4 Things, THIS spring.

My homestead (and I'm using that term loosely) is really in full swing already. My chickens are growing and ready to move to the coop; which we are still building. I already have several things growing rapidly in my garden including onions, peas, garlic, spinach, and greens. It's already time to direct sow many more cold tolerant plants like beets, carrots, and potatoes. I have tray after tray of seedlings popping up that need careful attention throughout the day to ensure they stay moist and warm. I am working very hard to ensure I will have a bountiful harvest this summer and fall. Here are 4 good garden practices that will ensure the best harvest:

1. Compost
It is always good practice to spread a layer of rich organic compost across your garden beds each spring. In addition to feeding your plants all summer, it will provide a clean, seed-free start to your garden.

2. Insects and Bugs
Typically, when you think of insects and bugs in the garden you assume they are pests we want to remove. In this case, however, I want to talk about how to attract the good bugs and insects; the pollinators. Plant flowers, herbs, or clover; or leave a small patch of grass un-mowed in a protected area of your lawn near your garden. The pollinators will be drawn to these plants, but your entire garden will benefit.

3. Aerate
Hopefully, you're not deeply tilling your garden every year. While this practice seems to aerate your garden, it actually destroys the soil structure which causes the soil to collapse and compress over time. Instead, use a broad fork or pitch fork to deeply aerate your soil without compressing it. Simply drive the tines into the soil and pull the handle back. This will loosen the soil allowing the roots to more easily penetrate it.

4. Cold Frame
If you don't already use cold frames, make just one this spring. Your cold weather crops will begin sprouting several weeks sooner under the cold frame than they would in an unprotected location. Then, as temperatures rise you can move your cold frame to another patch to protect small seedlings that may not be quite as cold tolerant. Then finally, just as the risk of frost is gone, you can plant beans under your cold frame and protect them on those last few nights that may get near freezing. Just remember that when temperatures are above about 40͒ F you'll want to vent or completely remove the cold frame. Even at these low temperatures enough heat can build up under your cold frame to scald your plants.

~The Ohio Homesteader

Shade tolerance of plants

"Root or fruit, in full sun for the biggest loot. Leaf or stem, partial shade will do for them."

Some of the most shade tolerant plants include all lettuce varieties, arugula, spinach, mustard greens, endive, maché (corn salad), and turnips when grown for their greens. These vegetables also tend to prefer cooler temperatures. Because of this combination, it is possible to plant them very early in the spring as soon as the soil becomes workable. During this time of year, days are still quite short so planting them in a location where they will have sun all day is of little concern. As days get longer and temperatures rise, they will do much better under a little protection. One choice is to plant them near a tree; in the spring before the trees leaves have grown in the plants will receive adequate light and enjoy the cool temperatures. As the tree blooms it will provide shade as the days get longer and temperatures rise. This can delay bolting by several weeks, increasing yields.

Broccoli, radicchio, Swiss chard, kale, horseradish, carrots, beets, and most cabbage verities are also among the most shade tolerant vegetables requiring only 4 hours of sunlight per day (though most would prefer 5 hours). You might also be surprised by how well beans, peas, and even cucumbers will produce under shady conditions. Most vegetables listed here also prefer cooler temperatures with the exception of beans and cucumber which do not tolerate even near freezing temperatures. For beans and cucumbers, try planting them as you harvest your cold hardy crops from the first group.

One thing I cannot stress enough: TRY IT. I once had a volunteer melon that started growing by my front porch. The porch shaded the plant nearly half the day and I never expected it to survive. Not only did it survive, but it produced some of the sweetest melon I have ever eaten. I have also heard stories of tomatoes growing under the shade of a tree that produce just as prolifically as their full sun counterparts. I wouldn't bet the farm on it and plant 2 dozen pepper plants under the deep shade of an oak tree, but what's the harm of planting 1 there? And if you're using open pollinated seeds like I suggest, you can save the seed from those plants that tolerate the most shade and expect similar or better results year after year.

You simply can't beat that.
The Ohio Homesteader

 
if you happen to be buying anything on amazon, please consider going to amazon via on of the images above. It wont cost you any extra and you can buy anything, but amazon will give me a few pennies for each person who purchases using the links above. I would greatly appreciate it.

Preparing for Chicks

We pick up our chicks in exactly a week, so it's time to make sure we have everything we need!

1. Containment
While at first, the chicks will huddle closely together to maintain body heat, after just a few days they'll begin to venture out on their own. They'll start jumping on anything you place in their brooder and from their will try jumping out!  Be sure to take the height of your containment into account, and consider placing a screen on top as the young chicks grow.


