Weeds!

It was about this time last year that I said I was in the weeds. And a year later, with the rain falling again one morning this week,  my going out to the garden was delayed one more time, giving way to more weeds.

Our gardens are most definitely getting the water they need. I'm grateful for the sun's return this weekend to remove the yellow from the leaves of our plants. We took a risk and put our plants in the ground and sowed seeds before Memorial Day. This year, it worked out and the weather has been cooperative so far. We decided to plant potatoes this year and have several feed bags filled with potential spuds. The last of our sowing happened this weekend with the addition of pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Perennials like asparagus and rhubarb, which seemed slow to return this year emerged and are in full force now. 

Oh, how I love those tender stalks on the grill!  Strawberry plants planted last year are looking good too! 

And right along with old and new plantings, are the weeds! They're all around-- both outside and inside. I don't have a problem with all weeds. In fact, as you know I like dandelions and I've been known to leave a few plantain in the garden beds in the event of a mosquito bite or worse, bee sting. 

Pick a few leaves and chew them up to make a poultice that will immediately soothe your skin. Sounds disgusting, but it's a wonderfully simple solution to drawing out the sting or itch. (Please be sure that you know where you are picking it from, and that the area hasn't been treated with chemicals.) Bindweed despite its pretty flowers that resemble morning glory, weaves its way into our raspberry bushes and wreaks havoc. 

I've spent the past three weeks managing broody hens; making their nesting boxes uncomfortable with frozen water bottles, physically moving them out of the nesting boxes only to see them puff out, ruffle their feathers and give me a loud squawk before racing back into the coop to reclaim their territory. Broodiness can be contagious and at times, very difficult to break the cycle. It's tremendously frustrating if your hens don't have fertile eggs and you're not trying to hatch chicks. 

Our indoor weeds need a bit of tackling too. It becomes harder and harder to stay indoors when there is so much to do outside and we have been cooped up. 

The potting room gets hit hard every winter as it is our main traffic area and a catch all for anything it seems that doesn't have a home. Boots old and new, mason jars, baskets....the list goes on. Just ask my husband. Cleaning and getting this space in order is one of those spring projects that seems to take a back seat to other outdoor projects. No pictures of the potting room. Use your imagination.

One of many spots we discovered

This year, we've added a leaky roof and carpenter bees to our list of necessary projects to address. I discovered evidence of carpenter bees one day on our older coop, but more importantly, on our barn. The bees create channel-like marks next to small round holes, and in our case, lots of them. We spent the week searching, reading, and watching videos to determine our best course of action. It seems like once you have them, they are the unwelcome neighbor that is determined to overstay their welcome. When I was contemplating raising bees, this wasn't what I had in mind.

Oh yes, and that leaky roof on our house. I'm not sure which is worse...the bees or the roof. 

Peonies and roses are loving the rain and though I won't be making peony jelly this year, I'm collecting the petals for drying to be used in teas. Our perennial wildflower bed is home to several flowers that we will drying and using to make teas for both medicinal use and just plain enjoying.  

Yesterday was a busy one with tackling projects and pulling weeds, and as soon as I post this , I'll be heading right back outside to weed the rest of the garden so we can fill in the walkways with wood chips. Did you know that Weed your Garden Day is coming up on June 13th? I don't really need to have a special date on the calendar as it seems like every day is Weed your Garden Day. I'm hoping that I can observe the day from a lawn chair sipping an iced herbal tea.