hellodaylilly

[hellodaylilly]

𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕠𝕖𝕤 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕕𝕖 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦?

[hellodaylilly]

My rock garden got three new plants in addition to the four already there. It’s going to be beautiful!

#rock garden #front lawn #grasses #ground cover #converse TX

[hellodaylilly]

Clean trash, move rocks from backyard, start to make rock garden in front, empty buried black garbage bags full of composted leaves. Always something to do on my little homestead.

#rocks #rock garden #compost #workit #homesteading

[hellodaylilly]

My three garden beds are ready to plant! It’s my dream. More planting will come.

#fall garden #texas

[hellodaylilly]

Ok I moved to south TX 6/1/2020 so I could be closer to my son and grandkids. It was hotter here than I ever imagined. But then July hit. And the heat was much worse. August has been worse than July. I go outside and I can’t breathe it’s so hot. Does anyone out there get it? How does one get accustomed to this heat. I just mowed a small strip of lawn between my house and neighbor’s. Again the heat got me. Help!!

[hellodaylilly]

So I have all the trees down in my yard. Yesterday I went to Rainbow Gardens in San Antonio and bought a Celeste Fig tree and a Bird of Paradise. The transformation is starting! My two little cherry tomato plants are now getting blooms too. Fruit soon!

[hellodaylilly]

Here is a video of my back yard. After I took it. The neighbor told me that before I moved in, the yard was so overgrown that she couldn’t see my house. Also the previous owner had tons of cats and the yard is a large kitty graveyard. Makes me wonder what I’ll find when I start digging!

[hellodaylilly]

I’m now in my new home in Texas and am loving it. I’ve got family close by and will now get to be a part of their lives. I do have a back yard that needs a LOT of work. I’ll post a photo soon and would appreciate any suggestions.

[hellodaylilly]

[hellodaylilly]

[hellodaylilly]

I had insomnia last night. I never have insomnia! But when you’re trying to sell a house in one state and buy a house 16 hrs away, my mind is all over the place. Selling my place is out of my hands until the right buyer comes along. But thinking about my new 864 sq ft house is wonderful. And my 1/4 acre yard which I want to turn into an urban garden/farm. Oh I want to snap my fingers and be in that place right now! In the meantime, I have a good book that helped me get through the sleeplessness. And a pot of coffee to keep me from falling back into bed mid day.

[hellodaylilly]

[hellodaylilly]

Repeat after me: I am going to love myself. I am going to meet amazing people. I am going to fall a little more in love with life. I am going to achieve everything I am dreaming of. I am going to live the life I so desperately want to live. I am going to find someone who will love me with all their heart. I am going to find peace. I am going to be content.

It is all about mindset, my love. You attract what you think. Deep down, you already know that you deserve all of this, there is just a thick layer of doubt, negativity and fear that needs to be stripped away first. Internalise these affirmations. Repeat them every day - because you are going to be so okay. Do yourself a favour and start believing in the good things.

[hellodaylilly]

The life I want

[hellodaylilly]

Growing food in small spaces

From Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century, Revised & Updated by Dick and James Strawbridge  + Some experience 

How to grow more food in small spaces;

The city garden.

There are multiple ways to use your space optimally, however small your garden. Think vertically, grow climbing beans against walls, lead your fruit trees in space saving styles. Place a worm tower in a corner and catch rain water in a container. Don’t forget the fauna by adding nectar rich flower in between you vegetables. Try feeding your local birds. If you have a little extra space try keeping chickens in a movable coop and you will have fresh eggs for breakfast. 

1. Fruit trees grown by being led often give more harvest and take up less space. A small apple tree can still give kilo’s of fruit this way.  

2. You can have a small wall greenhouse for more winter harvest. (Ikea sold some very cheap shelving units with covers (Hyllis). I have had mine for a year and they are in great condition in-spite of being outside all winter! )

3. You can grow food and vegetables in hanging baskets 

4. Raised beds are great for gardens without dirt. 

5. climbing plants are a great space saver. They even have small marrows and pumpkins that you can let climb. 

6. You can grow potatoes in a potato growing bag (In my best year this gave me 3 kg of potatoes from one bag. Nice to try! Right now I am growing potatoes in big containers. To give them more space!)

7. Window sills can become plant containers. You can grow lettuce, herbs and tomato in there. 

(Self Sufficiency for the 21st Century, Revised & Updated by Dick and James Strawbridge)

8. Herbs do great in containers anyway. And fresh herbs are very expensive in the store here. Try growing basil inside for example! Great results. 

(Pixabay by  drumpie1) 

9. Foraging in the city can also be a great source of food! Some cities have chestnut trees, brambles, hazelnuts, a seaside or a park with nettles

Will add some more ideas later! 

[hellodaylilly]

Hügelkultur (German, meaning “hill culture” or “mound culture”) is the garden concept of building raised beds over decaying wood piles. Decayed timbers become porous and retain moisture while releasing nutrients into the soil that, in turn, promote root growth in plant materials. As the logs decay, they expand and contract, creating air pockets that assist in aerating the soil, allowing roots to easily penetrate the soil. This decaying environment creates a beneficial home to earthworms. As the worms burrow into the soil, they loosen the soil and deposit nutrient-rich worm castings, beneficial to plants. An earthworm can produce its weight in castings on a daily basis.  

The best decayed wood for a Hügelkultur, according to A Growing Culture, comes from alders, applewood, cottonwood, poplar, maple and birch. Use wood products that have been in the process of decay for about a year (using green, or fresh, wood products will rob the soil of necessary nitrogen). Some wood products, like cedar and black walnut, should be avoided because they produce organisms that negatively effect plant growth.   

Read more at A Growing Culture. 

[hellodaylilly]

Vertical gardening can be quite easy to do. Look at this for example a shoe organiser is converted into this beautiful vertical garden.