Today we pulled our first head of broccoli out of the garden for our dinner. We thought it would be a good topic to cover. Knowing when the broccoli is ready There are a few ways to determine when broccoli is ready to harvest. First, it must have a head of broccoli of course! Second, … Continue reading Harvesting Broccoli
Gardening
Finishing the Root Cellar
When we moved into our house years ago, we had no idea that we had a root cellar. From our point of view, we had a wet, nasty closet area off our foundation that needed to be cleaned up and made to stop leaking. Needless to say, as we came to understand the value of … Continue reading Finishing the Root Cellar
Adding kitchen waste to your garden without composting – should you do it?
We've seen many people skip the compost process and place their kitchen waste directly into their garden. While this won't kill your plants, there's some things to consider when taking this approach. Among other things, one of composts' benefits is providing nitrogen (N) to the plants in your garden. The process of composting is actually … Continue reading Adding kitchen waste to your garden without composting – should you do it?
Growing and Harvesting Sweet Potatoes
Today we had the fun experience of harvesting sweet potatoes. Here in PA, we aim to harvest them before the first fall frost which is still nearly a month away. We could have waited a few weeks to let the potatoes get a bit bigger, but sometimes we just harvest when you get the itch! … Continue reading Growing and Harvesting Sweet Potatoes
Keeping the deer out of the garden – and people too!
Several weeks ago, we noticed that despite our efforts up til that point (ie. a four foot fence), that deer were still gaining access to one of our gardens. They were unfortunately helping themselves to the green leaves of our beets which ended up making the yield lower. When they tired of beets, they moved … Continue reading Keeping the deer out of the garden – and people too!
Why I love Junkmail!
Like most people, I used to spend much time cursing the senders of junk mail under my breath as I journey back from my mailbox. That is, until I realized the value of junk mail as a gardener. Junk mail is primarily paper. Paper is a carbon, and carbon my friend is a key ingredient … Continue reading Why I love Junkmail!
The Intrepid Homestead 