Quick one this week: if you want to grow garlic next year, now is when you should be ordering seed garlic: not October. Good bulbs from reputable growers sell out fast, and grocery-store garlic isn’t bred for planting.

I plant mine in mid-October here (or later if I forget!), and every year I tell myself I’ll order earlier. This year I actually did.

This week’s task: Pick your garlic varieties (hardneck if you’re in a colder zone like me) and get your order in before the good stuff is gone. You can also save your garlic from the year before to replant your own garden.

📖 Read: How to Plant Garlic in the Fall and Harvest in Spring — everything on spacing, timing, and mulching for winter.

🛒 Worth grabbing: A garden dibble makes clove planting so much faster once your order arrives.

See you next week,

Gretchen

PS - you might also want to order other fall crops now - cover crops, fall seeds, etc.

Subscribe now

Garden Styles for Every Backyard

From formal layouts to relaxed, edible gardens, choosing the right garden style can transform your backyard. This article explores different garden styles and helps you pick one that fits your space, taste, and lifestyle.

👉 Discover Garden Styles

Things you Might Need

Thinking of raising Backyard Animals? I’ve got lots of guides for selecting the best chicken breeds and a complete guide to raising goats.

From supplies to courses, our sponsor section is to recommend exactly what you need on your own homestead. Want to advertise here? Learn how you can work with me.

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

This have quieted down here a bit in many ways although the homestead is still going as full force as we turn the corner into fall. There is still a to-do list a mile long, but we’re settling into the fall rhythm.

On a personal note - we are send our two oldest to college for the first time, which has felt like a monumental change: we’re so pumped for them, but also feeling the shift that comes with not having them here and part of our daily life.

What’s New of the Backyard Farming Website?

I’ve been hard at work this month on some new guides over on the blog

• How to Roast Tomatoes and freeze them.

• Seed Saving

• Putting the garden to bed: my end of season checklist

• How to Ferment Food

What’s Sept Look Like?

September we’re still mostly focused on the harvest, although I’ve been spending a little time thinking ahead to the projects for next year - it might be time for that greenhouse I’ve been dreaming of…

We’ve also got some general animal care and early winter prep to do.

What did you Miss on Backyard Farming Connection this Month?

Subscribe now

Click on the Image below to learn more…

Subscribe now

Happy Homesteading,

Gretchen

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

This week isn’t about urgent tasks it’s about the small prep work that makes next month (and next season) so much easier.

This Week: Future-Proofing Jobs

🌿 Freeze herbs in oil or water: ready to drop into winter soups with zero prep.

🏷️ Label your jars now: future you will not remember which is peach and which is pear by January. I make this mistake every year.

🌱 Organize leftover seed packets: sort by season before they get lost in a drawer all winter.

✂️ Sharpen your pruners: a dull blade this week means torn stems (and disease risk) all fall.

🧺 Wash and dry your harvest baskets: mildew loves a damp basket left in the shed.

One tool worth having a seed organizer box (I wish I bought one of these years ago)

Happy Homesteading

- Gretchen

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

The garden isn’t slowing down yet, but the preserving pile is stacking up faster than I can think straight about it which is exactly why I like working from a list instead of my own scattered brain this time of year.

So here’s my working list for this stretch of August: 25 things worth canning, freezing, or drying right now, sorted by method so you can match it to whatever’s piling up on your counter today.

I’m keeping this newsletter quick and easy to skim.

If you want to skip the list and get all my recipe for preserving - hop over to the Backyard Farming Connection Website.

Subscribe now

Can It

1. Tomatoes, crushed or whole: the backbone of a winter pantry. Even a small batch now beats none later.

2. Tomato sauce or salsa: a good use for the slightly-too-soft ones you wouldn’t eat fresh.

3. Pickled cucumbers: quick refrigerator pickles if you’re short on time, water bath if you want shelf-stable jars.

4. Pickled green beans: dilly beans are one of the easiest wins in a home canning kitchen.

5. Jam from stone fruit: peaches, plums, whatever’s overflowing at the farmers market alongside your own harvest.

6. Relish from surplus zucchini: a genuinely good use for the baseball-bat-sized ones you missed.

7. Salsa verde from tomatillos: if you’ve got them coming in, this is their moment.

8. Fruit butter from overripe peaches or apples: anything too soft to can whole still works simmered down.

9. Pickled okra: a Southern staple that holds up beautifully on a shelf.

Freeze It

11. Shredded summer squash: freeze flat in bags now, thank yourself in zucchini bread season later.

12. Whole or sliced tomatoes: the fastest option when you don’t have time to can; skins slip right off once frozen and thawed.

