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Category: gardening

Prepping The Raised Beds For Winter

  • By - DiyGarden
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As the garden season wraps up and the air turns crisp, it’s time to tuck those raised beds in for a long winter’s nap. Prepping now makes life so much easier when spring rolls around—you’ll thank yourself later! Ron shows you how we do it in this Youtube video.

First things first, clear out any spent plants. It can be tough pulling up the last tomato vines or bean stalks, but leaving them behind can invite pests and diseases to hang around. If the plants look healthy, toss them in the compost pile. If not, go ahead and dispose of them elsewhere.

Once the beds are cleared, give the soil a little fluff with a garden fork. This helps loosen things up and makes sure no stubborn weeds or roots are hanging around. Then, it’s the perfect time to feed your soil. Add in some compost, aged manure, or even shredded leaves. Think of it as giving your garden a hearty winter stew—it’ll break down over the cold months and be ready to nourish your spring crops.

Don’t forget about mulch! A cozy blanket of straw, leaves, or even wood chips keeps the soil protected from harsh winter weather. Or, if you’re up for it, try planting a cover crop like rye or clover. These “green blankets” protect the soil and add nutrients once you turn them under in spring.

Lastly, give your raised bed frames a quick check. Tighten up any loose boards or add a little protection if needed. A simple cover—like burlap or cardboard—can also help keep the soil in good shape through snow and ice.

With just a bit of effort now, your raised beds will be snug and ready for rest. Come spring, they’ll reward you with healthy, thriving soil—no extra stress required!

cantaloupe & watermelon patch

Benefits of a Fall Garden

  • By - DiyGarden
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Lack of Heat & Bugs in the Fall Garden

The benefits of a fall garden for one is the lack of bugs and heat. In North Texas both are an extreme problem during the summer. With the hundred degree weather right now and most of my summer garden dead I am looking forward to cooler weather the ease of a fall garden. If you are having the same hot summer as I am I just wanted to encourage you to not give up on gardening before you look into having one in the fall. There can be great reward in the garden you raise as well as in your mental state of mind.

Bugs in the garden

I live in zone 8a, North Texas and when I say our summers are hot I am not exaggerating! We deal in 100 degree days fairly regularly which is very hard on a plant. I wrote an article on weather and gardening here.

But there is hope! With the end of August the days get cooler and the bugs get fewer. I am in fall garden mode!

We have already talked about the first benefit of gardening in the fall and that is the lack of heat and bugs.

Root Veggies and the Fall Garden

Veggies in the fall garden

I think the fall garden is perfect for root veggies. I can’t get carrots or beets to grow during the summer garden. But in late fall I can spread some carrot seeds out in a raised bed and end up with beautiful carrots in the Spring. Check out my blog about growing carrots here. There are so many delicious root veggies to choose from and the wonderful thing about them as some get sweeter in taste as they are touched by the cooler weather.

Enjoying a Breath of Fresh Air

To me one of the biggest benefits of a fall garden is just enjoying being outside. Having dirt under my finger nails and the wind blowing in my face. It makes me feel alive again and enjoying the act of gardening; planting seeds, watching seedlings grow and the crunch of a veggie as I take a bite out of it. Like I said earlier the garden you raise can be helpful to your mental state of mind.

Please take a moment and check out the video I did for you. It tells about how 2024 has been a hard year for us. But the fall garden is calling and I’m getting ready for it. I hope you are too!

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Water Problem in the Grow Room

  • By - DiyGarden
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I have a story to tell you…about a water problem! Now, this story is of a girl and she has to get water to her inside grow room. There are lots of plants in the grow room… I mean a LOT of plants! Here is a picture so you can see how serious I am.(sorry for the pink background, it’s from my grow lights.) For those of you who don’t know I am a full-time wheelchair user and have faced the difficult chore of watering all of my plants. My husband, Ron normally brings in 5 gallon buckets of water. I would scoop and pour water into each section. It took a lot of time and was very messy. Usually, I ended up mopping the floor after every watering. There had to be a better way!

Seeing The Water Problem

It just so happens that my grow room is right next to the bathroom. My wonderful husband (I hope he reads this so he knows I’m giving him public recognition!). Knew how difficult the watering chore was. He decided to fix the water problem. He was able to splice into the cold water line connection from the shower and run a water line into the grow room! If you would like to see part 1 of how he did that check it out here.

Fixing The Water Problem

This is an easy DIY project that many homeowners can do themselves. After a trip to the local hardware story or a quick shopping trip to Amazon for cpvc line, elbows, tees, ball values, hose adapters, primer and glue (affiliate links to above for parts) we are working on getting a permanent waterline into the grow room.

