I’ve been trading and buying my seed-hoarding heart out- and today, I’m presenting a list of “new to me” varieties (and likely new to you, too!) that I’m absolutely over the moon about! This past fall, I was largely focused on trading as many seeds as possible in order to grow my personal collection of
Category: Gardening
Guys and girls, I’m beyond excited: It’s January, which means it’s about time to get some pepper and tomato seeds started! What better way to celebrate than to whip up a quick informational post for my fellow gardeners and homesteaders in zone 7a? If you’ve got your pepper and tomato seeds in hand, itching to
So, you want to expand your seed collection, but you don’t know how. Or, you have thousands of one type of seed that you’ve saved (shout out the the Marigolds!), and you don’t want to see them go to waste. You only have so much gardening space and time, meaning your seed just keeps getting
Last winter, we had unusually warm weather. It never got below 14°F, which was wonderful. In addition, it only got that low once. Just once! In our 7a zone in TN, that’s rather incredible. This fall? Well, I’m not so sure things are looking so great. Winter? I’m getting rather concerned about. I mean, not
Look, I love the dollar store. I am a frugal girl, always trying to find some sort of a cheap deal. I not only find tons of useful things at the dollar store, I also find and make uses for the things that I find! Is It Possible to Start Homesteading on a Dollar Store
Pepper seeds are one of the slowest seeds to germinate. A lot of first year gardeners (and even second year, if they’re quick to forget!) seem to miss this memo, and they lose confidence when those tiny little seedlings fail to break the surface. With a bit of patience, they’ll eventually poke their heads above
So, I was recently asked a really good question: “What’s your favorite seed company? Why do you use that company for your homestead?” There’s a ton of places to buy seeds out there, a ton of great places, actually! I’ve bought seeds from: Baker Creek Burpee SeedsNow American Seed Co Ferry Morse Various eBay Sellers
Let me start off by saying this is ALMOST DIY. It uses two commercial organic pesticides, among other ingredients that I add. So while this is a do-it-yourself concoction, it’s not 100% homemade. However, the individual ingredients are not enough to provide effective control of and protection from squash bugs and vine borers. It’s also
Spacing tomatoes properly is vital for their success; but, did you know that how you grow, prune, train, and trellis them are going to impact their spacing requirements? For many homesteaders, the goal is to fit as many plants as are needed into as small of a space as possible, while maximizing yields and minimizing
As much as we’d all hate to admit it, the winterpocalypse is coming. I know, I know. I’m terrible for even bringing it up. However, we all need to begin prepping for the winter season during fall, and it’s ideal to have a plan in motion before the time comes. That chore list of yours
Consistent watering is pretty important for a garden. However, a lot of people have it set in their minds that the garden simply must be watered every day. Unless you live in an area with very sandy soil, you could be doing more harm to your plants than good! This even applies to watering every
Growing food is great and all… But, what about growing food that can withstand complete and total neglect? The type of plants that just hang out in the yard all year, yet you forget they even exist (until you eat them)? I’m talking about a truly amazing, plant-it-and-forget-it garden full of the lazy homesteader’s best
As I discussed on our Facebook page (for those who haven’t seen the post or “liked” us, find us here!), I was contemplating a customized, printable series which could be incredibly useful should internet access be lost. You can find nearly anything you need on the internet information-wise. But what if you could no longer
Lavender is such a versatile, therapeutic herb on the homestead; it is also deeply cherished throughout the farthest reaches of the modern and ancient world, being used medicinally, aromatically, and cosmetically. In France, lambs were released to graze upon Lavender, as it is believed to make the meat of a lamb more fragrant and tender (more
Making money on the homestead doesn’t have to be hard, or boring. In addition, you don’t have to do the same things that surrounding homesteads are doing in order to earn an income, either. Why compete, when you can dominate your own market, that’s just as easy to maintain? Now, I present this list to
I’d just like to take a minute or two today, just to express how much of a pain in my rear that voles are. These tiny little critters (okay, they’re bigger than field mice) may look cute, with their short, stubby little tails…. But they are an absolute disaster waiting to happen. They are our
During this long, cold winter, I decided I’d take on a few different projects in an attempt to fight off the mid-winter blues. We’re all dreaming of sunny, warm spring days, with flowers in bloom and tender salad greens as far as the eye can see…. That’s definitely not our reality right now, though; at
Are you new to the magical, incredible, laborious-yet-rewarding realm of homesteading? Whether you’re simply dreaming or just getting started, or maybe even an experienced homesteader who wants to explore other important crops, food production and preservation is truly the heart of self sufficiency. Part of homesteading is becoming at least semi-self sufficient, which means that
New baby? Just bought your homestead? Still grinding through college? Whether your finances are tight or you’re simply adopting a frugal lifestyle, you can garden without spending money! Standard gardens do require a good bit of preparation and investment: building beds and buying pots, amending soil, purchasing seeds, buying pest control, adding garden tools…. it
Tomatoes are one of our most important crops that we grow! I’m sure you can agree, as they are used for so many different foods including: Tomato Pasta Sauce (paste tomatoes) Marinara and Pizza Sauce (paste tomatoes) Salsa (slicing tomatoes) Ketchup (slicing or cherry/grape tomatoes) Salads (cherry tomatoes) Sandwiches & Burgers (slicing tomatoes) …. We’ll
We tried out some White Nighting corn this year, a wonderful variety that reigns from Alabama. This corn variety was offered by Baker’s Creek, but they no longer have it available for sale. Thus, we shall save seed every year just in case we cannot find it again- because we enjoyed it! For us, we