Tag Archives: gardening

Using Paper Grocery Bags as Weed Barrier in the Garden

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Every year we plant a garden and it does great in April, May, and early June. But come late June and early July things would normally start to slip. Usually, by the time we’d get to mid-July the weeds were out of control and I’d given up on everything but our berries and any pole beans that out-raced the weeds. Mr. Fix-It would till between the rows and big spaces to help me keep up, but by the end of July our garden was a goner. It’s terrible to admit … Continue Reading…

Spring is for Working in the Dirt

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We’ve been busy planting, planting, planting around here since the weather improved. The crew’s gardening skills have really taken off this year and they’ve been doing a lot of independent work. It’s a new stage for us when they can manage the tools and plants with little or no supervision. We prepped the trellis fence line for beans and peas and set the seed potatoes out to callous. They should be ready to go in with the onions, beans, and peas later this week–as long as the rain hold off … Continue Reading…

Spring Gardens and Growing Things

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It’s spring! It’s spring! {smile} Everything is green, and growing, and even 57 degrees feels warm with the sun shining! I’ve been having a heck of a time keeping the kids in coats and hats! Yes, I’m a little militant about hats or hoods. But I’m also not a fan of ear-aches and migraines–and besides, the Cowboy’s “highlighter” hat is the only way I can keep track of him sometimes! Their Carhartt gear just blends right in! We’ve been letting the kids hit the woods right at the edge of … Continue Reading…

Spring Has Shown Up…the Daily Farm Adventures {45}

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Well, Spring has finally decided to arrive in our little corner of Virginia! {smile} Everything is popping up and turning green. The grass has come back! Our poor, neglected garden is coming alive again–and the chances of survival are much higher since we’ve moved the sheep onto the father pastures! We’ll be cleaning up for the sheep shearer this weekend and then setting up the brooder house and refreshing the chicken tractor for new spring chicks coming next week! Most of the new chicks will be meat chickens but we’ll … Continue Reading…

Repair or Rebuild…the Daily Farm Adventures {52}

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Well, I suppose I’m back to our daily life again, so I’m back to putting words in this space again. I may usually hate change, but it is occasionally soothing to know that time continues to flow. That the seasons continue to cycle. That change can bring renewal as well as destruction. That dead trees come back to life each spring. That new lambs are born each year. That no matter how far you travel from home, the mosquitoes will be waiting when you get back. There is a fresh … Continue Reading…

50+ Recipes for Summer Squash to Use Up Your Garden Overflow!

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I have to admit, we did not eat summer squash very much growing up. Ok, can I be honest? Actually, never. I don’t remember my mother ever cooking yellow squash. I do remember having it with other people, but not at our house. Mr. Fix-It’s family grew it and they ate it all summer long, but he doesn’t remember much variety in the recipes. So I guess the good news is that we don’t have any old family recipes we have to throw out or overcome to try something new! … Continue Reading…

A Simple Garden Gift Box Tutorial…Sending Love from the Garden

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It’s the season-of-many-cucumbers around here. And while we’ve already made cucumber sandwiches, cucumber cream cheese wraps, cucumber salsa, and now creamed cucumbers, there are still so. many. cucumbers. Also suddenly an abundance of green peppers, blackberries and raspberries, tomatoes, and parsley. (Why did we plant so much parsley?!?) Much like our sudden spring abundance of eggs, we like to use what we can, and then share the garden goodies. So we’ve been sending out boxes of fresh, backyard goodness to co-workers, family, and customers. Here’s a quick, easy, and frugal way to … Continue Reading…

My Corner of the World

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We haven’t turned the air conditioning on in our house yet.  Big deal, you say.  It’s only May, you say.  It’s barely May, at that.  Ha!  This weekend it was 96 degrees plus humidity.  But I’m ok with that.  Why?  I mean, sure, it seems a little silly for it to be cooler outside than inside.  To go outside to escape the summer heat.  But the idea of saving $100’s this summer on a/c bills if we can just hold out until July is awfully appealing too, and I’ve found the sweet spot. … Continue Reading…

Letting Kids Be Involved in Every Step of Gardening

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Do you have a flower garden or vegetable patch? Do you let the kids help you take care of the plants? Maybe occasionally plant one– after you dig the hole and carefully pull the plant from the store container? Or let them water–after you’ve done the planting? Or maybe you let them help with the planting after you bring everything home from the store? Each separate activity has value in and of itself, but this method lacks the big-picture view that lets children see gardening as a life skill they … Continue Reading…

Simple Tips for Sucess in the Family Garden

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If you’re a regular reader, you know that we do a big family garden every year. And it’s not always been my favorite part of the homestead. Probably because it’s a lot more work than folks like to make it sound and we’re already really, really busy! Don’t get me wrong–it’s totally worth it! (Hello, we do it every year!) But it definitely takes time and sweat. Mr. Fix-It and the crew have just kept plugging away year after year and each year it gets better and better and this … Continue Reading…

Easy Pallet Garden Fence

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Well, we are busy back in the garden again this year. We had great plans the last few years but haven’t brought much of them to fruition. And I’ll admit that a lot of that was my poor attitude about gardening without a fence. I just couldn’t find a good spirit about all that work knowing that I would drive myself crazy trying to police the dogs out of it every minute and that if the sheep got out even one time–even for just 10 minutes!–they could destroy an entire … Continue Reading…

For the Love of Brussel Sprouts–It’s Gardening Time Again

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So, this past beautiful weekend we took some time to put our cool-season garden plants in and weeded up our raised beds. We put red and yellow onions in the raised beds with our strawberries and raspberries–which are both coming back well this year. I talked a little bit last year about companion planting. We’re trying to use the same basic plan as last year with a  little rotation this year. Our raspberries actually look better so far this year than last! All four plants are coming back and two … Continue Reading…

10 Homestead Updates

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Even though I came from a late meeting on Thursday to find the Cowboy and Mr. Fix-It curled up in the fetal position with raging fevers (and my Ladybug cleaning the kitchen and making dinner–talk about making me proud!) we have managed to have quite a productive few days around here. Here’s some updates (which I may or may not expand on later this week!) 1. We’re all on the mend again.  Yeah!! I took the Cowboy to the doctor on Friday and apparently we’ve had Influenza B going through … Continue Reading…

The Garden Bounty

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Mr. Fix-It and the crew have been handling the garden this year and they’ve been quite the producers out there! I have a history of not being able to keep up with the weeds, among other things, and just giving up with defeat about a month into the growing season. We’ve got strawberries, green beans, cabbage, some lettuce, green peppers, and an eggplant. An eggplant plant, I mean. We have more than one eggplant on the eggplant plant. Umm, never-mind. The Cowboy is the most helpful because he’s an early … Continue Reading…

Family Time and Homesteading

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The longer we parent, the more convinced I am that chore-time is essential to our family dynamic and each of our personal growth–or it can be. If you choose to be intentional about it. If you choose what is best instead of what is good. Homesteading just seems to bring God right into our…well…yard. We all do chores here at The Lowe Farm. All. Day. Long. Especially in the spring and fall. And laundry and dishes have never been my favorite part of the day! But I’m learning to love … Continue Reading…