Gardens

We try to raise as much food as we can here at the homestead. In addition to the hens, the meat chickens, ducks, lambs and rabbits, we also have a number of gardens. 

I plant the gardens around the house in a mixture of ornamental and edibles. When we first moved in, I bought a few truckloads of composted cow manure to fill in around the house. Our plants get huge, that's for sure... Take a look:

My kitchen garden. Two different cold frame sections - the kale and lettuce in the middle was planted back in March. It's perpetual - I cut it and it grows back. 

In the foreground there are pepper plants. I put those in a bit early, but moved the salad cold frame onto them so they had a nice head start. 

In the background are some sunflowers, my lavender, more sweet pepper plants and some volunteer dill...

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The brassica bed.  Red cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts and a zucchini. 

These beds are mulched with a thick layer of composted horse manure/shavings. Keeps the ground wet and cool. 

I did add an odd petunia for a splash of color...

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Okay, before you make nasty comments about the lawn, the mower was broken and Tom fixed it. So the lawn doesn't look quite this ratty anymore. But here is an edible/decorative garden - cabbage and zucchini mixed in with day lilies and hollyhocks. 

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