2. Bedding
If you are using wood or cardboard for the floor of your containment, then all you need is a nice layer of wood shavings or straw. If your containment is slippery (like plastic storage totes) you will want to consider putting a layer of cardboard or newspaper under your bedding; this helps prevent their toes from curling under as they walk on the slippery surface.

One other thing to consider is the cost and cleanliness of your bedding material. Baby chicks poop just as much as adults for their body size, so they can soil a small brooder very quickly! You can find yourself replacing their bedding every day or more, so be prepared to go through a lot of bedding material.

3. Heat
Day old chicks need heat, and lots of it. For the first week they'll be comfortable at an ambient temperature of about 95℉ and that temperature will slowly decrease over the course of several weeks. You could of course use a thermometer and heat lamp to carefully measure the temperature, and slowly move the heat lamp away from the brooder over time. Or you could use the chicks behavior as a guide to the temperature. If they are huddled together directly under the heat lamp, chances are they're too cold. If they are spaced very far apart, as far away from the heat as possible, they're likely too warm.

Heat lamps can be very dangerous, so use caution! Many people find the risks of heat lamps too much, and opt for other methods. One method involves placing large bottles of warm water in the brooder for the chicks to use as heat. This method works wonderfully for small groups of chicks, but requires a lot of time as the water cools relatively quickly and must be reheated regularly. Others prefer a brooder like this EcoGlow because it's radiant heat keeps the chicks just as comfortable with less power and less risk.


4. Water
The issue you'll find with water for your chicks is that it's always a mess. They will splash it all over your fresh dry bedding, kick bedding into it, or worse yet; poop in it. They will jump right in and splash around in a large bowl, but a small bowl will run out too quickly. Instead, try to watering dish like this one:

that screws directly onto any regular mason jar or old mayonnaise jar (or similar).

5. Food
It should come as no surprise that you'll have the exact same issues with your feed. And it should also come as no surprise that there is a very similar product for feed:

For the first 6-8 weeks you'll be feeding your birds a "chick starter mash." It is specifically designed for the needs of newly hatched chicks. It should have no less than 18% protein, but ideally 20% for several weeks.

One thing that will help keep both your feed and water clean is to place them on a brick or block of wood. Keeping them raised to about their shoulder height will help prevent most of the spillage and spoilage of their food and water.

Happy Homesteading,
The Ohio Homesteader

In The Beginning

My story really begins a couple years ago. We were living in Cincinnati, and we had recently had our third child. We enjoyed living there; my husband had a good job, there were tons of activities for the kids, lots of food and culture, and entertainment, and most important, my best friend in the whole world was there (Hello if you read this Allyson). But despite the great things the city had for us, we missed our family, the open country, and fresh air. So in 2014 we moved back to northern Ohio.

We moved into a modest house with a nice fenced yard in a small city (population about 17k). Since we moved in June we didn't do much of anything that summer. But the next summer, as I was several months pregnant with our 4th child, I put in my first raised beds and planted so many of my favorites that I grew up with in my grandpa's garden: tomatoes, peppers, green onions, cabbage, and yellow beans. This proved to be a catalyst for my family. My husband confessed to dreaming of having a large garden, orchard, animals, and more. My kids ate fresh tomatoes and beans straight from the vine.

The next spring the garden grew, almost doubling in size. There was talk of getting chickens, and we started planning the coop and breeds we wanted. Then my father in law became very ill and was diagnosed with cancer. All talk of expansion ceased, and the garden lay neglected for half the summer. Then in August of 2016 my father in law passed away. He was not an old man. He hadn't even retired from his career. And he had just started doing the things with his life he wanted to do, like buying the long dreamed about boat he was only able to truly enjoy for one summer.

It's funny how these tragic events often have a way of creating positive growth in some families. My husband and I realized we had to do something to secure a better future for our family. I wanted to go back to work, but the childcare costs alone would eat up nearly every bit of money I would earn. Then accounting for travel, business attire, etc. we might actually have ended up losing money.

So I spent months contemplating how I could provide for and support my family without a traditional out of the home job. And here I am, in March 2017 ready to begin my journey into homesteading. I am quite literally at the very beginning of this path. It is sure to be long, slow, and sometimes painful, but ultimately a rewarding journey. I haven't created this blog to provide a model of the "right way" to start your homestead. In fact, I'm here for quite the opposite reason; I'm hoping you can help me to be a better homesteader. Help me to avoid common pitfalls and learn from my mistakes. And help me to celebrate and be grateful for my successes in this adventure.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you.
The Ohio Homesteader