Well, the bees are settling in to their new home. Most of the forager bees took flights today to orient their internal GPS - figuring out which way is East, laying scent paths to guide them back home, exploring some of the flowers in the yard. Even the drones flew today, drunkenly weaving their way back to the landing board. The mason jar of simple syrup that I put out yesterday at 5 was already empty at 5 again today and had to be refilled, so they're eating! I very much enjoy perching in front of the hive and watching all the activity. It just feels right that there's bees back in the garden. Or, as Tom put it, "The band's back together!"
Tom finally figured out the very last piece of the drip system (yes, little bits still needed working on, I told you this project was tricky!) and now all the veg is being watered, which is a great relief. Not only is everything getting regular water direct to the roots, the drip system also means I can mulch around plants heavily, preventing evaporation. (And helping to dissuade weeds, and keeping the soil from blowing away, etc - you've heard all this before.) I'm using straw for mulch, since I always seem to have a bale on hand lately, and it's easy to move around if necessary.
The chickens are getting quite large, and a friend lent me two fake eggs to place in the nesting boxes, to convince the ladies that it's the best place to lay. I don't expect them to lay for another two months, but it can't hurt to get them thinking straight early.
I planted some romaine and we got the other potato cage made and planted with the second batch of seed potatoes. We also built a bamboo trellis for the raspberry vines (though the deer have found the leaves, which is sad). But that's about all we got done this weekend in the garden. It was Kate's birthday, so we spent our time in other ways.
I'll leave you with a couple things that made me glad today (besides bees and birthdays):
Hope you all have a wonderful week. Happy Gardening!
Tom finally figured out the very last piece of the drip system (yes, little bits still needed working on, I told you this project was tricky!) and now all the veg is being watered, which is a great relief. Not only is everything getting regular water direct to the roots, the drip system also means I can mulch around plants heavily, preventing evaporation. (And helping to dissuade weeds, and keeping the soil from blowing away, etc - you've heard all this before.) I'm using straw for mulch, since I always seem to have a bale on hand lately, and it's easy to move around if necessary.
The chickens are getting quite large, and a friend lent me two fake eggs to place in the nesting boxes, to convince the ladies that it's the best place to lay. I don't expect them to lay for another two months, but it can't hurt to get them thinking straight early.
I planted some romaine and we got the other potato cage made and planted with the second batch of seed potatoes. We also built a bamboo trellis for the raspberry vines (though the deer have found the leaves, which is sad). But that's about all we got done this weekend in the garden. It was Kate's birthday, so we spent our time in other ways.
I'll leave you with a couple things that made me glad today (besides bees and birthdays):
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| The red clover I seeded in the grass (or what's left of it) has finally begun to bloom! Ain't it pretty? Can't wait for a carpet of red! |
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| The first strawberries ripened in the pallet wall! These were eaten immediately after I took this photo. |
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| My shy Wood Sorrel bloomed. It's so sweet in the shade of the front porch! |