Gardening 101 Series: What We Are Growing!

This year I am bringing back some of our favorite items but also, decided it was the year to try a bunch of new things and really test out these gardening skills. I’m hoping mother nature cooperates with us this year because I am just so excited to get started.

In the first post of my gardening series, I mentioned where I buy all my seeds, bulbs and plants from. These are all truly great companies and the seeds yield a great harvest.

Before you decide what to plant, there are certain things to keep in mind (aside from grow zone). I highly recommend visiting The Old Farmer’s Almanac site and exploring their gardening resources. They offer plant growing guides, garden pest and diseases advice, gardening help articles and even advice on when to plant seeds for your zipcode!!! Truly, they make gardening easy and accessible information that is free for all.

For those who do not have the time to click through all these links, I’ve summed up some key points below on what to look out for when selecting what you wish to plant!

Certain plants simply do not “get along”, meaning they really shouldn’t be planted beside each other. While other plants, actually help repel pests and can be quite friendly to their neighbors. This is what we like to call, companion planting! I highly suggest looking into this and planting in this manner.

Some plants grow extremely unruly and their roots spread like wildfire (i.e. mint) – this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t grow them but maybe keep them in their own planter or pot to contain them!

Keep in mind how big the plant may actually get and what direction they grow.

  • Do you need a trellis or support for plants that are more top heavy?
  • Tomato cages?
  • Stakes?
  • Clips

You want to make sure your plants have the space they need and tools to help them grow.

Don’t forget about first and last frosts of the season. This will help you determine when to plant and understand the duration of the plant before winter. Some plants do better in Autumn while some favor Spring and Summer months. Really try to learn the seeds you wish to plant as their growth is dependent on your knowledge of the environment you create for them. If a plant takes longer to yield than your season allows, then unless you have an indoor greenhouse, the cold could damage your crop before it even has a chance to produce.

There is nothing wrong with starting small! Remember, you want to grow what you’ll actually want to consume (you’re hoping for an abundance) or you can give to family/friends. I try to pick foods we would normally buy at the market and some that can even freeze up well to keep during winter months. Keep in mind, if you plan on freezing you want to do so right away as this is when they retain most of their nutrients. Container gardening is very popular and can yield great results. You do not need a large space, just a few pots and some seeds can be more than suffice to start off with!

When the world wearies and society fails to satisfy, there is always the garden.

– Minnie Aumonier

So what is my garden going to be filled with this year? Here is a list of all the things I hope to be growing come springtime.

Vegetables (Various varieties of each)

  • Beans
  • Broccoli
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Corn (maybe…)
  • Cucumbers
  • Eggplant
  • Green beans
  • Kale
  • Lettuce
  • Peppers
  • Pumpkins
  • Squash
  • Peas
  • Tomatoes
  • Zucchini

Fruits

  • Blueberries (Concord)
  • Cantaloupe
  • Honey Dew Melon
  • Raspberries
  • Strawberries
  • Watermelon

Flowers

  • Black-eyed Susans
  • Carnations
  • Cosmos
  • Dahlias
  • Marigolds
  • Nasturtiums
  • Ocean Pearls
  • Poppies
  • Roses
  • Snapdragons
  • Stocks
  • Sunflowers
  • Zinnias

Herbs

  • Basil – (variety)
  • Chamomile
  • Cilantro
  • Lavender
  • Parsley
  • Peppermint
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Sweet Mint
  • Thyme

As you can see, I may be biting off more than I can chew…or plant but I love a challenge. I may be missing a plant or two but that is the majority! I have created a map for my garden where everything will go. I’m hoping that each seed will produce but we shall see!

One of my favorite things about gardening is spending time out there with my son. Teaching him and showing him how we turn these “plants” into our meals. It is so rewarding.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.

– Alfred Austin “Growing with the Seasons: A Sharing of Insights Into the Creative Aspects of Organic Gardening”

Some of my favorite gardening items to get started:

So many more goodies out there but that is a good basic list of items. I’ll try to share more in the future.

Let me know below in the comments what you plan on growing this year! Next post we’ll talk about how to actually start these little seedlings indoors!

Happy Planting!!

Xx, Tiffany

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Gardening 101 Series: Build a Garden with Me!

Welcome to my gardening series. This series will be made up a few blog posts that will hopefully help you get started on building the garden of your dreams! I will share some of my favorite items, basic how to get started and tips/tricks along the way. I’m so excited you are here, let’s dig in!

We live up north so our garden plans start during the winter months. I am a big fan of mapping out where all my seeds/seedlings will go. Yes, color coded and all. You don’t have to do this but if you end up being a fan of companion planting (I will share more about that soon), then this really helps me plot everything out in the best way. I’m definitely a visual person and I love planning!

Are you interested in starting your own garden? I highly encourage you to do so, even if just a few plants. Start small! There really is no right way to begin. Create a window sill garden or try just planting a few pots outside. You’d be amazed at what you can grow, even in the smallest of spaces.

