Without a pond to play with, we have been able to pay attention to more farm tasks. The tree clean up of our forested areas is always there and every storm brings down branches and sometimes a tree. Growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables is a constant learning lesson.
So how are my koi and what’s going on with the future pond?
The September pond is looking more like an October pond. Production of our panels has slid a few weeks. ☹️ In the meantime, the pond site is just an eyesore.The koi are still indoors. A little Sekiguchi showa came home recently. It was part of the Kodama Koi Farm grow out contest. I am hoping it will keep its beni throughout the body and the sumi will come up over the next few years. We can only hope it’s a female koi. 🤞🏻
My fruit trees look pretty pathetic. Most of their leaves have been chewed up by insects and their growth has been limited.
The apple trees have been eaten by insects and have some sort of blight. These two plum trees have done very poorly. Once the deer chewed them up, the insects finished them off. They also seem most susceptible to some sort of fungus.The fruit line and grapes by the barn were hit pretty hard by insects and fungus. I have trimmed up the grapes for next year and cut away any branches on the fruit trees that looked dead.I have two peach trees and two plum trees that are doing okay…To combat my fruit tree problems, we’ll be following a spray schedule over the winter. The pond builder bought me a fancy sprayer to tow behind my UTV. Fruit tree management requires regular spraying through the year with different kinds of fungicides and insecticides.
Growing vegetables has been more successful than fruit trees. I have been looking at information on vertical gardening and I may try a few plants next year. It seems a little labor intensive…
The vegetable garden is still producing tomatoes, eggplant, beans, and assorted herbs. I took out the cucumbers because the only ones growing were small and deformed. Round 5 of kabocha squash is looking very healthy. Hopefully squash bug season is over. The sweet potatoes are still green and the blackberries appear to be having a second season. Or maybe they just feel like being green from alll the rain.Seeds I planted a week ago are sprouting. If it stays warm through October, I may get a few late season zucchini and some kabocha.This is the only hugelkultur plant that survived. The winter gourd vine has snaked it’s way towards the front pasture and there is one perfect looking gourd. I have placed it on top of some cedar branches to prevent it from rotting into the ground.The late summer sunflower patch is attracting a lot of bees. These flowers will not get as tall as they should but the blooms are still very pretty.Difficult to see but my herbs are starting to grow in nicely. Lavender, thyme, rosemary and sage – they seem happy to be my steps border. I’m looking forward to cooking with them this fall and winter.
We’re still weeks away from getting eggs but the chickens are thriving…
The four Easter Eggers and two Buff Orpingtons look more like chickens everyday. I have covered the nesting boxes with some insulation to ensure they don’t make a habit of sleeping in nesting boxes. They do peck at the installation board constantly.The younger chicks (Colombian Wyandottes and Australorps) are beginning to feather out. They will be introduced into the coop in a few weeks. I need to be sure they are large enough to fly, can use the ladder and not get pecked.For now they lived in cardboard kingdom in my breezeway.
Random projects.
My propane tank camouflage project looks a bit weak this year but I expect the grass will look like the clumps in front of my house next year.After the rains, it’s fun to find all sort of weird fungi growing on the farm. It’s amazing to see so many different types and colors.The tea garden is much more successful by the greenhouse. Little buds on all of the plants.
Fun koi activities in a few weeks. I will be showing koi in South Carolina and judging in Atlanta, Georgia. And just maybe, my inner pond panels will show up and we can start building again…
Oh my happiness! I did not know you were getting chickens. I totally hope you enjoy them as much as I did! They are lovely breeds you chose🙂 I hope to see you and all the projects soon🍀 Linda
Oh my happiness! I did not know you were getting chickens. I totally hope you enjoy them as much as I did! They are lovely breeds you chose🙂 I hope to see you and all the projects soon🍀 Linda
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