I purposely sat on this project for a few months just to see how it held up; happy to report that this fence is a success for us and will be left up for years to come. The point of this fence is to keep the big garden pests out: deer, our ducks/chickens, our dog, … Continue reading A Simple & Effective Garden Fence
Gardening
Bite sized information to help you grow a practical cottage vegetable garden for your home.
Duck House Upgrade | Coop ideas to avoid mold, mildew, and hard clean up
A lot of sweat went into this “use what we have & build from scratch” duck house but it’s finally done! My main concern was to avoid mold, mildew, difficulty cleaning poop, and avoid it falling apart in 2 summers. (In other words, avoid anything the old one did) I know duck houses are somewhat … Continue reading Duck House Upgrade | Coop ideas to avoid mold, mildew, and hard clean up
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Burpee’s Reusable Seed Starting Tray Review
These are great! And after having these for a few years, I feel comfortable enough to give my perspective on why I love these. Here I go into both pros and cons to using these reusable seed starting trays by Burpee, to help you decide if these are a good fit for your garden. ** … Continue reading Burpee’s Reusable Seed Starting Tray Review
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What to Plant After the Garlic Harvest | Polyculture Vegetable Gardens
Your garlic is pulled from the ground, and its now time to let it dry for winter. But what do you do with your empty garden bed? Here I go into 4 great options to fill that empty space, that can give you a second harvest come fall (that still adheres to a polyculture garden … Continue reading What to Plant After the Garlic Harvest | Polyculture Vegetable Gardens
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Mini Fruit Tree Guild for Small Gardens | Companion Plant for Dwarf Apples or Pears
Dwarf fruit trees have really given anyone a great chance to grow their own apples or pears in their gardens. But instead of planting them in a monoculture, using companion planting to create a Fruit Tree Guild is a great way to integrate these trees in, without much sacrifice on garden space or practicality. Here … Continue reading Mini Fruit Tree Guild for Small Gardens | Companion Plant for Dwarf Apples or Pears
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Growing Potatoes in Cardboard Boxes (with pictures)
No need to over complicate growing potatoes. This vegetable will grow just about anywhere, so long it's not waterlogged. Growing them in cardboard boxes is an easy way to not only grow potatoes but help kill off grass for a future garden bed. Here I go into how to properly put together a cardboard box … Continue reading Growing Potatoes in Cardboard Boxes (with pictures)
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Hardening off your Seedlings without a Greenhouse
Hardening off is the process of bringing your seedlings from the indoors to the outdoors, in a way that doesn't stress them out. You do not need a greenhouse to do this, and within a week you can get your seedlings out of your house and into your garden safely. Here I go into a … Continue reading Hardening off your Seedlings without a Greenhouse
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Zone 6 – General Seed Starting Timeline (not complicated)
Starting seeds does not have to be complicated. Most seeds just need a head start indoors, especially if you live in northern areas with cold winters. This list is for anyone who lives in zones 4-6, since these zones generally grow on a similar timeline, only being a week or two off from each other. … Continue reading Zone 6 – General Seed Starting Timeline (not complicated)
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Free Ranging Ducks on a Pond
Yes, you can free range ducks on a pond, year-round. In fact, ducks are incredibly easy to let free range, even if you have neighbors. They are creatures of habit, generally love their owners, stay close to their water, and don't venture far (especially ducks who can't fly). In this article I go into tips … Continue reading Free Ranging Ducks on a Pond
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Creating a Cottage Styled Garden that is still Productive | 5 tips
Cottage gardening (some call it chaos gardening now) is my favorite way to garden, and over the years I have come across my favorite ways to make it as productive as possible. Even though on the outside many cottage gardens look full of flowers and color, you can still get plenty of medicinal herbs or … Continue reading Creating a Cottage Styled Garden that is still Productive | 5 tips
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Basic Seed Starting Supplies
You do not need some extravagant and expensive set up to get seeds started early indoors, if you don't want to; no matter how big or small you want to go everyone uses the same 5 (plus your seeds) basic tools. Let's go into what those basic seed starting supplies are and how to choose … Continue reading Basic Seed Starting Supplies
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Growing Heirloom Cucumbers | How to Choose Cucumber Seeds for your Vegetable Garden
With well over 100 different varieties of cucumbers around the world, there are plenty of choices for the home gardener to choose from. Cucumbers are often pickled or eaten fresh, and the varieties offered today cater to these practices in the kitchen, with cucumbers that were bred to do well in pickling, have good taste … Continue reading Growing Heirloom Cucumbers | How to Choose Cucumber Seeds for your Vegetable Garden
The Cottage Vegetable 