Summer Is Coming To The Homestead

Summer is coming up, and I can’t wait to experience the season on the homestead. I’m not sure what to expect, but I know one thing: chores will be abundant and I will be busy like a bee! Did I mention I got bees on the homestead now? You can check out a video of me introducing them to their new home here Introducing Bees To The Homestead

So far, I have realized the grass grows FAST, so I have to mow the yard which is around 2-3 acres of grass and dandelions weekly. Coming from someone who has hardly mowed in their life (I hired a neighbor kid to mow for me most of the time at my previous house and my mom always mowed growing up) this is a lot of mowing! Haha! Thank goodness a ride-on mower came along with the property. I would probably spend a full day out there with a push-mower lol.

If you remember, I battled the bugs when I moved in during the fall. They scurried about in the house and I took some action: sealed up cracks and did what landscaping I could before the weather turned. I didn’t know how my actions would affect the bug situation until summer, and now summer is almost here! I’m happy to report that I don’t have bugs running the walls of my house like the downtown streets of Seattle. I’ve landscaped the other side of my house, so hoping the bugs won’t make it to my house this summer. For landscaping, I pull the grass back three feet from my house, lay down landscaping material, and pour rock on top. The rocks heat up and don’t make it pleasurable for the bugs to roam about compared to the cool pockets of the grass.

The dogs are enjoying the nice weather because I’m outside more which means they are out of their enclosures as well running about on the property. I always have them out with me when I’m outside doing projects because they keep me company and safe!

This year, I have a plethora of projects on my plate. My garden needs to be built up AND I need to install a perimeter that keeps deer out. I recently learned how annoying dear are when you have a garden. I bought some blueberry bushes, set them outside, and woke up to barren bushes because the deer ate all of the leaves. UGH! I won’t be overwhelming myself with attempting to have a massive garden. I’m happy with my garlic (which is growing beautifully) and a few other plants I will have in my garden.

Summertime is my favorite time of the year, and I can’t wait to see what my homestead has in store for me.