Say hello to Marigold, our silliest backyard hen. If you want backyard chickens, I would strongly recommend a Salmon Faverolle. These birds are the clowns of the flock and will keep you entertained for hours, plus produce small, delicious eggs 🍳

#backyardchickens
#urbanhomesteading
#chickentv

Late June is here, which means it’s time for Saskatoon berries (AKA Juneberries, AKA Serviceberries)! Today, I harvested two quarts, with more ripe berries ready in a week. Just enough to make four 1/2 pints of jam.

#urbanforaging
#urbanhomesteading
#jam
#saskatoon
#juneberries
#serviceberries

Prairie Sundrops are poppin'! I received these as a split last year from one of my coworkers. These native plants are members of the Evening Primrose family and provide nectar for long-tongued bees 🐝, butterflies 🦋, and skippers.

#prairiesundrops
#eveningprimrose
#rewildyourbackyard

Smooth Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) is an attractive native plant. I love watching the bees climb in and out of its tubular flowers 😀 This plant does well in full sun to light shade and is an excellent food source for long-tongued bees.

#smoothpenstemon
#choosenativeplants
#tearupyourlawn

Peonies are popping!

#peonies
#springblooms

This is our first year growing Bunea Mulata (Capsicum anuum) and they are already living up to their reputation as heavy producer.

I started these plants from seeds in the winter and used a grow tent to give them a head start.

Happy gardening!

#eatwhatyougrow
#urbanhomesteading
#hotpeppers

Late spring blooms from Ohio Spiderwort (Tradescantia ohiensis).

Spiderwort blooms in the morning, closing by mid-day. Its also an important food source for native bees, including bumble bees.

#choosenativeplants
#ohiospiderwort

Another new bloomer for our yard! Meet Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), native to Minnesota. This an important plant for short-tongued insects, especially Black and Ozark Swallowtails, with blooms lasting into the summer.

Amethyst Shooting Star (Dodecatheon amethystinum) is blooming for the first time!

Another versatile Minnesota native plant and you can get up to ten flowers per stalk 👍🏻

Red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) dancing in the sunshine.

First glimpse of wild ginger (Asarum canadense) emerging from its winter slumber.