My Backyard Homestead

05/26/2026

Good morning, friends!

It’s the end of May, and here in the mountains our gardening season is just getting started. The last few days have been overcast and cool, but honestly, I don’t mind it. I’ll take these softer gardening days before the heat and wind show up.

I’ve been sowing seeds, planting, cleaning out beds, and slowly making decisions about what gets to stay and what needs to go. One of the big projects right now is clearing out some of the native raspberries. They grow like crazy, which I love, but they don’t give much fruit. Now I’m on the hunt for a raspberry that has that same vigorous growth but actually rewards me with fresh berries!

I’m also working on a few simple tools and resources for myself, and I’ll be sharing them for free on my website as I finish them. The first one is ready: How to Price Your Farmstand Bouquets.

If you grow flowers, sell bouquets, or have ever wondered whether you’re charging enough for your time, stems, filler, and supplies, this little guide is for you.

You can grab it from the link in the comments.

Our short mountain growing season may start late, but once it begins, there is so much to do. One bed, one seed tray, one project at a time. 🌱

05/20/2026

Local wildlife saying hello.

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

Most people are already thinking about summer gardens.

Tomatoes. Peppers. Cucumbers. Basil. Warm soil. Long sunny days.

Here in the mountains, spring is a little different.

It’s mid-May, and we’re still watching the nighttime temperatures. We can have sunshine one day, snow the next, and a freeze warning tucked right into what looks like planting season on the calendar.

That’s why I don’t stress too much about spring cold snaps.

The key is simple: I don’t plant things outside yet that I have to panic over.

Right now, my outdoor garden is focused on cold-hardy crops and established perennials — things that are meant to handle some chilly nights. The tender plants are still tucked safely inside, growing under lights until the mountain is ready for them.

In warmer climates, spring may mean planting everything out.

Here, spring means patience.

It means starting seeds indoors.

It means learning your microclimates.

It means watching the weather, but not letting it run your life.

And honestly, it’s a good reminder for all gardeners: garden with the climate you actually have, not the one the seed packet or calendar makes you wish you had.

Tonight will be another little test for the currants, peonies, strawberries, and cold-hardy plants. We’ll see what nature teaches us in the morning.

That’s gardening — part planning, part patience, and part faith.

05/17/2026

May in the mountains can be fickle.

It’s been overcast and a bit chilly, but I’m still planting seeds. Cool-weather crops do best right now, and while a lot of people are already battling heat, I don’t mind the cooler weather. It’s best to embrace what we can’t change, right?

They’re calling for freezing temps Tuesday night — sigh — so I may cover some of my flowering currants, gooseberries, and jostaberries just to be safe. They’re hardy, but I like giving them a little help when I can.

I’ll tell you, this little micro farm is kicking my butt. There is so much to do and never enough time, but making a list has helped. I love checking things off. It’s gratifying. One day at a time.

It’s also been extra quiet around the homestead after losing two of my beloved animals this past month. So, of course, I’m starting a new project — partly because I have the materials and partly for my mental health. I’m creating garden art poles using 4x4 fence posts and paint I already have. Why not?

I’m making the first ones for my own garden, but I may offer some for sale too. I love the idea of turning simple materials into something colorful, meaningful, and fun for the garden. I’ll keep you posted.

I planted more seeds last night because I couldn’t sleep, and I’ll be sowing more today too. There’s just something deeply satisfying about putting a little seed in the soil and watching a plant pop up.

Part of my goal this year is to show the real-life process — the messy parts, the wins, the weather, and the little experiments. Not just the pretty finished garden photos.

As the season unfolds, I’ll be growing extra herbs, flowers, veggies, and a few creative garden pieces to share through the homestead.

Are you planting yet, waiting for warmer weather, or somewhere in between?

05/15/2026

A short stroll through the garden.

05/15/2026

🌱 Question of the day: If you were filling raised garden beds, would you buy soil or build the beds in layers?

I see a lot of people filling entire raised beds with expensive bagged soil, but there are much more affordable ways to do it.

You can layer the bottom with things like sticks, leaves, straw, old garden debris, wood chips, aged manure, and compost, then save the better soil/compost mix for the top few inches where your plants will actually grow.

Local gardening groups are also great places to find free or low-cost aged horse, cow, goat, llama, or alpaca manure. You can sometimes get free wood chips from tree companies too.

Just be careful to ask about herbicides, sprayed hay, treated wood, or anything questionable before putting it in your garden.

I’m curious: how do you fill your raised beds?

Do you buy bulk soil, use compost, layer with organic material, or have another method that works well for you?

05/15/2026

Hi friends, I thought I’d reintroduce myself.

I’m Vee, the person behind myBackyardHomestead. I live in the mountains of Colorado, where I’m building a high-altitude backyard homestead with gardens, berries, flowers, cottage foods, and a virtual farmstand.

This page is about more than gardening for me. It’s about creating a grounded, creative, self-reliant life one season at a time.

I’m also an artist, educator, and digital business coach. For over 25 years, I’ve helped people bring ideas online through websites, branding, digital media, marketing, online learning, hosting, and app creation.

So along with sharing my homestead journey, I’ll also be offering help for small businesses, makers, growers, cottage food bakers, artists, and local entrepreneurs who need support with websites, branding, menus, flyers, online ordering, email lists, AI visibility, or digital systems.

I’ll be sharing more free resources here too, including farmstand checklists, branding tips, cottage food marketing ideas, and practical tools for getting found online.

What are you building, growing, baking, selling, or dreaming about this season?