Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

I know, Summer just started, and I'm talking about Fall already! 

But, in order to have a Fall garden, some things should be done now- planning, ordering seed, planting seeds to transplant into the garden when it is time, adding compost or any other needed soil builders, etc.   

In my area, July 1 was the suggested date for planting tomato, pepper, and eggplant seed.  I'm a few days behind schedule, mainly because I'm trying to keep up with harvesting the tomatoes that are ripening like crazy right now!   

Most of the Fall planting for my area comes a little later, since July and  August are always HOT.   The bulk of  planting comes from September to November.  But, if I don't at least make a plan now and make sure I have seeds ready, I may miss my planting date when it arrives. 

Many of the same vegetables that grow in the Spring garden can be replanted for Fall, they like the cool weather and will do well if they have time to mature before a frost gets them.  You can probably get a list of what grows well in your area in the Fall either online, from a local nursery, or from your County Extension Agent. 

Here's a little chart to show when the first predicted Fall frost date is:

Zone 3 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 4 - Sept 1st - 30th
Zone 5 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 6 - Sept 30th - Oct 30th
Zone 7 - Oct 15th - Nov 15th
Zone 8 - Oct 30th - Nov 30th
Zone 9 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 10 - Nov 30th - Dec 30th
Zone 11 - Frost Free

If you aren't sure what zone you live in, here's a map that will show you.

With that information you can see how long it takes a particular crop to mature and then count backwards to get an estimated planting date.  Of course, it all depends on the weather, and it is good to give your plants at least a week or two of a head-start if your area often has early frosts.  I live in Zone 8, and sometimes we don't even have a frost until close to Thanksgiving.  Fall is a great time for growing here. 

Please share what you grow in your Fall garden and any tips you have.  Those of you who live in colder climates, please share your wisdom, as this Texas gardener has never had to garden where it really gets cold !

Hope you have a great holiday weekend, and maybe next week, spend some time planning (and perhaps planting) for the Fall garden!

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time.  ~John Lubbock

This is good advice for a summer's day, I do believe.  Take some time today to rest, relax, and enjoy the  garden.  Listen to the song of nature, give thanks for the beauty around you, plan for next season. 

If you've had some trouble with the garden this year, remember these wise words:

"There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." ~Janet Kilburn Phillips

I have done lots of experiments in the garden . 

Now that you've had a nice time of rest and reflection...Get back out there and get busy because-

"Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade." ~Rudyard Kipling

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Summertime has settled in to my part of the world, along with triple digit temperatures!  That means the garden slows down in production somewhat, and the gardener slows down, too. 

 I still have peppers, tomatoes, squash, okra, cucumbers, and melons that are setting or ripening fruit; but the cooler weather crops such as lettuce, greens, green beans, etc. have pretty much died from heat exhaustion.  

 I only venture out to the garden in the mornings before the heat sets in, and sometimes in the late evening when it starts to cool down a bit.  The biggest garden chores right now are keeping things watered and the veggies and herbs harvested.  I add a bit of mulch where needed, fertilize when necessary, and add a bit of compost or soil to the container gardens, and then  water, water, water!   The rest of the day is spent inside trying to keep cool, starting seeds for some indoor greens and some for the Fall garden, and planning what to grow this Fall.  I've been experimenting with different ways of preserving the harvest.  Still attempting to learn to ferment veggies, playing with the dehydrator, gathering recipes, etc.   I hope to plant some container grown fruits this Fall, so I'm dreaming of my own little potted orchard right now! 

I know some of you are still just getting started with your garden seasons, and some of you may be in a completely different season than I am in Texas.  Please share with us what June brings to your garden.  What's growing, what are you harvesting, what garden chores are going on where you live? 

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

TGIF!  Anyone else had that kind of week?    I'm ready for....well, something other than what's been happening in my world this week. 

The garden however, withstood the thunderstorms, hail, and the heat; and is looking much more perky than I look or feel today. 

