Sunday Blessing

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?

² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

Photo Credit

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

Photo Credit

The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

Update #2: The Great Tomato Experiment

Fall is approaching and the garden is looking GOOD... and the verdict is in. The Great Tomato experiment has been a tremendous success and next year I fully intend to use this same method, not just for tomatoes, but for all my heat loving crops... peppers, eggplants, tomatillos, etc.
(For my initial post read HERE, along with the first update HERE.)

Typically in the past, I have not had tomatoes turn red until the end of October, IF the first frost doesn't come beforehand. However, this year, we've already started harvesting many cherry tomatoes (always the first to turn), along with several larger beauties.

The buckets have added the needed warmth along with keeping the water directed down toward the roots, at least as far as the bucket extends under ground. Mulch inside with a 1 gallon dripper has provided consistant watering and thus, very little to zero splitting of fruit. And, the gophers have virtually left the plants alone, thanks to the mesh wire in the bottom of each bucket. With the exception of a few ground squirrels helping themselves to an occasional treat, the harvest has been ours!

As far as the rest of the garden... what I actually managed to get planted produced an outstanding harvest with the exception of potatoes. Those I've dug up so far have been beautiful, but sparse. Not sure why I'm still not getting an abundant harvest despite crop rotation, but my new method of planting made it easy to hill the spuds. (I'll post on my methods another time when I solve the productivity issue, however I only had to hill twice and none of the potatoes were green from sun exposure).

I'm still adding fencing for blackberries on one side and a row of raspberries near by on the other side (where the squash are this year). And you can see WAAAY in the background the addition being added to the chicken coop. With our lockdown situation due to the bobcats, more run space has become a necessity. The temporary goat shed is on the right in the back. Hopefully that will be gone and the goats relocated soon.

Finally, I've managed to add a couple more raised beds bringing my total to 6 (not all are visible in this picture). Besides a bumper crop of marigolds, I have a bunch of kale, swiss chard, arugula, radishes, carrots, parsnips, onions, basil, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, and lettuce planted or started by seed. The mice ate the first planting of turnips, but left all the other items untouched (make a note of that... mice like peas and now turnips!) I have a plan for this second crop that should keep those pesky critters at bay (post to follow).

Next week, I plan to start another batch of seeds for a succession planting of lettuce, radishes, and maybe cabbage along with a bit more kale. Hoops are in place over most of these beds so I'm ready for the first frost. All I have to do is add Agribon or plastic sheeting. And hopefully, before next spring, I can locate some more wood chips to put around the boxes. It made a HUGE difference around the original raised boxes this year. I only did one spot weeding of about 4 weeds... seriously! It worked that well! What you see in the pictures around them are volunteers - mostly squash. (Who spilled those seeds there?)

So, all this to say... despite not getting about half of what I intended to plant actually in the ground this year, God has blessed our harvest and more and more we're eating the fruit of our labor.

What has been your greatest gardening success this year? 
Have you tried the Great Tomato Experiment?

Thanks to HOSS Tools - Garden Sponsor at Homestead Revival!


This post was shared on...
 Tilly's Down Home Blog Hop.

Barn Hop #78

Welcome to the Monday Homestead Barn Hop where you're invited to link up your blog with your very best post of the week; something happening at your homestead or something of interest that will help benefit fellow homesteaders. Plus, each of the 3 Homestead Barn Hop hostess selects her favorite post of the week to highlight the following week. So be sure to visit all three blogs because the "Featured Homestead" could be YOURS!

Just for the record... I'm featuring two homesteads this week since I didn't get one posted last week! Enjoy their bogs, friends!

The first featured homesteader from Barn Hop #76 is Kathy of Granny's Vitals: 

"I’ve been doing more fermenting this summer and experimenting with my new little Pickl-It jars. With all these jars out in my little kitchen, well things look more cluttered. And I’ve been concerned that my rather thin little towels just weren’t cutting it in the keeping the jars dark department. So I decided to try to reproduce something similar to a jar cover I remember from the Pickl-It site last year."

This week's featured homesteader (for week #77) is Nancy at Livin' in the Green!

I really appreciated her tips on growing cilantro in pots (and moving it around) in order to keep it going all year long. Sometimes the simplest things escape me!

"This year, even though it was a very hot summer, I am growing my third planting.  I have been using pots because in this extreme heat, I am able to move Cilantro into a shaded area to grow.  It has done extremely well in the shade (late afternoon sun for a few hours) and I have kept it much longer than if it had been growing in the garden." 

If you've been featured in the past...

If you've been a featured blogger on the Barn Hop, either today or in the past, we now have a special button for you should you wish to add it to your sidebar stating that you've been a featured blogger! You can find it on my button page by clicking the hen with the blue barn on my sidebar that says "HR Buttons". It's a good idea to link it back to the page where you were featured so your readers can see where you're actually mentioned. (These buttons do not have a code since it needs to be linked to the page you're featured in and it will change from week to week. Just copy the button or drag it to your desktop).

