Winter Garden

The winter garden under snow.  The kale is still kicking and should hopefully overwinter.  I tried something new for our fig trees this year.   We shall see if it works. 

My largest fig tree - about 12' tall

This fig is tied together with twine, the space between the branches stuffed with leaves and then wrapped in plastic sheeting and a tarp.

Raspberry canes after ice storn

 Jason and I thinned out our raspberry canes this fall to avoid congestion in the patch.

Hardy Kiwi male and female (2 vines)

 This hardy kiwi is in need of some late winter pruning.  Ideally these would be grown on a super high T trellis and trained quite specifically.  Since this lower trellis is what we have to work with, I will definitely be experimenting.  The hardy kiwi experts say "Never let the vine wrap around the support" (note the vine wrapping around the support) and "Prune to one main trunk" (Note the multiple trunks).  The good news is, they are called hardy kiwis for a reason and seem to thrive on heavy handed pruning so they don't run amok.  I've got my work cut out for me with re-directing these young kiwis come February.  That's the fun though..."I'll try this and see what happens..."

Winter asparagus, shrubs, and apple trees

Gray Dogwood after ice storm

Kale patch still kicking

"Gimmie Chiles!"

Our chickens love chile seeds.  Chickens co-evolved with chile plants to help spread their seeds, so they have no heat receptors that would make eating chiles painful.  They like all kinds and pick open the chiles to eat the seeds first.  There is anecdotal evidence that cayenne powder in chicken feed can prevent worms...not sure if all the chiles I grow could have the same positive affect but it can't hurt and they really relish them.  I pulled the plants out before the first frost and since we have all the hot sauce and powders we need, the extra chiles went to the girls.

New Hampshire, Dominique, and Partridge Rock munch hot peppers

Dominque with hot peppers

In the garden I have several beds seeded with cover crops (pictures are from a week ago, they are taller now).  We had our first hard frost of 27 degrees 2 nights ago, which knocked out the tomatoes, zucchini, nasturtiums, and hurt the peppers but didn't kill them.  Everything else was wilty with cold but promptly bounced back when warmed by the sun (parsnips, napa cabbage, cover crops, lettuce, arugula).  The kale laughed and just kept growing.  

Cover crop mix: forage radish, Austrian field pea, winter rye

cover crop

Aji Cristal

Veg from the garden

salad from the garden

Harvested my first cultivated mushrooms ever.  Wine caps from some spore I put on woodchips under our Sweet Bay Magnolia tree in early summer.  Score.  I tried them because I read they were fairly easy to grow - a good beginner mushroom.  Seems to be the case.  

first mushroom harvest ever: wine caps

What's Happening on the Homestead this Week

Let the chickens into the pumpkin patch to eat squash bugs

They also liked eating amaranth grain that I threw them (the red seedhead)

The fall garden winding down

garter snake

parsnips for fall and winter eating

napa cabbage

digging potatoes

got about 1.5 bushels German Butterball potatoes from a 25 ft row that received no irrigation

Onion Storage

Onions and shallots like to be cured and then stored.  They prefer cool and dry storage conditions with ventilation of course.  Right now, nowhere in our house or basement is cool, so they will have to settle for less.

Baskets of Cortland onions

Cortland onions

Red shallots Conservor from Johnny's Seeds

French shallot Zebrune from Seed Savers

The onions and shallots hung in bunches on our front porch for several weeks until cured/dried.  I then trimmed the tops and roots and rubbed off the dirty outer skins and stored them in baskets in the basement.  I think the real key is trying to keep the temperature moderate and constant, without big swings.  I learned that keeping them cool and then having to move them somewhere warmer once my "cool spot" got too cold last winter is what really set them to sprouting.  Makes sense.

What's Happening on the Homestead this Week?

The nights have been cool, with very slim chances of much rain in sight.  It has been a very dry summer.  A crispness of approaching fall is in the air in the evenings.  The bees are making knotweed honey and I can smell it's rich aroma when I pass by the hives.

German Butterball potatoes with carrots and parsnips from our friends' garden

Long Island Cheese pumpkin

Tromboncino squash.  I liked picking these as small squash and using like zucchini

Boston Marrow squash

Hot Peppers: Maule's Red Hot, Burgarian Carrot, Trinadad Spice, Habanero, Criolla Sella, Golden Cayenne

Dried chile powders

Hops harvest (variety unknown)

Hops

Hops on drying screens

What is Happening this Week on the Homestead?

Criolla Sella hot peppers

Bulgarian Carrot, Golden Cayenne, Red Habanero, and Aji Colorado peppers

Sungold and Juliet tomatoes and Cayenne peppers

My beloved Juliet tomato

Juliet!

Chickens weeding

Chicken "Stay Out" fence

Blue Lobelia and Elephant Head amaranth

Chickens with hives, hop vine shade tower and coop in background

Chicken harvesting elderberries

Bees and chickens

Elephant head amaranth

Summer garden

Boneset wildflower

Onions!!!!!!

Onion harvest 2015

Onions and shallots (hanging) curing on front porch

Mature Zebrune shallots from Seed Savers Exchange

Small onions will be saved for next year's planting