Tag Archives: Gardening

Stop Garden Weeds With Biodegradable Weed Block

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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At the Mother Earth News Fair this year I attended several gardening seminars. One presenter spoke about ‘biodegradable weed block‘. It’s supposed to suppress weeds during garden season. Then it naturally degrades by the end of garden season to just be turned back into the soil. Now I hate plastic weed block because weeds grow right through the blasted stuff, it’s messy, it’s expensive and it’s PLASTIC. But I’ve never even thought about biodegradable weed block.

I wondered how it worked, what it was made of, how expensive it might be, etc. So I went online to research. I found it’s made of ‘wood pulp’. Hey, could that be PAPER??

So I’m thinking of using those heavy paper feed sacks RancherMan’s been saving for me. I’ve always used those paper feed sacks in the walkways of my garden covered by mulch. But I’d never given thought to using it in the actual planting areas. Hummmm…

Biodegradable weed block for the garden? As it turns out, it's really a thing! And it degrades by the end of the season to just mix back into your soil. I hate the plastic weed block, this more natural material appeals to me! #TexasHomesteader

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It’s Only February But Garden Prep Is Underway

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by Texas Homesteader ~

It’s early in the season and most of us aren’t even thinking about dropping seeds or plants in the garden. Here in Texas planting zone 8 we typically don’t risk planting until Easter when in all probability the danger of the last frost is past. I’m not gonna lie, I jump the gun sometimes. There are times I get away with it, and other times I have to start all over…

But there are still garden tasks to tend to even though actual planting time is still weeks away. Come see…

Even though it's only February & cold outside, there are still garden chores to be done. Come see how I'm preparing the veggie garden. #TexasHomesteader

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All-Natural Lavender Scented Gardener’s Hand Scrub

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I like to make our Christmas gifts ourselves to give to loved ones. This year we’d been working HARD for several months making different flavors of homemade cheese for our gifts. But my aunt is on a special diet, so cheese wouldn’t be a thoughtful gift for her at all. Hummm…

I know – she loves to garden and she’s always planting and tending to the flowers in her amazing garden. (Let me tell ya, her landscape is breath-taking!) I’ll make a hand scrub for her!

All-Natural Lavender Scented Gardener's Hand Scrub. The perfect gift for the gardeners in your life. Includes crushed lavender blooms. #TexasHomesteader

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Stopping That Blasted Bermuda Grass At Last!!

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I had a porch extension built last year. But wait.  WHAT’S THIS???  Even though we took precautions to keep the Bermuda grass out, it tried to march into our beautiful raised beds anyway!

As anyone who’s battled (and LOST) the war with Bermuda grass in their flower beds knows, it’s almost impossible to eliminate.  The underground rhizosomes break easily, leaving the next generation of Bermuda-grass-misery ready to thwart your best efforts.

Bermuda Grass is notoriously hard to control. When it creeps into your raised beds, heck you've lost the war! Come see how we're protecting our raised beds with grass barrier. #TexasHomesteader

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Too Much Okra? Make Fried Okra Fritters!

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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There are a few veggies that are really a powerhouse in the garden.  Squash & okra come to mind.  They’ll grow & produce in the most challenging weather, usually producing well enough for you to eat as much as you want & still have plenty to share with friends & family.  I like okra either pickled or fried, but I’ve never gotten onboard with the mucilage texture inside of okra. So we didn’t plant okra this year. Luckily I was gifted with a bag of okra from a friend’s garden.  So I got to enjoy okra without having a boatload to figure out what to do with it all!

But along with this bag of okra was a recipe for okra fritters.  Okra fritters?  I’d never heard of such.  So RancherMan & I gave them a try – they were amazing!  I asked my dear friend if I could share the recipe with you, and she agreed!

A friend shared a bag of fresh okra from her garden. She also shared a recipe for Okra Fritters. They were delicious! Check it out. #TexasHomesteader

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Landscaping An Outdoor Oasis On The Cheap

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by Texas Homesteader ~
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RancherMan & I spend lots of time outside.  Not only for our work here on the homestead, but for pleasure too.  And we love the view from our back porch.  Recently I wrote about expanding that back porch to include an Outdoor Living room – be sure to check that out.

But now that the porch addition has been installed I need to landscape it into the peaceful oasis I’ve got my heart set on.  But I need to landscape it on the cheap, y’all.  It was surprisingly easy to do.  Come see!

Terracotta plant watering spike. We needed to landscape our porch area. But soil and plants are expensive! Come see how I landscaped it beautifully on the cheap. #TexasHomesteader

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Homestead Hack: Propping Tender Seedlings

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by Texas Homesteader ~

It seems vegetable-gardening planting is finally going on all over the US now.  Aaaaaahhhhh the veggie garden – how I love it.  Here in NE Texas (zone 8) I typically plant heirloom seeds in my ‘Indoor Greenhouse’ in February and transplant those heirloom seedlings into my garden after the danger of frost is done.

But this year I had a naughty bull jump our garden fence & decimate all of the tender seedlings.  I had to start over.  I did replant many of my heirloom seeds but I ended up buying a jalapeno plant.  It was so small that the winds were pretty rough on it.  So I needed to find a way to protect it from the wind. (and free-range chickens) Use Whatcha Got, y’all!

I needed a way for propping tender seedlings to protect them from the wind. You know my battle cry: "Use Whatcha Got!" Come see this Homestead Hack #TexasHomesteader

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Garden Update: May – Bull Damage Recovery

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Y’all remember last month the bull hopped the garden fence & tromped around the wet soil decimating my newly-planted garden?  Well I smoothed down the soil best I could and basically had to start over.   Because of this damage my garden was now waaaaaay behind schedule!  But I’m hopeful I’ll be still be able to harvest lots from my garden this year.  Come see the damage recovery report for May.

Last month the bull decimated my newly-planted garden. There has been some recovery, yet some failures. Come see my May vegetable garden update: Bull Damage Version! #TexasHomesteader

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Homestead Hack: Cardboard In Compost

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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Y’all know I have a compost tumbler and I’m a big advocate for making your own compost.  It’s healthy for your plants, cheap to make & a great way to make good use of kitchen scraps and paper trash that would otherwise just be wasted.  And it’s super easy too, you just make sure to have a proper mix of browns & greens.  Add a little water, do a little compost turning and BOOM!  Black gold for your garden. You can see my Compost Post Here.

For ‘greens’ you can use grass clippings, vegetable peels, etc.  And for ‘browns’ you can use dried leaves, paper, twigs, etc.  I often use corrugated cardboard boxes to fill my ‘browns’ requirement.  But ugh, tearing all that cardboard requires some elbow grease #amiright?  Come check out this Homestead Hack to see how I make it easy.

I use cardboard in my compost. But it takes lots of grip to tear up all that cardboard. Come see this Homestead Hack that makes it EASY! #TexasHomesteader

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4 Ways Vegetable Gardening Can Change Your Life

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by Texas Homesteader ~

It’s true I have to grow a garden every year.  I mean *HAVE* to!  It’s something that’s in my blood and not having a veggie garden is just not an option for me.  But recently I got to thinking, there are several reasons I love to garden – it’s not just a hobby.  It’s good for me in so many ways.  I mean, flower gardens are beautiful and manicured lawns are lovely too.  But I’d rather put my outdoor effort into something that will benefit me in 4 important life-changing ways.  And here’s the good news – it can be life-changing for you too.   Come see!

4 Ways Vegetable Gardening Can Change Your Life! Come see why you should grow a vegetable garden too! #TexasHomesteader

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