My Boreal Homestead Life

Although I have been gardening for most of my life in some way shape or form, I have always faced some sort of criticism for it.  You can buy it from  the store cheaper being the most common statement.  But…

Every  year I plan out the garden, start the seeds and try to get the garden in the ground before the middle of June.  Some years go better than others.  But unlike is often recommended for newer type gardeners, I…

Growing tomatoes can be a very rewarding and frustrating experience, especially for a northern garden with a growing season of around 100 days.  But with a moderate consumption rate of tomato products throughout the year, they are one fruit I…

Long term potato storage in less than ideal conditions is something that most gardeners have to figure out. Gardeners come up with  ingenious places to store the potato harvest such as the upstairs pantry, a cold corner in the garage…

Like most people, I like eating fruit and berries, but for a variety reasons I don't like to buy them in the store.  In late summer, I will typically buy off the fruit truck that shows up in my  community…

When people find out that you grow your own food their typical response is that it is a “nice hobby” and/or that “you can buy it cheaper in the store” and/or that “it takes up so much time”.  Although I…

I recall a couple years ago in the early fall going out to the municipal compost pile with my Dad to drop some dried leaves, grass and spruce cones off.  While there I started looking around, as one does when…

Potatoes are one of the easiest, cost effective, beneficial, productive and nutritious vegetables to grow.  But storing the harvest can prove problematic at times and so alternative methods like pressure canning and freezing have to be used to preserve the…

For years I  only planted tomatoes I could get in the local stores or  nurseries.   But I got tired of the same varieties and when I found something I  liked, they were not always available year to year.  So I…

Developing an orchard or even planting a couple trees takes time as we wait for them to produce.  But if one is developing a food forest, the planning, implementing and then waiting for the ecosystem to develop can seem like…

Although I have been gardening for decades, it has always been viewed by folks as a lot of work that does nothing to save money. “You can buy it cheaper in the store” and “Once you include your labor and…

As I sit to write this, we are a couple days into the spring equinox.  And although temperatures have decided to take another dip into the deep freeze for the last days of March, it does not stop the dreaming…

The calendar flips to the new year and my thoughts turn to planting the garden and looking into things to grow for the upcoming season.  And as winter turns to spring, the gardening itch gets a little more serious and…

Tomatoes are a member of botanical family Solanaceae which make up a group of plants better known as nightshades.  Surprising to me, there are over 10,000  recorded tomato varieties with more being developed all the time as home gardeners breed…

For years I bought softneck garlic every spring and although I did have limited success, the bulbs that were produced, if any, were less than impressive.  It always seemed that they would not have enough time to grow to maturity…

I have heard it said over the years, that one of the first things that a person should do after buying a property, if they are so inclined, is to plant fruit trees because establishing an apple tree orchard or…

After my initial apple tree orchard met it's demise, I knew that it would be just a matter of time before I did the work involved in planning an orchard to replace it.  But this time, rather than just planting…

When I first moved here 30+ years ago, I knew that I wanted to not only have a garden but that I also wanted to have the ability to grow some of my own fruit.  Raspberries and strawberries were the…

Like most gardeners, I take the time in the late winter and early spring to do garden planning for the upcoming season.  What grew well in the previous years, what I will plant, where I will plant and when I…

As the cooler temperatures and shorter days of the fall season become noticeable, I start to think about getting things ready for the winter that lies ahead.  But I also start to look at the garden and realize it will…

Common Purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) is considered a noxious weed to most gardeners and for many years it was for me too.  But after doing some research I quickly realized that it was more than just a purslane weed.

Backstory

I…

The potato is probably one of the most consumed vegetable around the world and is grown commercially and in most home gardens around the world.  But yet good crops can be somewhat evasive at times.  A very common question that…

As part of my gardening and homesteading life, I like to learn about new methods, research how to improve old methods and sometimes resourcefulness comes into play to develop new ones.  But part of ensuring the success of it all…

Although I do find weeding to be somewhat relaxing, dealing with the quack grass is something that I hate doing.  You can't just pull it out easily and every little piece of the root starts a new plant. And to…