a fiber farm and artisan studio passionate about teaching you self-reliant skills for backyard homesteading.
Its time to make my seed order for this Spring. I tend to buy larger packages of seed so that I don’t have to buy fresh seed each season. Seed is a living organism. Seed has a shelf life. Most seed will last several years, if kept in a cool dry place. See my article [...]
Swiss Chard for cold garden areas: A member of the beet family, with a mild, spinach-like flavour, Chard is easy to grow and adaptable. It grows best in well tilled, fertile soil. It has a long tap root and can endure hot, dry days if you mulch it well to retain soil moisture. It can [...]
A few days ago, I wrote about supporting your local economy by making your Christmas gifts, supporting local artisans and farmers and not painting the Mall black on Friday. These are worthy ideals that will help you live more frugally, sustainably, with greater joy and self sufficiency. This is how I’ve lived for 30 years [...]
Tomatoes are unique in the plant world. I bet you think I’m going to tell you that tomatoes are fruits. While its true that, “in 1893, the U.S. Supreme Court over-ruled Mother Nature, declaring that tomatoes were not fruits, but vegetables” (West Coast Seed), that’s not where I’m going. Knowledge tells us that tomatoes [...]
Many vegetable seeds are priced like precious metals — several dollars for just a few seeds. Hybrid seeds are usually more expensive than open pollinated varieties. Both will give you vegetables for your table. Open pollinated varieties are what you want if you plan to grow and save your own seed. Hybrid seeds are used [...]
We live at 2,700 feet, in the southern interior of B.C., in the shadow of a ski hill. Its cold. We can get frost any day of the year. Most of my neighbours don’t even try to grow food in these conditions. We grow about 80% of our vegetables and a bit of fruit, all [...]
Virgin Coconut Oil, Gold Label - 1 quart
