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Real Food, Raised Right

Farm Products

Cut Flowers

Pastured Eggs

Duck Eggs

Pastured Poultry

Pastured Pork

Grass Fed Beef

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Meat CSA

*Our pastured, grass fed meats are available through our monthly meat CSA.

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Hügelkultur beds include three layers: wood, stra Hügelkultur beds include three layers: wood, straw, compost. ⁣
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Wood: preferably logs and branches. I don’t recommend wood chips for the base/wood layer. You can read more about this on my blog or in my Hügelkultur Gardening ebook, but using wood chips can stunt plant growth. ⁣
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Save up fallen trees, tree and shrub prunings, old firewood. Ask your family, friends and neighbors for their unwanted wood. Ask local tree companies for large pieces of wood. ⁣
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Get creative! We have a neighbor with a sawmill who loves for us to raid his scrap lumber pile!⁣
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Straw: or grass clippings, leaves, newspaper. ⁣
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Stockpile your own, ask for castoffs from neighbors and friends, get creative. We’ve collected leaves from friends’ neighborhoods, raked grass clippings from a neighbor’s yard, and especially love to add the used straw bedding from our goat pens. ⁣
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Compost: we use composted horse manure because it’s available for free from a local horse farm. Rich topsoil can also be used. Whatever rich, dark, healthy option you can find!⁣
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It really is that simple! Whether you’re creating hügel beds in container, in trenches, or in the ground, simply layer these three materials, and then plant directly into the compost or topsoil. ⁣
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I also recommend adding a final layer of straw or grass clippings to serve as a mulch. When planting transplants, I often add the final layer of mulch BEFORE transplanting. ⁣
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This helps to prevent the soil from drying out and suppresses weeds. At planting time, I simply plant THROUGH the mulch. ⁣
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Our hügelkultur beds have completely transformed the way I garden. They’ve also completely transformed my awful clay soil!⁣
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Have you tried hügelkultur? Do you think it would work in your garden?⁣
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Hope you’ve enjoyed #notillweek! Don’t miss the special surprise in our stories today!
@sunshinefarmlife ⁣
@microflowerfarm ⁣
@rootsandbootshome ⁣
@axeandroothomestead ⁣
@happyholistichomestead ⁣
@frithfarm ⁣
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#notillweek #notillgardening #hugelkultur #hugelbed
Got lousy soil? Heavy clay? Try hügelkultur!⁣
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3 ways to build a hügel bed and grow healthy veggies RIGHT AWAY instead of waiting for your poor soil to grow healthy over time.⁣
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1. Container: build a hügel bed in a container by layering wood, straw, then compost or rich topsoil. Plant!⁣
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2. Ground: start your hügel bed by stacking wood right on top of the ground, then adding straw (or organic materials like grass clippings, newspaper, etc.), and finishing with compost or rich top soil. Plant!⁣
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3. Trenched: dig a ditch and fill with wood, then layer on straw/organic materials and finish with compost or rich top soil. Plant!⁣
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Each type of bed has its own merits, but all of them establish a way to grow healthy veggies right away by allowing proper drainage and root penetration, and providing adequate nutrients for heavy feeding annual crops like veggies. ⁣
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Stay tuned for more details about the hügel beds we’ve created along with other no-till tips during our #notillweek! My five fantastic cohosts have been sharing even more no-till expertise, so be sure to see their posts and stories! And don’t miss our special prize bundle at the end of the week. ⁣
@sunshinefarmlife - M ⁣
@microflowerfarm - T⁣
@rootsandbootshome - W (me!)⁣
@axeandroothomestead - Th⁣
@happyholistichomestead - F⁣
@frithfarm - throughout the week⁣
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cover pc: @beckiekirker ⁣
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#notillgardening #notillweek #regenerativegardening #permaculturegardening #notill #notillgarden #hugelkultur #hugelbed #hügelkultur #hügel #claysoil #beyondorganic #soilhealth #soilhealthmatters #inmygardentoday #growingveggies #growingvegetables #veggiegarden #veggiegardening #permaculture #permaculturedesign
From heavy, compacted clay to lush, healthy veggie From heavy, compacted clay to lush, healthy veggies, all in one season!⁣ 
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Hügelkultur gardening has been the perfect solution for growing abundant veggies despite our terrible clay soil. ⁣
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Instead of messing with the clay, which can be back-breaking work and takes a long time to see results, we bypass the clay altogether. ⁣
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We temporarily grow in rich materials ON TOP of the clay, and over time, the clay is incorporated and transformed into rich, loose soil. ⁣
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It’s a win-win: grow healthy veggies right away while also transforming poor soil into the best soil around!⁣
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I like to use a mix of hügelkultur beds from trenched beds to beds built on the ground to beds created inside raised containers. ⁣
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The raised beds are close to the house (my kitchen garden) where I want them to be aesthetically pleasing.⁣
