Tag Archives: gardening

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

Constructing A Raised-Bed Veggie Garden

by Texas Homesteader 

Several years ago RancherMan & I constructed three raised beds to hold my beloved veggie garden. The beds worked well and produced heavily for several years but after a while the wood began to rot and I had some problems with the design. It was hard to irrigate the three beds without ‘jumpers’ from one bed to the other creating a difficulty maintaining the walkways. And the walkways were a bit too wide anyway.

I wanted to connect all the beds to help make a continuous run for irrigation to correct that problem. Then Rancherman decided to enlarge the width of the beds just a bit, also shrinking the walkways.  YEA!

Building Raised Beds. My old raised beds were in need of replacement and I wanted a more efficient design. See how we constructed our raised beds. #TexasHomesteader

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Tips For Using What You’ve Already Got To Save Money & The Environment

by Texas Homesteader ~  

Repurposing things to new life is one of my superpowers. I’m often able to fill a need (quite nicely) using what I already have at home. And you can too!

I’m sharing a whole list of ideas below. Check it out! 

Repurposing what you have to new uses saves money and the environment. #TexasHomesteader

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Building a Garden Composting Area

by Texas Homesteader

I have a raised-bed veggie garden and I love it. Gardening is in my blood and it’s something I simply MUST do every year – it’s not ever an option to forgo my veggie garden. There’s just something about digging my hands into that moist dirt and coaxing plants from those tiny seeds, and then nurturing those plants until they produce healthy food for my family. I try to keep everything in my garden as natural as possible & I use a *compost tumbler to make my own compost – I can’t recommend a tumbler highly enough.

It’s especially beneficial for us living out here in the country since we planted our home right smack dab in the middle of a cow pasture. It’s pretty native out here and there are lots of critters around outside – mice, rats, raccoons, coyotes, opossums and many more. My tumbler keeps my compost enclosed to keep the critters out of it. And it also speeds up the composting process. The task of turning the compost was something I had never been diligent about in the past, now I simply turn the barrel each time I empty something into it. Easy!

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Digging Up & Replanting Onions That Have Doubled For Twice The Harvest

by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I’d overlooked harvesting many onions, but then saw many green sprouts. Many of the onions that sprouted that I overlooked from last-year’s garden are sprouting into two (or more) onions in one. So I dug the doubled-up onions, separated them & replanted the onions. Now there are twice as many as I had before!

Where I thought were only dead onions are now green sprouts. I've dug the doubled-up onions, separated them & replanted. #TexasHomesteader
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Old Homestead Jujube Tree And Fruit – Mystery Solved

by Texas Homesteader

When we obtained our remote-pasture property last year I knew there was once an old homestead on the property years ago – the house long gone now. 

I love that this property also has an old 1880’s barn. That’s my favorite barn era and I’m so blessed to have two of these beautiful old barns now!  I’m ready to roll up my sleeves & restore this beautiful structure to its previous glory much like we did years ago with the 1880’s barn here on our homestead.

In searching for the identity of fruit trees at an old homestead we consulted the extension agent. The answer was received! #TexasHomesteader
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Using Manure As Natural Fertilizer In Your Compost

by Texas Homesteader ~ 
*This post contains an affiliate link

By now you know the amazing benefits of compost – both environmentally as well as botanically. Living on a Texas Homestead I’m blessed to have constant access to one of the most important components of my compost:  Manure

We have constant access to one of the most important components of my compost - Manure! Come read how we use this precious resource #TexasHomesteader

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Preserving The Harvest: Oregano

by Texas Homesteader 

I try to harvest and preserve all the fresh herbs I can. I finally got some oregano to grow. In addition to harvesting and using as much fresh oregano as I can, I also plan on preserving it for future use.

My dehydrating procedure is simple and requires no special equipment. Come see how easy it is to preserve oregano.

Preserving Oregano. Italian seasonings are my favorites. Because It tastes better fresh I like to grow and preserve my own. #TexasHomesteader

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