After a bit of a delay, the garlic is in the ground and bedded well with straw. The potato bed has been amended, and covered with a tarp until freezing temperatures take hold – neighborhood cats are an issue and the thought grosses me out.
Got another batch of pasta sauce into the freezer today – with a total haul of about 150 lbs of green tomatoes (mostly cherries… next year I’ll limit myself to one plant of each variety), I’m pretty happy that 25 lbs has been made into sauce. I’ve also dehydrated a fair bit, but there’s still lots to sort through and use. Although a good portion will end up spoiled, it’s nice knowing that more than half of that will end up processed to feed my family. And even the portion I lose, ends up going back into the soil to return the nutrients lost during the growing season.
Salsa still needs to be made – perhaps tomorrow.
This is the time of year I can take stock of what I need to change for the next growing season. I was incredibly pleased with the celery we grew – it’s since been consumed except for a portion that was dehydrated or frozen for soups. Broccoli did well too, but I know I need to be more on the ball about using it immediately when it’s ready. Carrot… did not plant even remotely enough. Same with beans, though the beans were a battle between me and the local murder, who kept stealing my seed stock as it went into the ground (as well as the young shoots as they emerged). Also need a dedicated space for onions… what we harvested gets used quickly.
Potatoes? I think we’ll be mostly set, though hitting the 100 lb mark would be fantastic.
Tomatoes – I need to restrict myself to one of each cherry variety, then two of the larger ones. My go-to’s are definitely Mortgage Lifter, Principe Borgheis, and then either Amish Paste or Roma (or maybe one of each).
I need to remember not to waste valuable garden space on chard or spinach – we don’t eat it. Lettuce, ultimately goes to the rabbits, which is great… but I don’t need to plant it because it volunteers itself through my lawn every year.
Herbs… another bed that needs further organizing. I never have enough basil. The abundance of oregano I had last year failed to materialize this year. But the sage! The sage was lovely. And I have Rosemary and Thyme in an indoor garden box, to keep in the kitchen for the winter.
I think I need to take a few moments to write all this down, for my 2026 planning…
Tag: garden
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I kinda suck at updating
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Welcome Autumn!
Summer has come to an end, as my children (teenagers, really) return to school and the days become noticeably shorter. I’ve harvested the potatoes (a new record of 83 lbs, grown in a small 4′ x 8′ raised bed), and have started to collect the first ripening tomatoes.
Two weeks ago was our local Fall Fair, and I’m thrilled to report that my doe, Mystic Meadows Clover, took Best in Show for commercial breeds.
Mystic Meadows Clover winning the 2025 Quesnel Fall Fair Best in Show, Commercial Breed Then, last weekend, at another rabbit show in my province, I sent another doe (Mystic Meadows Ginger, bred and owned by Amy of Mystic Meadows Rabbitry), who won all four shows as Best of Breed for Champagne d’Argent! Avon Hill’s Larry took Best Opposite in two our of four shows, so I’m pretty darn happy about that too.
In the last few days, I’ve moved all the rabbits into the Bunny Barn. No, it’s not quite finished, but it’s sufficient to keep everyone organized and comfortable. Violet is due with a litter in the next few days, which is exciting, as this will be Beretta’s first litter, and I can’t wait to see what he produces!
Bunny Barn interior from one of my cameras -
Fail
Garlic scape pesto – fail.
Why?
I didn’t trim them properly, and the result was course, stringy scape-matter that did not blend down into a pleasant product. No manner of olive oil or pine nuts is going to save this mess.
Live and learn. It’ll probably still taste fine, albeit a little chewy. Next year the plan is for a larger garlic crop, so I’ll have more to work with then. Live and learn!
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The Beauty of Herbs
I’m a little excited, I’ve been able to harvest several bunches of chocolate mint and garden sage over the last week, so I’ve popped them into the dehydrator. The mint is destined to be become tea, as well as a winter treat for the rabbits (and if this mint continues to do as well as it has, I’ll have an abundance). The sage will be used in seasoning pasta sauce and other savory dishes… if I didn’t already mention it, the sage actually survived the winter and returned this spring, which I found shocking as it hasn’t done that before.
The garlic is bustling along, and the first ten scapes have now been removed and chopped up for dehydrating. Once it’s done, I’ll be able to grind it up for garlic powder.
Nest on the docket will be dehydrating oregano to make another batch of herb-infused olive oil… wouldn’t you know it, I just ran out! The other herbs I still need to harvest once the plants are robust enough are rosemary and thyme…both of these plants are pretty small, and harvesting any amount would be detrimental. Patience is key, I suppose.
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June… already here
Wow, blink once and spring has practically turned to summer. The garden is starting to sprout, through the weeds are definitely taking advantage of the warm and wet.
And bunnies! Daisy blessed us with a litter of 5 kits on June 1st. Everyone is growing well, and squeaking up a storm.
For Violet and Sabine, their kits are also doing fantastic. I’m super excited to watch them grow, there are several stunners amongst them.
In other news… I’ll be delaying any future breedings until the completion of the “Bunny Barn”, due to the upcoming summer heat. Rabbits, especially young ones, don’t tolerate heat overly well. The last thing I want to do, it to lose any of my kits to a heat wave (happened in 2023, and it truly broke my heart).
If all goes to plan, I’m hoping to have an update on the status of the barn within a few weeks!
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March
Another month has passed, and now spring truly feels to be on the horizon. The snow is melting quickly, leaving mud and last season’s remnants in its wake. I’m excited.
True, I do have several month’s worth of dog droppings to clean up from the back yard (thanks, Sherlock), but the time spent outside helps me visualize the changes I want to implement with the upcoming growing season.
One new garden bed is already in place, with a thick lay of compost set down in the bottom. I’ll know if I’ll be adding a second after I get the yard a bit more organized.
My plans for the yard this year are a bit more interesting than usual – I want to create a space where my animals, garden, and greenspace function harmoniously. Where the chickens can be allowed to venture outside of their run, without ending up all over the back deck. I want a peaceful people-place where I can lounge on the warm summer evenings, after my chores are done.
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August 2024, and how it ended with challenges
Summer, 2024. I had so much to do. Garden with struggling a little with unpredictable changes in weather, but over all, was probably my best yet. Rabbits were thriving, and I was in the middle of planning deck repairs and new hutches.
Until…
Work. You know the place where we go to support our habits? Yeah, that place.
I work in a pulp mill, and I run an assortment of heavy equipment. I love my job. But on August 24th, in the middle of troubleshooting a vital piece of equipment, I stepped down, and turned my left ankle.Badly.
To the point that I fell to the ground.
Finished my repairs (though screaming through the pain, it’s ok, it’s a very noisy work environment), and ended up at the emergency room an hour later. Avulsion fracture… that’s when the tendon rips a piece of bone right off your ankle.
Six weeks in an air cast, then physio. The air cast aggravated a previous pelvic injury to the point of being in agony 24/7. Clearly, the summer/autumn plans vanished in a puff of smoke.
I did manage to harvest a good haul of potatoes, and the tomatoes were pulled still green, and ripened inside. Not ideal, but it was ok. Still got my zucchini and herbs, though the carrots went feral, as did the beets and chard. Whoops!
Obviously, the deck still needs to be repaired, and new rabbit hutches will happen in the spring. I struggled, but I also learned. A lot.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will my homestead.
PS- rabbit manure is gold. Eight tomato plants yielded over 150 lbs of tomatoes.
