Gardening – Life-Springs-Farm and Aviary

Visions of Spring Dancing in my Head

I have visions of spring gardening dancing in my head for real. Today is sunny but cold, only a high of 23o F. Spring doesn’t reach the zone we are in, 4b, until sometime in May. However, the dreaming goes on and with it, semi-plans memorized or put onto paper (or into a computer). DuringContinue reading “Visions of Spring Dancing in my Head”

My Version of Garden Planning

At this time of year, every homesteader or prepper seems to be planning their garden. They use charts and other tools to perfectly plan what they want to put in the space(s) that they have along with just where each plant will be. I’m not that organized. Last year, I put a lot of informationContinue reading “My Version of Garden Planning”

Of Farm Animals, Compost, and the Results of it All

Composting makes all the difference in my garden. This year, we used well rotted goat/sheep/chicken/rabbit manure and bedding as well as green wastes from the kitchen for the majority of our homemade compost. Other items we tossed in from time to time included paper, coffee grounds and untreated coffee filters, wood chips, weeds pulled fromContinue reading “Of Farm Animals, Compost, and the Results of it All”

Going Back to the Good Ole Days

These days, I am more obsessed with farming and gardening on a larger scale than I have in the past. Mind you, I have been growing an organic garden since 1988. However, as the years have come and gone, I have found myself expanding in both my thinking and my actual gardening practices. A fewContinue reading “Going Back to the Good Ole Days”

Is There a Wrong Way to Compost?

Most gardeners, whether they be new to the hobby (or profession) or not have heard of composting and the many wonderful benefits of it. What I’ve found in researching the topic is that there are so many different styles and methods of composting that to decide which is the best can be slightly overwhelming. It’sContinue reading “Is There a Wrong Way to Compost?”

Reasons to Mulch Your Garden

Are you like so many other people all over the United States and other countries who are planting gardens like never before? If so, you might want to consider mulching this summer. Ruth Stout, a pioneer in garden mulching and no-dig gardening, ranted and raved on this method of keeping weeds down and produce yieldsContinue reading “Reasons to Mulch Your Garden”

The New Victory Garden

We’ve all seen and heard enough of the COVID-19 stuff these days, and I’m not here to follow that thread. However, I do live in Michigan where we have had some of the toughest restrictions since late February and continuing to the present. Our governor has placed restriction upon restriction and she has ordered moreContinue reading “The New Victory Garden”

Where There's a Will, There's a Way (when your greenhouse is not completely built and you need to start your plants)

We have cats in the house, two to be exact. The cats are the whole reason we finally bit the bullet and purchased a greenhouse kit this year. Every year that I have started plants in the house, I have watched the cats completely devour them just about the time they were ready to transplantContinue reading “Where There's a Will, There's a Way (when your greenhouse is not completely built and you need to start your plants)”