Update on the honeybees:
Around Easter, a wild swarm of bees landed in our little orchard. A day later, another swarm, or so we thought. As it turned out, the first swarm split itself, but we caught it in time and placed them in a new NUC. So, the first swarm was left queenless in their little colony. George swapped some frames in the hopes that they’d raise a baby queen, but as of today, there are no new babies. No babies mean no queen.
He ordered a new hive bottom that should come in today. When it does, George has decided to recombine the swarms. To do this, he will place a sheet of newspaper between the frame levels in the new hive. As they chew through the paper, they will get used to each other and should live happily together again. Cross your fingers!
Update on lettuce:
The lettuce is growing nicely, so George is building a washing station in the garage to wash, dry, and bag the lettuce for the Farmer’s Market. I hope it’s all worth it. He has a huge stock tank for a bubbler to wash the greens. He will build a drying station where fans will help to dry them. And finally, he is building a six-foot counter on wheels to bag the greens. In true George fashion, he has gone above and beyond to package the lettuce.
Update on Garden:
George has planted pole beans, and they have already begun popping up. To date, he has beans, lettuce, tomatoes, an assortment of peppers, zucchini and squash, onions, potatoes, garlic, and carrots growing. I believe he had to pull the broccoli as it has gotten too warm for them, but he may still have some cauliflower out there.
Orchard:
The pears are still growing beautifully, and we hope the little limbs are strong enough to withstand the weight. Sadly, the peaches and plums have all dropped. He thinks it has to do with watering. He has them auto-watered four times a week, but isn’t sure it’s enough.
Blueberries:
We initially purchased twelve blueberry bushes from Fast Growing Trees as they had a sale running. We purchased two kinds and George wanted a third. He bought four Brightwells from Tractor Supply, but they may be dying. The others look wonderful, though. Come to think of it, my Pears came from Fast Growing Trees as well.
George was ready to mow down the crimson clover to start preparing the area for future garden space when he kept running into some flowers covered in bees. So he looked them up, and it’s toadflax. All the bees love them, natives and our honeybees, so he has put a hold on mowing the area.
Puppy Love:
Onyx, the baby Great Dane, is growing into a big boy and learning all about farm life! He loves to visit with the chickens, and the ducks seem very interested in him. It is hard to believe he is not even four months old yet.
♥Tootles♥
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