http://www.autumnshadefarm.com/

Autumn Shade Farm, 7320 Georgetown Road, Midway, KY (2026)

06/06/2025

☀️Hello Summer! ☀️

Is the year really almost halfway over? My goodness! It feels like I just took the Christmas tree down last week. 😲 The first 1/2 of the year has been a whirlwind. I have desperately been trying to get caught up. The combination of all the projects we had going this past year and into early spring as well the many weather delays during the winter and the spring has definitely put me behind the 8 ball.

Strawberry season took off like gangbusters! I've picked gallon upon gallons of strawberries. It's an incredible luxury.....one that I wouldn't trade for anything. All of the berries are amazing but I have to admit.... strawberries are my favorite. Morgan Elizabeth, our Mini Bernedoodle has decided they're her favorite too! 😂 She loves to sneak a strawberry or two whenever she is out there with me. 🍓😋

The raspberries are in full swing as well. They started producing not too far behind the strawberries. It can be a challenge trying to keep up with picking all of them but it's definitely worth the effort!

A few months ago I wrote about my new citrus plants. During the winter I was using a grow light to help spur them along. I'm happy to report that they are doing well. The lemon tree is beginning to produce lemons. ( They aren't ripe yet so they're still green.) But I'm getting pretty excited about them. Hopefully the other citrus plant will follow suit soon.

Last week we got new baby chicks. They're so cute! Our older chickens are doing well and they are still producing eggs. However, they are beginning to slow a little bit so it's time to start a new group. It's incredible how fast they grow! They only hatched about 10 days ago but they have already grown so much!

Speaking of growing!!! The puppy, Michelle Dove has really grown! She is 10 months old and stays very busy. She would like to help in the garden if she could. However, her helping quickly turns into trampling or digging up new starter plants that have just been put into the ground. 😝 Last week I replaced 3 cucumber plants that she had crushed. She went out the next day and destroyed 6 more. 🤦 Ugh!! I'm hoping to have at least a few cucumbers this year...🤞🙏🙏🤞 It's a good thing she's SO cute!!

Here are a few pictures to recap the recent events and days here at Autumn Shade Farm. Happy growing!!

02/28/2025

✂️ Pruning Away Fire Blight ✂️

This week I began the process of pruning the berries. I was hoping to start a little over a week ago but the weather refused to cooperate. The recent weeks have been brutally cold and then suddenly this week it seems as though spring has arrived. Pruning is always a long arduous task. Because I have so many plants it usually takes me at least a couple of weeks. I'm not complaining though. The bounty of berries that are produced are definitely worth the labor of love.

Not only is it time to prune berries, it's time to prune fruit trees. As many of you know I have several fruit trees.... about 25 or so. Unfortunately, one of my pear trees has a condition called "Fire Blight." The good news is that it continues to produce healthy pears. The bad news is that it's not healthy for tree. Over time if not treated the tree will die . For the past few years I have diligently pruned and removed the diseased limbs and treated it with an organic spray to try and eradicate the disease. So far I haven't been successful at eradicating the Fire Blight, but I have managed to confine the disease to the one tree. Fire Blight is very contagious and has the ability to spread to other trees. That would be a disaster!!

It's important to remember that Fire Blight is HIGHLY contagious. When pruning a diseased tree, the limbs must be thrown in the trash and removed from the property. You would never want to place them in a pile with other cuttings to be burned or recycled because the disease can be spread into decomposing wood chips or it can also spread through burning ash or soot in the air. I'll keep you posted on how the infected tree does this year as well as the berries. Until then, happy growing!

P.S. One more crucial step required when pruning trees, always clean your shears with alcohol before moving to the next tree. If you're pruning a tree with disease, clean the shears with alcohol after every cut.

02/21/2025

🌬 The Long Winter ❄️

When I was a child I loved to read. One book I remember very well was the one written by Laura Ingles Wilder, The Long Winter. Being from Texas, it really stuck out in my mind because as she described the harsh long winter her family experienced, I couldn't imagine enduring anything like that.

Obviously I wouldn't want to exaggerate and say that our winter this year compares to anything Laura Ingles Wilder experienced, but I'm getting somewhat of an idea! I have so many things to do on the farm and our weather hasn't been cooperating. We've had more snow, ice, and below freezing temperatures than I have experienced in the ten years that we have lived in Kentucky. That's okay though. I have plenty of berry jam to continue making and I also got a handy new gadget recently that will help me start a few plants inside. I have a new Grow Light.