Gardening is my go to for stress relief. There is just nothing as calming as running your fingers through the cool dirt and truly taking in the beauty of this world. To be honest, just watching a plant grow from a tiny seed is neat. In the midst of busy and chaotic living, it is just nice to just slow down and go back to our “roots”.

If you’re on the fence, I’ve decided to make a few posts geared specifically towards gardening (fruits, vegetables and flowers). I’ll post tips here and there, along with sharing some of my favorite places to buy seeds from.

Before you get started on your journey, let’s set ourselves up for success.

If you are new to gardening my first tip would be to learn your grow zone. I will attach the USDA Hardiness Zone map I use here. Just enter your postal code and read your results.

Another great starting site in The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Here you can find the Frost Dates for where you live!

My #1 tip for growing, anything, is learning your grow zone/frost dates. One of the main reasons crops of any type can fail is simply because the soil/environment you live in. Most sites that sell seeds will point out the recommended grow zone for the ideal harvest.

Now that you know your grow zone and frost dates, let’s “dig in”!

Spring has arrived and it is time to put these plans into fruition.

Here are my favorite seed/bulbs/plant sites:

General:

Gardener’s Supply Company: A well known and well loved site, for sure. Anything you need related to gardening, you can find here. Whether it is seeds, tools or any kind of supply. Great resources and so much information, as well.

Roses:

  • Menagerie Farm & Flower: Just the most beautiful roses you will ever lay eyes on. They also sell David Austin roses, which are the absolute best. Same price point, too. I love being able to buy all my items from one site and Menagerie Farm is one of those brands that you can’t help but fall in love with – read more about the owner and farm here.
  • Heirloom Roses: Another great site for roses if you are looking for own-root roses rather than grafted. They are family owned as well and their site offers an abundance of information to increase your knowledge on growing roses.

Flower Seeds:

  • Floret Flowers: A small family owned farm – they sell the most unique, beautiful flowers I have ever seen. I live for their poppies and zinnias but honestly, they are all so lovely. I cannot wait to receive my seed packets this year. Their site offers great resources as well with tips and tricks to growing the most challenging seeds.

Fruits and Vegetable Seeds:

  • Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds: All of their seeds are untreated and they sell only non-GMO open-pollinated varieties. My favorite thing about this site is that you can see the reviews of those who have tried to grow the item you are interested in. They have so many options and varieties. The fact that their seeds are non-GMO is the main selling point for our family. We try our best to eat mostly organic and when we cannot, we at least like to make sure the items are not genetically modified. When growing our plants, we take an organic approach so these seeds work great for us!
  • Park Seed: Like Baker Creek, Park Seed offers non-GMO, untreated seeds as well. They have various fruits and vegetables. I personally do not buy many seeds from here, as I prefer Baker Creek, but Park Seed does offer various products that Baker Creek does not and that is why I have decided to include them! My favorite thing about Park Seed is that you can select your growing zone and as you go through their products/add them to your cart, it tells you straight out if it is suitable for where you live….it truly doesn’t get any easier than that. I do recommend going through their seeds as there are some unique, great items! Park Seed is also great in terms of supply and garden start up process. They offer a lot more fruits which is a new venture I’m attempting this year. We have grown strawberries each year, which we love but I’m thinking of raspberries, grapes and blueberries this year, too! We shall see how brave I feel come springtime…

There’s honestly so many more “good” ones out there but wanted to keep it as simple as possible for those just starting out. If you have any favorite seed or supply shops, please share!

Hope you find this helpful. Happy planting!

Xx, Tiffany

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Blessing hour

In our home, one of my favorite additions to our daily rhythm is “blessing hour”. I get asked often, “what does that mean?” or “I’ve heard that before but not sure how to implement that in our own home”…

Well, simply put it is a designated time that we quite literally bless our house.

It is a time of thanks, praise and prayer. It is a time to honor God but also, our family.

We thank God for our home and we show him we care and are grateful for this place of refuge by tidying up.

You may have heard people call this a “quick 15” or even just a quick tidy up where they set a timer…and essentially that is what we do. We don’t use a timer but I know this works for some. Our blessing hour really doesn’t have a time limit but, it is whatever time it takes to get the house back in order.

My husband works hard, every single day for endless hours. As his wife, it is important to me that he comes home and finds peace…not chaos. It is also important to me that my son understands that all we do, is for the glory of God and to glorify his kingdom.

For us, this is around 5pm – my son and I scurry around the house. We collect loose odds and ends, prepare supper and get our home back in order for when my husband arrives home.

We make it joyful. Sometimes, we will blast worship music, we will sing and dance around. I really want to teach our son that chores do not have to be dreaded. It isn’t so much that we have to do “this” but that we GET TO do this. Everything we have in this life is a gift and it is to be appreciated. Pray over those little clothes as you fold them and thank God for your babies. Wash the dishes and give thanks for the food you have to eat and the people in your lives who mouths you get to feed. What a blessing!

