Every once in a while, something simple changes everything. Last night, I stumbled across a bucket holder design that did exactly that. I’ve been gardening in buckets off and on for a while, but I’ve always set them on the ground. Then I saw this wooden rack that holds 21 buckets in a neat, organized… Continue reading My New 168‑Bucket Garden Layout
Tag: garden
My Year‑Round Bucket Garden Rhythm (And Why I’m Not Building Raised Beds Yet)
I realized something: I don’t have to jump back in at full speed. I can ease into gardening. I can grow food in a way that matches my land, my sunlight, my energy, and my life. That’s why I ended up with a simple plan for 28 five‑gallon buckets. Nothing fancy. Nothing overwhelming. Just a… Continue reading My Year‑Round Bucket Garden Rhythm (And Why I’m Not Building Raised Beds Yet)
🌱 MY UPDATED MONTH‑BY‑MONTH PLANTING CALENDAR
Zone 8b — Two 5′×32′ beds (A1–A4 & B1–B4) One 5′×8′ Warm weather LEGUME bed & One 5′×8′ ALLIUM bed – inside the 5’x32′ beds 🌿 JANUARY Allium bed: Garlic + overwintering onions growing slowly Main beds: Harvest kale, spinach, chard, Brussels sprouts Greenhouse lettuce continues Beds resting 🌿 FEBRUARY Legume bed: 4 squares peas… Continue reading 🌱 MY UPDATED MONTH‑BY‑MONTH PLANTING CALENDAR
Why I Switched From 4′×32′ Beds to 5′×32′ Beds
When I first started sketching out my garden layout, I thought I’d build 4′×32′ beds. But once I got deeper into planning my homestead for real food production, I realized that a small change in bed width could make a big difference in how much I can grow. So, I changed my plan. Now I’m… Continue reading Why I Switched From 4′×32′ Beds to 5′×32′ Beds
How I’ll Grow a Year’s Worth of Beans in Just Two Garden Beds
Most people don’t think of beans as a cool season crop, but I’ve learned that fava beans can be one of the most reliable, heavy‑yielding foods I can grow. They love cold soil, they shrug off frost, and they finish early enough that I can still plant all my warm season crops afterward. So, I… Continue reading How I’ll Grow a Year’s Worth of Beans in Just Two Garden Beds
🧅 Overwintering Onions in Zone 8b
I’d not heard of this before and am so looking forward to trying it. Here is a link to Territorial Seed Co who tells of this: https://youtu.be/0skgSP57Fyk?si=y_i8dnAXqWy7qvWj A simple guide using onion starts Overwintering onions means planting bulbing onion starts in fall, letting them sit quietly through winter, and harvesting big, early onions the following… Continue reading 🧅 Overwintering Onions in Zone 8b
🌱 My Square‑Foot Garden Plan for Year‑Round Food (A1–A4 & B1–B4 Layout)
I finally finished mapping out my entire garden using the Square Foot Gardening method, and I’m really happy with how everything fits together. I’ve got two long raised beds, each divided into four 4’×8′ sections, so I label them A1–A4 and B1–B4. Each section is 32 square feet, which gives me 32 squares to work… Continue reading 🌱 My Square‑Foot Garden Plan for Year‑Round Food (A1–A4 & B1–B4 Layout)
🌿 Dreaming Up My Tiny Cattle‑Panel Greenhouse
I can already picture it standing along my north fence, catching the best light my mountain valley can offer. In a place where winters bring almost no direct sun and summers offer only a few hours of light, this little greenhouse will be the heart of my homestead. 🏡 Why I’m Building It My property… Continue reading 🌿 Dreaming Up My Tiny Cattle‑Panel Greenhouse
Planning My N. California Homestead: Designing a Microclimate Garden
Planning a small, efficient homestead in Northern California means working with a very unusual microclimate. The land sits in a narrow mountain corridor where winters bring almost no direct sun, and summers offer only about four hours of sunlight each day due to the cedars and mountains that surround me. Even with these challenges, it’s… Continue reading Planning My N. California Homestead: Designing a Microclimate Garden
Staying Put: Choosing the Homestead I Already Have
For a while, I imagined my next chapter on one acre, as you have already seen. I worked through what I could grow there, how I would use the harvest, and how the garden could support the recipes I already make. It was an exciting idea. But the more seriously I considered buying a one-acre… Continue reading Staying Put: Choosing the Homestead I Already Have
