This weeks chores got waylaid somewhat by a trip out of town. We took the opportunity to bulk up on some shopping though. We also did some additional work in the garden and took a birds eye view at our homestead. Come take a look at our latest garden planting. Bulk Shopping Trip Since we…
All posts in Gardening
More Spring Preparations and Making progress on the Bee Traps
Spring is here and sadly we are not quite ready for it. The garden still needs work, raised beds are still under construction, bare root plants still have bare roots. However, we persevere and continue to do what we can to keep up. This weeks spring preparations include pig relocation, garden preparations, and swarm traps!…
How to Implement Beautiful Mini-Swales and Save Vulnerable Soil
A common question in landscaping is how to handle water runoff. Here in the midwest heavy rain is very common and can cause lots of soil erosion on unprotected slopes. In large, open fields, swales are a common permaculture solution to this problem. On our land, where we have small gaps in an otherwise closed…
Spring Cleaning Surge and Planting a Beautiful Food Plot
Spring is officially here! Spring brings a certain energy with it. Everything starts growing and looking fresh and new! So, naturally, we end up cleaning too! On the homestead spring brings exciting developments as well. This week we started planting a beautiful food plot right outside our front door! Cleaning up the Lime Explosion A…
Digging Swales to make a Beautiful Vibrant Yard
Last week we tried to dig swales using a friends tractor. That did not work out in the end… This week we rented some equipment from a local store and went to work digging swales. It took most of the weekend but we got it done in the end! The Plan For the Yard When…
The Great Pig Escape; or How I lost A Lens Cap, also Soil Blocks
Sometimes things do not go according to plan here on the homestead. This week we experienced on of those things with our pigs. However, we also managed to make soil blocks for starting seeds in and made a significant mulch pile. Soil Blocks for Seedlings Soil Blocks are quite literally blocks of dirt used for…
Preparing for Bees, a new Goat, and More Mushrooms
Spring is fast approaching. Which means, lots of spring and summer preparations going on around here. For better or for worse, we are also still working on homestead expansions at the same time. The end result, a to-do list that grows faster than it shrinks and lots of things being half-way done. Speaking of which……
Snowed in? Time to Grow Mushrooms from Spawn
So this post is coming out a little late. But never late than never. A snow storm blew in, not a huge one but big enough to slow things down around here and keep us from going anywhere. So what do we do when we can not leave home? Keep working the homestead! So we…
Helping Others and a New Composting System
Dealing with waste and dealing with winter have some things in common. Most notably, neither is pleasant most of the time. I know I am from Alaska and Missouri winters are incredibly mild in comparison. However, the daily chores in winter are not very fun even if I do enjoy nippy air and snow covered…
Back to Baking and Announcing Permaculture Design
This week we took a major step toward returning to one of my favorite kitchen activities, baking. For various reasons baking has taken a back burner in recent months but not anymore! Also, I have been spending several hours a week working on a new certification which will help our homestead. This week I finally…