Fall is the best time for planting fruit trees - planting in very late summer or early Fall gives the trees time to settle in before the winter cold sets in. You can plant a fruit tree in the spring - just be sure to give it regular watering ALL season long until the winter comes. Here's how we got started with fruit trees on our homestead. We decided on planting apple … [Read more...]
The Raspberry Patch Needs a Good Fall Cleanup
Earlier in June, I had given the Raspberry patch a thorough weeding and clean up. Knowing how to prune raspberry plants is an important part of maintaining your berry bed. If you don't tidy up your patch in Spring, you will be amazed at how difficult it will be for you to get in there and pick berries later in the season. It's a really good plan to clean the … [Read more...]
Pruning Tips for Your Shrubs and Trees
Pruning is a valuable skill for any gardener, although I found it quite intimidating in the beginning. But learning how to prune shrubs and trees properly will really benefit them. Plus, it adds to the overall aesthetics of your garden. Many people look at pruning with apprehension. They worry that they might cut the wrong part of the plant or prevent it from growing any more. Or even kill … [Read more...]
How to Grow Huge Strawberries
If you love fresh strawberries but don't want to pay the high prices at the grocery store, why not start your own strawberry bed in the backyard? You can grow them in a bed or even as a border alongside your patio. You can also grow huge strawberries in containers! Strawberries are quite easy to grow but to keep your bed going year after year, some maintenance needs to be done. And we've … [Read more...]
Growing Berries in the North
We can grow great berries in the Cariboo. They just love our climate and if we have a lot of rain in the Spring, our berry crop is fantastic. Usually, berries can take the cooler weather at night time. One of the gardening obstacles we have here is the fluctuating temperatures. It's common here for daytime summer temperatures to be 30C and then go down to 4 or 5C at night time. That's pretty … [Read more...]
5 Reasons to Plant a Vegetable Garden
There are plenty of benefits that come from growing your own food. If you haven't yet had a homegrown meal straight from the garden, you really don't know what you have been missing. Here are my Top 5 reasons we grow our own food. 5 Reasons to Grow your own Food 1. Growing your own food can save you a LOT of money For the price of some seeds, a shovel, rake … [Read more...]
8 Great Ways to Use and Preserve Rhubarb
Spring on a northern homestead, what a wonderful time of year! Along with Asparagus and Jerusalem Artichokes, another early plant in our gardens in Rhubarb. Here are 8 great ways to use and preserve Rhubarb (with help from some of my awesome gardening friends). 8 Great Ways to Use and Preserve Rhubarb But first, here's an article I wrote years … [Read more...]
The Five “W’s” – Spring Chores
My days are really full right now with lots of outside stuff going on. I have a bit of the garden planted - the peas are all planted, as well as some carrots, lettuce and spinach. I am early this year getting things in the ground but these cool weather veggies should be fine. We're looking forward to a good harvest in a month or two. Things grow quick in the Cariboo. Spring is one of the … [Read more...]
Raspberry Vinegar with Honey
Thanks so much to Annie for allowing me to do a guest post on her blog! I'm happy to be here and share the good things in life with her readers! Raspberries have been a favorite since childhood. Even as a little girl, I knew that when I had my own home, raspberries would be at the top of the list. Not only are the fruits delicious, but they grow well even in cold climates, which is a … [Read more...]