side of the driveway are thriving.  Wonder what they are.  Putting in a Tulip Poplar in the pasture for shade for the animals tonight.  Added two elderberry bushes and three evening primroses - favorites!  My rose bush from Ash Lawn in in full bloom and gorgeous right now.  The wisteria arbor bloomed and is done.  Not many lilacs blossomed - very disappointed.  I don't think they get enough sun.

It smells like a heavenly paradise when you walk out the door!  I love it here!

March 28, 2011

What a sad day.  Hobo, our new dog was killed by a truck on his way to chase the mail man.  We tried and tried to train that silly dog not to chase cars, but it was in his blood.  We buried him next to Max's grave in our now pet cemetary!

March 26, 2011

Rainy and cold.  How could this have happened?  It's been such a beautiful spring.  But now the weather has changed and I don't even feel like working outside.  Nevertheless, the sheep pen and chicken house needed to be cleaned out which was done.  New bedding is always good.  Plus I love the poo in my garden!  Joel helped haul some logs over to the garden area to work on our split-rail fence.  It's coming along nicely but I  think I've run out of a cut log source.  I looked in the woods but nothing seems like it's going to work.  I'll have to check the whole property again.

March 19, 2011

I read recently in my frugal gardening book that you can take prunings or cuttings from certain bushes and stick them in the ground and they will root and produce more bushes.  I went around the farm and cut butterfly bushes, rose bushes, and hydrangeas and tried it out in a garden bed that was empty in the back of the house.  We hope that the author told the truth and in a few years we will have more bushes in that empty patch.  I also heard that the Old City Cemetary in Lynchburg, Va has the oldest rose bushes in the country.  You can buy cuttings from the cemetary to plant in your yard.  I'd love some of those bushes!

I'm very surprised that there are no forsythia in the entire farm.  I would really love some cuttings from those bushes to plant and add some more spring color.  I love that yellow! 

Sweet Pea is really taking to her halter and walking well.  We searched for fiddlehead ferns by the stream and pond again.  Not a sign, but the skunk cabbage are opening up.  I really would like to try cooking up a batch or fiddleheads.  They are supposed to taste like asparagus!

March 18, 2011

A beautiful spring day of 75 degree weather.  It was time to check the cold frames and get some more peppers planted.  Started hot peppers in plastic milk jugs inside too.  I think I've finally decided on a place for the asparagus patch and it's time to get that started.  I also have some more garlic I really need to put in or it will be too late.  We had the delicacy of kale chips for lunch today which turned out to be marvelous!  I now have to get some kale seeds and plant bucket loads of it!  The  chickens ran out of feed so it's time for more.  The honey bees love the lenten roses I found out.  The back flower garden is loaded and abuzz with honey bees.  David better get inside that hive this weekend.  It may need another super or be split.  I hope we can have many more hives and alot of honey this summer!

Rose Lane Farm: March 15th, 2011

Rose Lane Farm: March 15th, 2011: "The Ides of March. Today was a good day to get to work and fence in an outdoor area for the chickens. After walking out the fron..."

March 15th, 2011

The Ides of March.  Today was a good day to get to work and fence in an outdoor area for the chickens.  After walking out the front door and seeing chicken poooo all over the front porch, and my flower gardens dug up everywhere, it was time!!!  Olivia and Joel helped as we cut the wire, pieced together the wire and then stapled is around the barn overhang area.  We still need a hatch for them to enter from the inside pen and a nice gate to go in and out ourselves, but for now they are caged in and won't destroy my flower gardens!  The guinea hens are quite disturbed to lose their pals, but they'll adjust. 

Last night I took advantage of the extended daylight hours due to the time change this past weekend.  I was able to plant more rhubarb, two plantings of horseradish and of  course, more peonies.  I do love peonies.  They are the flowers of the gods - aren't they?  I don't think I could live without peonies.