“The need for an outdoor kitchen became apparent during summer months and the south’s extreme heat. Hours and hours are spent canning the produce that will be the food for our family during the winter. Sorghum will be squeezed and processed into syrup for sugar in this kitchen. Jaimie gives a tour of the homestead outdoor kitchen and shows you how we have been using it since its completion.”
self sufficient homestead
Our Forest Garden is Finished!
After a little over three years I’m very happy to say our tropical forest garden is finished. The hard work of raising the garden beds 12” with about 60 dump truck loads of amendments is done. The trees are well established and many are starting to produce fruit. Many smaller plants such as pineapple, taro, vegetables and herbs are thriving. The beds are mulched with straw. The soil is rapidly improving by evidence of worm mounds (worm castings) popping up everywhere. The greenhouse is finished. Extra planters and CEB beds have been added to fill in extra space and increase plant diversity. Our first large batch of homemade compost turned out great. Eight wire mesh cages are full of leaves to make leaf mold compost. And, a special ‘wild area’ has been created along the drainage ditch for bees, birds, butterflies and other wildlife to honor and show thanks to Nature.
Farm Hand’s Companion
Farm Hand’s Companion is an online companion to self-sufficient farms and homesteads. It’s sort of like an old time Mother Earth News with loads of low cost, low tech, alternative/natural building, homesteading and simple living ideas.