Pictured: Sun coming through the Hawthorn 5/10/26.
| This week there are 2 woods walks! Since it’s not the week for planting anything, I worked on household stuff (boring I know!). Enjoy! Amy | Table of Contents: ~ Garden Guides! ~ ~ Phenology: The Seasons Through Blooms! ~ ~ Spying on Nature! ~ ~ Livestock News ~ ~ Thank You! ~ |
~ Garden Guides! ~
The waxing crescent moon (New Moon through the First Quarter moon) is a good time to plant leaf crop annuals/vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, etc.
I’ve compiled a list of planting dates for 2026 based on the moon phases:
2026 Planting Guide – Zones 7/8
Here is the advice for this week:
After 1:02am May 17th to before 4:12pm May 22nd (waxing crescent moon) – Sow Outdoors: Brussels sprouts, spinach.
~ Phenology: The Seasons Through Blooms! ~
May 10th blooms: Hybrid Tea Rose Unknown Variety (Rosa x hybrida), Hairy Locust (Robinia hispida), Mock Orange (Philadelphus lewisii), Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum), Fragrant Fringecup (Tellima grandiflora), Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum), Pacific Blackberry (Rubus ursinus).
May 16th blooms: Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana), Pacific Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum tenuipes), Western Trumpet Honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa), Osoberry fruit (Oemleria cerasiformis)
~ Spying on Nature! ~
I took a video of the trees near the creek. I could just hear the hum of millions of bees in the Hawthorn flowers, birds were singing and the creek was babbling. The creek log didn’t disappoint this week! Vultures and Weasels! I tried to make a creepy tree sound video but it was way too quiet. The wind was blowing an Ash tree around that had a dead tree leaning on it so the creaking noises were SO LOUD and creepy sounding. I’m bummed the video didn’t work out!
~ Livestock News ~
Don’t forget the monthly Homestead Happenings: Livestock Edition that goes out the first of each month!
The latest:
Homestead Happenings April 2026: Livestock Edition
~ Thank You! ~
Please subscribe to the blog if you want more Homestead Happenings delivered straight to your inbox!
As always, I deeply appreciate every like, follow, and subscribe. You can find our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube links in the sidebar (or at the bottom of your screen if you’re on a phone!).
The blog is a sampling of all the photos I’ve taken this month.
Please head over to our social media to see the photo dumps!
We’ll see you all again May 23rd for the next Homestead Happenings: Flowers & Nature, where there will be even more Garden guidance as planting starts to amp up and more will be blooming in the woods! Don’t forget, the next Homestead Happenings: Livestock Edition for May will come out June 1st, where lambs will get their final weights before finding new homes!
Hollow Hills Ranch 