This week off (since my weeks and weekends are reversed from the rest of the world) has gone by entirely too fast. Working Tuesday night really took away a lot of homestead work time. I am however beginning to figure out this whole sleep schedule with working night shift which has been a big improvement. I have been falling asleep to ocean waves on a sound machine app I downloaded and it has been great. It’s making me crave a trip to the beach though!
For the last two days, I have been doing pretty much nothing but cleaning the house. Besides the normal house work, I got started on some Spring cleaning. This meant organizing closets, cabinets, cleaning out my computer, and cleaning other parts of the house that aren’t normally in my cleaning repertoire. I am absolutely exhausted! Tomorrow starts my work weekend, so I am grateful to have tonight to rest.
With all of the cleaning I have been stuck inside for the most part, which has been alright since the low last night was in the 20?s. Looks like that groundhog was mighty wrong this year! Despite the below freezing weather outside, my seedlings have been growing at a ridiculous rate. My beans, despite the tiny pots they were transplanted to, have already flowered and are growing tiny beans.
I am surprised they are producing with as little space as they are confined to. With the extra few weeks of cold, all of my seedlings are outgrowing the greenhouse and the transplant pots. As any ER nurse knows, you always have a back up plan (or two, or three, or four). From failed equipment, to lack of supplies, to a patient crashing and there being no help available, it is vital to think creatively.
I decided that since there is no warm weather in sight, it was time to go to Plan B. This involved taking the seedlings from the greenhouse, that were out of space, and transplanting them to the large containers that were reserved for other plants. This way they would only be transplanted once instead of multiple times until the weather was warm. Luckily, most vegetables can grow in containers so they should be happy living out their days in confinement. I haven’t decided what the extra space in the raised beds will be used for yet.
As of today, only a few plants remain in the greenhouse (strawberries, watermelon, eggplant) and the rest have been moved to containers. I didn’t move the beans since they are in a fragile time of producing. I am just going to plant extra bean seeds in the raised bed gardens later. The plants in containers now are jalapenos, mixed peppers and tomatoes.
I have garlic and viking potatoes growing in containers as well. The lettuce and cherry tomatoes are fairing decently in the hanging planters. It’s a bit of a pain to bring in all these plants at night!
The chickens and pigs survived the bitter cold and were enjoying the sun this afternoon. Lady-Bug’s belly is growing every day, but no signs of labor yet.
The pig pen crew consists of the pigs, Solstice and Princess (who learned how to escape from the chunnel-hence the reason she is now in the pig pen during the day). They seem to be co-existing peacefully so far.
Solstice has begun to adjust a bit better to her new home. She really enjoys spending the day with the pigs.
She was feeling particularly frisky today.
Solstice still comes in at night and Princess roosts with the rest of the flock. As soon as the weather warms, Solstice, Princess and the chicks will permanently reside in the pig pen. The old gals are just not tolerant of anyone new so a separate flock will be started with the others.
We are patiently (as patiently as I can anyway) awaiting warmer weather!
Until next time…
