Why we needed a new garden We knew by the end of last summer that our garden needed some work. Since we hadn’t used green-treated boards in the old garden, the raised beds were rotted out. Even the garden fence was looking shabby – needing new paint, and some replacement boards. However, we weren’t going […]
garden-prep
Reasons to start plants from seeds

There are many reasons why you should start your garden plants from seeds – from health reasons to saving money! What exactly is in there?! One reason to start your own seeds is because you then know exactly what you are growing in your garden. Seed packets should tell you if the seeds are organic […]
just write… (aka a homestead update)

One of the problems I’ve had with making sure you receive regular updates from me is that I have a bazillion ideas of things to write. When I sit down to write and suddenly I’m overwhelmed with the possibilities. What topic is more timely? Which would my readers prefer? While I want to write posts […]
Garden map update

It’s going to turn colder this weekend with stronger breezes and some rain, but I don’t care. My garden is 90% planted and the rain will do it some good! I only have tomatoes and peppers left to plant this year, and since I never got around to starting seeds, I’ll purchase those next week. […]
Garden planning: raised beds, part 2

I realized after I posted the other day, I talked about our new garden beds but didn’t really explain how they were built! For the frames, my husband purchased 1×4 lumber. We wanted them to be 4 feet wide, so he cut two 4′ long sections for each of the beds needed. We also wanted […]
Garden planning: raised beds

My original plan this year was to try Lasagna gardening – especially since I wanted to increase our garden space and lasagna gardening is a good way to start from scratch. However, about the time I was thinking seriously about the garden, a neighbor found a good source for a soil/compost mix. He picked up […]