I've seen lots of posts on your gardens and it seems most of you are doing well.  Keep those posts and pics. coming, it is so much fun to "visit" other people's gardens! 

 Here's a little something I read in the Texas Gardener's Seeds newsletter:

Did You Know...

Earthworms are one of the most valuable garden assets we have at our disposal. An average earthworm will produce its weight in castings (poop) every 24 hours. A healthy population of earthworms can deposit up to 50 tons per acre of valuable organic matter each year. They will burrow as deep as 6 feet into the soil, breaking up heavy clay soils and enriching sandy soils.

I did know that earthworms are great assets to the garden.  Still trying to wrap my mind around that whole  up to 50 tons per acre of organic matter...too much math for me.  I think the key to that may be the "up to" part.  I'll just stick to knowing that worms are our friends and try to encourage them to live in my garden! 

A couple of thoughts on medicinal herbs-

"Herbs were the original medicines"....from Lasagna Gardening with Herbs by Patricia Lanza.  Some historical books I've read lately have had the "herbs as medicine" theme in them.  Made the books all the more interesting to me.   

Yesterday I heard an herbalist say that it is often quoted "we all used to be vegetarians"; but she said actually, "we all used to be herbivores".  Interesting, especially if you begin to look into the nutrional and medicinal properties of herbs.  Eating our medicine sounds much more palatable than some of the pharmaceutical options today!  Please note that I'm not advocating everyone going back to eating only the "green herbs bearing seed and fruits of a tree yielding seed"; those days have passed away.  But, I do think it is a good idea to add as many herbs as you can to your diet.  Your food will taste great, and you might just find you don't need to visit the doctor very often! 

Don't forget that wise old saying- "An apple a day keeps the doctor away!"   Maybe we should change that to an apple and some herbs...

Seeds & Squash

In case you missed it yesterday, I posted a link on my blog to some fun with seeds.  I love the creative things people come up with!  Who knew seeds could be so much fun. 

Speaking of seeds...I have 2 huge, ugly, yellowish-orangish (as my girls would say), cucumbers on my table... I'm going to see about using those for saving seeds.  Someone needs to be more thorough when picking the veggies, I do believe!  

Which reminds me of a cute story one of the ladies at church told me about her son.  Her son, now in Heaven, was very careful about his garden.  He always kept all the weeds pulled, checked on the vegetables every day... just kept a very neat, well groomed garden.  Well, he had a neighbor who wasn't quite so thorough in his gardening, but he did have a sense of humor.  When he discovered a huge zucchini growing in his garden, he snuck over to her son's nice & neat garden and placed the jumbo zucchini in amongst the plants there.  Her son never did figure out how that huge squash got by him!   

So, if you discover an oversized zucchini in your own garden...First of all, see if it is still attached to the plant; if it is, pick it and hide it in the neighbor's squash patch!  If it isn't...well, pass it on to someone else's garden!  And, you all know I'm kidding; and I know that you know better than to go sneaking into your neighbors' gardens...remember what happened to Peter Rabbit! 

Have a great weekend, plant some seeds, pull some weeds, and stay out of my zucchini patch...!

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Not much time for me to post today.  VBS starts next week and my girls are on the decorating team.  Such craftiness and creativity all flying about the church in all directions...makes me tired just watching and directing traffic!  I "have" to hold the baby, so I'm somewhat off the hook this year. 

Anyway, I've got to be out the door in a matter of minutes, so I'm going to leave you with a link to a Garden To Do List for June  on the P. Allen Smith Garden Home website. 

I saw an article titled Herb Crafts that I plan to go back and read when I have time, there were some interesting things to make in it. 

OK, enjoy the website, it is beautiful and certainly full of good gardening information. 

I'll see you next week! 

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

This is a very informative article on small-scale grain production from the Organic Consumers Association newsletter. 

I've posted  about this before, but this is good info. for those who want to "grow a little grain"! 

