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March 20, 2012 by: Renee Wilkinson

Gardening An Hour At A Time

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Today is the first day of spring and the garden waits for no one! Juggling a newborn can easily put a cramp in gardening productivity, but gardening isn’t just a hobby for me. It is where we get a significant part of the food that ends up on our table. The “stead” part of having a homestead means inside and out of our home is integrated into our daily life. Letting the garden fall by the wayside this season is just not an option for me.

What is an option is how I garden this year. There are some corners I am comfortable cutting. For example, I am buying starts instead of growing everything from seed and picking reliable, productive varieties instead of experimenting with unusual heirlooms. The garden beds will still be full, but I’ll get there a little easier than in past years.

Another strategy I’m focusing on is gardening one hour at a time. Between breastfeeding and diaper changes, I don’t have several hours stretches to tackle garden chores. Instead, I made a list of garden tasks and everyday I’m trying to get out for at least one hour to work on one thing at a time.

Spring is upon us and the garden is waking up. Breaking down garden tasks into little “to-do’s” makes our homestead a lot more manageable. Every time I’m outside, there is a little progress being made and that sense of accomplishment encourages me to keep chipping away at my list.

Make your garden to-do list and make a reasonable commitment to the garden this spring. Now get growing!

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Comments

  1. 1

    Joanie H says

    March 20, 2012 at 7:01 am

    Happy Spring! Great advice! Off to create my garden TO DO list…

  2. 2

    Tracy Falbe says

    March 21, 2012 at 6:14 pm

    If you’re not already doing it, put your baby in a stroller and just roll her around the garden with you as you work. Park her in the shade if it’s hot. No reason not to be out there for hours with the baby. Breast feed as necessary outside too. I miss all that.

  3. 3

    Renee Wilkinson says

    March 21, 2012 at 7:16 pm

    i’ve been wearing her in our moby baby wrap. i think she’s napping through most of the garden time, but when the weather gets better i’ll try the stroller!

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Most days on the homestead aren’t big or dramati Most days on the homestead aren’t big or dramatic—they’re made of small, steady moments.

Refilling the chicken feeder. Collecting eggs still warm from the nest. Pulling up a few carrots. Tossing weeds to the flock. Trimming back the roses before they take over.

It’s not about doing it all—it’s about doing what you can, when you can.
Modern homesteading is less about perfection and more about rhythm. A little work, a little joy, and a lot of dirt under your nails.

Homesteading looks different for everyone—what does it look like (or feel like) for you?

#hipchickdigs #modernhomesteading #dayinthelife #backyardchickens #gardeninglife #homesteadrhythms #growyourown
Swarm catching 🐝 This cluster was about the siz Swarm catching 🐝 This cluster was about the size of a basketball hanging in a Doug Fir next to a playground. They were super easy to catch with my extension pole! 

Note: don't put a swarm in anything plastic. I hated putting them in this bucket, but it's all I could grab in time. But they can easily overheat in something like this, which lacks good ventilation. I relocated them into a wooden hive super quick, but I was so nervous every minute they were in here.

As always, I chatted with several onlookers. Folks are always so curious about swarms and honeybees. It's a lovely way to educate and build bee ambassadors 🐝 
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#urbanbeekeeping #swarm #beeswarm #swarmseason #womeninbeekeeping #beekeeperslife
Weekend vibes: gardening in pajamas, coffee in han Weekend vibes: gardening in pajamas, coffee in hand, and dirt under my nails before 9am.
This is how I fit homesteading into modern family life—little pockets of peace squeezed between breakfast and soccer games.

It’s not picture-perfect, but it’s real—and it feeds my soul (and my soil). Here’s to slow starts, messy mornings, and growing what we can, when we can.

How do you squeeze in garden time during busy weeks? Pajamas optional—tips welcome.

#hipchickdigs #weekendgardening #momlifeinthegarden #homesteadinglife #gardeninginreallife #slowmorningvibes #growyourown
Hey there, new friends! I’m Renee, a modern home Hey there, new friends! I’m Renee, a modern homesteader living in Portland, Oregon—raising chickens, veggies, and three awesome kids on our little slice of urban heaven.

I'm carrying on generations of knowledge to grow my own food, live more sustainably, and teach my family the value of getting our hands dirty (in the best way). Here, I share the real ups and downs of homesteading—think garden wins, chicken shenanigans, DIY projects, and everyday lessons from the land.

Fun fact: I'm a tango dancer and a landscape architect. Both are useful in the garden 💃🏽 

I’d love to get to know you—drop a comment and tell me where you’re from and what you’re growing (plants, dreams, chickens… anything counts)!

#homesteadlife #urbanhomestead #gardentok #backyardfarm #intro
Homegrown asparagus tastes 1,000% better than anyt Homegrown asparagus tastes 1,000% better than anything from the store. So juicy, crisp, naturally sweet. Some of these were 18" long and still tender. 

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable, meaning you plant once and it comes back every year. You have to wait until year three to start harvesting, but it's worth that wait. 

I do nothing to care for it, but every year I have arms full throughout spring and early summer. I planted an 8' row along an otherwise boring fence. The foliage turns brilliant gold in the fall. Tell me if you grow this crop! 
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#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #urbanfoodforest #foodscape #foodforest #asparagus #growingasparagus #springgarden #springharvest
More garden arches! This one also started with 20' More garden arches! This one also started with 20' lengths of thin rebar, shoved into the ground with my weight and hooped over loosely. Our old Christmas tree trunks are tied to the rebar, to thicken up the base. 

Pruned branches from our fig tree make good vertical supports. Multi-stemmed branches help build up the sides, bc they can also be woven in horizontally.

The most time is spent weaving in thin, flexible branches horizontally from our plum trees. The structure gets more secure pretty quickly, as tension is built up.

I use twine only selectively. Most is just held in place with just tension alone. It won't last forever, but it's not meant to. I'll rebuild in about 3-4 years as branches need replacing.
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#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #foodscape #gardenart #gardenarch #timebasedart
Making woven garden arches 💪🏼 I start with a Making woven garden arches 💪🏼 I start with a few 20' lengths of thin rebar. My soil is soft at this time of year, so I can use my body weight to push them deep into the ground. 

Then I start layering in pruned fruit tree branches. Fig and pear work well as vertical sides. Plum and apple are flexible enough for me to weave in between. Multi-stemmed pieces are helpful to create tangles of branches. I use twine selectively, if at all. 

I dream of hopping across the pond to take a workshop at @damsonfarm.house to improve my technique making natural supports. Some day, I hope! 
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#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #foodscape #gardenart #gardenarch #timebasedart
I couldn't bring myself to send these cushions to I couldn't bring myself to send these cushions to a landfill, even though the fabric covers were totally deteriorating. But I've never seen cushion covers for sale, until I stumbled upon these at Ikea.

They fit perfectly! I don't need fancy patio furniture - just a place to put my feet up. So hurray for the small wins and keeping these babies out of the landfill 🎉
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#modernhomestead #patiofurniture #patiogoals #upcycle
Taking care of yourself can be a form of resistanc Taking care of yourself can be a form of resistance. Rest, nourish your body, tend your garden. Keep your tank full 💪🏼 
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#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #urbanfoodforest #urbanfarming #foodscape
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