By: twainausten
Homestead & homeschool

hardscaping, and some gardening

I had my hands in gardening gloves and actually planted things just weeks after we moved in. I live in the four season world, so my outdoor gardening time is limited.

I know it’s a risk for the first year homesteading though. Because….

  1. I’m planting in rocky, sandy topsoil with little nitrogen. It’s heavy and holds water like cement. Here’s what I started with (before the house was built)…September 2014 004
  2. And after the driveway was done…MayJune2016 041
  3. I’ve got two bouncy whitetail deer prancing around my acreage at all times of the day. They’re pretty. But deer hunting season can’t come soon enough…not likely in time to prevent munching new perennials and greenhouse grown tomatoes.
  4. And speaking of tomatoes, I have grown these from seed. Got to do something in January in my greenhouse…so I seeded a bunch of things. The tomatoes were healthy going into the ground so hopefully my 24 plants will yield at least a jar of salsa, or a few more.June 2016 006
  5. Hardscaping means sticking tiny fruit trees into rocky holes, hoping for fruit in the next couple years. Right now, they look like sticks. One day, I hope the word ‘orchard’ will apply, and I will happily put up all my mason jars, and fill the gigantic cold room downstairs with more than baby memorabilia and Christmas decorations.
  6. Here’s where I’m at in a couple of the front gardens…July 2016 131
  7. Here’s what I’m adding to the vegetable garden: everything but meat, oil and cheese. A compost bin was thrown into the back section of the orchard. In two years, I’ll be using my own compost, not buying bags from the nursery. So thankful for horse kennels in my neighbourhood. An entire truckload of composted horse manure for $20? Heaven. Menthol infused Epsom salts and human hair harvested from our hairbrushes (gross right?) but will hopefully deter the deer. Mwahahaha, I can tell myself that.
  8. I’m also adding rock borders. “Where’d you get those rocks,” I was asked about my raised garden beds. Rocks are everywhere. We had to blast to get a house foundation. I’ll be lining rock gardens till I renovate for wheelchair access in my nineties. They’re pretty, and a healthy alternative to the treadmill: lots of manual labour while learning how to create dry rock walls.July 2016 132What do you add to your garden soil? I’d love to see pics of your garden this year.

 

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