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I have never lived anywhere with daffodils before now and I am loving all the beautiful and different types that have come up here this year. I've counted about 15 different varieties so far and I have one very large clump that is just about to bloom so I'm not sure if it is yet another kind or...

Can anyone identify this tree from the blooms? I keep seeing these along the road here in southern Virginia and they are beautiful right now! We found a couple on the edge of some of our woods and I would love to have more. One of ours is a lighter pinky purple and the other is a deeper purple...

Anyone else have this? I have some in my herb garden and it's a very cool onion. I cut off some of the tips and use it like scallions. Do the bulbs ever get very big? We didn't have a whole lot last year so I didn't want to dig any up but it has spread pretty well so far this year so I might...

Most of my beans are doing very well but a couple aren't doing so hot. Any idea what is up with these two? The top one still has leaves developing but the bottom one does not. Here is the whole tray:

Has anyone ever done much with the berries from an autumn olive? We have these trees everywhere on our property and I really like the berries when they are properly ripe. I've read that jelly made from the juice tends to separate after a short time but I really want to try it anyway. Last year...

I love rhubarb. There is nothing better than rhubarb pie... Unless it's rhubarb jam (and don't spoil it by adding strawberries, please!) I've wanted to grow it for a long time but it never got cold enough where I used to live. Now that I live somewhere that actually has seasons other than warm...

This is mostly just for me to keep track of some garden stuff this year. I have a some stuff started in my greenhouse and other things waiting to be planted when I can put seeds in the ground. My husband bought a few different kinds of corn but I will probably only plant two of them this year...

I've done vegetable gardening for many years now in Southern California where we can garden year round. At the end of last summer, we moved to south central Virginia and it's a whole different ball game! I've got some seeds started and I'm working on my garden spaces to get them ready. The farm...

I bought a couple pounds of worm castings yesterday with the idea that I could somehow use them to build up some poor soil in my front garden. The soil is already planted with squash and beans, so I can't just spread it and work it in easily. Should I just put the castings on top and then...

Anyone grow chick-peas? They sound fairly easy to grow and I would love some home-grown for hummus. Yum!

I am not much for growing flowers. I prefer veggies on the whole. However, I appreciate flowers for their ability to draw good insects to my veggies. I am looking for some good insect-luring flowers to plant in the blocks that line part of my garden. What might do well with a small space to...

After reading the thread about creative ways to grow lettuce, my fantastic husband went out and got it done without me having to even ask! Here are some pictures of the process and finished product. We have been looking for something to do with one of the front walls of our house for a few...

We have managed to make some good progress on our chicken and garden tasks this week. We finished the chicken tractor and the garden boxes for the front garden. My husband is putting in the last of the border blocks on the front garden right now. Then all we have to do is fill in the walkways...

I planted a tray of seedlings sometime in the last few weeks. We have been having unseasonably warm weather so I had the pots in a plastic tray to help retain moisture. I put a few small holes in the bottom of the tray but I didn't want too much water draining out everyday since it was so...

I got my baker creek catalog today and sat down a bit ago to go through it. After about 15mins, I was drooling and babbling at the same time. There is so much fantastic stuff that I can't even process it all! I think I am going to have to go through it slowly over the next few days and start...

I have quite a bit of pumpkin from my garden and found a recipe for pumpkin butter that I would love to use. The directions say to water bath it but I thought pumpkin couldn't be safely canned in a water bath. Is it ok because you are further cooking it? I have only gotten into canning more...

I just finished making the caramelized onion jam that was posted on the blog of a BYC member (could be a member here as well, I don't know). I can't believe how great it smelled as I was making it! She just posted another recipe today for a garlic jam that I think I may have to try as well...

A neighbor just brought us 17 ripe figs from their tree and yesterday we picked about a half gallon of wild blackberries. I don't have enough of either one to make a full recipe of jam for one single flavor so I was thinking of making a fig-blackberry jam. Has anyone made this or seen a recipe...

I canned a couple quarts of tomatoes today for the first time. I followed the directions from a preserving book on raw packing them. Everything went fine and I liked how quick and easy it was. My concern now is that while they were in the water bath, they cooked down quite a bit and there is...

I am planning on making my first hard cheese tomorrw. I am trying to decide between colby, monterey jack, and farmhouse cheddar. Anyone have any tips for cheesemaking in general? I'm a little concerned about how to keep the temperature steady for fairly long periods of time and how to increase...