https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/BLOG RSSSun, 05 Jan 2020 14:12:51 GMTSun, 05 Jan 2020 14:12:51 GMThttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/what-do-you-wantWhat do you Want?What is your Goal?I garden because it relaxes me and gives me great joy and pleasure, it also pervades food for the table and I hate to admit it bragging rights that I can actually grow and produce food here in Central Texas.So what are your goals when it comes to your backyard and your garden, do you want some place to relax and unwind?  Do you want to produce fresh food, or even food to preserve to be used at a later time?If you are new to gardening I would adviseFri, 30 Sep 2022 01:51:31https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/what-do-you-wanthttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/in-transitionIn transition is that scary time between the end of winter and the beginning of spring especially here in Central Texas.  The mornings can be in the low forties and the afternoons in the high seventies.  You just never know, you kind of have to have a little faith that things will go well and then prepare for the worst.  The usual last frost date is around March 1, butWed, 23 Mar 2022 20:12:23https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/in-transitionhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/grief-and-healing-in-the-gardenI’m sorry that I have not posted anything here in over a year, please let me explain, in November of 2020 my wonderful spouse was diagnosed with Multi-Myeloma Cancer and started cancer treatments, in January of 2021 the cancer had moved into her spine and she had emergency surgery and that left her partially paralyzed from the waist down.  I am very lucky that I had many sick days saved up at my place of employment and that they were willing to let me take the time to take care of Kathy myTue, 08 Mar 2022 14:26:32https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/grief-and-healing-in-the-gardenhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/the-ant-and-the-grasshopper-walkaboutsHow many of you have heard the story of the grasshopper and the ants?  The grasshopper saw the ants busy at work and told them they needed to take it easy and have fun.  The ants replied with  they needed to be prepared for winter and they needed to get the harvest in before the cold of winter and the grasshopper said there is plenty of time. (Aesop)Does this story sound familiar?  At this time, that we are living in are you a grasshopper or an ant?  Being independent and growing your ownThu, 30 Apr 2020 17:59:33https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/the-ant-and-the-grasshopper-walkaboutshttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/moving-forward-doing-more-have-hopeOh the changes that this April has brought to us here on our Backyard Homestead, at work for my spouse and I, and our social life.  I love to grow food to share with Family, Friends and Neighbors.We have been eating a lot of cabbage, spinach, lettuce, kale and Swiss chard from the garden, it is very nice to have this fresh produce during these trying times and frankly it just tastes better than store bought.  In the garden I just planted some more lettuce the last until fall it’s just getsSun, 19 Apr 2020 19:51:40https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/moving-forward-doing-more-have-hopehttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/come-what-may-feeling-safe-in-the-gardenIt’s the 22nd of March and a lot has been happening in the world and in our BackYard Homestead, Spring break came and I had taken the whole week off to work in the yard and home with my Sweet spouse who was off from work from the School System.We renewed our raised beds with fresh compost and then we took down the back porch greenhouse and put all the plants back out into the yard. Our order from Indiana Berry Company of our Strawberries came in and we got them planted in the strawberry bed.Sun, 22 Mar 2020 20:46:11https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/come-what-may-feeling-safe-in-the-gardenhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/its-feeling-like-spring-at-least-for-todayI have this Itch, around late January, and into February this Itch pops up inside of me and i want to plant something.  Usually the Itch is satisfied by planting the seed trays for are March (SPRING BREAK) plant sale and for our own garden, but with the temperatures in the lows 70's tomorrow I want to dig in the garden and get my hands dirty.   But I know that Mother Nature of Texas is a Bi-Polar Lady and she likes to mess with me.  I have been fooled before by freezes in late march and evenMon, 17 Feb 2020 01:01:11https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/its-feeling-like-spring-at-least-for-todayhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/do-what-you-can-when-you-canSo this is the year 2020, and I don't see one Jetson aircar, I am greatly disappointed.  With it being January and with the Texas weather being Bi-Polar, I mean really Saturday was in the low 70's, you have to use your time wisely.   We have been doing a lot of necessary cleanup around the yard and other areas such as the garage and the back porch greenhouse.  the above picture shows one of the projects that I thought up and then implemented.  These are two of my EarthBox gardens that I decidedMon, 06 Jan 2020 20:58:34https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/do-what-you-can-when-you-canhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/start-nowA little bit of Gardening goes a long way to making you feel better. Studies have shown that those that get there hands dirty working in the soil, even if it's just houseplants, show a remarkable increase in mental/emotional health, not to mention the physical aspects of getting off the couch and moving your body. Try this, get a pot and fill it full of dirt, get some carrot seeds and plant according to instructions and take care of it each day, water it, thin the carrots when they get about 3Sun, 05 Jan 2020 14:10:50https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/start-nowhttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/why-your-titles-should-be-no-longer-than-thisThat’s what i like about living here in Central Texas, i can work outside even in November and December.We have been very busy here in the Central Texas BackYard Homestead, cleaning up from fall and prepping for winter and spring. Cleaning yard beds, garden beds, pruning Blackberries, Grapes, Blueberries, Pomegranates and Fig trees, racking up leaves and shredding them for garden mulches, planting onion sets, some garlic, kale, swiss chard snow peas. Setting up the porch green house andSun, 05 Jan 2020 14:16:51https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/why-your-titles-should-be-no-longer-than-thishttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-itLate Summer Early Fall is such a great time to enjoy the fruits of all of the labor of spring early summer. The garden really produced this year and Kathy and I made a real commitment to eat from the garden as much as we could and i really think we accomplished this. From fresh salad greens, squash, green beans, corn, radishes, potatoes, onions, carrots, cantaloupe, melons, it just kept coming and it was all so good, raw, grilled, baked. We actually did succession planting and it was so nice toSun, 05 Jan 2020 14:21:55https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/welcome-to-our-blog-but-what-is-ithttps://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-blog.-of-course-wed-say-thatI was thinking the other day about all the work and money we put into gardening. All of the seeds, dirt, tools, not to mention the time and labor, and for what a couple of tomatoes and some lettuce and other vegetables that you could go to the store and get for less effort and far less money.Then I thought of what I personally get out of gardening. Here are a few of the things that I get from gardening:1. The great joy and satisfaction of seeing something that I planted grow, and then eatingSun, 05 Jan 2020 14:27:29https://centraltexasbackyardhomestead.com/home/to-blog-or-not-to-blog-blog.-of-course-wed-say-that