Come with us as we remember our very first "homestead"... the nurturing ground of our homestead lifestyle.
We've touched on this home a little in previous posts. It was our first home we purchased. It was in a small neighborhood and situated on 0.4 acres of land. It was here that we began down our homesteading journey and put ideas into practice.
Both being City Slickers, my wife and I were starting from scratch when it came to gardening, animals, canning, and everything else "homesteading". The garden was our first learning subject.
We decided to build a Square Foot Garden. We bought the book, and followed the directions. To our surprise, we had a garden! It was a great experience and one that has since not allowed us to not have a garden every year since--no matter where we lived!
The Photo Tour
Garden boxes made from 2x8 lumber that was sealed with boiled linseed oil. White barrels on the left are "potato barrels".
As viewed from our covered back porch. Three rain barrels (we learned later about algae growth in white barrels), much-needed privacy fence, and partial view of the garden tool shed.
Viewed from back of garden, near the greenhouse. Better view of the garden tool shed, blueberry bushes along the fence, home, and corn planted in the garden bed.
Viewed from the garden tool shed. Blueberry bushes near fence, then a mixture of veggies in the garden beds. Anything you can purchase at a garden store and more was crammed into this place! Intensive gardening was amazing.
Two trellis methods we tried for beans: Horizontal and then tee-pee styled. The tee-pee did better, but wasn't as sturdy. The wooden planter box next to the greenhouse was a potato planting box I built.
Sometimes you have to garden outside the box!
A basket of "daily pickings" to use for dinner.
View from our back porch showing the garden later in the year when we had corn growing in the back boxes.
Closing Thoughts & Memories
This garden, and the experiences we had in our suburban home are the reason we so often say...
Our tiny corner in the backyard enabled us to learn about planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, and preserving our own food. It served as a great awakening and empowering moment in our lives together and gave us the foundation of success to continue to learn and do more.
No matter where I go in life, or how big of a garden I may continue to build. I will always look back on this one with the most fondness of memories.