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Click Here for a list of "foes and friends" in the garden, from The Old Farmer's Almanac site.  You will  also find a link to a good article on plant companions there.

I like to interplant herbs and flowers as companions and aids in the garden.  Those that attract beneficial insects are good choices- like the Dill and Parsley mentioned in the Almanac article, for example. 

Marigolds are an obvious choice, and they are quite pretty. 

Another good companion in the garden is Borage. Bees are said to love it.  In all honesty, I plant it mostly for those pretty (and tasty) blue flowers; but it is said to have many uses, and even improve the flavor of tomatoes if grown near them.  I planted some in the tomato section of the garden,  and I'll have to do a taste test to see if those near the Borage have better flavor.  It will be a fun experiment for the girls, too!   Click here and here for more information on Borage. 

Basil makes a good garden companion, as you can see in the photo above, the bees love it, too! It is also helpful in repelling flies and mosquitoes.  Just break off a sprig and rub it on your skin or clothing to help keep those pesky critters at bay.  I like to plant it with the tomatoes, as it too, is said to improve their flavor if grown nearby.  Whether or not that is accurate, there is nothing like the flavor of a salad of fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella, drizzled with a little olive oil, and sprinkled with some sea salt & freshly ground black pepper...add a piece of homebaked bread and my girls and I are happy, happy, happy (my husband, and probably most men would appreciate a nice piece of grilled chicken or fish to complete the meal)! 

Do you have your own foes & friends or plant companions you'd like to share with us?  It is fun to read about other's methods and techniques.  Often, there's little method to my madness, I just plant on a whim and see what happens...sometimes it is a good thing, sometimes not; but there's always next season to try, try again!

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Take 2....I somehow "lost" the entry I was just-about-finished-with !  Aaaaggghhh!!!   How do I manage to do these things?   I wish I knew so I could quit it!  OK, since I've just wasted time I don't have...this will have to be short and sweet.

Here are 2 things I'm experimenting with  in my own garden, thought some of you might be interested, too.  I read both of them "somewhere"; but can't remember where now...my memory is not what it used to be! 

Yarrow Tea for mealy bugs and other soft bodied insects

1 cup of Yarrow leaves, blossoms and stems

2 cups water

Infuse- either simmer on the stovetop (smells nasty), or set outside and make "sun tea"

Add this to a gallon container and fill rest of the way with water, or part strong coffee.  Add 1/4 tsp Castille soap.

Spray plants every 1 to 2 weeks.  This is also said to be a plant tonic. 

Willow Water for rooting cuttings

Cut soft tips of Willow branches and soak in water.  Strain and use this Willow water to dip stems of cuttings before planting and to water newly planted cuttings with.  Said to help them root, like rooting hormone.  If you have leftovers, label and store in the refrigerator. 

These are both new to me, but I am trying them both.  I'll let you know how they work out; you do the same if you try, or have tried, them!

Hope your holiday weekend is pleasant.  Mine is going to be busy- 2 birthday parties, a family reunion, park day today...way more "outings" than normal for me.  I'll be relieved when Tuesday gets here and I can once again settle into my "homebody" routine!

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

I've seen several posts this week about the happenings in your homestead gardens.  What fun to read about what everyone is growing! 

Our community garden is growing quickly, we have tomatoes and peppers on the plants now, and everything else is plugging right along, too.  The grass and weeds are making a valiant effort to reclaim their territory; but thus far we have persevered and kept them at bay.  Since most of the garden was planted from seed, we had to wait for the seeds to germinate and grow a little before we added mulch; and that gave all those grass and weed seeds ample time to germinate along with the veggie seeds.  If the weather permits, we will be adding a thick layer of straw to all the garden beds tomorrow morning, right after  a good treatment with the stirrup hoe, my all-time favorite garden tool.   

Grandma Rosie posted a good article on using vinegar in the garden on her blog.  While you're there check out a few of the delicious recipes she shares...yummm!!! 

