Garden and Homestead Plans

Hey hey!

I’m excited to share our garden and homestead plans with ya! I’ve spent the winer devouring gardening books, watching gardening videos, joining gardening groups, and just trying to soak up as much information as possible! We’ve had some kind of garden every year for 10 years. Some in just a few small containers and then gradually bigger since we’ve bought the farm. The more we get done on the house the more time I have to dedicate to the farm life side of things, which I love an equal amount!

Garden Inspiration

One of my grandmas was a master gardener. Her garden was massive! Some of my earliest memories of her took place there, both of us knees in the dirt gathering harvests into her apron. She was a farmers wife through and through. She cooked 3 square meals a day from scratch. Her pies and chicken and dumplings were unmatched. I remember many times we’d have to deliver my grandpas lunch to him in the field while he was farming.

She also preserved all their food for the year from that garden. There was floor to ceiling shelving that spanned a whole wall of their basement filled with canning jars. As a child I never fully appreciated all the care, devotion, and wisdom that went into what she did. What a blessing to be her grandchild. I know she’s with me every time I stick my hands in the dirt.

See how I built our raised garden beds HERE!

More Garden and Farm Inspo

My other grandma was also a garden enthusiast. She was a florist and owned a flower shop in our small town. I’d say she was more of an animal loving farmer though, and we would spend the majority of the time talking about them, their care, and behaviors. She particularly loved birds. I have the best memories spending time at her and my grandpas farm as well as her parents, my great grandparents, farm next door. They ran cattle, smaller livestock and poultry, as well as farming several hundred acres. Last year when the flowers I planted came up I knew she would have been so excited, maybe even as excited as she would have been to see our lambs be born.

What we’re doing here has always been a part of me. A part instilled by some of the strongest most amazing women I’ve known. I didn’t intend for this article to be an homage to them, but it seems fitting. Ed and I count ourselves lucky not only to have grown up on farms, but to have had grandparents who shared their farm lives with us too. I wish they were here to impart more of their wisdom and to see what comes next for our little place.

I shared an inexpensive garden bed DIY option HERE!

Our Garden Plans

This year we’ll be expanding our produce garden quite a bit. I’ll give a run down of exactly what I’ll be planting, and when and where I’ll be planting everything in a post to follow this one. I plan to preserve more of our harvests along the way and I’ll share that process too. I’ll also be focusing a bit more on herbs for both cooking and medicinal purposes. I can’t wait to make salves, tinctures, teas and more! Annnd I’ll be dipping my toe into flower farming! Eeek!

Our goal is to be as self reliant as possible. Ed and I would also love to share our farm with friends, family, our community, and beyond. We also believe in letting that unfold organically as we develop our homestead, and complete the renovations on the farmhouse. We trust the process and our purpose here 🙂

Bee Plans

Our bees made it through the winter! Yay! Ed did a wonderful job taking care of them. Hopefully we’ll get some honey this year! We’ll also be adding at least one more bee hive soon. However, the bees are more of Ed’s endeavor, but he’s said he would like to write a post on what he’s learned so far! I’ll try to hold him to that lol! Once we’re able to produce honey I’ll be making products with it and the wax as well.

Farm Animals

My first love and priority will always be our animals. I’ve already expanded our laying flock this year and you can watch the chicks grow up daily on Instagram @midcounty_journal. I have 4 ewes I’m expecting to lamb in the next 3-4 weeks. I’m so proud of our beautiful little flock, and to be contributing to the betterment of this heritage breed with excellent confirmation as well as temperament. Oh and Henry, our livestock guardian dog, will be gaining a partner and buddy this year too!

Garden and Homestead Plans

So many wonderful things to look forward to! I truly believe the best is yet to come for our little farm and I hope you’ll be along to enjoy it with us!

Thanks for stopping by the blog! Sending so much love your way!