One of the most frequent comments I get from potential clients is, “I recently moved to our site, and have no clue where to start.” It’s common to be immediately overwhelmed by the possibilities. How big should your garden be? How many fruit trees do you want and where do you plant them? Should you […]
My Top 3 Questions to Ask When Designing your Homestead Read More »
We are in full-on winter now and I have to admit, this time of year is often challenging for me. Though I appreciate the opportunity to slow down and rest, the cold, snow, shorter days, and dry brittle plants often leave me feeling stagnant and stuck. There is an absolute beauty in all of it,
Reasons for Hope – Two Books to add to your Winter Reading List! Read More »
My latest video is out and in it, I give you a quick tour of my herb spiral. It’s one of my favorite features in the garden. A combination of perennials, annuals and self-seeding annuals, I love changing its look every season. It’s like painting a new canvas every spring. With the additional heat from
Tour of My Herb Spiral Polyculture! Read More »
Harvest season is now in full swing on the homestead and I am so grateful. The other day, I dug up all my garlic, harvested fava beans, and am enjoying broccoli, zucchinis, basil and cucumbers from the garden. Meanwhile, the tomatoes are starting to ripen, the winter squash plants are sprawling, and the peppers are loving these hot
Top 4 Most Effective Groundcovers in a Food Forest Read More »
When we first moved to our property, there was a mature apple tree already in the backyard. Not only was a excited about having an immediate source of fruit but I was eager to make the apple tree less lonely. Surrounded by grass and not much else, I set to work on creating an apple
My apple tree guild Read More »
As you may know, having animals as part of your permaculture site is one of the easiest ways to cycle nutrients on your property while increasing your fertility. Though you can grow many plants that help with soil fertility, nothing quite beats the ability of some animals, like rabbits, who can convert an otherwise inedible
In our gardens, we always want to follow the permaculture principle of “obtaining a yield”, whether that be a yield in food, medicine, pollinator habitat or fertility. Then, especially in a cold climate, we work to extend that yield in time so that we can be eating from our gardens 365 days/year. We can do
What we’re still eating from last year’s garden Read More »
The video that I’m sharing with you today has been on my list of to do’s for several months, if not years! In fact, ever since we dug our garden pond a few years ago, I’ve been wanting to make it. People love the idea of having a pond but are often intimidated about all
Building a Garden Pond Read More »
There are always firsts when you become a gardener – the first time you grow lettuce, or peas, or a zucchini; the first time you save seeds, start plants from seed, or build a compost pile. As far as I can remember, this is the first year that I have had plants in my outdoor
Late Fall Garden: What’s still Growing Read More »
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