13. Blanched green beans: a five-minute blanch and an ice bath is all it takes.

14. Corn cut off the cob: freeze in meal-sized portions so you’re not thawing more than you need.

15. Pesto in ice cube trays: basil is peaking right now, and cube-sized portions thaw fast for weeknight cooking.

16. Berries, whole and unwashed: wash right before you use them, not before freezing, to avoid mushy fruit.

17. Peppers, sliced or diced, no blanching required: one of the easiest freezer preps there is.

18. Rhubarb, chopped: if you’ve still got any coming in after your spring harvest, it freezes cleanly for winter baking.

19. Herb-infused butter, rolled into logs: freezes well and slices straight onto whatever you’re cooking.

20. Cooked and mashed squash or pumpkin: get ahead on fall baking now while the oven’s already on for something else.

Dry It

21. Herbs: basil, oregano, thyme: a dehydrator makes quick work of a whole harvest at once, or air-dry in small bunches if you’re not in a hurry.

22. Tomato slices into sun-dried-style chips: concentrated flavor, tiny storage footprint.

23. Hot peppers, whole or sliced: dry and grind into your own chili flake blend later.

24. Garlic, sliced thin: dry and powder it yourself for a pantry staple that beats store-bought garlic powder.

25. Apple or pear rings: an easy, kid-friendly project if little hands want to help in the kitchen.

    

FAQ

Do I need special equipment to start preserving? Not really: canning needs a large pot and jars, freezing needs freezer bags or containers, and drying can be done with just an oven on its lowest setting if you don’t have a dehydrator.

What’s the easiest preservation method for a beginner? Freezing, hands down. There’s no processing time or altitude adjustment to worry about just prep, bag, and freeze.

How do I know whether to can, freeze, or dry a specific item? It usually comes down to how you’ll use it later: canning suits things you’ll eat as-is (sauces, pickles), freezing suits things you’ll cook further, and drying suits things you’ll use in small concentrated amounts, like herbs and spices.

Subscribe now

Happy Homesteading,

Gretchen

I’ve been saving seeds for well over a decade and today I’m sharing a bit with you about how to save your own seeds. I’ve got a few quick suggestions for everyone below to get you started, but paid subscribers can get my video walking you through how to save seeds as well as well as my quick read seed saving guide.

If you’ve never saved your own seed, here’s the fast version: start with beans, tomatoes, or lettuce. They’re self-pollinating, easy to process, and nearly foolproof for beginners.

The one thing to check first: look at your seed packet. If it says “Hybrid” or “F1,” skip it, those seeds won’t grow true next year. You want “Open-Pollinated” or “Heirloom.”

Quick how-to:

• Beans: let pods dry brown and rattly on the plant, then shell into a jar

• Tomatoes: scoop seeds + pulp into water, let ferment 2–3 days, rinse, dry on a plate

• Lettuce: let it bolt, shake the fluffy seed heads into a paper bag

Store everything somewhere cool and dry, and label with the variety and year (future-you will thank you - don’t skip this)!

Learn more about Seed Saving

This week’s task: if anything in your garden is starting to dry out or bolt, let it go to seed instead of pulling it.

Happy saving,
Gretchen

Get the FREE Seed Saving Cheat Sheet

Read more

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

What Your Chickens Are Trying to Tell You

This Week: Signs to Watch:

🌡️ Panting, wings held away from body → too hot. Add shade, frozen water bottles, or a fan if you’ve got power out there. (see which breeds are best for heat)

⚡ Lethargic, standing around water → may need electrolytes. A simple sugar-and-salt water mix can help in a heat spike.

🪶 Random bald patches, less egg-laying → likely molting season starting early. Normal, but bump up protein.

Learn: What is the True Cost of Raising Chickens?

🥚 Thin or soft shells → check calcium: free-choice oyster shell should always be available, especially in heat.

💧 Water disappearing fast, dirty quickly → check for algae buildup or a leak; refresh water twice a day in high heat.

See the Best Chicken Waterer for Your Coop

One recipe: How to Make Old Fashioned Pickled Eggs

Before you go: Here are 10 Amazing Benefits of Having Chickens

Happy Homesteading

- Gretchen

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

None of these take more than five minutes. All of them will save you a much bigger job, or a ruined crop, in a few weeks.