Implementing this into our daily routine has reshaped my perspective and I hope you can find a way to add this to your routine, too.

Tips

Walk around with a basket and pick up any loose items. This way it is easier to collect and put those items back to where they are.

Have a “home” for each and every item in your house.

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Putting God First

“Worship is not an experience. Worship is an act, and this takes discipline. We are to worship ”in spirit and in truth.” Never mind about the feelings. We are to worship in spite of them.”

~ Elisabeth Elliot, Let Me Be a Woman

Placing God above all else in your (and your family’s) life goes much farther than just practicing a religion. Yes, that is a great stepping stone and is so important but adhering to religion simply because of habit and family traditions isn’t the same as putting God first. God should influence our day to day life. I know many who go to their church on Sunday but have never personally opened the bible once on their own. This is not to condemn anyone for we are not perfect. Putting God first is just a multifaceted concept. It’s a mixture of all the things that are good.

As a husband, we can take on the God-given responsibility of being the head of the home. Making decisions and leading in a way that honors God first. They should love their wives and also, their children. They can do this by leading them in prayer, study and bible readings.

As a wife, we can put God first in many ways, too. One way is by supporting our husband in their role as the family head. Submitting and subjection can be misinterpreted in todays world but as the bible states, “let wives be in subjection to their husbands as to the Lord, because a husband is head of his wife, just as the Christ is head of the congregation, he being a savior of this body.” Additionally, the bible emphasizes that “a truly wise woman has built up her house”. We can maintain our homes and not indulge in idleness. Above all else, God comes first. Prayer, study and scripture memorizations can all draw us closer to Him.

As a child, we can participate in bible studies, reading the bible, scripture memorization, prayer and doing things that are well pleasing to the Lord. By simply being obedient and respecting your parents guidance, we are putting God first.

But I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; in turn, the head of a woman is the man; in turn, the head of the Christ is God. (1 Corinthians 11:3)

She opens her mouth in wisdom; The law of kindness is on her tongue. (Proverbs 21:26)

Train a boy in the way he should go; Even when he grows old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

You children, be obedient to your parents in everything, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)

It is so important for our children to see that faith is the foundation of our home. We strive to cultivate an atmosphere that fosters the growth and the desire to dig deeper into Gods word. This can be challenging with little ones, with children at any age, but your effort does not go unnoticed.

But, is just designating time in our home enough? For some, it might be, but it doesn’t have to stop there. We can have conversations and pray to God, anywhere and everywhere. There is never a time that we need to hold back our praise and thankfulness.

No matter what place we have in the family circle, we need to put God first in life and cultivate a close relationship with him.

Are you and your family doing that?

Xx, Tiffany | My Kind of Homestead

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The Earthly Life is a Battle

This earthly life is a battle,’ said Ma. ‘If it isn’t one thing to contend with, it’s another. It always has been so, and it always will be. The sooner you make up your mind to that, the better off you are, and more thankful for your pleasures.

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Welcome to My Kind of Homestead

I think somewhere along the way I realized that this fast paced, chaotic, busy life just wasn’t for me. I could keep up with the deadlines and the never ending to-do list. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m a task oriented person. There’s a kind of rush with the completion of a task…but deep down I just knew that this wasn’t enough for me.

I was happy, sure. Married to the man of my dreams, the mama to a perfect little boy and grateful to have a cozy place to call home. But my heart yearned for less. Yes, you read that correctly – I wanted less.

I became tired from the excess. I no longer craved for a schedule that was filled but so badly, I wanted to learn to say “no, thank you”. I still find it miraculous that items can ship in two days or less but maybe waiting can be good. Maybe this world of instant gratification has done more bad than good. I wanted slow and sweet days that rolled into one another so smoothly and peacefully. I desired intentional and purposeful days. I longed to create and learn things from before I even existed. I wanted to replicate the homemaker I watched my grandmother be. Make beauty from my bare hands.

I want to create my own recipes and pass down the cooking/baking secrets of the generations before me. I want to make and create with my own hands and have a home that whispers hygge – cozy comfort.

I am not quite there yet. My garden is blooming and I’m learning to bake bread from scratch. I’m minimizing and finding ways to donate my excess to those without. I’m working on being a mama who spends hours outdoor, teaching my little one that dirty and messy can be happy, too. That mud is okay and clothes can be washed. I’m developing a marriage that hopefully never runs out of love and truly, learning to love every bit of myself.

I’m diving back into my roots and learning how to embrace the goodness that comes with slow and simple living. I might not be a garden pro or have a farm filled with animals (yet!), but I am in the process of creating my kind of homestead and I hope you want to come along on this journey of making a homemade life.