by Texas Homesteader
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Black gold, gardeners delight, compost – it’s all the same thing. And making your own compost is simple.
But how do you make compost? What can be composted and what cannot? What kind of container do you put it in?
There are lots of different answers and methods to those questions. Let’s start with the container.
By Texas Homesteader ~
I use coriander in my cooking from time to time. But because I don’t use it often I’d hate to buy a bottle of coriander. It would just go stale before I could use the whole bottle. But luckily I don’t have to buy it.
You see, I always have cilantro in my garden. It typically comes up on a volunteer basis as a result of seed falling to the ground. But cilantro seed is… coriander.
So I take advantage of this dual-purpose garden goodie and harvest coriander when the cilantro is done, typically around the end of May here in NE Texas.
by Texas Homesteader
I utilize garlic often in my cooking. It lends a vibrant flavor to even the simplest savory dishes.
Here’s how I plant, harvest and preserve the garlic harvest.
by Texas Homesteader ~
There are some plants that work perfectly for a lazy gardener. You know the ones – you plant them once and they provide you with food year after year? I’m sharing some of my faves.
Our homestead is located in NE Texas – in planting zone 8. So your lazy-gardener plant list may be slightly different than mine depending upon your typical weather conditions.
But following is a list of things I – for the most part – planted once and then pretty much just forgot about. And some of these things have provided food for us for several years so far, with several more years to go.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Several years ago our daughter mentioned casually that she was growing Stevia.
Wait, Stevia? You mean, the sweetener? You can GROW THAT!!?? I had no idea!
Excitedly I sat out to find a place to purchase the plant. I found mine at a local discount-type store and brought it home.
But now that I’m growing my own zero-calorie sweetener, what should I do with it?
By Texas Homesteader ~
Well, it seems it’s been a slow start in the garden this season. Here in Northeast Texas (hardiness zone 8) it’s generally thought to be relatively safe to plant your veggie garden after Easter.
The temps had been warm in the weeks before Easter. And it lulled many into a false sense of security. Many gardeners jumped the gun & planted their garden a little early. But then a cold front came through and dropped temps into the upper 30’s.
How has my garden fared so far? Well let’s stroll through the garden and see what’s going on…
by Texas Homesteader ~
Here in NE Texas the summers can be hot and dry. So veggie garden plants can benefit and be protected by using mulch to cover the soil. It protects it from the drying heat of that brutal Texas summer sun.
It also helps preserve the precious moisture that can be zapped by the hot and dry summer months.
You can buy commercial mulch of course. But I’ve been known to use natural (and FREE) products when mulching around trees and plants. Things such as grass clippings, Free Bark Mulch or even spent hay from around the hay rings.
But for my vegetable garden I’m using something even easier. And it’s something that doesn’t need to be purchased in a plastic bag nor hauled to the garden. No hoe or rake to spread, no extra work at all.
Check out this work-saving Homestead Hack, y’all!
by Texas Homesteader ~
It’s only March, but there’s much to do now to prepare for your vegetable garden. Spring is almost here, y’all!
Decisions need to be made. Do you know what you’ll plant this year? What does your family like to eat? What about companion planting?
I’ve been both planning for (as well as actually working in) my garden already. For my garden, I’ve made a Simple Spreadsheet to track the data on my garden each year. It helps me see what I grew where last year and I’ve noted companion planting data too.
Your garden will obviously be different, but it’s easy to set up a spreadsheet like this. Or some people just use a notebook and hand-written notes. Whatever’s easiest for you.
OK, so you’ve got the garden planned. Now you need to get started. Come see what’s going on this month for planning our garden…
