Ok, here’s the deal. Kale, collards, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, kohlrabi – all these amazing, diverse plants have been bred from the same wild cabbage ancestor. Kohlrabi was bred to make a juicy, swollen stem, and you’ll notice it tastes like broccoli stem because, well, botanically, it pretty much is. Brussels sprouts look like teeny…
Gardening
An Impromptu Gardening Q&A
Last night, I just wasn’t feeling inspired. I’ve been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes writing for the book (which is still months out but which is, terrifyingly, now available for pre-order), so my creative juices were running thin. So, I did what any self respecting modern writer would do – I took to Facebook to…
Garden Magic
Yesterday, as I chopped, dropped, and tried to cram just a few more blueberry bushes into my garden, it was obvious. The apple blossoms, the eager tips of asparagus, and the carpet of germinating calendula made it undeniable. Spring is here. If you are a gardener and you do not see magic in the ripe swelling of…
22 Signs You Are Desperate To Quit Your Office Job To Become A Homesteader
The job is reliable. You work in a clean office, and mostly you get paid to sit at a computer and type things. There are even a few nice benefits like accrued vacation and dental. You’re living the dream, right? Wrong. The signs are there, there’s no use denying them any more. Here are 22 signs…
Save Money With DIY Seed Starting Mix
So, you start a lot of seeds and you’re running out of money for seed starting mix. Right-o. Story of my life. That’s what prompted me to investigate DIY bulk seed starting options, and I’m so glad I did. This is a huge money saver if you are a big seed-starter! The cost of seed…
Is Cheap Seed Hurting Your Garden? Germination Rate, Vigor, and Why You Should Care
Sometimes, cheap seeds just cost too much. I’m going to explain why in a second, but first I want you to imagine for a minute that you are pulling up to a gas station to fuel your car. There are two pumps, and each will dispense different fuels. Pump A sells fuel that costs $7…
That Time They Let Me On TV (Modern Homesteading on Growing a Greener World)
You may remember that back in September I had the amazing experience of hosting the Growing a Greener World TV crew so they could film my garden and we could talk about modern homesteading and family. In case you missed it, here’s the TL;DR: super talented TV people came to my house to put me…
Updated! Seeds For Beginners: Saving, Storing and Organizing Your Vegetable Seeds
This post was originally published January 23, 2012. I’ve slightly updated my own seed storage method (below), and we’ve welcomed a ton of new gardeners to the fold in the last three years, so I thought it was time to revisit seed storage basics. I am getting a lot of questions about seeds right now….
August Garden Photo Tour
On the one hand, I can’t believe it’s nearly September. Summer can’t be this far along, can it? On the other, I am shocked that we probably still have 4 to 6 weeks of reasonable growing conditions before fall really, truly shoulders aside summer. This has been the best summer I can remember for the…
How And Why To Make An Eco-Lawn
I’ve talked before about how “right sizing” my patch of grass really changed my perspective on “evil, non productive lawn” to something almost like fondness. Well, my thinking on lawn has shifted yet again, and again for the better. We recently converted to an eco-lawn mixture and these days I find myself downright loving my…
Homestead Collage: An Overview of My Garden
I have had several readers say they need an overview to get themselves kinda settled in to where everything is in my yard. I went up on the roof and took some photos, but that didn’t quite explain how all the various components work. So I turned to the lazy garden planner’s best friend, Google…
July Garden Photo Tour
I haven’t shown you guys the garden in awhile – it’s looking great this year because we’ve had more sun and heat than is typical. That’s pushing ripeness and growth rates higher. Result? Super lushness and happy gardener! I snapped quite a few photos so I’m trying a new thing and turning them into a…