The Thrifted Planter

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5 Things You Can Do To Start Homesteading

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Self-sufficiency is something many of us are yearning for, but what does that mean? Does that mean you have 40 acres, farm animals, and you make your own clothes? It can, but homesteading covers many activities, and you don’t need acres of land, or to raise chickens, or make your own soap to be considered a homesteader.

The beauty of homesteading is that you can you can gradually incorporate homesteading activities into your life as you feel comfortable. It doesn’t mean you have to operate a farm or live off the grid, or even be 100% self-sufficient; instead, you can take incremental steps towards more ownership in the items and products you use.

wood apple glass farm
Photo by Hannah Grapp on Pexels.com

1. Start Composting

This can seem like a big task, but I want to encourage you that it’s only as hard as you make it. There are many different composters on the market, but you can make one with simply a storage bin. Add equal parts fresh fruit and veggie scraps to browns. The browns are things like un-died cardboard and dried leaves.

2. Start a Garden

For those new to gardening, pick 2 to 3 vegetables that you like to eat. You can buy starts from a store or you can start them on your own from seed. Starting small with a few plants helps keep you from being overwhelmed, as the garden can get out of control very quickly for beginners.

For tips to help get your garden started check out this post

3. Consider Livestock or Buy from Local Farmers

If you have the time, space, and interest, consider keeping chickens or other livestock. Fresh eggs taste much better than store bought. If this isn’t something you are interested in, you can buy fresh eggs or meat from local farmers or homesteaders.

basket filled with poultry eggs
Photo by Rodolfo Clix on Pexels.com

4. Plan

Planning before you start is probably a good idea. You’ll want to decide what kind of homesteader you want to be. You can go all in, or you can target specific changes that can accommodate your lifestyle.

5. Preserve

Preserving is a big part of homesteading. Preserving can look like many things. You could be canning your harvests, drying and storing herbs, freezing tomatoes, the list goes on and on! You get to decide how to make your harvest last through the year.

food wood vintage farm
Photo by Dale Jackson on Pexels.com

When your first starting out its best to plan and start small. Gradually increasing as you feel comfortable year after year. The more you grow your own food or meet your needs on your own the more confident you will be.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

4 Lemon Scented Herbs you need in your Garden

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photo of lime fruits and thyme
Photo by Nadi Lindsay on Pexels.com

I love the smell of lemon. It smells so fresh and clean and screams spring. Every year I make a point to grow lemon scented herbs in my garden. Mainly for smelling but we also dry and store them for cooking and tea. Here are my favorite herbs to grow for the lemony scent.

Lemon Thyme

Lemon Basil

Lemon Balm

Lemon Grass

All of these lemon scented herbs are easy to grow from seed. Start them 4-6 weeks before your first frost date and you’ll be harvesting them before you know it! Or you can find them in many of the greenhouses and big box stores.

Drying herbs for storage can be a daunting task but it’s so easy and pretty satisfying once they are dry. You can air dry herbs by hanging them in a shady space outdoors or you can hang them indoor in a space that gets good airflow. You can also put them in a dehydrator or your oven to dry.

To store your fresh dried herbs you will want to use an airtight container like a mason jar or any other container with a lid.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

12 best places to buy seeds online

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Its seed shopping season! Actually all year long is seed shopping season but we buy the bulk of our seeds between January and May. I buy most of my basic seeds in store but when I want something exotic or not available in stores I scour the internet for what I need. Here are 12 of my favorite places to buy seeds online.

brown pots with white seeds
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my plant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

1.Seedville USA

I absolutely love Seedville USA! They have a website and also sell through Etsy. They have a HUGE collection of seeds ranging from Vegetables to Annuals to Perennials. Their prices and shipping fees are fair and I’ve always had a great experience shopping with this company.

2. Bakers Creek Heirloom Seeds

You could spend your whole paycheck on this website. The Bakers Creek Seeds site is so beautiful each photo so vivid it’s hard not to put everything in your cart. They offer so many unique seeds for your home garden. With instructions on every seed packet you will not go wrong buying from this site and what’s even better is that they are offering free shipping within the USA!

3. Seed Savers Exchange

Seed Savers Exchange is a Non Profit dedicated to protecting biodiversity and heirloom seed varieties. A mission we should all be aware of as plant lovers. Many of their seeds come with a back story of where the seed came from. With many seeds being passed down through generations it’s exciting to grow something with a tangible history.

4. Burpee Seeds

Burpee Seeds is a well known Seed company. You’ve seen them in your big box stores all over the country. I buy a TON of Burpee Seeds in store and have always had success germinating their seeds. The website carries tons of seeds, live plants, supplies and even a collection of houseplants! This is a great place to buy seeds online.

