What a gorgeous first day of September - just warm enough to jump in the pond, but not so hot that we had to hide indoors. The garden is full of bounty and our meals consist of pieced together bits of harvest - corn on the cob, a tomato basil salad, fresh ripe melons, and green beans. I'll take you on a tour of my late summer garden in just a moment, but first I want to give a great big shout out to all of Homestead Honey's sponsors, including: Moon in the Window - A delightful Etsy shop featuring children's harvesting and cooking aprons, hand-bound books, reusable sandwich bags, a PDF pattern to make gardening totes for children, and more! Lavender's Blue Homeschool - A resource for … [Read more...]
In the Garden :: Early July
We were blessed with several inches of rain over the past few weeks, which, combined with pockets of intense heat and humidity, has contributed to amazing garden growth! As I walk around the garden, I feel so much appreciation for the miracle of plant life that sustains us and brings so much joy and beauty into my life. Mornings have taken on the same routine as last summer: Morning chai tea (this brand is my favorite), breakfast, and then a garden walk with the kids. This is honestly one of my favorite times of the day. I love that as we walk the garden paths, Everett, age 3.5 pauses to say, "Look mama, a native bee on the cucumber flower!" or that Ella, age 6.5 knows how to … [Read more...]
In the Garden :: June
The recent rains and subsequent hot, humid weather have caused an explosion of growth in the garden. Although interestingly, I can hardly recognize the amazing growth and changes without going back to look at photos from my "online garden journal" (last month's entry is here). Perhaps the biggest transformation has been in the upper garden, where just a month ago, we plowed new land, spread horse manure, rototilled, and then shaped raised beds. This garden is a bit of an experiment, as I really prefer to create garden space without disrupting the soil layers, but tilling a new garden space is far quicker than sheet mulching. So, a little tour. Starting in the lower right hand … [Read more...]
5 Strategies for a Weed-Free Garden
If you're anything like me, you love to garden not only for the amazing nutrient-dense food that a garden provides your family and community, but also for the beauty and wonder of the garden. Weeds are not only competition for the nutrients and water that food plants need, but they can also take away from the aesthetic that we're trying to create. I actually don't dislike weeding - I find it very meditative - but I don't enjoy creating more work for myself than necessary. So I've found a few ways to minimize weeds in the garden. Here are my top five strategies for a (relatively) weed free garden. 5 Strategies for a Weed Free Garden 1) Water the Plant, Not the Entire Bed I have … [Read more...]
In the Garden :: May
Late May is a time of glorious growth, beauty, and promise. After months and months of eating supermarket produce from California, suddenly we're walking into the garden and harvesting a large salad, or a broccoli, or a new pea. The excitement of growing my own food, and the beauty of the garden is what keeps me growing, year after year. A great batch of lettuce means salad every night, before the intense heat causes it to go bitter and bolt. The second year of my perennial flower and herb garden. Many of the plants in this bed were transported all the way from Oregon, and lovingly transplanted. A few, such as strawberries and rhubarb (and the fruit trees) were added last … [Read more...]
To Till or Not to Till A Garden?
As we set out to expand our gardening space this spring, I assumed that I would continue creating a sheet mulch or lasagna garden, slowing adding layers of organic material to build soil without disturbing its layers. You see, as someone who studied and taught ecology for many years, I know that organisms live where they live for specific reasons. Soil is really a complex habitat for billions of organisms that thrive in their unique layers. Turn over or till those layers, and you run the risk of disturbing these organisms, and they cannot do their work of building soil quite as effectively. But the reality is that I ran out of steam layering cardboard, straw and manure. Spring is … [Read more...]
Gardening with Children
Gardening is both a passion of mine and a way of life, and it's important to me that my children experience the joys of digging in the earth and growing food. Gardening with young children is really quite wonderful - yes, you might have to re-do a few plantings, and some tasks do take a bit longer - but the sense of wonder and connection that develops from a child's relationship with their garden is worth it. Here are some of my best tips for gardening with children, from many, many hours spent in the garden with my two little ones. Start Now There's no need to wait until children are older. Bring them into the garden now, and integrate them into your work flow. When my kids were … [Read more...]
Building Soil with Lasagna Gardening
One year ago, my garden looked like this: And with a lot of moving and shaping and layering, it became this: Our land is steeply sloped, and when we began to plant into it, we noticed that much of the topsoil from the hilltop had washed down to the lowlands due to poor agricultural practices. Our house and garden are situated near the top of the hill, and as such, the soil quality is poor. To create a healthy, resilient garden with few pests and disease, I knew I had to greatly improve my soil. Building Soil with Lasagna Gardening Building soil is the key to growing nutrient dense food in your garden, and it is the subject of Susan Vinskofski's new eBook, The Art of … [Read more...]
5 Spring Salad Greens for your Garden
It is officially gardening season in Northeast Missouri, and each day I dip into my seed storage container and start a few varieties indoors and direct sow a few more in the garden. I'm a firm believer in a slow and steady approach to gardening - even a half hour's work each day will lead to a lot of food! Right now, I am focused on growing salad greens. My early spring standards always include lettuce, kale, swiss chard, mesclun, and collards. But this spring, I'm feeling a bit sassy, so I'm throwing a few more favorites into the mix. I've selected five of my favorite spring greens to share with you today. These five greens are easy to grow, and will add a little diversity and flavor … [Read more...]