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Wow- it has been a while. I feel like I haven’t had a free second to write about what has been going on here on the homestead in so long. Chance and Henry got hit hard with a stomach virus for about two weeks, we had family visit, and then other summer projects and events have been keeping us so busy that I have had very little time to write. Plus we have been changing some things around here on the blog. Let’s start with a garden update!
After a long winter that seemed to last through April, we finally got our summer gardens planted. This year, we have the front and side gardens like last year (check out last year’s gardens here https://abundantlifehomestead.com/2017/09/01/the-summer-gardens/), but this year, the front garden is almost double in size. We are also using a lot of wood chips to keep weeds down this year instead of the weed blocking tarp we used last year.
This summer, we are growing tomatoes, peas, cauliflower, broccoli, chard, kale, turnips, parsnips, carrots, beets, lettuce, and arugula in the front garden. So far, things are growing well, and we have been able to harvest some greens, green beans, squash, peas, beets, and turnips. The greens and peas have been such a treat, but I won’t lie, the turnips were bitter as can be! I am assuming it has a lot to do with our soil quality which is something we are still working on. Has anyone had experience with this? Any tips? Anyway, our tomato plants are huge, and tomatoes are starting to appear. I absolutely cannot wait until the first tomato is ready. There’s nothing like a garden tomato! The only thing holding us back is how much rain we have had! It has been so wet that the tomatoes just haven’t been able to ripen yet. I plan to can as many as possible to store up for winter again once they are ready.
In our side garden, we did corn, green beans, squash, and cucumbers just like last year. It is growing really well, so I am hoping for a great harvest. We planted blueberry and raspberry bushes, but I’m not expecting anything from them this year. I think the stress of planting them thwarted any chance of fruit. We also planted a peach, apple, and pear tree, but like the berry bushes, they likely won’t produce this year. I am just excited to be taking steps toward producing our own fruit here on the homestead. Our strawberry patch was finished in June, and we had some delicious berries from that this year. I am looking forward to an even greater fruit harvest next year!
Overall, I am hopeful for our gardens this year. I thought we did great last year and am praying for another large harvest. My hope is that with each year, we continue to improve in the amount of food we are able to grow and continue to improve the soil quality here. I hope we are able to leave it much better than when we first started.
What are you growing this year? Do you have any expert gardening tips? What are your hopes for your garden? Comment below, and don’t forget to subscribe for updates from the homestead.
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