This Week: Five Tiny Tasks:

1. Tie up your tomatoes: a leaning plant this week is a snapped stem next week. (grow the best tomatoes)

2. Mulch your cucumbers: locks in moisture before the next hot stretch.

3. Check squash stems for borers: look for sawdust-like frass at the base; catch it now, save the plant.

4. Thin your carrots: crowded carrots stay small forever; five minutes now means real carrots later.

5. Harvest herbs before they flower: once basil bolts, flavor drops fast. Snip now, freeze or dry the extra.

🐔 One thing to check with chickens are waterers staying cool/shaded in the heat?🐐 One thing to check with goats mineral feeder topped off, shade access

Happy Homesteading

- Gretchen

PS - don’t make these common gardening mistakes!

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

A basket of tomatoes I meant to process two days ago. A bag of something in the freezer labeled “sort later.” A jar of half-finished pickling brine sitting next to the stove like it’s asking a question I don’t want to answer.

If that sounds familiar, here’s the honest question: is your harvest still something you’re managing, or has it quietly become something that’s managing you?

This isn’t about guilt. Every grower hits this point: it means the garden is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. The problem isn’t that you have too much. The problem is not having a system for when “too much” arrives. So let’s build one.

The Three Signs You’ve Tipped Over

• You can’t say what’s in your freezer without opening it and digging. A full freezer should feel like a resource, not a mystery box.

• You’re avoiding a specific spot in your kitchen. If there’s a counter, a bowl, or a corner you’ve started routing around, that’s the tell.

• You’ve started apologizing to your produce. (”I’m sorry, tomatoes, I’ll get to you.”) If you’re negotiating with vegetables, it’s time for a system, not more willpower.

None of these are failures. They’re just data telling you the current approach isn’t holding up against this season’s volume.

The Reset: A 20-Minute Triage

When it’s gotten away from you, don’t try to “catch up” in one heroic day. Start by giving yourself a pass and then approach the harvest in a few actionable steps. This has what’s worked for me in the past.

Subscribe now

Read more

By the first week of August, my garden stops asking me to plant things and starts asking me to deal with things. If you’ve felt that shift too: less “what should I put in the ground” and more “what do I do with all of this” you’re not imagining it, and you’re not behind. It’s just the season changing shape on you.

Subscribe now

At least in August you are getting the full rewards for all your hard work.

I used to fight this. I’d keep trying to garden in August like I gardened in May, wondering why I was exhausted and my tomatoes still looked stressed. What actually helped wasn’t working harder: it was shifting what I was working on. Here are 30 things that have made this stretch of the season easier around here, especially with tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers carrying most of the load right now

When Plants Stall in the Heat

1. Stop expecting new growth from stressed tomatoes. Once daytime temps sit above 90°F for a stretch, tomato pollen gets less viable and fruit set slows down.

2. Water deeply, less often. A quick daily splash keeps roots shallow and stressed. I soak the base of my tomatoes and squash 2–3 times a week instead depending on the weather.

3. Mulch anything bare. Bare soil in August heat is just an invitation for the roots underneath to cook. Often I will use compost as a mulch at this time of year to avoid ordering another delivery.

4. Give squash a midday break. Wilting leaves at 2pm and perky leaves by evening usually means the plant is fine it’s just protecting itself. Don’t panic-water.

5. Watch cucumbers for bitterness. Heat stress and inconsistent watering are usually the cause, not the variety. It’s easy to let cucumbers and squash sit too long on the vine and get big and less delicious.

6. Prune tomato suckers less aggressively right now. The plant needs the leaf cover to shade its own fruit from sunscald.

7. Let a few “ugly” fruits go. Not everything needs to be saved. Some tomatoes are better composted than fussed over. I know - it’s hard.

8. Accept that some plants are just done. An early squash plant giving out in August isn’t a failure it did its job. Pull them and then mulch and succession plant.

Succession Planting to Keep Something Coming

If you are new to the idea of succession planting - you can start here.

9. Start a second round of bush cucumbers now for a September harvest before frost. (depending on your growing zone)

10. Direct-sow fast bush beans: they’ll often produce before your first frost date if you get them in by early August.

11. Think in weeks, not seasons. I plant small batches every 2–3 weeks through late summer instead of one big spring push. Some things love heat to germinate so planting them in August is great.

12. Keep a running list of what’s finishing so you know what beds are about to open up. I keep a few pack of seeds of what needs to go into the fall garden ready for days I pull something.

13. Start fall brassicas indoors now so they’re ready to transplant once the tomatoes and squash start winding down.

14. Don’t wait for a bed to be fully empty: tuck starts in around still-producing plants where there’s room. Just remember where you put things!

Getting Ahead of the Harvest Instead of Chasing It

This is a great time to re-visit the food preservation skills list.

