Backyard Chickens | Livestock | Homesteading | Gardening
One of the things many people do when they move to a more rural location is start a garden. While there is much to know about gardens, it is best to start small. Take the time to continue to research as you go, and expand your plot. Depending on your climate and topography, your garden can produce an abundance of produce. Many consider buying a greenhouse and setting up a hydroponic system as well. To enrich the soil, you may want to consider composting as well. Composting is easy to do and will make a big difference in your garden. Even if you don’t intend to live off-the-grid completely, you will enjoy many benefits from gardening.
Whether you are interested in fruits, vegetables, herbs or an orchard, you can make it work. You and your family will eat healthier, spend more time outdoors, and literally enjoy the fruits of your labor. You will continue to learn new things and skills through trial and error. Having a steady food supply helps in self-sustainability and also provides a sense of comfort for those interested in prepping.
Flowers and other plants are beautiful too. Along with food production, beautiful scenery is an important part of rural living as well.
Learn how to harvest prickly pear safely. I live in Tucson, Arizona, and have at least 30 prickly pear cactus plants on my property. We lost a few to a record-breaking drought a few years back. Aside from that, we have done nothing to maintain them and enjoy the harvest of prickly pears each year. We moved to Tucson when my son was in second grade. The first full week of school, in August, his … Read more
Tomato hornworms and tobacco hornworms will wreak havoc on your garden. You may first realize you have a problem when you see bite marks on leaves along with leafless stems on your tomato plants. Damage control is the first thing you need to do. We explain how to get rid of tomato hornworms easily and for good. It’s a game of I Spy when you realize you have tomato worms or tobacco worms. Inspect the … Read more
Growing lettuce is easy when you know what you are doing. Here I explain how to grow lettuce from seed or regrow from lettuce. It grows quickly and is a cool season crop. See below for my videos about growing leaf lettuce and growing romaine lettuce from seed. Lettuce grows well in growing zones 2 – 11 as long as you plant it at the right time of year. Lettuce doesn’t like extreme temperatures. If … Read more
Growing radishes is one of the easiest ways to start a vegetable garden. Radishes are a cool season crop. They are quick-growing, easy to plant, and require little maintenance. They are ideal for first-time gardeners. But don’t just pick up a packet of radish seeds and start planting. There are several things to know to help ensure a successful harvest. 1. Choose the right variety Radishes are very forgiving plants but it helps to plant … Read more
Learn how to harvest basil to maximize growth. This warm weather plant will produce lots of leaves. The great thing about growing basil is you can snip leaves off to use in cooking as well as snip branches off to regrow more basil plants. You can also harvest the seeds. Before you know it, you’ll have several plants with more leaves than you know what to do with. There’s no fear of killing the plant … Read more
Learn about growing a lime tree. They do well in the ground and in containers. There are many lime varieties to choose from, depending on what you want to use them for. Some are more cold hardy than others. Whether you’re a key lime pie fanatic or love the thought of bringing the tropics into your home, growing a lime tree is a fun endeavor. You can use limes for cooking and baking. In my … Read more
When you decide to plant tomatoes in your garden, there are two types from which to choose –determinate and indeterminate. There are distinct differences between the indeterminate tomatoes and determinate tomatoes and reasons you may select one over the other. Although we’ll do a comparison between the two types later in this article, our main focus will be indeterminate tomatoes which will give you mouthful after mouthful of juicy goodness all season long. What are … Read more
There are as many as 150 different types of basil plants, with sweet basil being the most popular for culinary purposes. Beyond sweet basil, cultivars like Thai basil, Genovese basil, Greek basil and lemon basil are also in demand. Easy to grow, basil belongs to the mint family, which encompasses a broad range of herbs including mint, rosemary, lavender, and sage. Basil is characterized by its distinct aroma which is both sweet and spicy, and … Read more
Learn how to prune basil to ensure lush, vigorous growth. Pruning basil correctly will help the plant to grow bushy and longer. Basil grows easily. Taking steps to trim it properly and timely will enable you to use the leaves, grow more leaves, and propagate new basil plants. Why You Should Prune Basil There are a few good reasons for trimming basil, including harvesting, spurring growth, growing new plants, and prohibiting it from going to seed. … Read more
Growing a stevia plant is a way to enjoy sweet leaves whenever you want. You can use them fresh, dried, powdered, and as a liquid to sweeten drinks and food. Stevia grows well in garden beds and containers and makes an edible houseplant. They are high-yielding plants that produce all year. They grow much like basil. We explain how to grow a stevia plant, how to care for it, plant uses, and more so you … Read more