Category: Around the Kisner Homestead

Hot and dry! That’s been our weather the last few weeks. We have had no measurable rain since May 2. It’s tough to see the brown spots in the grass and the cracks in the dirt in the garden. Thought I’d share some pictures. So far, Bert has been able to keep up with watering the garden plants directly but not the shrubs. I guess he won’t have to cut the grass for a while…it’s so brittle it breaks when you walk on it.

The only place the grass looks good is right under the bird feeders, since every day Bert dumps out and refills the birdbath right by the trees.

Targeted watering keeps the radishes and lettuce going.

My sweet potato plant is doing well. I’m hoping I get some pretty flowers from it.

The lavender is doing well.

Some of the tomato plants have blossoms already.

The carrots haven’t been able to push through the dry earth…even with watering every day.

Green beans have popped.

Bert had trouble getting the Delicata squash to even sprout this year. Hopefully the vines will take over this space.

The Echinacea is trying to make flowers already.

Another worry with no rain is how dry the woods are around here. Campers and hikers have to be careful. Maybe it’s time for a rain dance! I’ll get right on that!

It seems like gardening season, 2023, got underway almost a month ago. In the last week with the rain barrels getting set up and tomato plants in the ground it’s like we finally got serious! I was able to get my raised planters going early this year thanks to the nice weather. I’ve enjoyed the first picking of radishes and lettuce.

I was able to plant the bag of small red potatoes that were sprouting on the kitchen counter and they have begun to pop.

Potatoes

I had a sweet potato that was determined to grow before I could eat it. We put it in a big pot just for fun.

Sweet Potato

Yesterday, it actually felt like gardening season had begun because Bert transferred the small amount of rain water in the rain barrels into the larger tank in the garden on the hill. He then used the hose to fill the tank the rest of the way. We’ve had very little rain and not much is predicted, but now that we have plants in the garden, we’ll need to be able to water the new plants without having to haul water up the hill.

You can read about how Bert sets up the rain barrels at: https://marykisner.com/setting-up-the-rain-barrels/

and how he transfers the water up to the garden tank at: https://marykisner.com/pumping-the-rain-barrels/

One of two rain barrels by the corners of the shop

The large water tank by the upper garden

We’ve planted 8 lavender plants, 10 tomato plants, carrot seeds and green and yellow beans. The echinacea has come back from last year!

Echinacea coming back from last year!

It does feel like gardening season has begun! We’ll cross our fingers for no more really cold nights!

I’m determined to take the time to learn how to grow sprouts in my kitchen and use them in various…on sandwiches, in salads and in stir fry. They are one thing that I should be able to grow and not have to buy at the grocery store. While I’m waiting for my lettuce and spinach to produce decent-size plants, growing sprouts could give me the variety I want with the freshness I like.

I started by getting my jars and lids organized. I already had 4 1-quart wide mouth canning jars. I ordered new lids that had metal mesh in the ring and “feet” so I could stand the jars on end or lean them at 45 degrees. I ordered these from Amazon.

I started with alfalfa seeds and mung bean seeds because they were familiar. Unfortunately, both packets of seeds were several years old so about half of the seeds did not sprout. Save yourself the frustration and buy fresh seeds! They can be purchased at Amazon.

I used 1 Tablespoon of alfalfa seed in the first jar and 1 Tablespoon of mung bean seeds in the second jar. I filled the jar with water, swirled the seeds around and set them on the counter overnight.

In the morning I drained the water, added more water, swished them around and drained the water off. I stood the jars inside a small glass cake pan to let them continue draining.

During the next 2 days, I rinsed the seeds every few hours, drained them and laid the jars down in the glass pan…like the picture below.

(I missed taking a picture of the alfalfa and mung bean sprouts…this is the second batch with the bean mix and chickpeas.)

After two days, I dumped the sprouts into cool water in a bowl and used my hands to swish them around. This was to loosen the green shells on each seed. They floated to the top so I could skim them off.

I first tried my Salad Spinner, but ended up using a plain stainless-steel bowl. The mung bean sprouts got stuck in the holes and the alfalfa sprouts went right through the holes!

Once I had most of the shells removed from the seeds, I spread the sprouts out in a larger glass cake pan and covered them with plastic wrap. I set them on the counter in the sun for a few hours and let them “green up.”

They kept well in the refrigerator in this neat little container:

Then, I started the second round of sprouts that I can use in stir fry…bean mix and chickpeas.

The alfalfa and mung bean sprouts are great in my sandwiches and salads. I hope the bean mix and chickpea sprouts work well in stir fry…my next experiment! Stay tuned!

Garden Update May 11, 2023. The raised planters on the patio are working well this year! They seem to have protected the lettuce and radishes from a few cold nights. I was able to pull a handful of radishes today…yum!

We had two kinds of radishes…the longer ones were milder.

Bert rototilled the two small raised beds near the patio.

I planted potatoes that had sprouted in the bag in the kitchen.

Potatoes ready to be covered up!

The second planter will have beets and herbs. Hopefully, the deer won’t find them too delicious and handy!

Up in the garden on the hill, we replaced our lavender plants…trying to find the right kind that will give me fragrant flower buds through the summer.

Lavender

Echinacea

We’re keeping the tomato plants under grow lights for another week or two…we’ve made the mistake of planting them out too early in the past and a late frost killed them!

Super Sauce tomato plants still safe under grow lights!

We’ll fill in the garden on the hill with the tomatoes, green and yellow beans, carrots and Delicata squash. Spring gardening is so filled with hope! Enjoy!

It’s been raining for several days and showers are expected off and on for the next few days. That means…growing things are really green around here! While it’s too early to do anything in the garden, the redbud flowers are giving way to green leaves and the grass is going strong!

I’ve planted lettuce, spinach and radishes in the raised planters. The tiny plants have survived a few frosts and are still growing. A few sunny days will really help!

In the shop under grow lights, the first few tomatoes popped up several weeks ago. Finally, most of the seeds decided to sprout too.

I also had one sweet potato that I forgot about on the counter…I’m going to try putting it into a big pot to see if it will grow there.

And of course, I thought I’d try some sprouts while I’m waiting to eat fresh lettuce. More about sprouts another time.

Green growing things always make me smile! Enjoy!

April weather is tricky. We’ve had temperatures up in the 70’s and blossoms are bursting out all over. That’s great…except Mother Nature is unpredictable and all those beautiful blossoms could be hit with cold temperatures, frost and even snow in April. Here are a few things we’re working on to get ready for garden season 2023.

The lavender has struggled for two years. I really wanted a row of beautiful lavender (like the pictures of lavender fields in France) that I could dry for my skin care projects. We’ve decided I didn’t get the right variety. Bert has researched our choices and begun getting the row in the garden prepped for new plants. Step one was to dig out the old lavender:

Now when he rototills the garden that row will get turned over well and amended to meet the requirements of the new plants.

The echinacea doesn’t look very exciting yet…but up close we can see the potential!

Bert has the small raised planter ready for my radishes. He added the other two raised planters (up on blocks) for my lettuce and spinach. It’s high enough the roving bunnies won’t find it for lunch.

I’m trying two kinds of radishes. Each section has been planted with exactly 10 seeds so I shouldn’t have to thin them out.

I now have enough planter space to try 5 kinds of lettuce and spinach. The markers aren’t fancy but they should last until the seeds come up.

Our Super Sauce tomato seeds (from Burpee) are now in pots in the shop under grow lights.

While it’s still too early to do much in the garden, the forsythia we planted last summer is surprising us with color. They make me smile! Enjoy!