A backyard orchard was a key element on our "wish list" when we were shopping for a new homestead three years ago. We were thrilled when we bought our current property complete with a small, well established orchard. Neither of us had raised fruit trees before, so to our untrained eyes the trees all looked healthy despite several years of neglect by the previous owners. We … [Read more...]
7 Ways to Find Free or Cheap Garden Plants
Do you want to expand your vegetable, herb or flower gardens but don't have a lot of cash to spend? Over the years I've figured out quite a few ways to add plants to my gardens and landscaping around the property for free or cheap. Today I'm going to share with you my top seven ways to source more plants for our gardens without spending a lot of cash. … [Read more...]
The Bee Friendly Garden
I've been growing perennial flower and herb gardens for a number of years but it has only been in the last few years that I've started focusing on intentionally attracting bees to our gardens. I was thrilled when I had the chance to get a review copy of The Bee Friendly Garden to read and share about here on the blog. I always get excited when seeing the … [Read more...]
How to grow sprouts at home
Our winters in Montana are long and cold so having access to fresh, homegrown greens is tough. I have plenty of homegrown greens preserved in the freezer like spinach, kale and beet greens but they just aren't the same as fresh, crisp homegrown greens. We typically end up buying lettuce from the natural grocery store in town over the winter but it is shipped in from out of … [Read more...]
6 Ways Row Cover in a Garden will Help You Grow More Food
Using row cover in a garden has many purposes and in our colder climate can make a big difference in length of the garden season and yields. Garden row cover can come in many forms, from a simple old bed sheet to an old piece of painter's plastic to a store bought spun polypropylene cover. It can be as cheap and simple as you want or depending on your goals it may make … [Read more...]
The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden
If there was ever a book I wish I'd read 15 years ago, it is this one: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb. This book is filled with tips and tricks to "grow tons of organic vegetables in tiny spaces and containers." Prior to moving to our homestead almost two years ago, my gardens were always small plots carved out of the yard of wherever I was living (which is … [Read more...]
