Garden Update and Hugelkultur How To

Just wanted to give a brief blog update on the garden and then give steps on how to build a hugelkultur bed.
I took these photos of the garden on April 27 so even now it's looking better. Our first harvest ever was a bunch of radishes. Soon after came the kale and lettuce. We planted a bunch more veggies that day and already the cucumbers, tomatoes, and more radishes are sprouting.

On May 3, we planted field corn for feed for the chickens we are hoping to get next spring and also watermelon and pumpkins in the hugelkultur bed.

 

 Hugelkultur is mostly about making a mound of rotting materials and then planting on/in it. 

Step 1: Pile up wood, preferably rotting.

 

 Step 2: Add compost/grass clippings/whatever.

 

Step 3: Pile on the dirt.

 

 Step 4: Go get more dirt. (And yes, even though I'm not pictured in all these, I did my fair share.)

 

Step 5: Pile on more dirt.

 

Step 6: Plant and water.

 

 

 Happy Spring!

 

 

 

 

Veggies

We have been very busy with cleaning up the backyard. We really did buy a jungle. It's almost like going treasure hunting though—finding all kinds of junk and hoping to reuse as much as possible. For example, found a pile of windows.....we are tossing the broken ones and saving the unbroken ones for a mini greenhouse or a solar dehydrator idea that Jake has in the works. Speaking of Jake.....he just got an instagram solely for urban farming stuff. Follow him— @thehippiehomestead. I also periodically instagram pictures of our gardening/yardwork/urban farming stuff. You can follow me— @exterra88. Here's a picture of what our garden looks like at the moment—radishes, lettuce, and kale. These are hardy vegetables and we have been waiting to plant everything else til later in the spring. Should be doing that soon! Hope all of you plant at least one thing this spring—even if it's just a pot of herbs to have on your apartment porch or doorstep.

Christmas at the Hippie Homestead

I know this is pretty late, but I honestly had just totally forgotten to post these pictures on the blog. And hey, Christmas cheer in late January? Nothing wrong with that. =) I enjoyed decorating our house this first year. Christmas made our home just that much happier.

Welcome!

Snowflake whimsy

Made these trees last year

Made this garland specially for this mantle

both our mantles

"Merry Christmas" in Norwegian

gift tags I made

the stuffed alphabet I made for my niece

Thanksgiving 2013

First Thanksgiving in our new house! Thankful for my awesome family.
Note: my mother and I split the food load so half of it was cooked by her. =)

Borrowed a table from my dad's work since ours isn't made yet. But at least we had my grandma's tablecloth!

centerpiece

appetizers

Brie!

sweet potato souffle

stuffing

Jacob carving the turkey

My family <3

pumpkin pie

menu for the meal

Rocking Chairs and Other Thrifted Finds

I've been searching for some rocking chairs to go on our front porch but most that I had found at thrift stores were either in poor condition or were just too much money in my opinion. I had seen these beauties at the Miracle Mart on Pete Hollis Blvd. priced at $75 each and loved them but didn't want to spend that much. Kept going back and one day they were down to $55 each. Well, I know the manager there, so I caught him and asked him if he could give me a deal and he gave them to me for $40 each. So happy! AND they both fit in my car so I didn't have to take an extra trip. =) Here's a list of the other adorable findings:
Mail storage—$7 (Salvation Army)
Pink bottle—$1 (Salvation Army)
Mini bread tins—$2.50 (Miracle Mart on Pete Hollis Blvd.)
Garland—$1.50 (Miracle Mart on Pete Hollis Blvd.) (I actually have 2 matching ones in gold and multi-colored so that's happy)
Rocking Chairs—$40 each (Miracle Mart on Pete Hollis Blvd.)

Fall Party

A large group of couples/families from our church came over tonight and we had a grand time carving pumpkins, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, playing corn hole, but most of all just talking and getting to know each other better. I love my church.

ready for carving

bamboo sticks ready for roasting

fireside

Friendly Critters

Love our little friends that live outside in our yard.
The adult black snake is the one that we rescued—see how he's caught in that netting? Jake cut him loose after I found him. Jake had the instinct reaction that most people do with snakes—he wanted to kill it. But when I showed him how he was caught and was sad that all the flies were all over him and how it was our fault because we hadn't cleaned up all the netting, Jake figured out how to cut him loose, and the snake slithered away. Such a happy ending.

adult black snake

praying mantis

lizard

pretty bugs

juvenile black rat snake