I’m back! What with festivals, travels, and catching whatever awful nastiness Toddler Homesteader had about a month ago (but I got sick two weeks later and am almost fully recovered now), I’ve been away for far too long. Which means it’s time for a homestead update, yay!

Veggie Beds

Well kids, this is what most of our veggie beds currently look like – well-mulched, with spots of green stuff we planted and spots of inedible weeds that we didn’t plant. We’ve had issues with slugs, unusually cool summer temps, rain, and probably not the greatest quality soil, so I’m not banking on most of our cherished annuals doing much in the yard this year.

In better news, thanks to some warmer temps and my taking care of much of the slug problem, our Three Sisters are all coming up (including beans, yay!), beans are coming up everywhere else I planted them, and tomatoes are finally starting to show new growth. Here’s hoping we get some more hot, sunny days soon.

Hilariously, it looks like we’re going to get more veggie volunteers again this year (tomatillos, squash, and melons, anyone?), so yay for that!

Perennials

Our perennials, on the other hand, are doing fabulously. (Gee, I wonder if it’s because they’re mostly native plants and/or thrive in our climate? Nahhhhh.)

Blackberries are officially ripening as of today, huzzah! Toddler Homesteader ate both of the ripe specimens, as well as picked three unripe berries. (We’re learning what colors are ripe colors, and it’s a struggle, y’all.)

Every year, our figs surprise me by saying “yep, I’m still here!” Here’s hoping we actually get figs this time?

Asparagus has officially reached the feather stage, although we got several stalks for eating this spring. Strawberries are also thriving and putting out creepers to spread, which makes me happy (and Toddler, as well).

Can we talk about this beautiful milkweed? Sometimes, I get overwhelmed with our unmowed grass and turning our lawn into a meadow. And then, all of these beautiful pollinating plants, habitats for pollinators vital to our continued survival, pop up stronger and healthier and in greater numbers every year that we give the finger to mowing obsessively. Our yard is beautiful.

If you need further reason to just let things grow, check out our maypops growing on last year’s woody weed stalks – they’re literally as tall/long as Toddler Homesteader. And you’d best believe she’s excited about more maypops, even if she doesn’t remember it yet.

And in case you’re wondering if we just let things run entirely wild, we do mow pathways to perennial and annual beds and gathering spots, around our berry berry bushes and fire pit, and a nice little patch for Toddler Homesteader to run and play. (Sometimes I get a bit behind at the beginning of the warm season, but I catch up eventually.) It’s a lovely balance and is heckin’ prettier and healthier than a traditional lawn.

Porch Plants

After yet another year of hard work starting, planting, and watching our beautiful annual crops not thrive under climate weirding conditions, Husband and I are considering changing how and what we plant in coming years. We may shift to one or two small, rotating veggie beds, like we have in the front yard, and leave the rest of the current veggie plot for perennial fruit crops, like blackberries and fruit trees. We’ll see how the year pans out.

That all being said, we still enjoy some tasty annual veggies and herbs that we grow ourselves, and have our extensive porch container plants. These guys are thriving this season, thanks to our absurdly sun-bathed front porch that makes even sitting in the winter pleasant (and the summer wayyy too hot).

Herbs (especially dill!) have been fabulous, and we’re so excited to maybe, finally get a friggin’ homegrown eggplant or twenty this year. That, as well as porch tomatoes, peppers, and other fun herbs and flowers are making our patio coffeetimes very scenic.

We’re on the cusp of the harvest explosion phase of the garden, whatever shape it takes this year, and we’re all about it here. Until next time, happy homesteading!