Go Feed Yourself

Finally. The seeds & baby plants are in. The weather is warming up. The garden is growing.

After our greenhouse went haywire I was not feelin' it with the garden, but giving up is not one of our strong-suits. We learned what worked well for us last year, and finding out that we only required a certain amount of this veggie, or more of that one, here's what we ended up with:

• 2 varieties of corn

• 3 varieties of tomatoes

• jalapeños

• bell peppers

• green beans

• acorn squash

• blue gourds

• white pumpkins

• cabbages

• onion

• zucchini

• summer squash

• cucumbers

• okra

• basil

• dill

• parsley

• oregano

• lavender

• thyme

• mint

• rosemary

• rhubarb

• wine grapes

• garlic (fall)

(While this sounds lengthy, planting really doesn't take that long! You can do it!)

There are also some strawberries that made their way into the garden beds (our yard is crawling with them). If they take off, fantastic. We plan to fertilize the berry patch this year, including blueberries and raspberries, and add more florals throughout the yard. We also have many more florals blooming this year (iris, rose of Sharon, lilac, tulips, lavender, foxglove, lillies, hydrangea, and some others I don't even have the names of...).

We left out broccoli as that was attacked by bugs last year, and it didn't result in much, as well as lettuce, as that ended up bitter and we only made about 2 salads from it.

It is important that you consider what you'll actually consume, otherwise it can be a wasted effort and you'll end up just feeding your chickens more scraps. That being said, sometimes it is worthwhile to plant something new to encourage having it in your diet since it is readily available and as fresh as it gets! If you want to encourage green eating habits, plant a garden (especially great for kids!). It will help younger family members understand that food doesn't just come from a store, and will give them a sense of pride when their first squash blossoms - before you know it, you might just enter a pumpkin in the county fair!

^One of our two wood raised beds. These are where the magic happens! Hopefully a fence is in the near future to keep the hens from taking a dirt bath in them. Ask us how to make em' ---> here.

If you don't want to start from seeds, you can hop on over to the local greenhouse to pick up started plants that will only require good soil, water, sun and a close eye to keep on keepin' on before they begin producing. You can also check Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or your local farmer's market for excess plants that people are looking to sell inexpensively, or part with completely free of charge.

That hardest part for me is patience. I get so excited seeing those little green sprouts - I can't wait to enjoy this summer's harvest!

^our singular grape vine - just waiting for buddies....

This year, I plan to can more tomato sauce, dry more herbs for seasoning mixes and tea, grow our own fall pumpkins, and begin our mini vineyard vines for more homemade Harper Homestead wine!

Tell us what's growin' on your homestead --> here.

#seasonings #canning #gardening #garden #herbgarden #herbs #wine #winemaking #veggies #flowers