Join The Barn Hop!

Jill @ The Prairie Homestead

Kendra @ New Life on a Homestead

and Amy @ Homestead Revival...

...invite you to link up and share your homesteading adventures!

Did you share any cool new homesteading tips on your blog this week? If so, we’d love to have you link up below! Even if you don’t have a blog, we always welcome your comments!

Please remember that the Homestead Barn Hop is meant to be a place to share homesteading related encouragement and inspiring ideas specfically related to homesteading. In an effort to keep our weekly round-up clutter free, links which are not specifically homestead related, and any promotions such as giveaways, contests, carnivals, etc, will be deleted in order to maintain the integrity of the Barn Hop. Please remember this is a family friendly link up. Any pictures or posts linked to the hop which aren’t appropriate for our children to view or read will also be deleted immediately. We’re pretty conservative, so we ask that you use good judgment and err on the side of caution. 

Make sure that you link to your Barn Hop post, not your blog’s main page, so your guests won’t have any trouble finding your great tips!

We would also appreciate it if you would link back to the Homestead Barn Hop in the post that you share! Feel free to grab the banner at the top of this post to link back to us with.

Want a chance to be a “Featured Homestead” next week?

Be sure you've included an actual link to the Barn Hop, preferably the button, on your post or sidebar, with a link back to us. Thank you for sharing the message about the Homestead Barn Hop!

Occasionally there is a problem posting due to glitches in the internet or the Linky Tools. If you have difficulties posting and it does not show up immediately, please wait a little while and try re-posting (this helps avoid double posting). We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, be we do not have absolute control over the internet. Thank you for your patience and understanding!

Sunday Blessing

In the morning when I rise...

"But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,  and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive."
~ Luke 24:22-23

"Weeping may last for the night, But a shout of joy comes in the morning." 
~ Psalm 30:5

In the morning when I rise, 
In the morning when I rise,
In the morning when I rise,
Give me Jesus.

Give me Jesus,
Give me Jesus, 
You can have all the world, 
But give me Jesus.

(Lyrics by Jeremy Camp; Performed by Fernando Ortega - watch and be blessed!)

Inspiration Friday: Chicken Carton Labels

I realize that most of us don't package our eggs and make them look all pretty for home use, but occasionally you want to share the bounty. Seriously, who wouldn't want a lovely carton of fresh farm raised eggs? Personally, I think they make a lovely hostess gift when visiting friends. 

If you sell your fresh eggs, most people are going to go wild over them anyway (I mean, once someone tastes the difference, can they ever really go back to an anemic factory farmed egg?). You can seal the deal for life and secure those customers with a little extra service... like pretty packaging. So today's Inspiration Friday is dedicated to beautifying your presentation.

The first is my own creation. However, I confess that I'm constantly changing how I present them. This just happens to be one of several favorites. I printed up some labels I made on my computer, added a ribbon, and voila!

I also have an embosser that I use a lot. It has a hen and says "From the Garden of Amy Walker". I really think I need one that says "Sweetwater Farm Fresh Eggs", don't you think?

If you want something that adheres directly to the carton, Kathy Mormino creates custom egg carton labels like the one below. She can customize it or you can select from one of her many creations.

Sibylle at Funkytime created these Retro Easter Egg sleeves, but they could easily be adapted to for an every day delivery. Fabric, craft paper, even recycled newsprint... let your imagination run wild!

Sometimes 3-6 eggs is a better option. Especially for single adults who eat them only on special occasions (that's every day, right?).  I think this triangle package is awesome! Make a form to crank them out quickly and use recycled cardboard... let the kids help!  Oh, so cute!

Okay, so let's talk labels (I LOVE labels... what's with that?). Here are some favorites I found (in rapid fire succession)...

From (Mis)Adventures on Huckleberry Farm...

PJM of Old Picture of the Day has chickens that will lay custom eggs for you...

Abbey Ley created a lovely label for someone who wanted to share eggs with friends....

MarinMoma made her own and they're really cute! I'm not positive, but I think they're hand stamped.

Here's another label from Rosehaven Cottage you can customize and purchase. Isn't the chicken wire background cute? They're actually vinyl, like a bumper sticker, so the price is a bit higher. You'll want to get these cartons back to reuse.

I always seem to go back to the things that are simple and timeless, like Ashley D. Surber's black and white labels. I never get tired of this look...

Perhaps I'll host a contest one day... everyone could link up their best dressed egg carton. What do you think?

Robbing Wasps? Not So Fast!

September is here and my bees are still in the hive! Something to celebrate after last year's debacle. However, I can't say they're super strong either. I'm positive they didn't make enough honey to get through the upcoming winter without some additional feeding. So next on my list is learning how to supplement their nutritional needs during inclimate weather.

