Last post, I mentioned that once bees decide they will swarm, there is no turning back. Last Sunday, several hundred bees found their way into the garage, where the extra beekeeping equipment is kept. Smelling like honey and cozy like home, the bees are attracted to the empty frames in supers and brood boxes. At … Continue reading Swarm!
**I wrote this over a week ago, then didn’t have internet for a bit, so didn’t get it posted. Better late than never! When I was a small girl, I was a bit enamored by the bunny rabbit. He seemed so sweet and fuzzy, even a bit shy. He even brought jellybeans and chocolates at … Continue reading Small woodland creatures, how I loathe you
Until yesterday, there were just two hives of honeybees that living in our backyard, tucked between the compost pile and the back rows of the garden. While the bees live there year round, even through the coldest winter nights, there still is a seasonality to beekeeping. It’s finally time again where we meddlesome keepers can … Continue reading Thus begins beekeeping season
It’s been a while, shamefully, since I updated the handful of faithful on the status of Fox Plot. I have excuses, the lame kind that are generic and generally sound like “I’ve been so busy!”. As reigning queen of the part-time jobs, I can’t so much pick and choose when I have too much to … Continue reading Excuses and more excuses
Once upon a time, a little mouse (who in fact was reincarnated from his previous life as a ground squirrel) spent his (or her?) winter in a lovely, warm and protected environment that was more commonly known as a ‘greenhouse’. After a surprisingly short winter, the little mouse was interrupted in early spring by the … Continue reading A Mouse in the Greenhouse and other Garden Fairytales
Even after such a mild winter, I am guilty of complaining just a week ago that I was ready for warmer weather. I honestly wasn’t expecting 80 degrees in mid-March! As delightful as it feels, it sets in motion some things that would not ordinarily begin until later in spring (as it is still officially … Continue reading Who turned on the summer?
The bees have left the hive and are coming back with pollen! Here’s the comings and going at one hive entrance. I give them serious accolades for being the first hives (kept by our small three beekeeper collective) to make it in through the winter since I talked my own mum into this four years … Continue reading And they’re off!
Yesterday marked the beginning of this year’s garden. Two trays of Copra onions and one of King Richard and Lexton leeks planted! I ought to be shouting it from the rooftops though my joy is a little bit diminished because; (1) We’re behind schedule already and (2) We’re behind because we don’t have enough space to … Continue reading The Garden Begins and Growing Pains
Sometime late last May, nearly a year ago now, I started a handful of pumpkin and winter squash seeds. We got a bit busy and behind on the transplanting, so it was well into June before they went into the ground. Fast forward through the summer and into the fall, and I was out in … Continue reading Me and my butternut (or My butternut and I)
If you’ve been on a meander or walk about in a less than perfect landscaped park near you, you’ve likely run across the notorious garlic mustard. I stomped around the empty rows of the garden just yesterday and came across this very resilient little plant. With the mild winter, it just hung out until now, … Continue reading Weeds you can eat: Garlic Mustard
The FoxPlot 