Category Archives: Garden

Benefits of Gardening

Posted on April 18, 2019 by | 8 comments

Benefits of Gardening

 

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Spring is here and gardening season is upon us.  Everyone is eager to get seeds planted and to start getting some fresh produce from their gardens.  It doesn’t get much better than a homegrown tomato.  But is gardening just about the produce?

I do thoroughly enjoy the fresh vegetables that come from my garden.  But I also enjoy digging in the dirt and being outdoors.  This got me to thinking, what are all of benefits of gardening? 

 

 

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.                           -Audrey Hepburn

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NRCS High Tunnel

Posted on December 21, 2018 by | 5 comments

 

Get a free high tunnel with an NRCS grant

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

One of our big summer projects this year was building a high tunnel.  A high tunnel has been on our want list since we moved to our farm in 2014. A high tunnel is essentially a large greenhouse in a hoop shape.  They come in all sizes, from small to very large.  There are some nice advantages to using a high tunnel, including controlling temperature, erosion and water.  In some areas of the US, winter gardening becomes possible, even with an unheated high tunnel.  The winter gardening is what we’re the most interested in.

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Woodchucks in garden

Posted on September 13, 2018 by | 2 comments

How to get rid of woodchucks in the garden

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com

Woodchucks are very destructive to a garden and very frustrating to a gardener.  A woodchuck moved into my garden in last year and I have been trying to reclaim my garden as my own ever since.  I was starting to think that I should just abandon the garden and start over in a new location.  Finally with the help of some experienced neighbors and persistence, I have reclaimed my garden.

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Fall Garden Tips

Posted on July 22, 2018 by | 16 comments

successful fall garden tips

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

Fall is my favorite season.  It’s no longer blazing hot and the leaves turn into their magical colors.  Have you ever considered growing a fall garden?  The temperatures are more moderate, most of the problematic bugs have gone and a lot of greens thrive in the cooler temperatures.  What’s not to love about that?

Starting your cool weather crops in the summer, whether transplanting seedlings started indoors or direct sowing, can be a challenge.  Some crops need to be started when the sun is still hot.  Those tender seedlings can wither in a hurry if not cared for and protected.

The effort of protecting your seedlings is well worth it!  A lot of cool weather crops taste so much better with the cool temperatures.  Plus going out and picking your own salad in October or November never gets old.  You don’t need a greenhouse to keep your garden going well into late fall. 

What can you do to protect your fall garden?

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Grow Sweet Potatoes

Posted on July 6, 2018 by | 10 comments

Trick to growing sweet potatoes

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden.  Once planted, they are low maintenance until it’s time to harvest them. Their vines and flowers are beautiful!  But there is a trick to having more than just beautiful vines and flowers. 

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Hugelkultur Garden Beds

Posted on May 14, 2016 by | 22 comments
Building Hugelkultur Garden BedsHomestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

 

One of the first things that I wanted to do when we moved to our homestead was to get a garden started.  It was the beginning of August, but I had dreams of a fall garden.  After attempting to dig a few small beds, I realized just how rocky and hard the soil was!  There is a lot of clay content in our soil, and a LOT of rocks.  I did plant a few odds and ends, which did grow and we got a few things out of the garden that fall.  But I knew that we could make it much better.

 

It was time to think about raised beds.  More specifically, hugelkultur beds.

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Posted in Garden, Permaculture

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We’re still plugging away!

Posted on September 9, 2015 by | Leave a comment

 

Homestead in the Holler is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Busy, busy, busy!  Whew, it has been quite a summer so far.  Sorry for the lack of updates.  We have had our heads down working and writing after a long, hot day hasn’t been our priority, I’m afraid.  So, what have we been up to?  Hmm, let’s see…

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Posted in Farm Life, Garden, Straw Bale Building, Update