I’ve started the process of picking my first line of business for the homestead. This spring has been incredibly productive, and I’ve made a lot of progress getting things growing on the land. In a few years, the hedge should be stunningly beautiful and create mounds of fresh fruit each year. Even sooner, the vegetables …
Category: Farm Updates
Friday Flowers
Temperature is falling, the wind is blowing and we’ll get a freeze tonight. But the sun is out and the tulips are glorious. The forsythia still have a few petals, but they’re pretty much done and I think it’s the last week for daffodils. The new violets are blooming beautifully, more frustratingly, so the creeping …
Homestead Weekly Update 5 (May 1, 2020)
The spring flowers have started to really shine and weeding has started for the year. Friday Flowers Gardening Update Prairie Bed The last plants are finally in. 21 purple prairie clover, little bluestem and indain grass have been added to the bed. I can see that I’ll want to add more to the bed this …
Homestead Weekly Update 4 (April 24, 2020)
We didn’t have the best weather this week, but we made good progress just the same. We managed to put in some big things. One of which was rather huge. Friday Flowers Garden Update Food Hedge I still have one shipment outstanding, but all of my other perennials have arrived for this year’s plantings. We …
Meet the Three Sisters
Perhaps one of the simplest and most elegant examples of permaculture principles was the three sisters of North America. A traditional combination of squash, beans, and corn in a single planting that was utilized throughout pre-Colombian America. The symbiosis of the 3 plants is quite dramatic and really informative. How the Three Sisters works Beans …
Homestead Weekly Update 4 (April 17, 2020)
Most of the work this week has been indoors due to the weather. The fish are acclimating to the basement aquaponic system. I’m starting to regret how quickly I decided to go full speed on the basement system. Friday Flowers Aquaponics Update The trout have arrived, one didn’t look great but the others are looking …
Homestead Weekly Update (4/9/2020)
Major push on the beds this week. The lovely weather let us accomplish a lot. Beds are taking shape and woody plants have started going in. Looking at the next project, I’m diving into aquaponics with both feet. What’s Blooming What’s Happening in the garden The weather has been lovely and my bare root plants …
Homestead Weekly Update 2 (Apr 3, 2020)
My first flowers are about to bloom, and I’ve planted up a storm. I don’t have the beds well laid out in back yet, but I do have a couple of landmark plants to start putting in. I’ve gotten shipments from Edible Acres, Gurneys, and Michigan Bulb. Bed by bed, here’s how we’re progressing. Food …
Homestead Weekly Update 1 (March 27, 2020)
It’s week 2 of quarantine in Chicago, but spring is in the air. The first of the plants for my garden have arrived. This week, I’m going to kick off a routine of posting weekly updates. What I’m doing, what’s blooming, and how I’m progressing towards my goals. Right now, there’s not much to look …
My Little Patch of Prairie
We’ve tried growing tall grasses and prairie plants in the bed previously, but they haven’t had the best luck returning year on year. In 2018 I was feeling well enough that, I decided to get serious about trying to make this bed something attractive. I covered the entire bed with landscape fabric and a layer …