I know what you're thinking, "A fall garden? It's only July!" But now is exactly when you should be thinking about your fall garden. What types of crops do you want to harvest into December and January? What garden beds will be available to you? Do your local nurseries carry seedlings this time of year, or do you have to start your own seed? Harvest Season So many people think of gardening as between Mother's Day and Columbus Day in our zone, but the reality is we have ...
Homesteading
10 Books for Homesteaders (and Future Homesteaders) + A Few on My Wishlist
With so many wannabe homesteaders not having a family member to teach them, many are relying on blogs, youtube, and books to learn as much as they can before taking the leap. Here is my list of books for homesteaders (and future homesteaders) to help you get started. We are suburban homesteaders. There is only a quarter-acre lot, and our home, garage, and shed are on the land as well. Since we have young children, we need space for them to run and play. That means we ...
5 Essential Oil Diffuser Blends for Bedtime
How'd you sleep? As someone who deals with insomnia combined with children waking me up in the middle of the night, my usual response was "meh". I had many friends recommend various supplements or essential oils as a natural way to help me get some much-needed rest. I liked the idea of using a natural product versus taking a pill to knock me out, so I figured it was worth a try. ...
DIY: Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent
On my to-do list for this week – making my own laundry detergent. Yes, I make my own laundry detergent instead of buying it at the store, and you know what, I like it more than the name brand that I grew up using. I started making my own laundry detergent about eight years ago, and haven’t had any regrets! In fact, on the rare occasion that something is washed in regular store bought detergent, I notice a difference in the scent (my husband said his shirt smelled like Pez) and in ...
Around the Garden: June
So far, 2018 has had some of the strangest weather. It started out with an extremely cold winter. Then, we had a wet spring. Our local weather forecaster announced today that this weekend will be our first dry weekend since before Easter! Mother Nature is weird. That said, my garden beds never got started this spring, but there is still a lot going on out there. ...