Hip Chick Digs

Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard

 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram Pinterest
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Homestead Tour
    • Current Homestead
    • Original Homestead
  • Landscape Design
  • Book
  • Archives

June 4, 2014 by: Renee Wilkinson

The Homestead is Moving!

Share
Share on Google Plus
Share
Share on Facebook
Share
Share this
Pin
Pin this

Eight years ago we moved into a little bungalow on a 1/10th of an acre lot in the Brentwood-Darlington neighborhood of SE Portland. We put a lot of elbow grease into polishing this house into a loving home.  But the tine has come to start the next chapter with a new homestead.
front-exterior

Our house when we bought it in 2006

We scored big with our new digs! We found a cozy, 1950s bungalow in our favorite neighborhood of Sellwood-Moreland. It’s a short walk to visit family, eat out, visit the library, go grocery shopping. I’ll have a short bike commute to work. All in all, less time in the car and more time together.

Our house in 2014

Our house in 2014

But now to answer the biggest question: what’s the yard look like? Another blank slate! A cozy house means a big yard – lots of room for fruit trees, berry bushes and a vegetable patch.

The garden I'm leaving behind

The garden I’m leaving behind

I’ve built, tended and then move away from many gardens over the years. Saying goodbye to this garden is a bit heart-wrenching. But at the same time, I am over the moon about the challenge of starting over. I learned so many lessons on our last homestead and I know this next one will be even more incredible.

Our new house – ready for transformation into a homestead

So fasten your seat belts friends as we turn another house into a flourishing homestead. It’s going to be a wild ride!

Related Posts

  • One More SeatOne More Seat
  • Kitchen Facelift
  • Bedroom Facelift
  • Tutorial: DIY Upholstered Headboard
May To Do List
Edible Groundcovers

Comments

  1. 3

    Melissa says

    June 4, 2014 at 2:18 pm

    You are moving into my neighborhood, welcome! Can’t wait to watch your progress and hopefully will bump into you, perhaps at my favorite store on 13th – Portland Homestead Supply, Co. 🙂

  2. 4

    sarah says

    June 5, 2014 at 6:39 am

    does the new place have more acreage? will you be moving and plants with you?

Trackbacks

  1. Rustic Modern Bathroom Remodel | Hip Chick Digs says:
    June 3, 2015 at 6:03 am

    […] bought our small house a year ago – a cosmetic fixer-upper in the Sellwood neighborhood of SE Portland. It’s high time […]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Instagram

🌿Upgrade your hanging basket game! ✨ Here’s 🌿Upgrade your hanging basket game! ✨
Here’s how to turn a basic hanging basket into a stunning, eye-level planter that’s easier to admire and even easier to care for.

✨️Set the basket in a pot to check the soil height
✨️Snap off the hanging wires from the rim
✨️Transplant the whole root ball into the pot
✨️Fill in around the edges with fresh soil

Boom! You’ve got a gorgeous, elevated planter that brings the beauty right up to your line of sight. 🙌🌸 Perfect for patios, porches, and anywhere your plants deserve the spotlight.

#UrbanGardening #SustainableLiving #ContainerGardening #PlantLovers #GardenHack #HipChickDigs #mothersdayflowers #hangingbaskets
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 🐝 
.
.
.
#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! 
.
.
.
#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #urbanfoodforest #foodscape #foodforest #asparagus #growingasparagus #springgarden #springharvest
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! 
.
.
.
#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 🎉
.
.
.
#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 💪🏼 
.
.
.
#modernhomestead #pdxgarden #urbanhomestead #urbanfoodforest #urbanfarming #foodscape
Follow on Instagram

RECENT PINS

HOUZZ

Hip Chick Digs Landscape Design Featured on Houzz

© 2025 · Fun Genesis WordPress Theme by, Pretty Darn Cute Design