The old garage that we converted to a food production place came with a real challenge. The big building has a roof with a very low 1-12 slope. This type of roof tends to leak when covered with roof metal sheets, especially if the sheets overlap in the middle like ours did. I tried different ...
A Cold Frame For Tomatoes
Cold frames are great for growing plants in the offseason or to protect tender plants in early spring. But that is not all a cold frame can do. Create a sheltered garden with glass wind blocks, for growing tomatoes (and other heat-loving plants) in cold climate all throughout the summer. A cold ...
DIY Self-Watering Wicking Bed for the Greenhouse
DIY Self-Watering Wicking Bed for the Greenhouse, balcony, or deck garden—anywhere watering needs to be clean and not spill over. We are in the fourth year of garage greenhouse/growing room growing where we grow food year-round. You can read more about it here. A very important part ...
Growing Tomatoes in Cold Climate
Nothing says summer like a freshly picked, ripe tomato from the vine. However, in a cold climate and short growing season, it does not happen very often, if at all. Most tomato growers around here pick green tomatoes in the fall and after ripen them indoors. Our summer seems to be just too short and ...
Growing Winter Carrots in Cold Climate
After a long, cold winter we can't wait to get out into the garden. Often though there is not much to do or look for in early spring. That is, unless you are growing winter carrots in cold climate. Harvesting carrots is the first task at our Northern Homestead garden as soon as the snow melts. In ...
How To Grow Tomatoes From Cuttings
Usually you grow tomatoes from seeds, and I covered how to start tomatoes from seeds in this post. But did you know you can grow tomatoes from cuttings, too? Well, you can and it is very easy. This is especially helpful if you have trouble or no space to start plants from seed. Just get a ...
Indoor Edible Garden Update
Another indoor edible gardening winter is coming to a close. It was more successful for us than ever before, and we are sure it can get even better. Indoor gardening has, like any gardening, a learning curve. Here is a video tour of our indoor edible garden on March 1. To watch the video on ...
Growing Tomatoes Challenge – Get Ready
Who’s Up for a Challenge? Growing tomatoes is challenging, fun, and rewarding all at the same time. In fact, tomatoes are one of my favourite plants to grow. We love tomatoes fresh from the vine, in yummy recipes, and preserved for the winter. We grow many tomatoes - very, very many tomatoes. If ...
Varieties of Perennial Vegetables for Zone 3 Garden
Perennials are plants that you plant once, and they come back year after year. By choosing a hardy variety for your climate, perennial vegetables are often the first vegetables that come up. Before you can even plant an annual garden, you can often already harvest some of these hardy ...
A Greenhouse for Winter Growing
What does a greenhouse for winter growing in January look like if you live up north in Canada? About 3 years ago we started the adventure of Turning a Garage Into a Food Production Place. It is time for an update. See how this food production garage has become a "greenhouse" for winter growing. The ...
