Category Archives: Homestead

6 years ago (has it only been six years?  Wow!), our initial “raised bed” garden was a fenced in area behind the shop.  The beds were about 8″ tall 4′ by 4′,  made with wood that we had milled from … Continue reading →

Bill originally built the shaker deck to help harvest potatoes.  For years we have grown potatoes in bags, not in ground, not in raised beds.  It just works better for us.  We will probably never get the huge harvests that … Continue reading →

Having a greenhouse always seemed to be an out of reach dream.  The entry cost was prohibitive.  We struggle with flat land up here.  We also struggle with sunlight and a fear of trees.   Case in point yesterday I was … Continue reading →

I would love to report that the battle is mine!  That would be a lie.  Everyday when I go down and check there are spider mites, mostly on the same plants.  Watching while flats of growing things melt into dust … Continue reading →

First let me pause a minute to take in the fact that I just typed, “Seed Starting Room”.  Those are wonderful words.  Also a fancy name for mechanical room but still, renaming it makes it seem exotic and extraordinary.  Things … Continue reading →

In the fall of 2024, we purchased two inexpensive hoop house greenhouses from Amazon, one 7′ x 12′, and one 10′ x 20′.  We set up the smaller one up by the house, to be used for starting plants and … Continue reading →

This post is actually bitter sweet.  When we bought this house, the day we closed, a tree had fallen and the people we were purchasing from had to clear it from the driveway on their way to the closing.  This … Continue reading →