In the meantime, I've started feeding them sugar water since I noticed one hive had actually eaten half of their previously stored honey. I feel really bad about this since it's most likely a management issue on my part. The only thing that makes me feel better is having read Bill Turnbull's book, Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper. Besides thoroughly entertaining me, he's put my mind at ease... it's still possible to mess up and still keep going!

One thing I think I've done right? I believe I've helped my bees avert an all out war. The last couple of days I noticed wasps hovering all around the hive. Fighting in the hive itself had not yet commenced, but as the wasp numbers increased, I had a impending sense of doom... robbing was about to ensue. In fact, little battles had begun in the garden and the bees weren't doing too well.

In the past, I've used Rescue Yellow Jacket Traps around the patio so we could dine in peace during the warmer months. The wasps love meat and within moments, they'd descend upon us, terrorizing the family and causing us to grab our plates and head in side. The traps, hung just far enough to attract them away from the dining area, seemed to be the ticket.

So when I noticed wasps around the bees' abode, I hung a trap about 4 feet behind the hives. The packaging claimed it would not attract honey bees, but just to be sure, I watched for a while to put my mind at ease. Within 2 minutes (or less), the party was on and word got around to the wasp horde that dinner was being served elsewhere. Soon, crowding was underway and I departed, not seeing a single bee interested in the trap.

The next morning, I went out to investigate inorder to confirm that it was only attracting wasps. Sure enough, the bag was filling...

wasps: about a gazillion
bees: zero

Today the wasps are still hanging around, but their numbers are reduced enough that I'm confident my bees can handle the job from here. Guards are on duty, standing at the entrance...

And so... while I'm sorry that the wasps met their demise (after all, they're God's creation, too), they're typically very aggressive and troublesome around a homestead. All my little bees want to do is visit flowers, hum gracefully, raise babies, and make honey. Hopefully, they can now pursue those interests in peace!

Now if only they made easy to use traps for hive moths, varroa mites, and all the other nasty pests that plaque the sweet honey bee...

Barn Hop #77

Welcome to the Monday Homestead Barn Hop. Despite my extremely late posting, I'm still here! For those of you who are visiting for the first time, please refer to previous Barn Hops (left side bar) to see what we USUALLY do around here!

The truth is... I went camping. No phone, no computer, and no internet. Just a babbling brook, with a beautiful lake, my family, and a few friends. And with getting ready for school starting, packing food and stuff for the trip, and all the other normal things, I didn't get anything pre-posted. My sincerest apologies. 

Perhaps this week I'll get a picture or two posted of our get-away. But since school officially starts Tuesday morning, bright and early at 8:00, do not fear for me if I do not get a post up... we're home safe and sound (the highway was CRAZY with traffic coming home). I will resurface... Lord willing!

If you've been featured in the past...

If you've been a featured blogger on the Barn Hop, either today or in the past, we now have a special button for you should you wish to add it to your sidebar stating that you've been a featured blogger! You can find it on my button page by clicking the hen with the blue barn on my sidebar that says "HR Buttons". It's a good idea to link it back to the page where you were featured so your readers can see where you're actually mentioned. (These buttons do not have a code since it needs to be linked to the page you're featured in and it will change from week to week. Just copy the button or drag it to your desktop).

Join The Barn Hop!

Jill @ The Prairie Homestead

Kendra @ New Life on a Homestead

and Amy @ Homestead Revival...

...invite you to link up and share your homesteading adventures!

Did you share any cool new homesteading tips on your blog this week? If so, we’d love to have you link up below! Even if you don’t have a blog, we always welcome your comments!

Please remember that the Homestead Barn Hop is meant to be a place to share homesteading related encouragement and inspiring ideas specfically related to homesteading. In an effort to keep our weekly round-up clutter free, links which are not specifically homestead related, and any promotions such as giveaways, contests, carnivals, etc, will be deleted in order to maintain the integrity of the Barn Hop. Please remember this is a family friendly link up. Any pictures or posts linked to the hop which aren’t appropriate for our children to view or read will also be deleted immediately. We’re pretty conservative, so we ask that you use good judgment and err on the side of caution. 

Make sure that you link to your Barn Hop post, not your blog’s main page, so your guests won’t have any trouble finding your great tips!

We would also appreciate it if you would link back to the Homestead Barn Hop in the post that you share! Feel free to grab the banner at the top of this post to link back to us with.

Want a chance to be a “Featured Homestead” next week?

Be sure you've included an actual link to the Barn Hop, preferably the button, on your post or sidebar, with a link back to us. Thank you for sharing the message about the Homestead Barn Hop!

Occasionally there is a problem posting due to glitches in the internet or the Linky Tools. If you have difficulties posting and it does not show up immediately, please wait a little while and try re-posting (this helps avoid double posting). We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, be we do not have absolute control over the internet. Thank you for your patience and understanding!