Rocky Creek Valley Farm

09/02/2026

Elderberries...now or never! Well, not NEVER, but it's elderberry picking season this week!!

 We haven't had a broody hen for ages. So, when Tillie decided she wanted to be a mom, I was thrilled. I gathered up some eggs, marked the date on them, and put them under Tillie. It was 2 or 3 days before I added the eggs to her nest, so she sat longer than the typical 3-week hatching range. She f...

08/15/2026

Mowing the lawn is the only time you can go in circles for 3 hours and still feel like you accomplished something, and it sure looks nice.

08/13/2026

What a wonderful herb class yesterday...MILKY OAT CHALLENGE!! Thank you to those of you who COMMITTED to a 30-day transformation!!
If you want to change your life and are interested in trying this magical herbal infusion for a month, and want to know more, let me know. If you want to be on my herbal mailing list, let me know!!

08/10/2026

Summer's bounty....what's better than this? Thanks, Morgan and Cyndi!

07/24/2026

Well said....

07/23/2026

Beautiful!!!

In the 13 American Colonies, these compact kitchen garden plots supplied households with herbs, vegetables, and flowers—and many of the same simple methods still work great. It’s a compact, utilitarian plan, one that feels surprisingly modern today. Flowers, herbs, and vegetables were often mixed together to make the most of limited space.

For example, the radishes emerged first and were pulled to be eaten, making space for the slower carrot roots to grow without much thinning. For a practical, space-saving way to grow more at home, this time-tested approach is a good place to start. Learn more at Almanac.com/garden-like-1776

07/17/2026

Just say NO to Miracle Grow!

07/16/2026

Interesting....

10 old-fashioned plant signs that are surprisingly accurate.

Passed Down Through Generations — Still Holds Up Today

1. Dandelions Closing Their Heads
→ Rain Coming
Dandelion flower heads close in response to rising humidity and falling barometric pressure. A field of closed dandelions is one of the most reliable short-range rain indicators in folk botany.

2. Clover Folding Its Leaves
→ Storm Approaching
Clover folds its trifoliate leaves inward before rain to protect the pollen from moisture damage. The folding response begins hours before rain arrives — visible to anyone walking a field or lawn.

3. Pine Cones Opening Wide
→ Dry Weather Ahead
Pine cones open their scales in low humidity to release seeds for wind dispersal. Fully open pine cones indicate stable dry air — the same mechanism that makes them close before rain works in reverse.

4. Marigolds Closing Early
→ Rain Before Nightfall
Marigolds close their blooms each evening but close earlier than usual when rain is approaching. A marigold that closes at midday is responding to humidity and pressure shifts hours ahead of the front.

5. Morning Glory Opening Late
→ Overcast Day Ahead
Morning glories open with sunlight and stay closed on cloudy mornings. A morning glory still closed well past dawn is reading the same atmospheric signals as a barometer.

6. Scarlet Pimpernel Closing
→ Rain Within Hours
Called the "poor man's weather glass" for centuries. Scarlet pimpernel petals close rapidly in response to rising humidity — reliably preceding rain by two to four hours. Documented in European herbals since the 1500s.

7. Moss Feeling Soft and Damp
→ Rain Coming
Mosses absorb atmospheric moisture directly through their surfaces. Moss that feels unusually soft and swollen underfoot or to the touch indicates elevated humidity — a consistent precursor to precipitation.

8. Sunflowers Tracking Inconsistently
→ Cloudy Weather Building
Young sunflowers track the sun east to west each day. When cloud cover disrupts their solar tracking — stems pointing irregularly rather than following the light — overcast or rain is building overhead.

9. Oak Trees Leafing Before Ash
→ Dry Summer Ahead
"Oak before ash, in for a splash. Ash before oak, in for a soak." A centuries-old British and American farming proverb. Oak leafing first correlates historically with drier summers — ash first with wetter ones.

10. Onion Skins Growing Thick
→ Hard Winter Coming
Onions grown in the ground develop thicker outer skins in response to cooling temperatures and dropping humidity in autumn. Thick-skinned onions at harvest have long been read as a sign of a severe winter ahead.

Wisdom passed down through generations —
built from centuries of careful observation.

Ten signs — centuries of observation — still accurate today. 🌿🌦️

05/13/2026

40 degrees at the farm this morning. The plants are having a hard time "getting going" this Spring. But, the Peonies and wild Phlox are beautiful!!