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Are you with us on this? While some may enjoy being able to be outdoors more, not having to burn so much firewood or run their heaters this just isn’t what December is supposed to be like in the Northern Hemisphere.
It is what we wanted August to be like, however.
Yet, here we are in Toomsuba, MS, with highs that were in the upper 70’s this week.
And what do you do with it? The cold must come at some point, so trying to grow anything outside of a greenhouse is risky.
An area about 40 feet by 40 feet planted in clover, awaiting bees.
Most plants have shed their leaves and the summer grasses have died back, so forage is in short supply for animals.
Bees are buzzing but no nectar is flowing.
And snowmen come in buckets, awaiting the cold.
Now, I might shrug my shoulders at this. After all, we are in the Deep South in hardiness zone 8. Sometimes cold just doesn’t come this early.
However, I’m hearing it is like this in Maine as well… MAINE! My goodness.
So – leave me a note below: What are you doing with this unseasonably hot weather? Is it a nicety or a burden?
We have had a few frosts. Our first frost was roughly a week past the average first frost. Not too shabby. It was just enough of a frost to kill off our Malabar Spinach, Grapes and Snow Peas. However our Lettuces and Carrots are still holding on.
One part of our property is in the midst of being transformed into our new Apiary. It was planted back in September with a perennial white clover – and it is thriving.
I can’t help but be slightly concerned that the clover with flower before the next frost and kill off the harvest that is just waiting to happen in this field.
A Young Buck. How many tips do you see?
The lack of cold has also put a damper on hunting. We have seen a coyote on the property that will have to be dealt with, but we’ve also seen a young-looking buck that should be a nice harvest in a year or so. We’ve also seen a few doe on the trail camera – so perhaps if the weather will cool off before the hunting season is over we can still get a deer or two put up.
The Coyote that will have to be dispatched.
While the meat would be nice to have, we are mostly concerned with the coyote. We still have about 80 ducks still waiting to be butchered – not to mention to chickens, pigs, goats and horse that are all vulnerable. We’ll be sure to put it to use, but it cannot be allowed to run free.
Wherever you are we hope you are enjoying your holiday season – even if it isn’t typical weather.
In the mean time, we are still publishing videos over on our YouTube channel, so be sure to keep up-to-date with us there!
Hi, J & J,
Warm here in Connecticut, also. Today was foggy – all day long. And around 60F or so. While in a way it is a mercy – I work outdoors quite a bit – it feels a bit creepy.
For the bees, some may consider setting out some food (that’s it’s own long discussion regarding what’s best).
I am concerned we are going to go from 60’sF to 20’sF in a very short time frame, hurting plants and animals.
I have my mental seat belt on, as I have anticipated “instabilities” for quite some time. I am thinking about how to plan for both torrential rains and drought. This time of year is supposed to be rather wet up here. It ain’t. Rivers and streams are low.
Glad for the knowledge to understand some of this – so much of it is a mystery and there is no telling how it’s going to play out.
Blessings to you all.
Thanks for commenting 🙂 Sorry to hear it’s just as unbalanced up there as it is here. I certainly hope that it all works out okay and that the seat belt turns out to be nothing more than a precaution!
Some people get a donkey, there like guard donkeys. If you do want to know more, check out an American homestead.com. they have one and can tell you all about it. And it’s a companion for the horse . Well you all take care and I hope this helps, cause I know coyotes don’t like donkeys
It is a wonderful idea. We had a donkey once and learned the sad hard way that you have to get your equines tetanus shots. We had to put the poor guy down. Anyhow, thanks for the suggestion!