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Homesteading Tips - Gardening

One of the joys of homesteading is the homestead garden. Gardening is work but it is also spiritual. We will continue to provide new homestead gardening tips in our regular updates.

It is stimluating to see the fruits of your labors emerging from the soil and producing leaves, then flowers, then fruit, and of course the harvest.

Homesteading Tip: Build A Small Greenhouse

A small greenhouse is quite useful to start plants early in cooler climates and extend the growing season by a few weeks. In our area we always have a late June frost and everytime our enthusiasm gets the best of us and we set out plants too early.

Our greenhouse is only 12x12 but provides plenty of room if we do not start too early. After the first year I kept a calendar for our growing area and from now on I can start planting at the right time based on my previously recorded results.

Homesteading Tip: Start Small

A small garden will give you an idea regarding how well your soil is and your ability to keep up with the weeds and preserving of your crop.

For years I always planted too much and wasn't able to find people to buy or take my excess. That is where my pig comes handy but also I learned that I could divide the garden in half and rotate crops.

Homesteading Tip: Use Manure and Compost

I place a pickup load of manure on my garden every year to introduce needed nutrients and bacteria. Some people frown on using fresh manure but I always work it into the soil and I try to stay on top of the abundance of weeds that sprout from the manure. I also began crop rotation to make my work load easier and I now place manure on the half I will be planting next year. I also compost all my greens, and weeds, and leaves to eventually throw back ito the garden.

This very large turnip came out of our garden and provided a lot of greens for the pig and the compost pile. Most of the turnips were this large and very tasty and sweet.

Homesteading Tip: Use Raised Beds

Raised garden beds require a fair amount of work at first. I have used rocks, logs, tires, and just about anything that will retain the soil. As I get older I find that I prefer raised beds because I can use a shovel instead of a roto-tiller and as I am becoming more aware of the environment I am returning to hand held tools. In fact, I tried a tiller once in a freshly made raised bed and it was more work than it was worth in such a small area!

All of my raised beds are no more than three feet across and are about 18-24 inches high, and they are as long as the logs I could handle which was about 12 feet. I have sucessfully used stakes and slabs from a sawmill in the past. These slab boxes went up fast and were very cost effective.

Homesteading Tip: Use Companion Planting

Companion planting requires less space than planting in rows and also uses less water and nutrients. It also provides a much easier way to weed and harvest the produce.

Planting some flowers within the vegetable arrangements always makes room for comments from visitors and increases my joy as I survey the garden almost daily.

Homesteading Tip: Dry Herbs

Last year we planted Rosmary, Oregano, Thyme, Lemon Balm, Dill and few more herbs. When they were ripe or winter was fast approaching we harvested them from the garden and hung them upside down off plant hangers in our home. The aroma of these herbs lasts for weeks and they were within easy reach when needed.

Everything on this table was grown and raised on our homestead. There is fresh Chevon a la whole leg, fresh salad with a variety of greens, and fresh broccoli and cauliflower shoots. Hidden behind the wine is a bowl of fresh farmer's cheese from our goat's milk.

Nothing beats the joy of eating food that you raised yourself!

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