Homesteading · Urban Homesteading

November On The Homestead

November on the farm is the lowest and slowest month usually. The hours of light start diminishing quickly as the month starts and by the end of the month, we have less than 9 hours “light”, and well, November is usually the wettest month. It’s simply just dreary outside. That is the thing that transplants to the Pacific NorthWest have the hardest time to adjust to. It’s dark when you get up, and within minutes of the kids getting home from school, the sun is setting. It doesn’t leave much love to go outside. On the rare sunny day I get out and do work as needed – pickup up limbs that have fallen, check on the rain tanks, and make sure the plants in the greenhouse are OK. Otherwise, it’s time to be inside and dream of the next year.

The month started off with a hail storm that was heavy it looked like snow.

The aloe plants are tucked away in the greenhouse.

The citrus trees took a beating this year outside, but are back in the greenhouse for the winter. The cut marks on the leaves are from leaf cutter bees, that use it to line their shelter. I don’t mind it, and the trees do fine with it. We had a surge of scale, which took time to remove (scale loves citrus). I found rubbing alcohol, sprayed on with a pump spray worked well. After a few rounds they all died and could be rubbed off.

Sunset on a chilly evening.

And in the final days of November, a randomly growing Snapdragon went into bloom. I have no idea where it came from, but it is welcome as it grows protected by our deck, amongst a pile of rocks.

Winter days? Great for selling our body products in person!

And working on archery when it’s so cold no one else is at the range.