Homesteader Next Door

17/06/2025

We will be growing the King Tut Peas again next year.

King Tut Peas at Homesteader Next Door Growing King Tut Peas on the Homestead The King Tut Purple peas I planted on March 27th represent one of the most fascinating varieties in my homestead garden…

07/04/2025

Sadly, I have been cut off from my phone, email and anything that requires 2-factor authentication for over 4 days now. Call Ricks phone or grab me when you see me. I am working on a fix but I am locked out of all of my personal stuff.

31/03/2025

One of my favorite projects to design

A potager garden (from the French word "potager" meaning vegetable garden or kitchen garden) is an ornamental vegetable garden that combines practical food production with aesthetic design. Unlike traditional vegetable gardens arranged in straight rows, potagers blend vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, and sometimes fruit plants in an attractive, often geometric pattern.
No two are the same.

Key features of a potager garden include:

Formal design elements - Often featuring symmetrical beds, paths in cross or circular patterns, and defined borders
Mixed plantings - Combining vegetables with herbs, flowers, and small fruits
Aesthetic focus - Emphasizing color, texture, and form alongside productivity
Year-round interest - Planned for continuous harvests and visual appeal in all seasons
Vertical elements - Including trellises, obelisks, or espaliered fruit trees to add height and structure

Potager gardens originated in France during the Renaissance and were inspired by medieval monastery gardens. They were designed to be both productive and beautiful, located close to the kitchen for easy access to fresh ingredients.
Today, potager gardens remain popular among gardeners who want to grow food in a way that enhances their landscape rather than hiding it in a back corner.

I have lost track of how many we have installed and I'm zeroing in on what I need in my forever kitchen garden.

07/03/2025

Every year we order in the products needed to cover our contracts for the season. This year the products have had huge swings in prices and a blanket note that they can't guarantee the prices and that the tariffs for fertilizers and organic and synthetic nutrients are caught in the crosshairs.
I am doing everything I can to get some clarification but am stuck in a place right now where we are looking at how we can move forward and continue to offer value while in this flux.
At the heart of the issue is that we use many organic and natural options and the products are not available locally or at big box stores. We are trying to source options that allow us to forecast with better accuracy.
Many of our inputs in the landscaping industry come from Canada, Mexico, China, Ukraine, and Russia.
Thank you for your understanding while we try to navigate this.
almost everyone's soil tests are back and we are making individual contact as we navigate the individual nutrient and w**d control needs for each property.
The good news is that I have secured enough materials to handle the flower bed/garden w**d spraying needs for our clients Organic and Synthetic needs. It is turf and agriculture clients that are being affected.
If you have any questions, feel free to text me.

06/01/2025

First snow of the season, and I am just getting to buttoning up the house. Installed blackout film in the sleeping room. Hung the insulating blankets that go behind the curtains. This is the coldest wall of the house, so we leave it up until around May 1st.

24/12/2024

08/12/2024

English muffins are rising. Almost ready to be browned and baked. Back to closing the redneck swimming pool (my second favorite belonging) . You are going to do a lot of things alone on the homestead.

06/12/2024

On my board tonight. Unwinding and painting in the series, "Wonder." So far, it's children locked in the wonder of nature.

04/12/2024

Making some Christmas cards tonight. In a season of trials, hanging hope on the good and believing in miracles. It's not about the stuff.

28/11/2024

I only had a couple of sheets of watercolor paper left. Then someone cleaned out their crafts closet and watercolor paper found its way into my life. Russia and the Ukraine have been in my thoughts. Painting clears my head. Watercolor and ink.

27/11/2024

Be kind to the crepe myrtles.

25/11/2024

This is one of my little buddies. He grew these Kajari melons and we planted them on the cattle panel trellis. He was soon happy with his melon. Aa kid and his melon; he was soooo happy! Watercolor on long sheet.