Strawbale Potato Gardening, How to Make Whole Wheat Self-Rising Flour, How to Make a Homemade Wedge Pillow, and How to Make Easy to Peel Hard-Cooked Eggs are this week's featured posts!
Hello and Welcome!
We have a couple of updates to share, a straw bale potato planting experiment and now we have chickens! With the grandson on the way (due tomorrow on Friday actually!) we are a bit behind in our raised bed garden. And as fast as we ARE working, the truth is, we won't get the beds done for a spring garden. But we still wanted to plant potatoes.
I have tried many different methods for growing potatoes, especially a "no-dig" method. Once we made frames and as the potatoes grew, we "hilled" the potatoes by placing another frame on top and added more soil. It was mediocre at best, but then again, it might have just been a bad year for potatoes...
This time I am trying out the straw bale method of growing potatoes, above the ground. We picked up two straw bales yesterday from our local farm store. I selected some potatoes from our root cellar that were sprouting, cut them in half, and let them dry out in the sun for the day.
But later that evening it began to rain. Which was great for the grass seed that had been broadcasted, but surprise, when we went to plant the chitted potatoes, those straw bales were swollen with water! It took a pry bar to jab a hole and plant the potatoes. This is an experiment, I do hope it works, but I will post an updated photo positive or not, each week until harvest...
You can see the beginnings of the raised beds in this photo of our younger chickens. The beds are being built inside a portable carport frame. Once the outside of the beds is attached, the frame will get covered in chicken wire. The goal is to be able to harvest and not just plant an all-you-can-eat buffet for the deer and elk that wander through the yard at night. This batch of chickens is about three months old.
This black and white trio was a gift from a co-worker of our son-in-law, they are about two and a half years old and laying eggs several times a week.
And now, it's time for this week's Encouraging Hearts & Home Blog Hop!
Introducing our team of Co-hosts!
You may learn more about our team, right here!
Thanks for joining in, we appreciate your visits, contributions, and comments!
Linda @ Apron Strings and other things.
Amy @ A Nest in the Rockies.
Jennifer @ Faithful Homestead.
Joanne @ Slices of Life.
Destiny @ Some Call it Destiny, and
Melynda @ Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household.
Join your Encouraging Hearts & Home Co-Hosts each week for encouragement and support for your heart & your home. We hope to provide a space that builds each other up and lends a helping hand along the way. With all the negativity in the world, let's all shine a positive light!
Most Viewed Post from Last Week: Due to some technical difficulties, last week's link did not function, for that we offer our sincere apologies. I thought I would share some posts that you may find helpful for your own home and family.
My personal favorites:
How to Make Whole Wheat Self-Rising Flour. You will also find delicious recipes calling for Whole Wheat Self-Rising Flour including Cream Cheese Banana Bread, Sourdough Parsley, and Parmesan Cheese Muffins, Easy Oven Baked Whole Wheat Pancakes, and Three Ingredient Nutella Brownies!
How to Make a Homemade Wedge Pillow. Because commercially made wedge pillows are HARD!
How to Make Easy to Peel Hard Cooked Eggs. No more divots in your favorite deviled eggs!
What will you be sharing today? And, thanks for joining in the fun, here at Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household!
Use the form below to share your family-friendly posts this week, and please consider these nice things you can do:
- Follow and/or subscribe to your host's blog.
- Visit a few other bloggers and show them your support. We all love getting comments, and who knows what inspiration you may find? Be sure to share the love--that's what a blog hop is all about!
- Check out our Encouraging Hearts & Home Pinterest board where each host pins her 10 favorite posts each week.
- Join us every Thursday!
- If you are interested in co-hosting, contact Linda at Apron Strings & Other Things!
