Hiya Rural Sprout Readers,Â
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Last week I was lamenting how it felt like the garden was behind this year. This week, I felt like I couldn’t keep up with it!Â
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I still have calendula to pick to make infused oil and facial toner. The beets are ready to harvest. (Have you tried Cheryl’s recipe for quick pickled beets?) I need to pick, dry and powder more kale for year-round green
smoothies. The Swiss chard is taking over. And I need to cut some borage to dry for tea.Â
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I spent quite a bit of my week in the u-pick strawberry fields at my favorite local farm. This meant making jam and dehydrating strawberries. My home smelled sweet and delicious all week, and now I can’t wait to share some new strawberry articles with you.Â
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Hopefully, by next Sunday, my fingers won’t be stained pink anymore.Â
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It’s been hot and sticky out, the kind of weather that requires two showers a day, if not three. Everyone is just trying to stay cool, including our chickens. Our hens have been hanging out in the bushes close to the house. They’ve scratched up the dirt and enjoy the cool shade sitting in their little hideout.Â
The other day we had a terrible thunderstorm. Those ding-dongs took shelter under the scrubbiest little pine tree in the yard…a mere ten yards from their beautiful, brand-new chicken coop that was safe and dry.Â
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We ordered our birds as day-old chicks back at the beginning of April. We chose pullets based on their egg colors to get a colorful assortment of eggs. We should have white, dark brown, olive and blue.Â
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“Should” being the correct word.Â
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I’ve had my suspicions about our Cuckoo Bluebar for a month now, but it’s been made clear over the past week that we won’t be getting any blue eggs from her - because she’s a rooster. But boy, is he pretty.
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We’re hoping he doesn’t develop the stereotypical rooster aggression. He’s still quite friendly, and when I can catch him, he enjoys being pet and fussed over.Â
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In other news, we had some questions on the Rural Sprout Facebook page about zucchini plants developing lots of flowers but no zucchini. There are two reasons why this happens. The first happens because your plant is very young, and the second is low pollination rates. I show you how to deal with both issues in this article.Â
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With a few minor adjustments, you’ll be up to your eyebrows in zucchini in no time.
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This week, I wanted to send out a friendly reminder that we love sharing photos of our readers’ gardens. Hit me up with photos of your garden, that massive zucchini you grew, or the perfect heirloom tomatoes. Perhaps you’ve got an especially lovely flowerbed this year. If you are growing it or grew it, we’d love to share your photos of it here in the weekly newsletter.Â
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I can’t wait to see your gardens this year!
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Don’t Make These 7 Common Summertime Houseplant Mistakes
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It's summertime, and that means typical houseplant care needs change. Make sure you're not accidentally harming your plant.Â
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P.S. I realized I made mistake #2 this week. Oops!
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Fertilizing Pumpkins For Huge Harvests + More Pumpkin Growing Tips
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If you're looking to grow the perfect carving pumpkin for Halloween, you'll want to read this and start using these tips right away.
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How To Identify & Get Rid Of Mealybugs On Houseplants
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These white, fluffy pests can make a mess of your houseplants. Madison shows you how to deal with them once and for all.
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How to Thin Fruit Trees – The Key to an Exceptional Crop Every Year
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If you get tons of fruit in the spring, but have a tiny harvest in the fall, this could be the key to a bumper crop year after year.
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Did you miss a newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration? Click this link which takes you to our newsletter archives.Â
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That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
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