Honoring God in all we do on the Homestead
It's Fall!! and that means we're building another Back to Eden terrace (our final one in this garden) and we thought we'd take the opportunity to make it a teachable moment. We'll cover the basics of permaculture land works, B2E site preparation, planting, cultivar selection, pruning, and more! Join us for a demonstration/master class/tour on … Continue reading SMH Back to Eden Demonstration
This is the start of our 3rd year on this property. Lately I had been really discouraged about all the things we need to do, and the things we haven't been able to accomplish (goats, windows, roof, doors, floors, kitchen, bathrooms, etc...) But then, I happened across an old picture of the place before we … Continue reading Back to Eden: Barrenness to Abundance
I recently pruned my cherry and peach trees. Yep, I did a soft pruning in October. One of the biggest lies is that you can only prune your trees in dormancy. That's like saying you can only trim your fingernails while you sleep. Here's the thing about pruning- if you had a broken bone, you … Continue reading Gardening Lies You’ve Been Told
I'm in full-out winter-prep mode. I'm thinking through fall 2018 and spring 2019 plantings already!! So, I worked on our berry area today during naptime. I pruned back the currant and raspberries/blackberries this past weekend. So, I had 5 currant cuttings to plant. The little buds are leaf buds. But, the big fat buds like … Continue reading Black Consort Currant Cuttings
Well, we called the insurance company, got a claim started for the damage to the basement bathroom/living area. Called a plumber (and left a message) to take a peek at what might be causing the overflow, and the clean-up company came out to take pictures and measurements of the affected areas. The bad news is, … Continue reading Work Day on the Homestead: Part 2
One of the biggest challenges of homesteading with 3 small children is... homesteading with 3 small children.It's almost impossible to get a job done without interruption making it take 4 times as long.It helps a little to have my husband home helping, but we rarely end up working on the same task to completion. Usually, … Continue reading Work Day on the Homestead
I had been looking for something unique to grow on the homestead. I tried heirloom purple broccolis and cauliflowers to no avail-- cabbage loopers and cutworms destroyed them despite my efforts to save them. The same happened with my cabbages and brussel sprouts. The asparagus didn't turn out either. However-- the luffa gourds took off! … Continue reading Luffa Gourds: Natural Sponges
We spent the morning working outside. My husband hauled mulch while I worked on the weeds in the overgrown potager. As a reminder, it hasn't been under control since we bought the property two years ago. This is what we've gotten done so far: There's still work to be done, obviously, we have some more … Continue reading Potager Progress
I always assumed old men puttered about in the garden. I found myself picking up the habit today. I decided on a fall garden bed at least of some radishes and spinach. We'll see how they do as they're two of the crops I've never really had any luck with. I planted some parsnips as … Continue reading Garden Puttering
We decided to propagate our strawberries for a greater harvest next year. But, we aren't really sure if we like them where they currently are. While they successfully bloomed and fruited in their current locale, we know a place in full sun would be more beneficial to them. So that means we have 2 options. … Continue reading Catching Strawberry Runners
