Tag Archives: gardening

Our favorite articles about gardening in zone 8b Northeast Texas, raised-beds, composting and more posted on TexasHomesteader.com

Make A Raised Planter Using A Small Tire

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by Texas Homesteader ~

A few months ago RancherMan & I joined my parents for a quick dinner at a local restaurant.  On the sidewalk outside the restaurant was a cute planter. Upon closer inspection, it looked like a small, thick tire that was painted & then planted. 

RancherMan said it was probably a riding lawn mower or golf cart tire. I loved it! Heck you always wonder what to do with an old tire anyway. And their disposal is always an issue. 

Plus I often worry that planters that you buy just can’t hold up to the rough Texas weather year after year. Spring hail storms can render that cute ceramic planter useless in short order!

These repurposed-tire planters seemed to be the best of both worlds – interesting looks, very durable and using something previously wasted. I decided to give it a try. 

But I didn’t have an old lawn mower tire and I really didn’t want to buy a new one. It seems like such a waste of resources to buy a perfectly good usable tire & paint it!

A cute nearly indestructible raised planter that can endure year after year in challenging Texas weather using a small, repurposed tire #TexasHomesteader

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Repurposing An Empty Coffee Canister: Dried Herbs

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Coffee canisters are easy to repurpose for any number of things. And repurpose them we do!

Y’all know we love our coffee. We prefer Folgers to other brands of coffee. But at least their coffee canister is food-grade plastic. So in addition to other non-food repurposes, I’m able to do even more with it.

I can store large quantities of dried herbs in them.

Use those empty coffee canisters to store dried herbs. I have a huge harvest of dried rosemary stored to use in cooking & soap making. #TexasHomesteader

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How To Harvest Mammoth Sunflower Seeds

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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This year I planted the sunflowers along the chicken fence side of the garden. Those huge sunflower plants offer shade during the heat of the day for my chickens. Oh, and our bees love them too.

That’s a lot of bang for my package-of-seeds buck! But now it’s time to harvest those sunflower seeds. Come see what I did.

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Using Natural Materials: Straw In The Garden

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I like to use natural materials in my garden. Things such as straw, wood chips Dry Leaves or even grass mulch after RancherMan mows the lawn and bags the cut grass. (be sure to let that freshly-cut grass cure a bit before adding it close to your plants or it could burn them)

For instance, I have a grapevine that I’ve surrounded with three bales of straw. That straw serves a dual purpose. Its initial purpose is to protect my garden from encroaching bermuda grass.

Using Straw in the vegetable garden to preserve moisture. AND reduce weeds! Come see how a bale of straw does double duty. Nothing's wasted. #TexasHomesteader

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How To Get FREE Veggie Plants For Your Garden

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by Texas Homesteader ~

My peppers and tomatoes were pretty much a bust this year due to our weird spring. You see, I planted seeds in my indoor greenhouse and placed that greenhouse at a south-facing window in my home like I always do.

But the constant cloudy weather this spring hampered a good germination. The few plants that did germinate were hardened off & placed in the garden. But you know peppers and tomatoes like a little more sun, a little more heat.

But I was recently able to replenish some of the vacant areas in my garden. It cost me ZILCH.  “How can you get free veggie plants for your garden?” you might wonder. I’m so glad you asked!

Tomato planting was a bust in the garden this year, will I do w/o tomatoes? See how I've outfitted my veggie garden with FREE plants #TexasHomesteader

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Homestead Hack: Cute Container For Herb Cuttings

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by Texas Homesteader ~

The herbs are going well in my Edible Landscape so I thought I’d take a few cuttings & try to root them in my kitchen window. I have a repurposed short, squatty, wide-mouth glass jar that I can use. 

But I’ve always heard that when you’re rooting cuttings, a see-through jar can cause problems. It’s said that inside the jar should be dark. A dark jar keeps algae from growing in the water and also helps the roots do their thaaaang.

Some suggestions are to paint the jar or to wrap it in scrapbooking paper or something similar.  Hummm…

So what did I decide to do? Say it with me kids: “Use Whatcha Got!”  That’s right. 🙂 Check out this Homestead Hack.

I took some herb cuttings to root in my kitchen window. But the jar needs to be kept dark. Check out this cute Homestead Hack idea! #TexasHomesteader

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Financial Benefit of Growing Your Own Food

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Think About It: Growing Your Own Food Is Like Printing Your Own Money! Healthier, tastier and less expensive too. Gotta Love It. #TexasHomesteader

Think about it. Isn’t it true?? Growing Your Own Food Is Like Printing Your Own Money!

Check out the list of my favorite gardening hacks below.

~TxH~

My Favorite Garden Hacks

My favorite gardening hacks all in one place. #TexasHomesteader

Garden Planning

Seed Planting

Soil Health

Garden Styles

Garden Plants/Harvest

Water/Irrigation/Drought

Weed Control

Garden Tips

MORE Gardening Posts

References:

Find Your 2023 Updated USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

Texas Master Gardener’s Companion Planting – Plant Friend & Foe

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