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...]
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...]
Off-Grid Living and Starting a Homestead from Scratch
Today I thought I'd dip into the archives to share some of my favorite Homestead Honey posts about starting a homestead from scratch and off-grid living. Many of these posts were written when we were new to Missouri, or had just settled onto our land. What an amazing time - so ripe with new possibility, and yet also overwhelming with the reality of building a brand new homestead! It's really fun for me to look back and see how far we've come. I hope you enjoy them! Touring the Tri Communities: An inspirational tour of the "Tri-Communities" of Dancing Rabbit, Sandhill, and Red Earth Farms, which are all located in NE Missouri. Touring these communities gave us a new appreciation for … [Read more...]