We visited a nearby nursery the other day and decided to try our hand at growing citrus. We picked up a Meyer Lemon tree as well as a Key Lime tree. They are small now and later will be replanted in larger pots. If all goes well I will be able to have them indoors during winter and then outdoors during warmer months. I've never grown my own citrus before and the idea excites and intrigues me.

Even better, the grow light can be used indoors for my seedlings when I start those pretty soon. I'm anxious to see how much better they do than they have in years past. I'll keep you updated. Until then, here are a few pictures of our frozen "long winter" world as well as my new grow lights. Stay warm. 🥶

01/22/2025

🐦Hungry Birds and Frozen Water 🥶

Last year I wrote a blog using the example of Alfred Hitchcocks, The Birds. Well, here we go again! We have been in a "deep freeze" going on 3 weeks now. The poor chickens have taken it pretty hard. Because the ground is both covered in snow and frozen the birds cannot peck the grass foraging for food. As a result they steal quite a bit of the chicken feed. Water is also a challenge. I'm having to replenish water a couple of times a day because either the birds drink it up or it becomes frozen solid. I will readily admit that I enjoy the winter. However, I must say that I'm ready for the thawing to begin. 🥶

I was hoping to get more work done outside in the month of January but so far that hasn't been possible. The good news is that we are supposed to warm up next week so hopefully I can begin some of the cleanup. I'll keep you posted. Until then, the dogs are happy watching the snow from the window. They also find entertainment watching the birds come up to the window carrying stolen food in their beaks. Oh well, all of God's creatures have to eat so I guess the chickens can continue sharing their food for a few more days. ☺️ Stay warm!

01/09/2025

🎉 Happy New Year and Hello Winter! 🌨

Happy New Year! My goodness! Winter's blast truly rang in the new year. Our early and late fall were so mild we almost forgot that winter was coming. Usually I cover the strawberries with straw in mid to late November to prepare them for harsh weather. I held off and finally covered them this last week in preparation of the winter storm that came barreling through.

We were pummeled with around 9 inches of snow, an ice rain on top of that, and then a few more inches of snow. We were snowed in for a few days but we have everything we need so life was good! I made good use of the time and went on a roll making jam. I'm not done yet. I will continue making jams the remainder of this week and all winter long. The goal is to try and empty the berries from the freezer before berry season starts again. 🙏🤞🙏🤞

As soon as I'm able I will start the clean up of garden beds. They are an unsightly mess right now with dead debris from last year's growing season. It will soon be time to prep soil for spring planting. It seems strange to be talking and thinking about spring so early in the year especially when there's snow and ice everywhere. But as all of you know, it will be here before we know it! 🥶

12/23/2024

❤️‍🩹A Bittersweet Merry Christmas 🎄

Did some of you wonder where I went? I haven't written a new blog in several months. My plan is to get back on track in the New Year. The past several months were a hodge podge of up's and down's, gigantic projects, and sad goodbyes.

In April we learned that our precious Great Pyrenees Meghan had kidney disease. It was devastating.....it still is. We changed her diet and began giving her sub cutaneous fluids several days a week. Our efforts prolonged her life for a few months, but in the end the disease became too advanced. We said goodbye to her in October.

Four days after Meghan passed my sister Shelley passed away. Talk about a crushing week!!! Shelley had been sick for several years so her passing wasn't a shock. However, the finality of her passing was excruciating. I'm really missing my sister these days. The sad truth is that I've been missing her for a few years now because she had dementia. Her body was still here but her mind left us a long time ago. Some days the grief over losing both my dog and my sister are so overwhelming it can be hard to breathe.

The great news is that not everything in 2024 was sad. In September we got a new puppy. Her name is Michelle Dove. She is a Pyredoodle. (exactly 1/2 Great Pyrenees and 1/2 Standard Poodle) She is going to be a big girl!! She is 5 months old and this week began losing her baby teeth. Her song for Christmas is..."All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!" 😂 Even though she's a little clutzy because of her size, she's super sweet and brings us much needed fun and laughter.

It was quiet the challenge having 3 dogs for a short time....one in poor health and one in potty training. However, it was the right move. Morgan Elizabeth needed a friend and playmate when Meghan left us so it made the transition a little less painful.

Even though we are entering the winter season, the farm will be very busy with cleaning out garden beds and pruning gearing up for the Spring season. I will get back into the groove of giving updates on the farm now that I'm finally coming out of my slump.

We pray all of you have a blessed Christmas season and 2025 brings peace, happiness and good health. Much love to all of you!!

Craig and Lanissa

❤️

Autumn Shade Farm

06/06/2025

02/28/2025

02/21/2025

01/22/2025

01/09/2025

12/23/2024

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