Permaculture? Self-sufficient? I don't know what you call it........

I just call it Sunny Morning Farm!

We have been here for 9 years on May 1st. I have always had in mind what I wanted the place to look like when the "Garden" was established. You know how much work goes into establishing a garden? Lots!! To say that my garden has evolved over the 9 years is an understatement. It has been changed up changed around and changed back mostly due to the renovation of the house. For the most part of the past 4 or 5 years my garden has been neglected tho!
This is the first year that I have really gotten serious about trying to make the most of my plants that I already have. Meaning separating the very overgrown perennials and spreading them around for the most impact. Moving some perennials that are now being shaded or overtaken by a larger plant in the hard scape. And weeding and mulching and weeding and mulching.......

This is one end of the garden that took a couple days to weed, divide and mulch.
A day for my body to recooperate....NOT.....we went the next day to The Fairy's Rest for more planting and mulching!
I can't wait for this Snowball to be in full bloom!!



I have enjoyed all my birds soooooooooooooo much this year!
Nary a feather caught sticking out of a cats mouth either!
I spotted my first hummingbird yesterday.....he wanted to hit me right between the eyes too!!




I spent another couple days on the veggies and herbs.
I picked out a spot in the vegetable garden near the chicken coop and made it an herb garden.
I had chives and oregano in my flower beds and moved it. Now planted are Sage, Dill, Parsley, Basil, Chives, Oregano, Garlic, Red Onions, Yellow and White onions, Leeks, Beets, Peas, Roma Beans, Kandy Korn, Carrots, Red Cabbage, Green Cabbage, Radishes, Potatoes, Summer Yellow Squash and Zucchini.





My Strawberries are looking good!
I flash froze my berries whole last year and then vacuum packed them with the Foodsaver. I just got a pack out a few days ago and they were just like fresh berries!! Can't wait!
The strawberry patch however, needs a big overhaul too!!!! Ouch my aching back!







OK!! We purchased 12 black raspberry and 12 blackberry bushes from Stark Bros about 5 years ago. Only 2 measly little raspberries survived. Danny has moved those 2 shoots around to a few different areas hoping they would take off and do good and he also kept saying that we would buy more to go with them.....time and lack of energy got in our way over and over and we never purchased any more. Well Katie Barr The Door!! Those 2 little bushes decided last year that they might as well grow and grow they did. Enough that Danny decided to lay the long shoots over and cover them with dirt so they may take root ..............root they did too.
Those 2 bushes have now turned into about 20!!!!!!





I spent the entire day yesterday tilling the ground near all these shoots and digging them up and moving them to a permanent place. When Danny came in we put up the fence panel for them to run up either side of for easy picking. The panel is 16' long and we will need one more to handle all the plants!!!!!! Woowooooo good things do come to those who wait!!!!

This meant another day of major wear and tear on my body, I hope it will be worth it!
That big ole piece of machinery that Troy built (Troy-Bilt) called a tiller just whipped my you know what to pieces! I couldn't let him get the best of me tho, I had to man handle him again this morning. I may have me some muscles by the end of the season!!! I already have a really nice farmers tan, best one for years!!








Can't wait for the garden to grow!!

Do you have nice rich dirt like this? Robin and Eric are here this week and she is very jealous of my soil vs her Ga clay!! I told her to work on it for 9 years and it may look as good as mine!

Concord Grapes! Yummy!

Blueberry Bushes in full bloom!

Red Bellied Woodpecker working it's magic on my Redbud tree.

I also have a Pileated Woodpecker that I was very up close and personal with the other day.....almost between the eyes too! I better be careful what I welcome into my yard right?

Lots of little crabapples on the way for the Eastern Bluebirds.

Aaaawwwwwhhhhhhh it was worth the seven year wait for this kinda show! The pictures do not give it justice. It is lovely in the white dogwood tree. Looks even better when there are a pair of Cardinals or a big Bluejay or the many chickadees perched in the tree! A great show of spring.

Can you smell the Wisteria?

These lazy little sapsuckers just love to watch me hard at it in the garden!

Both the pregnant mommies are flat out sleeping, you can barely see Saphira's head behind the 2 Nubians toward the left lying flat and Opal to the right....LOL!!!!!

I plan on having them watch me for many many hours in the coming months if my garden will turn out to look as I have dreamed of it looking for all these years. I have spent my "Free time" hahaha watching youtube videos about permaculture and self sufficiency and I am getting there one year at a time. If my tired old body will hold up to my very vivid imagination that is! We are already almost 100% organic. That didn't come by choice but by habit. Good habits ;-)))))

Now it is by choice, we know how to be good stewards to the land.

Never mind what you saw in the background of some of these pictures......the big Poplar tree on the ground below the garden and the many loads of firewood behind the Wisteria!!!

We have many many new trees to start planting in their place....Apple, Cherry, Pear, Peach, Plum, Pecan...etc etc etc............. Oh my sore knees and back and arms..................