Today the Japanese beetles showed up. This year we are slightly more ready than last year, and we actually hired 4 farm employees that will be here in a little over a week. We planted "trap crops" to attract the beetles away from the crops we want to protect...amaranth and lots of zinnias. Problem - trap crops are not in full bloom yet, so not trapping anything. I caught a bunch to try to feed them to our chickens. The chicks were interested, but the beetles' crunchy texture

Not much to say about this other than it is just a part of our fall routine... Join us as we get our garlic planted (in super-speedy fashion) for next year! Our garlic is from Keene Garlic . Great products with great resources for anyone who wants to grow beautiful garlic!

Peter and I make dramatic changes to the garden, which feels like a big loss, but find wins along the way...

Japanese beetles love our gardens and orchard. They have made quick, destructive work of our apple trees, beans and zinnias...apparently...

The Gerards wanted a little social media time this morning when I was feeding them, so they wiggled to the top of the bin and had a...

A rainy-ish Saturday is a good reminder of how much our watering gig here at the homestead has changed for the coming growing season....