Planting Continues

We picked our first brocolli, radishes, lettuces and green onions this week. It’s always an exciting moment.

It has been so rainy and cold. I had a dream last night that we had a heavy frost and I was out trying to save the tomatoes!

We were finally able to plant the raspberrys who were tucked in the earth until the tilling could be done for their new home. We have just a little bit to do with our new garden and some planting of the winter squash and pumpkins. Then we are on to maintanence and rotation of crops. Everything is coming up nicely.

We planted 6 apple trees and 2 pear and 2 cherry trees plus a Linden tree. Every thing planted has a purpose. I have the herbal production beds to plant this week and then we will be working Memorial Day weekend to finish moving the lily plants and our Iris from Missouri.

Next week we will be spending two days at a building we own in Milligan, cleaning and organizing it so that we can move stuff out of it and hopefully sell that building.

Well I’m off to do some weeding, watering and planting of the Lavender bed………it’s huge!

Will It Ever End?

The building of the new garden beds have been a huge task. We still have two beds to finish up and the rest of the mulch to put down.

Today we planted 100 raspberry plants, 74 Echinacia plants, 34 Sweet Cicely plants, radishes, cucumbers, lettuce blend, beets, summer squash, and green beans. I figure that if I plant 4 flats a day I’ll be finished in a week. I will have to leave at least two days this week to finish getting the Daylilies transferred from Missouri. We’ll pick up more of our Iris’ then also.

This last weekend we planted 10 fruit trees, a Linden Tree, some Forsythia Bushes, more Lilacs, and a poppy/daisy bed.

The place is coming together but more work needs to be done to create our self-sufficient homestead.

TIP FOR TODAY

DIY repellents

Keep persistent household pests away with these natural, do-it-yourself remedies from Annie B. Bond, green-living expert and author of Better Basics for the Home.

Ants. They hate the smell of citrus, so mix 1/4 cup citrus solvent (like Citra Solv) with 2 cups water; spray mixture in ant-traffic areas.

Roaches. Tea tree oil, garlic, peppermint, bay leaves, and hot peppers all work against roaches. Choose one oil or herb, mix 2 teaspoons oil or fresh, crushed herbs (2 tablespoons dry, ground herbs) into 2 cups water; spray infested areas.

Fleas. “The limonene and linalool in citrus-peel extract kill all stages of the flea’s life cycle,” Bond says. Try this dog rub (cats don’t like the smell): Cut up 4 lemons and simmer for 1 hour in 1 quart water, adding water as needed; cool, strain, and massage mixture into Fido’s coat.