BusyBee Farms' Blog

Welcome to the BusyBee Farms blog, where we share insights into our everyday activities and the world of sustainable farming. Explore our posts on dog grooming, beekeeping, gardening, jewelry making, and more.

July 2nd, 2025

Chicks and ducklings have been ordered! They will be here the week of the 14th!! YAY! I will be getting a new phone in the next few days, so I will update pictures soon. 

We have had company for the last week and will be traveling for the 4th, so not too much has been going on besides normal chores.

We have decided that we need to mow our grass more frequently than we can afford to pay someone else to do it, so we will be looking at getting our own lawnmower next month. That is a little less exciting, but it will be nice to be able to mow when I want instead of having to wait a week. I am out in the yard all day almost every day, weather permitting, so I hate tall grass.

The beans seem to be fizzling out in the heat. I will probably go ahead and start one more round of noodle beans and cobra green beans to finish filling the freezer. I will just start them and pull the others when the new are ready to go out. It is a lot of work, but I want to make sure I have a bunch for winter. I use green beans in the dog's food topper, also.

We are also about to put our pumpkins in the ground to have them for Halloween and Thanksgiving! I want to try some tromboncino squash also. I just need to add another trellis.

Trying to make a 7-year-old GSD wear sunglasses is pretty difficult. Sabrina's pannus (an autoimmune disorder where her immune system in rejecting her cornea) is flaring up and I read that UV light can irritate and make it worse. Eye drops and sunglasses are pretty necessary, no matter how dumb they look. I really don't want her to go blind if I can prevent it for her.

It Is So Much Fun Here!

<3 Caysi

June 23rd, 2025

This has been a very busy time. Justin has been out of town all month, so there has been a lot for me to handle. I won't say too much, because I think I have done alright! ha-ha! I ate my first Brandywine tomato tonight with dinner. It might be the best tomato I have ever had beside Barry's Crazy Cherry. Well, I was out in the sun all day. Maybe I was just hungry.  I really appreciate our Amish Paste tomatoes, also. I prefer a sweeter tomato, so you can take that into consideration when I am speaking of my favorites. 

The Batesville Square market started at the beginning of the month. I have been trying to make a binder of everything I am selling, so people will know what it looks like and have a general description. There has been a learning curve, but I think next year will be our year! I might even do multiple markets next year. They are a great way to market to locals by handing out business cards for your small businesses.

Still no bees (I put swarm commander in the hive), and I have been so busy I haven't even thought about filling the new coop, yet.  After I get a handle on everything else and get to where I know I can take on the extra responsibility, I will make my purchase! 

Squash bugs have been pretty annoying. I dusted everything in cinnamon and spent coffee grounds last night. I did not see one squash bug today. *Fingers Crossed* no larvae burrowed into our plants. If squash bugs found it, I know that pesky moth might have also.

I think that is it for now. Time for some shut eye!! Yay!

<3 Caysi

May 18th, 2025

The payment part of the website was a doozy for me. It took about 3 days to figure it all out. I don't have a lot of time to work on the computer with a 2-year-old running around and into everything, so I have to take a little time here and there to do what I can.

The Hoop Coop is almost complete. We have a few things to order for the nesting boxes and modify how I can pull/push it. After that is done, we will be in business! I originally wanted to skip the brooder period and go straight to laying hens, but granny gave me a sad face when I told her...so, we might have chicks ordered soon.

It has rained almost every day the last month. The lawn is so swampy that we have gigantic nightcrawlers coming to the surface. They look like friggin' snakes almost. Our yard is now a bird buffet. The little one LOVES telling us that there are birds and watching the numerous different species pecking around. We have even seen some itty-bitty birds chasing the giant crows. It's pretty funny.

I am having some second thoughts about collecting and selling Brandywine Tomato seeds. I have never had an outstanding harvest from them, and I just had to chop most of the lower branches to keep the plant healthy. The rain is doing a number on some plants and certain varieties. For the ones that have trouble this year, I will continue to save seeds and plant for myself. Hopefully, they will build better resistances to the hormonal weather in our area over time to become a superior variety. We will see in 50 years! Haha!

The Chocolate Trinidad Scorpion peppers, however, are doing great. I couldn't believe the flowers I was seeing for a HOTHOT pepper. Dark Prince, Buena Mulatta, and Thai Hot peppers are all EXTREMELY prolific and ripening very well. Mini bells are looking nice, and the pepper that I am not sure if it is a Fireworks or Pretty-n-Sweet is popping off.

I just hate to miss out on different flavors because of crappy weather.

I killed our purple micro tubers. We had a break in the rain for about 1.5 days, and I covered the foliage for it to regrow...well it rained for about 2 weeks straight and I think between covering the foliage and the straw mulch I added...they rotten in the ground. That is my assumption because after about a month I only have one plant coming up out of 13. Lame-O!

Still a lot of work to do here and on the farm. I got my first notification of a reported swarm, but my bee suit isn't going to be here until tomorrow, AND I have slacked on the apiary set up. That will have to be started this week, so I can have bees before swarming season is over. 

Justin leaves to go out of town for a month or more in about a week. We are busting out projects, but as it gets closer to time for him to leave, we will need to slow down and spend time together as a family. There is always something to do, but you can't get time and missed memories back. I think our only projects for the week are to finish the hoop coop and start the apiary. I can do most of the apiary myself, but I want his help building the hives. I need them as sturdy as possible to last many years to come.

<3 Caysi

 

May 10th, 2025