Five Things I Know About Keeping Bees

1. Bees die. Sometimes they die as part of the natural life cycle and are carried out of the hive by coroner bees. Sometimes whole hives die from cold or starvation, the fate of the bees kept on our property the last two winters respectively. Dead hives are fascinating and beautiful in their own morbid way.

2. Bees can come in a box. Thousands of them hum around a queen trapped in a smaller cage inside the box. The community vibrates, singularly focused on surrounding their leader. Some people find the boxes unnerving, but I feel like they're a fascinating example of the possibility of community.

3. Bees thrive in community. Our friend Eve is the main caretaker of the bees on our property. Alex, Lil, and I assist Eve when we can, including building a new hive and helping install new bees this spring. Family, friends, and visitors watch, learn from, and share the sweetness of bees together.

4. Keeping bees requires a brave, gentle spirit. Eve embodies this calming attitude every time I see her work with the bees. Hives often send out a scout to check out visitors and I've watched them send additional bees to check out a nervous visitor. I take deep slow breaths to calm the scout and they generally let me sit very close to the hive to watch. If the bees don't seem to want me there, I leave respectfully.

5. We need bees and bees need us. Many produce plants need pollinators to produce abundant crops, which is one of many reasons we keep them. We like to eat their honey too, of course.  On the flip side, bees, particularly honey bees, need protection from pesticides and food and water sources. We choose to encourage pollinators by not using chemicals that might affect bees and provide as many sources of pollen and nectar as we can.

What do you know about keeping bees?

2014 Spring Garden Update {Wordless Wednesday}

1. Bee on grape leaf 2. Bee on celosia flower 3. Chickens in their new dual pasture yard 4. Old chicken yard garden beds in progress 5. Fig finally springing back to life 6. Rows of garlic plants 7. Harmonious Gardens managed by Swainway Urban Farm 8. Potato leaves 9. Row of tomatoes and pollinator food, aka weeds 10. Strawberries

The spring garden is growing! Our annual produce garden is 75% planted, the front yard organic farm rows are in progress, and the egg-laying chickens are finally in a pastured system (more on that another time). What's going on in your garden?

2014 Spring Garden Update {Wordless Wednesday}

1. Bee on grape leaf 2. Bee on celosia flower 3. Chickens in their new dual pasture yard 4. Old chicken yard garden beds in progress 5. Fig finally springing back to life 6. Rows of garlic plants 7. Harmonious Gardens managed by Swainway Urban Farm 8. Potato leaves 9. Row of tomatoes and pollinator food, aka weeds 10. Strawberries

The spring garden is growing! Our annual produce garden is 75% planted, the front yard organic farm rows are in progress, and the egg-laying chickens are finally in a pastured system (more on that another time). What's going on in your garden?

Summertime and the Living Ain't Easy

Sometimes urban living isn't all it's cracked up to be. For us, the past six weeks have been nothing but trouble. June started with Columbia Gas digging in our treeyard (site of Lil's garden) to run a new gas line. We were the lucky house on the block to receive the connection joint that required a hole six feet wide and four feet deep. Workers tried to be kind to our garden but split a four-year-old peach tree in two and trampled flowers and herbs. Because it's their right of way, we knew we were taking a risk when planting there but watching our beautiful garden destroyed was gut wrenching indeed.

Next came the storm that knocked out our power and my sense of direction. In such a dense area, having windows open meant we couldn't help but overhear conversations, children crying, and generators all night long. Prized shade trees shed branches over power lines that had to make restoring electricity all the more difficult for crews.

During the power outage mess, city bus drivers, providing central Ohio's only public transit, went on strike. While I don't use the bus frequently, I often use it for riding to the Doo Dah Parade, an option not available this year.

Meanwhile, the weather was unrelentingly hot: eleven days near or above 100 degrees, made worse by proximity to houses, cars and roads. The garden withered, chickens gular fluttered, and dogs didn't want to go outside. I worry about farmers, crops, and creatures, like the honey bees pictured above drinking sugar water from my hummingbird feeder.

Finally this morning I was awoken by a loud knock at 8 am. Columbia Gas was back to install supply lines to the house. Another full day of loud machines moving dirt trampled more of my garden, including mature raspberry plants.

I am usually an advocate for urban homesteading but today I am tired of city living. I want to run to the country where, in my grass-is-always-greener estimation, I could find a cool peace.

Summer Sunflowers

I have intentionally planted sunflowers twice. Both times, they were eaten by squirrels. Those that are volunteers from birdseed droppings, however, thrive in my garden.

This year, they started as broad two leaved seedlings under the bird feeders. As we removed the deck and situated new beds, I moved some seedlings to more appropriate places. I tucked them between beds along the fence line and bordering the air conditioner.

Months later they finally bloomed this weekend.

Pollen gathering insects love sunflowers. I can almost always find a bee or two on ours. Later in the season, birds enjoy the sunflower seeds. I enjoy watching the wildlife, hiding the air conditioner, and the contrast of bright yellow petals to the overwhelming green of the garden.

Welcome summer sunflowers!