Category: Gardening and Growing
In the Garden and Growing category, we tell stories of all-things-growing – planning, planting, tending, harvesting, and enjoying produce.
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The Ladybug Brigade Chronicles: Part II – Signs of Victory
When aphids attacked our hoop house plants, we called in the Ladybug Brigade as a natural solution. Plants showed significant improvement in just two weeks. Check out the improvement in the before and after pictures below. While our ladybug research had us feeling optimistic, we were pleasantly surprised by how well and how quickly the Read more
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Seven September Gardening Essentials You’ll Love on Amazon!
Welcome to our Amazon Launch! We are so excited! For our first associates post, we’ve curated seven of our favorites to get you through September! Number 1: The Collitt hat with solar powered fans is a game changer! Though we’ve had a touch of fall, the north Texas heat is far from over. This hat Read more
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Dream It, Plan It, Grow It — Preparing Now for Next Year’s Harvest
So you want to have a garden? Maybe you have an interest in wholesome eating. Maybe you want to connect with earth. Maybe, like us, you have fond memories of your grandparents’ gardens and would like to find a kinship with the generations gone by. Where ever your garden thoughts are rooted (see what I Read more
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The Ladybug Brigade Chronicles: Part I – Calling in the Troops
Houston. We’ve got a problem. When our hoop house tomato plants quit producing and their leaves went from thriving to wilting, we knew there was a problem. Closer inspection revealed the source. APHIDS! Always seeking the chemical-free, clean gardening option, we turned to natural defense and called in the ladybug brigade! Watch the video for Read more
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How To Dig a Farm Pond and Keep the Garden Hydrated
One of the first things we did when we purchased the land for Heartstead Farms was prepare the ground for a garden. The next thing we had to do was figure out how to keep a garden hydrated in the hot, dry Texas summer. A stock pond seemed to be the logical solution. The center of Read more
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How the Dog Saved the Garden
The Hair-Raising Secret to Hare Defense Year one of our farm garden brought a decent harvest and a whole lot of pesky rabbits. We had the cute little cotton-tail bunnies and the enormous Texas jack rabbits. And you know, rabbits have prolific, herbivorous, hungry families! They could wreak havoc on a vegetable garden. I gave Read more
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The Dogs are Packing – Summer’s Slow Surrender
Here in North Texas, we are certainly living in the dog days of summer! Ozone alerts are part of the daily forecast. The kids are back in school, and that seems fine since it is too hot to play outside all day anyway. But there is light at the end of the blazing tunnel. North Read more
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Okra: Weird Name, Fantastic Flavor
Lady’s Fingers, Devil’s Candy, Bhindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Okro, Ochro, Gumbo, Quingombo, Goo Pickles, Beelzubub’s Bog, Bamia, or Slime Pod. Whatever you call this delicious Southern vegetable, you will recognize its most common, and weird, name – Okra! Here in North Texas, okra thrives in our black clay soil and warm temperatures. We love to grow Read more
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Hoop House How-To: Our First Build from the Ground Up
Literally – from the ground up. Before there’s a meal. Before there’s a harvest. Before there’s a blossom. Before there’s a sprout. Before there’s even a seed. There’s preparation. And lots of it! Something our followers should know about us – Jeff is the meticulous one. And by meticulous, I mean conscientiously, fastidiously, painstakingly so. Read more
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From Play Store to Produce Stand: Finding Joy in the Farmers’ Market Life
Come to My Sto! We Got Mato Shings! A grown-up love letter to childhood play, family memories, and the unexpected joy of the farmers’ market. Who Didn’t Play Store as a Kid? Those long, screen-free summer days were filled with imaginary play — and for me, “store” was always a favorite. I can still picture Read more