If you are new to gardening and looking for a quick and easy tool to help you decide what to plant when, check out this new planting calendar. The programming team at Morning Chores developed it. Then, I helped refine some planting dates and adapt it to work for many different climates. This is a… Continue reading Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar
Author: Simplestead
I'm an “Epicurean homesteader” and writer focused on simple, sustainable living. I garden on about 1.5 acres and grow a large variety of annual and perennial edible, medicinal, and ecosystem support plants. I also keep ducks, dairy goats, chickens, a pet turkey, worms, and (occasionally) pigs. I teach classes in my community related to edible landscaping and organic gardening. I am also the author of Grow Your Own Spices. When not growing food, cooking, or composting, I'm likely rocking on the garden swing with my partner Matt Miles, surrounded by our two dogs and four cats.
How to Plan An All-Purpose Herb Garden
If you are looking for inspiration on starting an all-purpose herb garden for cooking, teas, medicine, livestock, and more -- take a look at my post over at the amazing Morning Chores homesteading reference website. https://morningchores.com/herb-garden-planning/ While you are there, check out a few more herb-related posts to give you plenty of inspiration to create… Continue reading How to Plan An All-Purpose Herb Garden
How to Choose the Right Duck Breeds
If you are looking for inspiration to help you choose the right duck breeds for your homestead, take a look at my post on Morning Chores. https://morningchores.com/best-duck-breeds/ While you are there, take a few minutes to browse all the other informative homestead posts and inspiration on that amazing reference site. There are all sorts of… Continue reading How to Choose the Right Duck Breeds
The Little Yellow Duck House and Mirabelle Plums
Looking for duck housing and run inspiration? Check out my converted chicken coop with a run inspired by a chunnel (chicken tunnel).
Meyer Lemon Love
If you are looking for a plant to make you happy mid-winter, let me tell you about these glorious golden globes pictured above. These luscious lovelies make the whole month of January feel like it's lit with radiant summer sunshine. On cloudy days, or when I just need a winter pick me up, I head… Continue reading Meyer Lemon Love
Cilantro and Coriander
Coriander and Cilantro are the same plant at different stages. Learn how to grow and use both.
Start Raising Chickens Simply
Start your first chicken flock with less stress and more fun!
The Power of a Well-Planned Potager
Do you want your garden to produce food even with 4 weeks of neglect in extreme heat and dry weather? Then plant a well-planned potager garden.
Annatto, Achiote, or the Lipstick Tree
Learn more about the annatto, achiote, or lipstick tree. Its seeds are used to color food naturally and spice up many food dishes from its native growing areas. It is also a lovely ornamental that can even be grown in pots.
Thai Basil
Thai basil grows very similar to other basils. It does well in fertile, well-draining soils, and can tolerate some drought. It has been much slower to flower than the common Genovese basil and more resistant to bolting in hot, dry weather. This basil grows a bit slower than many other basils, but puts on a… Continue reading Thai Basil
Persian Basil
Persian basil is a mild tasting,easy to grow, member of the basil family.
Easy Composting for Your Organic Garden
Make compost for your garden using a few simple steps.
Harvest and Succession Plant Your Homestead Potager
The garden explosion happened. Those tiny, seedlings I showed pictures of in the last post Plant Your Homestead Potager suddenly started to look like fully-fledged plants. Even when you visit your garden daily, and observe the incremental growth, there is still this moment when you realize "Wow, this is a real garden." Honestly, it was… Continue reading Harvest and Succession Plant Your Homestead Potager
Plant Your Homestead Potager
Now that you've constructed your homestead potager, it's time to plant. Well, almost... There are two more things I suggest you do before you put plants or seeds in the ground. Pre-Planting Step 1: Start Compost Tea The first thing I recommend is that you get a five gallon bucket, fill it with rain water… Continue reading Plant Your Homestead Potager
Constructing Your Homestead Potager
With all the hard work of gathering inspiration, choosing a garden site, deciding on our paths and bed design, and formalizing your plan done, it's now time to break ground. This is the moment when the dream - a thing that lives in the world of ideas - becomes tangible. This is when the seed… Continue reading Constructing Your Homestead Potager
