I had a three day weekend so it was the perfect time to work in the garden and spend some time learning more about our new hobby, beekeeping.

We haven’t had much of a need to completely suit up as of yet.  Our bees are amazingly gentle and we usually change out their feeder in the evening when we only have to deal with the few bees that are on the feeder at that time.  Their usage of the sugar water is tapering off so I am guessing that means they will soon be able to sustain themselves completely with plants.  

We did suit up this weekend so we could check the process of the hive.  We located the queen and took out some frames to see the work that is being done and everything looks good so far.  We have a relatively short growing season here in Montana, but a lot of things grow well because our days are so long during the summer.  

The vegetable garden is underway with only cool weather crops right now.  No tomatoes or peppers or tender summer plants yet.  There is still a lot of snow on the mountains, a gentle reminder to those of us in the valley that we are still prone to frost at any time. I’m trying to hold back but I can hardly wait to plant tomatoes, squash and beans, the three things that do so well in our little garden. I can’t wait to see the effect the bees have on our harvest.  I’ll keep you informed.  

Jean Marie Stanberry-Guest Blogger

jeanstanberry.com  @jeanstanberry