I think I can speak for the majority of people in our area, and testify that when we get to about this time of the year, we are ready for some warmer weather. And, after the wet week we just had, I would say some dryer weather. I understand the necessity of the cold winter months, but I’m ready for spring! Like everyone else, the past few months we have been staying inside where it’s warm, with the exception of taking care of the chickens and ducks; but now, with warmer weather ahead, there are some projects that need to be planned to get done.
Spring is always a busy time on the homestead, but with new additions to our livestock and expansion projects, this year is even busier. For the next several weeks, I’m going to be sharing with you the projects we have planned for this year. Part 1 is going to be focused around seed and plant selection for this year’s garden and stocking up on some garden necessities.
In case you haven’t walked past the garden center in your local stores, SEEDS ARE OUT!!! I am like a kid in a candy store when seed packets become available. I want one of every pack! HAHAHA. While I’m standing in the aisle with my arms full of seed packets, I have to stop and decide what I want to grow from seed, and what I want to plant as a start. Looking from my stash to my cart, I have some decisions to make.
I do my best to save seeds from the previous year, so I know I will be directly sewing some of those into the garden, like peas, green beans, cucumber and zucchini. From my armfull of seed packets, I can put those back on the display. Other seeds that I sew directly into the garden are lettuce, spinach, squash and my root vegetables. I am also going to plant melons and corn. These two are a first for me. And that’s even more seed packets into my cart!
Some items I just have better luck planting as starts. I’m going to try to grow some starts myself and plant them into the garden. I am not ashamed to say that I have had a rough go at this in the past, so I have a wonderful place that I get the rest of my vegetable plants from. I usually plant a variety of tomatoes, cabbages, and peppers from starts, and this year I am also going to try brussel sprouts. I have tried several times to grow brussel sprouts, but I have not been successful. I am determined to figure it out, even if my husband says it is a waste of garden real estate. HAHAHA
The last thing I want to touch on for Part 1, is stocking up on garden necessities. I am very supportive of those who farm/garden organically. When it comes down to it, our garden is not at a scale where I feel I can justify growing organically. I want our garden to produce as much as possible for our use and to bless others. While we are very fortunate to have chickens and ducks that provide us with fertilizer, we also like to use fertilizer that we mix in while watering. We also make sure that we are prepared for the unwanted weeds and ever present threat of harmful insects, by having weed and insect killer on hand. More power to those who are brave enough to grab a hornworm and not use any bug killer. Those are some nasty looking pests!! Gives me the creepy-crawlies just thinking about it!
Come back next week for Part 2. I’m going to talk about the expansion projects we are doing this year on the homestead, as well as talking about our canned goods supply and planning how much people should plan to put up for a year.