I set out this morning with a lofty goal in mind and that was to collect some sunflowers to dry out for fall decorating and also harvest some of the giant sunflower seeds.
It’s definitely time as I can see the seeds beneath the tiny blossoms in the center of the heads and I’d like to get to them before the birds do because I want to have plenty for planting next year.
Unfortunately the stalks on them are way too fat so my hand clippers are too small and the big ones are too dull at the moment so it will have to wait for the hubby to find time to sharpen them for me.
So I turned my attention to the patch of smaller sunflowers next to the chicken coop and thought I’d cut a bunch of them to hang and dry so I can use them for my fall decor inside and out, but soon found that was too risky an undertaking thanks to the millions of wasps buzzing all around them.
It was still pretty early and quite cool out but there they were, laying their claim to MY sunflowers yet again. Ugh. I really need to get one of those beekeeping suits to keep me safe from the murdering little buggers!
Since my sunflower plans were dashed I spent the morning hanging out with the chickens and admiring what’s left growing in the garden. The cucumbers are doubling in size every few days now.
The pumpkins are starting to turn orange, a sure sign we are heading into autumn.
I tried counting them all but stopped at twenty. New ones are still forming so I should have plenty for baking and for decorating with.
Next year we plan to grow some squash and zucchini next to the pumpkins and already have started working on expanding that area in anticipation.
We mowed down the pasture where the chickens and ducks free range and they’ve been enjoying being able to run around freely in that area gobbling up bugs and scratching in the dirt.
Yesterday we picked up a ton of straw and stacked it so I’ll have a few bales to use for decorating along with my corn stalks, pumpkins and sunflowers (if I can get to them that is!). We were going to take the dogs to run up at Island Park but there has been a lot of grizzly activity and a few attacks this year, so we decided to stay home and get some work done instead.
I am honestly ready for summer to end now and I especially can’t wait until the wasps and the grizzly bears both go back into hibernation!
Empty Nest Homesteading 
Those sunflowers and pumpkins will make such pretty decor! I think it’d be cute to grow some casper pumpkins and paint ghost faces on them lol Your garden beds look great!
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Ooh! Now I want to grow some white pumpkins and do just that! I also saw some black ones which would look super cute carved for Halloween, too. I’m definitely going to put both of those on my list for next year’s garden. 🙂
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It’ll be a fun project next year, for sure! Oh my, I haven’t seen black pumpkins yet 😮 Now we need to hunt some seeds down. 🙂 Yes, definitely, Halloween is the best lol 🎃 Sounds like we’ll both have a spook-tastic garden next Fall!
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I can’t wait now! I’m totally growing both if I can find the seeds.. 🙂
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Yess! Here’s where I got my white pumpkin seeds from https://www.trueleafmarket.com/pages/search-results-page?q=white+pumpkin . I’m not sure about the black ones though. We’ll hunt together 😂
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Awesome! I found some black ones and ordered 50 seeds here: https://www.neseed.com/shop/vegetable-seeds/pumpkin/mini-size/black-kat-f1-hybrid-pumpkin-seeds/?attribute_pa_seed-count=100-seeds
I want to grow enough black and whites for myself and to maybe sell some! If they take off, this could be a new thing every year to help fundraise for our other homestead stuff. Woo hoo. 🤗
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Yay!! Those ebony ones are so pretty! That would be awesome if you could make some extra money with them. I’m sure you could, easily! Thats a pretty good idea 😁 Have you done farmers markets before? That’s something I’ve thought about doing next year.
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I haven’t done farmers markets yet but we do sell a lot of stuff just through Craigslist and word of mouth. I think these pumpkins would be a huge hit even if we just loaded up a truck full and parked somewhere with good traffic (a lot of folks do that here). I’m seriously excited!!
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It’s still awesome that you sell a lot of your stuff in other ways. I’m sure you would sell every one of them if you loaded then up in the truck, sounds like a good idea! That’s how our little town is too lol It’s gonna be a fun Fall next year 😆
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What pretty sunflowers! I’m ready for the heat of summer to be behind us.
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Thank you and me too! I much prefer the snow and can’t wait to take the sled doggies out again. 🙂
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In England, we don’t say ‘Fall’. We call it Autumn. But the leaves and acorns falling steadily from our two large Oak trees are definitely telling me it has arrived. Despite the ‘Indian summer’ this week, with bright sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s.
Thank you very much for following my blog.
Best wishes, Pete.
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That sounds so beautiful. Here in Idaho we should just call it “pre-winter” really because it only lasts for what feels like a couple of days before we plummet back into being a winter wonderland. 🙂
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