Its been an intense month, with over 200 hours of my blood, sweat, and tears being poured into my homestead garden. Everything had to be moved, redone, dug, installed, repaired, planted within a short time frame to catch the escaping growing season.
Here are some before and after shots of my progress!
My garden had turned into complete shambles while I was on the road working for the latter part of the year. Once I returned back to my homestead, I took one peek at it and knew it would take every ounce of energy to get it up and running again.
Some of the biggest projects I accomplished:
- Removing a massive amount of weeds
- Eliminating the rodent problem
- Rejuvenating garden soil
- Rebuilding drip irrigation system
- Cleaning gunked up IBC tanks (no small task)
- Installing a sheltered nursery station for seedlings
- A bunch of earthworks
- Digging 200' of drainage ditches
- Trimming back all trees and weeds surrounding the garden
- Sowing 250+ seeds in barrels, pots, and in-ground
- Organizing all garden pots and accessories (riddled with mice and spiders)
The biggest project I accomplished was cleaning my IBC tanks. They are very difficult to clean because you cannot get inside them, and I do not have a pressure washer.
These tanks were so grimy, the algae formed a thick layer that was the consistency of leather!
I did devise a method that cleaned them to almost new, which will be in a future video release.
I also had to work on my solar powered drip irrigation system. I had to reuse and rebuild what I already had on hand, which needed to be cut to size for the barrel side of the garden.
I wrote a great article on how to build this kind of system. Its one of my most popular articles on my website.
All the drippers needed to be rearranged or plugged with a goof plug. I still have quite a few leaks from the goof plugs so I am going to have to replace several lines, but it works for now.
I planted well over 250 plants this year. It seems like a crazy amount, and it is! But the reason I planted so many is because I have decided to do the farmer's market this year! I will be selling seedlings, plants, and produce.
I built this outdoor nursery enclosure to keep my babies safe while they are young and tender. It consists of a 50% shade cloth and wind barrier. It also makes for a cozy nook for me to relax in!
I still have more planting to do, and there is a pesky mouse that ate all the sunflower seeds I sowed, so its a never ending challenge to get the garden up and running. But I have made drastic progress and will soon be reaping the fruits of my labor!
What do you think of my homestead garden progress? Leave me a comment with your thoughts!