-
Harvesting the Senses – The Full Experience of October
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” -Anne of Green Gables Me, too, Anne with an “e.” Me, too! My career as an educator has taken me through 33 Octobers, but no matter where I am or what my current role, October brings out the early childhood educator in me.
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Making a Splash! How We Brought Our Pond to Life
Our last blog post described how and why we dug the Heartstead Farms pond. We had a beautiful and effective water source, but we wanted more. We wanted to turn that little waterhole into a full ecosystem! The best way to make that happen is to add fish. As with any venture, we began with
-
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
-
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
-
A Canyon in Bloom: The Basket Flower’s Rare Display
Texas has some of the most breathtaking state parks in the country, and Palo Duro Canyon never disappoints. Our recent road trip to this majestic “Grand Canyon of Texas” delivered all the expected wonder — towering red rock formations, sweeping vistas, and big sky beauty — plus an unexpected bonus. Thanks to an unusually rainy
-
Provision in the Wilderness: Lessons From a Log Bouquet
Cliches Come to Life A refreshing mist cooled my face as we reached our Yellowstone hiking destination and were overtaken with wonder and awe. The falls were spectacular and the sound of rushing water was music to my soul. Then something unexpected caught my eye. On a splintered log across the rushing water, a tiny
Heartstead Farms
Rooted in Faith. Growing with Purpose.