There Will Be No Rest For The Wicked -lifeoftheoriginalhortbabe

A large part of trying to be more self-sufficient, and trying to locally source out the food that you do not produce is that it is a lot more involved than just quickly running to the store and buying what looks good. So… Not trying to justify the lack of recent posts, just saying make hay while the sun shines! I had a vole problem a while back. I’ve made barriers around my plant bases, tried drowning them out, filled the runs with soil and compacted everything in.


I know they are still around but I think I’ve slowed them down. Keep coming with suggestions though because I still have not got them completely beat. As for the rabbits and the neighbour’s stray Muscovy Ducks…. Well I’m starting to feel like Farmer Mac Gregor! The garden is doing well. I’ve harvested mâché, radishes, spinach, and arugula. My fourth seeding of peas is looking good ( grrrr the voles). My first seeding of carrots is up, second seeding of carrots and the beets are in.

Planting my potatoes tonight. All of my tomato, pepper, and eggplant starts are hardening off, and if the weather holds they will be in ground on the weekend. I have radicchio, and romaine that is really taking off and I’m hoping by June I will have a nice harvest of them. More leaf lettuce, radishes, and Swiss chard are being planted tonight too after work. My weekend started off the beginning of the preserving season. I made arugula/spinach/mâché pesto. I also bought some local rhubarb from the farmers market. I’ve planted rhubarb but it’s really not good to harvest from first season roots. I’ve frozen my rhubarb now while it’s available so that I have rhubarb when my strawberries are ready .

How can you not get excited about strawberry rhubarb jam? Best to buy rhubarb now then pay so much more later on strawberry season. More preservation plans for the week include harvesting my first lavender, and mints of the season and dehydrating them, depending on time I may try making a lavender tincture, and possibly using the multitude of dandelions I have around and making another tincture. I also just got a pressure canner! I have done lots of water bath canning but I’m super excited about the larger canning possibilities with my new toy! The weekend also included a new addition to the fruit production part of my garden. At the farmers market a local fig grower had a wide variety of figs that can be grown in our region. After talking to him I brought home a Brown Turkey Fig that I will be growing outdoors in a container( we rent and it will take 3 yrs for fruit production, I’m hoping we will be in the same place but if not, not risking putting in the time and not getting any of the rewards!). Well I hope everyone is having a great start of season, Cheers!


Source: Lifeoftheoriginalhortbabe| No rest for the wicked