5. Etsy

Etsy has just about everything! I won’t name any specific shops because there are too many but if you go on Etsy and type in the kind of seed your looking for you will find some great shops. There are a wide variety of prices and shipping costs so be aware of that. I have had many good experiences buying seeds and plants online from Etsy.

6. Park Seed

Park Seed is another great site to buy seeds online, with a wide variety of seeds including organic seed, Live plants and products to get your garden off to a great start! I love reading the about page and learning how Park Seed became the company it is today.

7. Seeds Now!

Seeds Now! is a new to me company. I haven’t shopped there yet but I felt they were worth mentioning because they have pretty great prices. They are on my list of companies to try this year.

8. Amazon

What doesn’t Amazon sell? If i’m trying to find seeds that I cannot find anywhere else I’ll often check Amazon. You’d be surprise at what they have. Now I have been burned ordering from them in the past. I ordered one seed and upon growing it noticed it’s not what I ordered. Read the reviews before placing your order but this is a decent resource for seeds.

9. Harris Seeds

Harris Seeds has a great selection of seeds for your gardening needs. What I love most is that Harris offers more than just seeds. You can also find bubs and live plants on their website.

10. Territorial Seed Company

Territorial Seed Company is family owned and offers many varieties of seeds. They have open pollinated seeds, Garlic bulbs, Fruit trees, organic options the list goes on.

11. Floret Flower

Floret Flower is great for the budding flower farmer or the home gardener looking to create a cutting garden in their space. With so many beautiful varieties to choose from you will spend a ton of money on this site.

12. MIgardener

MIgardener has a pretty great seed selection and at great prices! I buy seeds from them every year and what’s even better they have a youtube channel with tons of vegetable gardening videos.

assorted flowers photo
Photo by saifullah hafeel on Pexels.com

No matter where you order or if you buy in store cheers to a new year and garden season!

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

Turmeric Powder | How to make your own

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This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Turmeric is a spice used in many food dishes today. It comes from the root of the Cucuma longa plant, which is part of the Ginger family. It is a superfood with medicinal properties and worth adding to your spice cabinet. One of the prominent active ingredients is Curcumi, which is said to have strong anti-inflammatory properties. It also shows promise in helping with depression. There are so many wonderful benefits of adding Turmeric to your diet that it’s a no brainer! To learn more about the benefits of Curcumin, check out this article.

Let me teach you how easy it is to make your own Turmeric powder.

Turmeric Roots make easy Turmeric powder
Turmeric Rhizomes

List:

Gloves

Sharp Knife

Cutting Board

Grinder or Mortar & Pestal

Air-Tight Container

Dehydrator or Oven

Buy Turmeric

I chose to buy organic Turmeric, but feel free to purchase what you have access to nearby.

Clean your Turmeric

I gave my Turmeric a good rinse in the sink to make sure there wasn’t any dirt or debris. You don’t need to peel your Turmeric. You will dry and grind up the skin with the root.

Using your cutting board and knife, slice your Turmeric roots into round slices. You can also slice them lengthwise. No matter how you slice them be sure they are not to thick. Be sure to put your gloves on before you begin slicing. Turmeric will temporarily stain your fingers, cutting board and clothing.

Turmeric in dehydrator

Oven Instructions:

Lay your sliced Turmeric out on a parchment lined pan. Set your oven to 200 degrees. You will need to check your Turmeric every 30 mins making sure it’s drying. Once your pieces have reduced in size and are hard, they are done.

Dehydrator Instructions:

If you are using a dehydrator, you will want to follow the directions for drying. My dehydrator took about 12 hours to dry. I checked the slices every three hours to make sure they were drying properly.

Dried Turmeric

Grind:

When your Turmeric has dried, it’s grinding time! I ground my Turmeric using this grinder from Amazon. If you prefer Mortar & Pestle, it’ll require more effort but it’s always worth it.

Grinding Turmeric Yellow nail from not wearing gloves

Storage:

Now that you’ve made Turmeric powder, it’s time to store it in an airtight container. Stored this way, your powder can last for 3-4 years.

Turmeric Powder

Now you have your own stash of this amazing spice. You can use it in your everyday cooking including baking and smoothies; the list goes on! How will you use your Turmeric powder?

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

How to find your Garden Zone and why it’s Important

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purple petaled flower field. Growing Zone
Photo by David Bartus on Pexels.com

This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

Knowing your garden’s growing zone is essential to gardening. Your growing zone determines what plants are more likely to grow well in your area. Use this as a tool to help you choose plants for your garden. As always, it’s a tool and you can buy all the right plants and still some may not survive.

