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Goals This year I am adding a lot to my homestead and I am working on a long term plan. As with all parts of my life, I can’t do everything at once and I am trying to stay flexible because as I move forward with my plan I always come across things that need to change. I set some pretty lofty goals this year the big one being to grow 80% of my family’s food for the year! This … Continue reading “Planning My Homestead”

Composting is one of the best things you can do on your homestead, or in your backyard. You can put as much or as little time and effort into this endeavor or you want but no matter how much you put in, it is still worth it.  You can go big or small. Believe it or not, if you are really dedicated you can even compost in an apartment! There are contained worm bins that you can use for your … Continue reading “Compost”

My dad always picked the best watermelons. He grew up in the fields of the central valley in California. He used to say he worked at the fruit stand when he was a kid, I am not sure how much work he did between all the melons he ate but somewhere along the line he learned how to tell when a watermelon was just right. Sweet and juicy and perfect for a summer day of seed spitting contests. We were … Continue reading “Growing Watermelon”

It is so hard for me to be patient.  I want to get all the green things planted and growing! But we could get another cold snap, so I have to wait for most things. There are a few things though that I need to get started on. Last weekend I had a huge list of projects I needed to do. One huge project (unloading an actual TON of pig feed from the back of the truck) was added that … Continue reading “A weekend full of projects”

I have a big area that is full of weeds right now but soon it will become my herb garden. I don’t know about you, but I cannot keep up with the weeds in my yard. This time of year, if I get right on it, I can make a bit of a dent. The big question then becomes how to keep them from growing back faster than you can clear the next area. Last year I discovered the magic … Continue reading “Preparing for my Herb Garden”

I have been busy over the last couple of months, starting seeds and preparing for my garden. I have big plans this year. In North Idaho, the weather is always changing and although the sun is out and it is beautiful today, we have a late frost date and if you get over excited and put your plants out too early they will freeze. So my kitchen became a little nursery for my first starts. I have now expanded to a table in the living room and the kitchen and I am running out of space.