A Walk Down Memory Lane

This is the first year I can truly say, wow the garden looks amazing! I am enjoying it more this year than any other. Probably because so much work has been done to make it what it is over the past three year. So now we can slow down a bit on the projects (even though there are more to come). 

I can not believe that we started with nothing back in 2009!!!  

Here's how the garden has progressed over the years:

2009

To think in 2009 the garden was a blank canvass. We started by plotting out the Circle space in the middle of the yard. 

Then we rota-tilled spaces to plant our garden. And made a small green house.

I made a makeshift archway out of branches and planted the box wood to define the pathway.

2010

 My how everything changed over a year's time!

The Circle space grass filled in.

We planted grapes, and seeded grass paths. 

The garden remained as one big dirt area with food rows. 

 2011

In the early spring months we converted the dirt garden space to raised beds.

The grapes grew considerably as did many other things. 

Jason built another green house.

  

And he built me an archway which still remains one of my favorite garden features!

2012 is now here and you can see by our previous posts how the garden continues grow and amaze us. Not bad for three years time. Hope this encourages you to tackle a garden project - it won't take long before you too will enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Photos take this summer:

Inspecting the Hive...

During the growing season, a bee hive needs to be inspected every 7-10 days to check on the health and well-being of the colony. Is the queen actively producing young? Are the workers collecting enough pollen and/or creating enough honey reserves for the community? Are the bees healthy?

Our bee hive only consist of a bottom super presently at this time as we started this year with a nuk box (a young colony divided from an already established colony).  So far only about half of the frames are 'bee busy'. As the weather warms, and more flower come into bloom (e.g. blackberry), the bees will quickly kill up the other frame - so long as the queen remains actively laying eggs.

We use a bee hive tool to separate the frames from one another - dislodging the build-up of propolis put there strategically by the bees. 

Each frame is inspected one by one. 

Busy, busy, busy bees!  The glistening open cells are honey in the picture below, there are also capped honey cells visible here, and capped brood.

I am so loving this!