Spring is one of my busiest times of year, second only to fall harvest time- harvesting, canning, preserving, storing, etc. So I've been planting, and getting seeds in the ground. Got the front landscaping tidied up The Asparagus crowns arrived last week. So they went to live in the perennial bed with the strawberries. I … Continue reading What have I been doing!?
Quince Bush Maintenance
We have these crazy beautiful bushes that I initially found to be crazy ugly. The problem with flowering plants is that if they aren't tended at least semi-regularly, they get a bit out of hand. That's what happened to these quince bushes. When we first moved in, they were scraggly overgrown shrubbery that I intended … Continue reading Quince Bush Maintenance
Electricity and Other Unfortunate Inventions
It's "joked" about amongst my husband's coworkers (our pastors and church staff) that we're all just one light bulb away from being Amish. I say "joked" because it's not far off from the truth. We don't have social media and, honestly, if I had my way, you'd all be reading this via handwritten newsletter. Unfortunately … Continue reading Electricity and Other Unfortunate Inventions
Work Day on the Homestead
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
Back to Eden Update
Oh my goodness, springtime is beautiful! My son and I were out enjoying this fine Saturday morning and we planted some onions and radishes and carrots... Or at least I thought they were onions... Turns out, instead of the red Spanish onion seed, I had actually mistakenly planted Martha Washington asparagus along side my yellow … Continue reading Back to Eden Update
Functional vs. Ornamental Landscaping
When my husband was in the Marine Corps, we bought a house in a cul-de-sac to avoid rent gouging and sketchy neighborhoods, and the outrageously long waiting list (2 years!) for on-base housing. When we bought it, we purchased by owner and the previous homeowners had put time and effort into landscaping it to give … Continue reading Functional vs. Ornamental Landscaping
Enabling Orchids to Bloom
I'm named after the Biblical Garden of Eden. As such, I've always thought it would be ironic if I couldn't manage to grow a decent garden. At last, I think I've finally gotten there. I have successfully managed to bring a long dormant phalaenopsis orchid (or moth orchids) out of dormancy! Huzzah! It should be … Continue reading Enabling Orchids to Bloom
Still Back to Eden Gardening!!
It's December and I'm still puttering in the garden... Ugh. I finally sat down last week and did the math for the space per veggie we need. Since this spring will be mostly a trial year, we're only growing the basics (tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, peas, beans, radishes, squash/zucchini, carrots, cruciferous veggies, sunchokes) and then judging … Continue reading Still Back to Eden Gardening!!
Jardin de Eden Update
So, I had been building a hot bed (small one) in the back yard starting in May. I tilled up the space and then put down a couple 13 gallon bags of "Maggie waste" which consisted of rabbit poop, hay, and newspaper. That aged for about 2 months, and then I topped it with a … Continue reading Jardin de Eden Update
Sowing Day
After a couple setbacks in my planning and preparation, I was finally ready to indoor seed my peppers today! I put a folding table down in the basement to elevate my boxes off the floor. I chose my basement near a southwestern facing window so that 1) they get some natural sunlight, and 2) I … Continue reading Sowing Day