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The trenched beds are in a very soggy/compacted/poorly-draining area where I want plenty of room for good drainage. ⁣
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And the on-ground beds are the most recent addition, built on top of an area where we first ran pigs and ducks to remove weeds, then added a thick layer of wood chips and then created the beds right on top. ⁣
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Each scenario has allowed for immediate veggie planting, and our veggies have thrived (finally!) in these conditions. ⁣
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I’m so glad we gave up on fighting our clay soil and learned to grow on TOP of it with this no-till method of hügelkultur gardening. 🌱⁣
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PS: it’s #notillweek and my cohosts and I are sharing lots of no-till gardening tips for you. Give them a follow, explore their no-till advice, and don’t miss the prize bundle coming this weekend!⁣
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@sunshinefarmlife - M ⁣
@microflowerfarm - T⁣
@rootsandbootshome - W (me!)⁣
@axeandroothomestead - Th⁣
@happyholistichomestead - F⁣
@frithfarm - throughout the week⁣
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#notillgardening #notillweek #regenerativegardening #permaculturegardening #notill #notillgarden #broadfork #claysoil #beyondorganic #soilhealth #soilhealthmatters #inmygardentoday #growingveggies #growingvegetables #veggiegarden #veggiegardening #permaculture #permaculturedesign
I guess it depends on your definition of tillage. I guess it depends on your definition of tillage. To me, tilling means to turn the soil. Turning the soil disrupts the important activity of microorganisms, exposes more weed seeds, and decreases soil health over time. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Instead, broadforking merely penetrates the soil, much like aerating a lawn. The sharp tines pierce the soil, allowing water and plant roots to penetrate, as well as facilitating the incorporation of organic matter like compost, wood chips, straw, etc. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Broadforking is especially helpful for compacted clay soil, and can benefit any kind of poor soil. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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It’s not necessary to continue broadforking after your poor soil has transformed into rich soil, but can be helpful in the beginning stages of improving lousy soil. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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This is just one of the no-till methods we use to transform terrible soil (heavy, compacted clay here in northern Virginia) into amazingly rich and loose soil. ⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Have you ever used a broadfork? If you struggle with heavy clay soil, this will be an important tool in your no-till arsenal!⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Need more details about broadforking or creating no-till beds? Send me a message (not a comment) with the words “no-till” and I’ll send over my recent newsletter with all the details!⁣⁣⁣⁣
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⁣And stay tuned here and in our stories as my  #notillweek co-hosts and I share no-till tips ⁣this week, Monday thru Friday. Give them a follow and join us for more no-till, permaculture fun!⁣⁣⁣
@sunshinefarmlife - M⁣
@microflowerfarm - T⁣
@rootsandbootshome - W (me!)⁣
@axeandroothomestead - Th⁣
@happyholistichomestead - F⁣
@frithfarm - throughout the week⁣
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#notillgardening #notillweek #regenerativegardening #permaculturegardening #notill #notillgarden #broadfork #claysoil #beyondorganic #soilhealth #soilhealthmatters #inmygardentoday #growingveggies #growingvegetables #veggiegarden #veggiegardening #permaculture #permaculturedesign
BAM! How do they do that?? One day they’re a cou BAM! How do they do that?? One day they’re a couple inches long and two days later, baseball bats. ⁣
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This is a good problem, though, and I’m not complaining! Last year I lost most of my zucchini plants to vine borers so this year I’m extra thankful for a bumper crop. ⁣
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And thankfully, this particular variety (Costata Romanesco) retains good quality even at XXL sizes. 😅⁣
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So far I’ve dried zoodles, frozen shredded, and added to marinara for freezing. Plus fresh eating as a side dish for dinner. ⁣
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What are your favorite ways to preserve zucchini?⁣
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Need ideas? This week’s newsletter will be all about preserving zucchini to last all year. Make sure you’re subscribed! (Need help? Leave a comment or send me a message.)⁣
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#growingzucchini #giantzucchini #costataromanesco #igrewthis #growingveggies #growingvegetables #homegrownveggies #homegrownharvest #inmygardentoday #heirloomveggies #veggiegardening #veggiegarden #permaculturegardening #zucchinisquash #realfooding #realfoodie #gardentotable #gardentoplate #zerofoodmiles
But seriously please don’t talk to me while I’ But seriously please don’t talk to me while I’m canning. So many brain things happening inside my head. Once the canner is loaded and the timer is set, then we can talk. But only for 10 minutes. ⏱ ⁣
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Can you relate?😂 Or are you calm, cool, and collected while canning?⁣
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If you’re participating in the sugar-free canning challenge, keep the pics coming! 👏🏻⁣
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#canningandpreserving #canningseason #canningtime #canningday #canningtips #canninglife #canningfood #sugarfreecanning #canningqueen #putuporshutup #homecanning #homecanned #canningtomatoes #realfooding #realfoodie #homesteadmama #growingtomatoes #preservingtheharvest #preserving #preservingfood #makeitmorethanameal
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