A blog about creating a homestead with gardening and home crafts.
Time to read 6 minutes The basic No Dig Gardening Method is a method of gardening I can definitely get behind. Pioneered by British gardener Charles Dowding for 40 years, it is a regenerative gardening method that is efficient, accessible and low maintenance once you get the basic principles right. What is No Dig? The... Continue Reading →
I have been growing lemon, limes and oranges in my greenhouse in the UK (USDA hardiness zone 9a) for a few years now. If you have the right set up, you can have highly productive citrus trees that produce fruit all year round. Here are some of my care tips. Lemon and lime trees Purchase... Continue Reading →
Time to read 2 minutes So we had some garlic in the pantry which had started to sprout- the organic kind naturally tend to do that in Spring. So rather than rush to use them up, compromising the taste - garlic tends to lose flavour once they begin to sprout, I decided to plant them.... Continue Reading →
When I lived in Spain, my husband and I attended a Spanish cooking class. The chef told us something that really piqued my interest in saffron. He said that saffron is the most valuable- and expensive spice in the world. I went home and investigated and found it to be true. What is saffron and... Continue Reading →
Whatever type of greenhouse you have, to get maximum benefit from it for the longest time, it needs to be maintained. Here are some things that can be done annually, or at specific times to keep it in tip-top shape going into the growing season. Maintenance Before and During Winter During the colder months when... Continue Reading →
Following on from Step 1 in preparing the beds for spring, here is a quick summary and video showing what I did to set up the second phase of preparation.
Time to read 10 mins I review some commonly found peat-free multi-purpose composts and give you the scoop on some other peat/free alternatives below. What is Peat? Peat is an unsustainable growing medium that has provided the base of commercially supplied garden composts (soil) in the UK for decades. It is mostly made up of... Continue Reading →
In our current house, I only started the compost heap about a year ago but it's coming along. Nothing usable just yet, but it's breaking down nicely with a combination of green and brown organic matter from the house and garden. Worms tend to find their way to the compost if it is open-bottomed heap... Continue Reading →
As we recognize our responsibility to consume more responsibly, I reflect on what role one of my favourite crafts, knitting, has in the sustainability conversation. Knitting as Slow Fashion By its nature, knitting is a slow process. For those who indulge, it is a long, enjoyable way to make clothes, accessories and gifts for ourselves... Continue Reading →
Wasabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family and it is very similar to horseradish. It grows from a rhizome in the earth similar to ginger or turmeric and is commonly eaten and grown in the wetlands of Japan.
All Homesteading 