One last little tip, want more tomato plants?  Cut off a little side shoot from one of your plants, place it in a jar of water in a sunny windowsill, change the water every few days, and when the roots appear; plant it in your garden or container.  Simple as that!  Most tomatoes seem to root easily in the water.  I did 2 varieties and one started looking sickly before it rooted; but I discovered aphids on it when I went to toss it out...the other one is ready to go into a container this afternoon.  I'm considering trying out one of those upside down tomato things...anyone have good luck with those? 

Please share your garden tips, tricks, ideas or questions with us!  Learning from each other is all part of this community!

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

I've been wondering about this one for a while, small-scale (backyard) grain growing. 

Well, lo and behold , my Bountiful Gardens newsletter came a few days ago, and growing grains was one of the topics!  Good info., lots of grains to choose from and order, and an inexpensive little booklet- Grow Your Own Grains.  That one is on my wish list!  Maybe a Mother's Day gift idea.  My husband has declared me difficult to shop for...seeds, books, plants; now what could be easier than that, I do wonder?

 I did find this book online to read for FREE- Small Scale Grain Raising, by Gene Logsdon.  Looks interesting, I plan to read some of it as I have a spare moment. 

I'm conducting a little experiment, too... I tossed a handful of flax seeds into a pot the other day, just to see what would happen.  They sprouted quickly and now I have a pot full of little flax seedlings.  Now I have to decide what to do with them!  Should I leave them in the pot or attempt to transplant them into a larger area?  Anybody grow flax, ideas, thoughts?

Next I may try a few wheat berries...I can always have "wheatgrass" smoothies. 

Please share anything you know about small-scale grain growing with us!  I'd love to have a small patch of several different grains one season.

Blessings,

Catherine

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

OK, after last week's ramble, I promised a lighter topic for today-

May Day Baskets !  How's that? 

No, May Day really isn't celebrated in a big way around here, but any celebration that includes flowers is always fun for me!  I think we'll skip the May Pole and all the rest (*see note below), but a little basket or two filled with flowers and gifts will be fun to create.  Here's one link for a May Day basket.  While your on the Old Fashioned Living site, click over to the Garden section and you will find lots of articles to peruse. 

For our May Day craft, I think we'll just make simple paper cones, punch a hole on either side, make a ribbon hanger and fill with a few flowers, a snippet of herbs,  and maybe a little coin envelope containing a few seeds.  I have a couple of neighbors who might enjoy getting a little May Day gift. 

For my own May Day gift to me ...  I'm going to hang a few of these around the house.  I love that idea! 

So have fun!  Go out and take a walk around the homestead and collect some pretty flowers, fragrant herbs, or whatever pretty things are available.  Make up a little container with a handle, fill it with your flowers, tuck in any other little goodies you like- seeds, tea bags, a few cookies or pieces of candy.  Hang it on someone's door  and run away ! 

*Please note, when searching for some info. on May Day, I ran into some things that I didn't know about the holiday.  Here's one link, but you can research for yourself if you are interested.  For what it's worth, I think we'll still make a little basket of flowers to celebrate the coming of the Spring flowers....though now I have to really think about this more. 

So much for my lighter post , I guess!  I do seem to have more questions than answers lately.  That's OK, I enjoy searching for the answers. 

God created the flowers, and we'll put our focus on sharing His blessings with others today, and next year we'll do our Spring Blessing Baskets  on a different day. 

Anyone have a garden topic they'd like to see addressed here?  Someone suggested herb tinctures, and I will get to that very soon .  Please share your questions, thoughts, topics, etc.,  the more input we have, the more we can learn from each other!

Blessings,

Catherine

Update:  For a peek at my version of this project, Herb Jars... click here .

Posted in Homestead Garden and Farm

Brenda Hyde of Old Fashioned Living has a great article on Basil. It includes tips on growing and preserving as well as a number of recipies. Check it out , you will be glad you did!

Grandma Rosie

Basil: Everyone's Favorite Herb!