Stay Tune for Part 2

If you would like to see how Ron used all of the parts to create a permanent water line into my grow room you can subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the water problem in the grow room.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

The Story of a Seed

  • By - DiyGarden
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I believe that the story of a seed holds wonder and creation within itself. Looking at one little seed it can be hard to believe that there is life just waiting to burst forth. To me it doesn’t matter what life is inside, it can be a flower, vegetable or herb. I love the way God created a seed, let me explain more here. Within that little seed it has all it needs for the first few weeks to take care of itself. Give it a little dirt and water and then stand back it can take care of the rest. We have learned to do the menial jobs of taking care of the seeds that we plant and at just the right time the beauty from the seed emerges and is the reward for all hard work we have done.

Seedlings

I have shared with you in the past that I don’t have a green house but I do have a grow room. My gardening zone is 8a and that is only important in my story because it tells you that I start my seeds on January 1st. I did that this year and as of this writing it is now January 31st. I have planted a lot of seeds and I now have a lot of seedlings! It makes my heart so happy I could spend all day in my grow room with my seedlings. I’m transplanting them into larger containers and just now am adding to the soil a little bone meal to help with the transplanting shock. The seed didn’t need anything from me except for dirt and water up to this point.

Plants

Now most of my plants have their true leaves; which means leaves that will look and function like the leaves the plant will have for the rest of its life. I will transplant them usually into larger containers to keep them in until it is time for them to go into the ground. At this time I usually use a little fertilizer to keep them healthy until it is time for them to go outside.

P.S. I shot a video a few years back explaining how old a seed can be before it’s not viable anymore. Feel free to take a look.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.

The Best DIY Soil Sifter

  • By - DiyGarden
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Soil sifters…you are a gardener, aren’t you? See, I know you are a gardener because nobody else will get the thrill of a soil sifter like us gardeners. I have tried so many different ways of getting large chunks of bark, small gravel pieces and rock hard soil that is bonded together out of my soil! I’ve used a plastic fork to rake the chunks out of my way , I’ve spent hours picking large wood pieces out of the soil. Some might say go get some seed starter mix. I never seem to have that when I’m ready to start seeds. I always have chunky soil laying around somewhere.

The Dream Is Real

I’ve been bringing up the idea to Ron about needing a soil sifter for awhile. So, this winter as I’m getting everything out to start seeds I sighed to Ron again about needing one. I was happily surprised as he started to gather the materials and fulfilled the soil sifter dream that I have had.

Building the Soil Sifter

Most of the things we build are from scraps that Ron has from other projects and this is no different. The wood was from his pile of lumber. He did buy a fresh roll of screen that would work for the project. If you are handy with a saw to cut your wood to the length you want; know how to use a stapler and a screw gun then you can make your very own DIY Soil Sifter. I will leave you in the capable hands of the guy who built me mine. Check out the video he created while putting together my DIY soil sifter. I’m going to have to paint it! What color do you think? Red, yellow, blue?

I would love it if you built one and sent me a video showing me! So, happy seed starting, I know it might be early for some of you all but I know the dream is real for all of us.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

Beautiful Garden Seeds

  • By - DiyGarden
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Garden Seeds

I dream about beautiful garden seeds do you? It’s in the air, do you feel it? There is frost in the forecast and a tingle in my fingers. The garden catalogs are here and decisions are being made. Well, at least for the most part, I’m not making any decisions. Like I mentioned in my last video, I have old seeds and have wondered if they will germinate. So, does the age of a seed matter? It’s a question I’m really asking myself because a lot of my seeds are old but I will be sprouting them to help find the seeds that are in the best condition.

When to Start Garden Seeds

The question of when to start seeds is hard to answer since it depends on where you live. I am in zone 8a. If you aren’t sure what a zone is or how it pertains to your garden all you have to do is google garden zone by zip code and you will find out what your hardiness zone is. This is information that will help you know when you can plant in the Spring and also how late in the season your garden will survive. Think of it as your first and last frost dates.

What Garden Seeds to Start

I’m a simple person and enjoy the simple things of life so when I’m asked the question of what should I grow? My answer is always what do you eat? I’ll tell you more about it here. We love lettuces, tomatoes, and peppers. There are other things that we like such as eggplant and celery but we stay away from things we don’t care for such as okra and squash. We wouldn’t eat those and I won’t give up the space for that while others may.

However, there is one thing that I plant now that I never use to and that is flowers. They are so pretty and add so much to the garden both in looks and with drawing in pollinators. These pollinators are so important to the garden and having a successful crop.

