Monday, May 30, 2016

Around the farm. Memorial Day 2016

 It is SO dry and hot here right now. Just all of a sudden too. The first 3 weeks of May were great. No need for the AC at all. Then BOOM! Hot and dry. No rain since the 21st. The ground is cracked bad. So I am watering everything every day now.

And I bought some bee balm and pineapple sage for the tire garden. My daughter Abby got me that hanging basket for mother's day. I added more soil to the tires too. I hope they make it.


And these poor blueberry bushes. I had totally neglected them. When I looked a few days ago, the berries were almost all shriveled up, like dried berries. So I ran and got the water hose and watered them really good. The next day, the berries were all nice and plump again! So I am watering them every day too.

And the apple trees. Poor things. I put the hose on each one for about 10 minutes each a few days ago. And I'm sprinkling them too.





I just love daisies. They were my bouquet at my weeding. I have a lot that just pop up all over the place. Of course, not where I would like them all to be. So I mow around them and let them be. You can see lots of activity on these. With it being so dry, there's not much else for the butterflies and bees.





I also noticed my elderberry bushes were turning a little yellow. So they all got some water too.





I have lots of bluebirds in the bluebird houses this year! There are usually finches or other small birds in them. But not this year! The bluebirds have taken back their houses! And they are busy little birds too!




These 6 chicks are just about ready to be let out with the big guys. As soon as their bag of grower-starter is done, out they go!








This is my little day lily garden. An elderberry bush popped up here last year. And I put a few peppermint plants in too. I have seen lots of birds in the bath lately!




They finally came to mow and bale the hay a few weeks ago. Now if they'll just come get it. But I think it looks so pretty out in the field. I hope this is not all the hay we have this year. But it doesn't look very good. The weather people are saying it's going to be a dry summer.




I am worried about the bees. Because it's so hot and dry, there is not a good nectar  flow right now.  I was going to try to harvest honey from the big hive this week. I still will, but will have to leave some for the bees. That's why I am planting so many flowers and herbs for them. I did plant a row of buckwheat that they are all over right now. And the daisies too. I also planted the 4 rows of beans and put sunflower seeds down the middle of both. But they haven't come up yet. I am watering them too. I want to get some corn planted as well. But the ground is too hard to till.



So what all have you planted in your gardens? 

2 comments:

Unknown said...

If it attracts butterflies and bees, it's in my garden. Milkweed, dill, fennel for the caterpillars and zinnias, coneflowers, verbena, salvia, bee balm, sedum, asters, lavender and so on. Something different blooming for each month through September. I tried very hard to attract hummingbirds but would only get one migrating south in late August. I have a 20 year old trumpet vine that they like and they go for some of the flowers I have. I even put up a feeder but all I ever get is the one going south.

Kris said...

Sounds like you have a lot going on in your garden. I planted a whole herb and flower garden for the bees. Thanks for sharing!

I haven't seen any hummingbirds yet. I usually have a family of them every year. It may be too hot and dry for them.