Friday, March 04, 2011

Spring Time Projects On Our Homestead

Spring 2010 was awesome! 

While I wait for warm weather and spring, I think of all the projects I have planned for this year. So many things. I can't wait! I am so eager to get started. Dread the rain. But we have to have that first. Then the mud season. At least during mud season I can be taking care of the seedlings. I have been going through my seeds and the catalogs to see what I need to order.

Seed Starting 2010 was very productive!


  • One of my first projects is starting my seeds. And ordering what I don't have. I know I should have done that by now. With green peppers selling for $2.59 and up apiece, I know that is one vegetable I will be planting a lot of. I will dehydrate that for next winter's meals. I always plant plenty of vegetables for us to eat fresh and to preserve for winter.
  • This year I am planning on working in my new flower bed. I have some ideas for that. It will be a on going project. Adding something every year until it is built up.
  • Adding more raised beds and making one into a cold frame. I need a place to grow greens during the winter.
  • As soon as my husband finishes the battery room he built onto our cellar, under the porch, I will have a door on my root cellar again. It has been three years open and unusable while he finished this project. The weather and money have been the two hindrances on that project.
  • The root cellar is where I plan to keep all my empty canning jars, clean and safely stored in plastic Rubbermaid containers. That way they are clean when I take them out. I have a stone bench down there but need to add more shelving to place the containers on.
  • I will also be collecting wooden boxes that I plan on putting wire or screen on to protect whatever is inside from mice. Mice are a big problem around here, even with three good hunters. There are just too many and too many places for them to escape. Working on all that.
  • I am planning on planting 25 Stevia plants in my raised bed out front. Every bit of gardening space and every container I have will be filled with food. I will also trade with others for things I don't have. 
  • Another project is planting potatoes. This year I am going to experiment with the method of planting them in straw. I understand it really works great and is less work too. 
  • Adding fruit this year to our homestead. Blueberries grow wild here but they are very small. So I am going to be adding two bushes to start. Strawberries also. This time I am going to build one of those round pyramid beds myself. I haven't figured out all the details yet but will post it on here after I do it.
June 2010 was beautiful!

This is just a quick view of my projects for spring. What about you? Are you doing anything new this spring on your homestead? I love the anticipation of it all! Don't you?



Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole

5 comments:

Carolyn said...

How are the Stevia plants going for you? I've heard that they are hard to grow. Did you grow them from seed or get starts somewhere? I use a lot of stevia (I have a sweet tooth!), but would much rather use stuff from my own garden.

PythonKatie said...

I have my seedlings going already. Can't wait to get them in the ground and eat some fresh from my "yard" produce!

Paula & Skip said...

Monday is the day! Getting my stuff for this patio. It is small, not a lot of sun, hence I have to be careful what I choose. Lots of lettuce, peppers and onions! Not sure whether the rest of my ideas would grow here! Love up North.

~Deb~ said...

I am going to be starting my seeds this week. Also have a lot of other spring projects waiting to be tackled, and I am having such a hard time waiting, but the mud is keeping me from doing much as we have gotten a lot of rain this past week or so.
Have fun!

The Daily Wife - Kimberley said...

I cannot believe I forgot to "Follow" you the other day I was on here. I am so inspired by your page! I am new at gardening, so I do have a question (with probably alot more to come)...yesterday, I turned a rock garden into a raised bed. After I got it all done, I realized that the previous home owners had placed plastic lining underneath the former rock garden. I've already placed about six inches of soil on this. Grrrrrrrr.....Do I need to remove the plastic lining? How deep should my soil be with the lining so that veggies have a deep enough place to grow?