Show and Tell

If you want to see how I start my seeds please check out my YouTube video here. You will see how simple it is and what a great reward comes from one little seed.

Let me know what seeds you are starting.

Here is to your homesteading dreams,

Shawn

End of Season Tomatoes…Do This

  • By - DiyGarden
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If you are a gardener you probably have the same issues with end of the season tomatoes that I do. They ripen one by one and the green ones are threatened with frost so you pick them and then they end up sitting on the counter forgotten and go bad.

Click here is how we try to prevent that.

Check out our other YouTube videos to see what else we are up to.

Blessings,

Ron and Shawn at Our DIY Garden

Welcome to the 2021 Garden

  • By - DiyGarden
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Springtime Garden

Are you already starting to think about your springtime garden?

Me too! I’m sharing what we are working on in the video.

Do You Keep A Garden Journal?

  • By - DiyGarden
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It’s a simple one subject notebook that sits on the end of a table I have in my grow room. Right now, it’s pretty bear in that room. I haven’t been in there lately because all of the plants are outside. Today, as I walked by I spied my garden journal and realized I hadn’t written in it for awhile. Not because my gardening dreams have waned but now they are not in this room.

As I picked up the journal and scanned through the pages I got excited all over again as I read through the notes I made in December and January. It made me sad when I realized I didn’t make any notes in May. So, I decided to use this first day of June to update my garden journal.

Want to take a peek of what has been happening in my garden?

Dear Journal,

The last several months have not been easy for me, the state, the United States and the world as we have all had to deal with Covid19. Thankfully, I have been oblivious to most of it because I have had my garden to keep me busy. Here is what is happening right now with the garden.

Hydroponic System

hydroponic lettuce

As you come onto the deck our hydroponic system is set up with different lettuce products. Because it’s getting hot the lettuce is starting to bolt and tasting a little bitter.

If you turn right off the deck the potatoes, onions and peppers are over there. The potatoes are about ready to come out. The peppers are being eaten by bugs but we have gotten some sweet peppers already. They taste yummy!

Herb Garden

herb bed

If you take a right off the deck you will see our new herb garden that we just started this Spring. We cut down two big trees and there are another two I’d like down. The herbs are all in pots so we can move them around as we need to. I have harvested and dehydrated lots of lemon balm, basil, greek oregano and a little chamomile.

Cantaloupe & Watermelon Patch

basil & lemon balm

The cantaloupe and watermelon patch is growing great. I haven’t seen any fruit from it yet but lots of blossoms.

cantaloupe & watermelon patch

Ron built an amazing ramp that takes me from the back deck down to the concrete slab that has 4 raised beds. At the bottom in front of the ramp is a zucchini bed with 4 plants in it. Big, green and lots of male blossoms just no fruit yet.

The Raised Beds

Cucumber bed

Raised bed #1: Has 4 cucumber plants with lots of fruit on them. We had one in our salad last night!

Beefsteak tomato bed

Raised bed #2: Full of beefsteak tomatoes. These are what we will eat on sandwiches all summer. I can’t wait. We have green tomatoes and lots of blossoms right now.

carrots, peas & radish bed

Raised bed #3: Probably my favorite bed this year. We call it our CPR bed. It had carrots, peas and radishes. We got a nice radish crop. We are picking peas right now and enjoying them in our salads. And I have carrots this year! I’ve pulled all the radishes out and planted some beans. They are up and flowering right now.

Roma tomato bed

Raised bed #4: This is a new bed and right up against the ramp coming down. I have about 26 Roma tomato plants in there right now. I’ve got some tomatoes and blossoms but not what I was hoping for.

Corn!

Corn

In the middle is probably my favorite thing because so many said it couldn’t be done. My corn plants, about 20 of them in a kiddy pool and they are tasseling and have corn cobs on them! Around the pool I have about 13 cherry tomato plants that are growing great with lots of little green tomatoes and blossoms.

Cherry tomatoes

So, there is what I have been up to. Hope you enjoyed a peek inside of my garden journal. If you don’t have one pick up a notebook and start one today. You will be glad you did.

Blessings,
Shawn

Garden Tour May 2020

  • By - DiyGarden
  • Posted on

Hi guys, we have been very busy with the garden. I’ve been drying herbs such as basil and lemon balm. And I’m learning how to ferment foods such as carrots and kimchi.

So, I haven’t forgotten about you and I promise I will be writing up a blog about all of the different adventures! Today, I hope you will enjoy a tour of our garden. It will become very apparent why we call it Our DIY Garden. Enjoy!