Growers include a tag that lists the plant name, care tips, and what zone is best for your plant. Below I’ve included links to get to your garden zone in multiple countries.

Pro Tip: Buy plants that are two zones lower than your zone. They are more likely to survive over winter. If you grow in zone 5, buying plants in zone 3 or lower are more likely to survive.

Here is the USDA website where you can check out your zone in the US. Type your zip code in the search box at the top of the page and it will give you your growing zone.

If you do not live in the US, check out this link to help you figure out your growing zone. Not every country follows the USDA like the US. Click here and scroll down to find your country.

Happy Gardening

Ciearra

10 ways to reset your home for the new year

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This blog post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission to fund my houseplant habit if you use these links to make a purchase. You will not be charged extra, and you’ll keep me in the garden. It’s a win for everyone, really.

The holidays are over and you’re ready for the new year. Your home is full of dust and clutter and you are needing a refresh. The best way to start the new year with a clean slate is to reset your living spaces. Having a clean space will energize you and help you start the year with a fresh mindset. Checkout our top ten tips for resetting your home for the new year.

One: Dust your ceilings and wash your walls

This is an easy one to forget but your ceilings and walls can collect dust and cobwebs so make sure to give them a good wipe or wash down. If you have pets you should do this at least once a month.

PRO TIP: Add fabric softener to your cleaning water when washing walls and trim. The fabric softener helps to repel dust and hair.

crop woman dusting lamp during housework
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Two: Wipe down all doors and door handles

This is especially important if you have children or have had company over the holiday season. Kids love to put their hands on everything but the door handles

women cleaning the bedroom
Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com

Three: Wipe down your baseboards

Another forgotten chore that needs to be done more regularly. Dust and hair love to collect on your baseboards so its a good idea when resetting your home to give them a wipe down too.

brown wooden floor
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Four: Dusting

Dust shelves, pictures, mantels and any surfaces that are not regularly dusted. This also Includes your houseplants. They too collect dust and if left on the foliage it can make it harder for that plant to collect light to photosynthesis

Dusty Houseplant leaves

Five: Floors

Sweep, Mop, vacuum, shampoo or steam but get those floors looking nice and clean. You would be surprised at the amount of dirt that accumulates on our floors if we don’t keep up with regular cleaning. This is the mop that I’ve been using for the last 6 months and I love it!

PRO TIP: When filing your mop bucket, drop a dish washer tab and allow it to dissolve in the water. Dishwasher tabs are designed to cut grease and can help in those more greasy areas of the home like the kitchen, dining rooms and bathrooms

cleaning supplies
Photo by La Miko on Pexels.com

Six: Clean all bedding

Refresh your home by cleaning your beds and bedding. You can spray your mattress with a sanitizing spray.Be sure to also clean pet bedding and toys. If you have cats and they have a litter space in your home its a good time for a deep clean.

PRO TIP: Wash your bedding on the hottest setting per bedding type. This helps to help kill dust mites and germs.

white and black cat on white textile
Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Pexels.com

Seven: Couches and chairs

It’s time to wipe down, spray down or vacuum all the chairs and couchese in the home. I like to use a lysol spray on my couches and chairs with fabric and a gentile cleaning spray on my wood chairs.

comfortable sofa in living room with window
Photo by Max Vakhtbovych on Pexels.com

Eight: Declutter

Any left over holiday decor can be put away now unless it’s still bringing you joy. I tend to be over the holidays on December 26th and start gradually taking things down afterwards. Get rid of any broken decor or items that you are no longer using. Let it go

brown wooden rack with record shelve
Photo by Alina Vilchenko on Pexels.com

Nine: Bring in some new houseplant’s

Adding some new plant life to your space can help reset your home. Pick the right plants that can provide visual interest and are easy care. Great plants would be Lucky Bamboo, Golden Pothos, Peperomia or a Swiss Cheese Plant. These are easy to take care of and are very low maintenance.

Ten: Replace your filters

If you’ve been forgetting to change your filters all year now’s the time to do it. This includes anything in your home that uses a filter such as a water filter for the fridge, air purifiers, furnace and vacuums. Keeping your filters updated will keep your home happy but also prolong the life of those appliances.

brown wooden center table
Photo by Skitterphoto on Pexels.com

Resetting your home after the holidays can refresh your mind and body for the new year ahead. Even if you get one or a few of these done you will feel accomplished and your home with thank you for it.

Happy New Year

Ciearra

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