I've got worms! Yet another homesteading dream realized!That's probably my favorite tweet of all time. It was back in 2008 or so. And no, I did not have intestinal worms. I had just completed a one-day vermicomposting workshop, and I had attended the BYOB session. In this case, BYOB stood for "build your own bin." I had my newly made bin with red wiggly occupants sitting in … [Read more...]
Garden Therapy
Playing in dirt isn’t just for kids and animals! A growing body of research has shown that gardening can significantly improve your health and well-being. So what’s the dirt on dirt?Preventive Medicine Reports published a 2017 study that conducted a meta-analysis on the effects on human health. The researchers concluded that gardens improve physical, psychological, and … [Read more...]
Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist
My husband may be wishing that I had never requested a review copy of Edible Landscaping With a Permaculture Twist because it was so inspiring that I have all sorts of plans for our flood-prone front yard, which means more work for him. I've read a few books on permaculture in the past, but none got me as fired up as this one. Maybe it's because he focused on landscaping. Being … [Read more...]
Sow True Seed Heirloom Victory Garden Collection
We've reached our final seed giveaway for this Spring, but that means the gardening season will soon be in full swing! Thanks to everyone who has entered the giveaways and supported the seed companies that we have featured this year.Based in Asheville, North Carolina, Sow True Seed offers over 500 open-pollinated, heirloom, GMO-free, and/or organic vegetable, herb, and … [Read more...]
Planning the Sustainable Garden: How Much Will You Grow?
After choosing what to grow, the question is, how much do you want to grow? Do you simply want to grow enough to eat fresh throughout the growing season? Do you plan to can or freeze any for winter meals?Most tomato plants can easily produce twenty pounds of fruit. If you want to make a pasta sauce once a week throughout the year and your recipe calls for a pound of … [Read more...]
Clear Creek Seeds giveaway
Our next seed giveaway for this spring is from Clear Creek Seeds. Don't miss this opportunity to prepare for your spring garden! Clear Creek Seeds offers non-GMO, open-pollinated, raw, untreated heirloom vegetable, flower, and herb seeds. More information about Clear Creek is available in my post from last year.You can order from Clear Creek through their website or by mail … [Read more...]
Southern Exposure Spring Mesclun Collection Giveaway
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange is a 72-acre farm and cooperatively run business in Mineral, Virginia. They sell more than 800 varieties of open-pollinated, organic, and heirloom vegetable, herb, flower, grain, and cover crop seeds, mushroom spawns, and more. Many of their seeds are grown by a network of small farm seed growers. Learn more about Southern Exposure in my post … [Read more...]
Save a Fortune by Starting Your Own Seeds
When a seed costs only pennies and a transplant costs a buck or two, you don't have to be a math wiz to know that you can save big bucks by starting your seeds from scratch. But how exactly do you get started? GMO, conventional, or organic seeds? A lot of people ask if they have to buy organic seeds to avoid those that are genetically modified, and the answer is no. Organic … [Read more...]
Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Collection Giveaway
To continue our series of seed giveaways, we're thrilled to offer a giveaway from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. It is always such a delight when their catalog arrives in the mail - it is absolutely stunning! Baker Creek prides themselves on having rare varieties with great flavor and nutrition. As usual, this year's 21st annual catalog is full of colorful heirlooms with … [Read more...]
Renee’s Garden Seed Giveaway
We’re excited to offer another round of seed giveaways this year to get you ready for Spring planting!The first giveaway is from Renee’s Garden, a company based in Felton, California that offers vegetable, herb, and flower seeds, including heirloom, hybrid, open-pollinated, and organic seeds. The owner Renee Shepherd selects the seeds based on their great flavor and strong … [Read more...]
