Adventures of an urban homesteader growing greens, preserving the harvest and tending a backyard barnyard
The end of the garden season signals the beginning of the mushroom season, which certainly takes the edge off of the end-of-season gardening blues. Wild chanterelles begin growing all over the Pacific Northwest in September and continue through November. They are a great “beginner mushroom” because they are very distinct looking, so you can’t confuse them easily with another non-edible mushroom. We have had an
Vegetable seeds have been getting gently tuckedย into the garden beds for several weeks now, but neighborhood cats have been a major problem. They see this seemingly “empty” area of fine textured soil and think it would make a great litterbox. Adding composted steer or chicken manure to your beds is one thing, but cat poop should not be in your beds. Cats can transmit parasites
Early spring has officially arrived and it’s time to start planting the garden. Seeds should be started indoor pronto, so it’s high time to get organized and get to it! I started my seeds a couple weeks ago inside under a grow light. In past years I have made newspaper seed pots, which then get planted directly into the garden. (Watch my How to Make
We’ve lived in our little house for about eight years, but the front yard was the last garden I really put much effort into. In the fall of 2012, I finally took the time to draw up a landscape design. It was based on perennials from the backyard that would be easy to cut and divide, which meant I didn’t need to spend much money
There is one garden chore that doesn’t take a break in the wintertime: making compost. It’s a good excuse to get outside, get some exercise and prepare for the springtime garden. I have loved our three bin compost system, which gives us ample space to process all the garden waste, kitchen scraps and used chicken bedding our homestead produces. All three bins are just where
Fall is a great time of year to plant new trees and perennial shrubs for two big reasons: it gives your plants several months to work on establishing roots and there are all kinds of crazy deals right now as nurseries close out their summer stock. Just be sure to get your new purchases in the ground well in advance of your first hard freeze,
Vegetables and herbs grow all around the homestead, but a big portion of the harvest is grown in our four raised beds. They are as attractive as they are functional, but unfortunately we are not the only ones who feel that way. Neighbor cats and our backyard chickens also love the raised beds. The cats think it’s their communal litter box and the chickens would
It’s time to divide and conquer. Flowering bulbs and perennial shrubs are going to sleep for winter – the perfect time to split them apart and replant. With a couple sunny fall days this past weekend, I managed to divide and replant the entire front yard. Our front yard has always been the forgotten garden corner. My attention, and pocketbook, have always prioritized the private
Adding a baby to the homestead has presented new challenges in our quest to live simply. When it comes to baby care, I ask myself the same questions I ask about other homestead care: how can we create the least amount of waste, save some money and minimize our environmental impact? Here are some of our strategies for natural, simple baby care. Disclaimer: I’ll mention
