Growing Healthy Plants starts with Buying Healthy Plants

That sounds like a pretty straight forward statement but it is the simple truth. If you do not grow your vegetable and garden plants from seed, then you are more than likely buying your plants or seedlings online or at a nursery.  It is quite an overwhelming task to scour the nursery for the healthy seedlings and plants that you want to fill your garden with. You poke, you turn, you sniff and yes you may even take a…

Well, I still have some good lettuce going and my broccoli is just getting started, but I also found my first melon growing on the vine!…

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The weather warmed up this week and my starts are much happier!

Except for the brassicas (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage), they are tiny and look terrible and I'm not sure what is wrong with them. It's time to plant them out though, so I will see if they do better outside. I will also put a few seeds directly in the ground and see how those do.We eat a lot of broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, so I hope I can get them going in time!

My potatoes went in this week, the peas are…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 2 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

Door #1: A Travel Royal Berkey Walter Purification system from Directive 21. Valued at $228!

Door #2: Two…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 2 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include: 

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

Door #1: A …

The Happy Homesteader Blog

While my pantry is never bare and every season around here is a season to preserve food, this time of year is when things are the leanest.  July and August are the biggest canning periods and by now we have usually gone through much of last summer's harvest, but are enjoying the winter harvest.  Since warm season crops are already in the ground, then it won't be long before these veggies roll around…

This week's hour long podcast is now live. You can listen/subscribe directly here, or at itunes here. If you prefer to just hear this week's episode click here to listen right here, right now.…

The Happy Homesteader Blog

I remember looking at unbroken land of weeds and rocks and telling myself that one day there would be a bountiful garden there.  In the coming years my plans would change and adapt as I learned more and more about gardening.  Today, the garden sort of resembles what my first plan was, but has many elements that I've changed as I figured out what our land was like and what I could handle in terms of…

     I have a dream. A dream of walking through a colorfully lush yard brimming with fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs. A few hens scamper on by while my rabbits wrinkle their noses at me as if to say, "Hey, fruit basket! Are you sure you can do this? It's not too late to wake up." Meanwhile, the deer are simultaneously squashing melons while munching on squash, the wild rabbits are nibbling on the lettuce, the birds are snatching the blueberries, and the chipmunks are digging  in the…

The Happy Homesteader Blog

Last week I offered a challenge to new farm dreamers.  The goal was to help you figure out if you have what it takes to pursue your farmsteading dream by picturing yourself in a dramatic real-life situation.  I wrote about how even modern day homesteaders need a large dose of fortitude to overcome the adversities of living off the land. 

For the modern day homesteader however, we've not only got to be…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include: First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purch

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of…

This is a guest post and entry in Round 1 of the Farm Dreams writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize: A $300 gift certificate toward any purchase of Featherman Poultry Processing Equipment, including pluckers, knives and more!

Second Prize: A 164' roll of electric…