This is our first post about growing figs in a cold climate. We get asked a lot about how we grow figs in our cold climate and short growing season, so I want to share our first experiences and as usual, we will add more information as we go. We have had our fig tree now for two summers and have ...
Gardening
Preparing the Garden for Winter
Preparing the garden for winter, a time when gardens go dormant. Winter is an important time for the garden and the garden soil. You might have noticed that the colder an area is, the richer is the soil. There are a few important steps that can make the garden soil even better and also help the ...
Preparing the Greenhouse for Winter
Preparing the greenhouse for winter is as important as preparing the garden. However, it still is different. If you have been following our blog, you will know that we have a Geodesic Dome greenhouse that we built ourselves. There are many ways to prepare the greenhouse, here we share our ...
Plant Protection From Frost
Freezing temperature is something we constantly deal with in a northern garden. There can always be another frost after the "last day of frost" and before the "first day of frost". Plant protection from frost is crucial for growing a successful garden in cold climate. In this post, we will talk ...
Growing Peppers in Cold Climate
Growing peppers in cold climate is in many ways similar to growing tomatoes, but still different. Tomatoes are more popular, more forgiving and a bit easier to grow. In overall though if you are successful in growing tomatoes, peppers can be your next thing to conquer. We love to grow peppers. ...
Growing Tomatoes Summer Update
Growing tomatoes in cold climate and harvesting ripe tomatoes in the summer is something we write a lot about here at Northern Homestead. Today we are sharing a 'growing tomatoes summer update' in pictures. Starting from seeds, planting and harvesting ripe tomatoes in July. This (2019) is a good ...
Gardening Without Pain
Just over a year ago gardening without pain was a dream for me. After an x-ray, I knew it was nothing acute but just a beginning of a painful road ahead. If what I felt was early osteoarthritis, I knew I did not want to go any farther with it. The joint stiffness hindered me to bend over, and the ...
Geodesic Dome Greenhouse Garden Update
We have been growing a Geodesic Dome Greenhouse garden since 2011, it's time for an update on what we like most on this greenhouse. Our first GeoDome was an 18-foot all wood structure with windows and a door. It had a water tank and passive heating and cooling using a car radiator. We ...
Rainwater Harvesting for Use in the Garden
Water is an essential need in the garden. Rainwater harvesting for use in the garden helps us to use water that would otherwise go to waste. We have been collecting rainwater for many years in different ways and places. Here we share some of our experiences. The rainwater Rainwater is free, fairly ...
Dry Spring Challenge in the Garden
Planting seeds into something that feels more like dust than soil, is a common thing here in Alberta. With over 300 days of sunshine a year we do not get much of rain at any time. Spring, however, often feels especially dry. Here we share how we deal with the dry spring weather challenge in the ...