15. Make a preservation plan before the harvest peaks, not during it. I sit down in early August and decide what’s getting canned, what’s getting frozen, and what’s getting given away: before the counter is covered in zucchini.

16. Pick tomatoes a little early if a storm or heat wave is coming, and let them finish ripening inside. I do this often since we end up with pests getting to the tomatoes if I leave them to fully ripen.

17. Harvest cucumbers every single day during peak production. Skip two days and they’ll go from perfect to baseball-bat-sized. If you get a big one, just give it as a treat to the chickens.

18. Freeze shredded summer squash now for winter baking: it thaws better than you’d think and saves the “what do I do with all this squash” spiral. This is quick and easy when other things need to also be preserved.

19. Blanch and freeze extra beans in small batches rather than waiting for a “big enough” harvest day.

20. Set up a preserving station: cutting board, jars, and labels staged in one spot: so it’s a five-minute task, not a project.

21. Batch-process on one day a week instead of every day. I pick daily but only can or freeze on Sundays or Mondays.

22. Give away the overflow without guilt. A full basket on a neighbor’s porch is still a win, even if it’s not in your freezer.

Protecting Your Own Energy

23. Let the garden be a little messy right now. Weeding can wait; harvesting can’t.

24. Move garden chores to early morning or evening and treat midday as off-limits. This works well for those with a midday job. I prefer to do an hour a day instead of spending a full weekend days getting jobs done.

25. Cut yourself off from “should.” You don’t have to preserve everything, plant everything, or keep every plant alive.

26. Batch your outdoor time. One focused 30-minute session beats three scattered hours of half-attention.

27. Keep water and shade nearby: a five-gallon bucket doubles as a seat when I need to stop and just pick sitting down.

28. Say no to new projects this month. August is for managing what’s already growing, not starting something new.

29. Notice what you actually enjoy about this stage — for me it’s the smell of tomato leaves on my hands — and let that be enough some days.

30. Remember the slowdown is temporary. By September the pace changes again. You’re not behind; you’re mid-season

    

FAQ

Why do my tomato plants look fine but aren’t setting new fruit in August? High heat, especially nighttime temps that stay above 70°F, can reduce pollen viability and stall fruit set. The plant usually picks back up once temperatures ease.

Should I keep planting in August, or is it too late? It depends on your first frost date, but many gardeners can still succession-plant fast crops like bush beans and cucumbers for a late-summer harvest.

How do I stop feeling behind on preserving? Set a realistic weekly rhythm instead of trying to process everything the day it’s picked: freezing shredded squash or blanched beans in small batches buys you time to can or dehydrate later.

Happy Homesteading,

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

It’s easy to walk past the garden and lose track of what’s actually ready. Here’s your five-minute cheat sheet for this week what to pick now, what to save, and what can wait.

This Week:

🌱 One thing to plant: fall broccoli starts, if you’re in a short-season zone, now’s the window.

🧺 One (or two) thing to harvest today: zucchini and cucumbers: they go from perfect to baseball-bat-sized in about 48 hours (see all our growing guides)

❄️ What freezes well right now: shredded zucchini, blanched green beans, corn cut off the cob.

🥫 What should be canned: cucumbers into refrigerator pickles, tomatoes into sauce if you’ve got a glut]

⏳ What to leave one more week: melons, they need the extra sun; winter squash still curing on the vine

🍽️ One quick recipe How to Make Chive Blossom Vinegar

P.S. — Want to explore everything on the site? The homestead kitchen, growing guides, and animal guides are all good places to dig in this week while you’re in a reflective July mood.

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

Backyard Farming Connection: Homesteading and Gardening

25 Garden Investments That Didn’t Pay Off (And What I’d Do Instead)

Every year, gardeners are told they need one more thing…

Read more

2 months ago · 11 likes · Gretchen at Backyard Farming

The garden really is in full swing as July wraps up. Of course there are a few things that a limping along - I’m talking about you zucchini.

We’re getting a steady harvest of beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, berries, and more.

A few years ago I shifted to growing more cut flowers and it was one of the best decisions I made. Not only does it help with pollination, but it provides diversity (both for the garden and for my enjoyment). This summer the cut flowers are providing a steady stream of flowers for the house and it makes weeding that much more enjoyable.

Another change this summer is that I decided to get ahead of the harvest by anticipating what crops are coming in and setting aside time to manage it all. I’ll be writing more about this later in August. This also means that I have new recipes to share with you.

Here are a few:

• How to Make Homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

• How to Make Small-Batch Sauerkraut at Home

• How to Make Fresh Homemade Raspberry Juice Concentrate

Join now for instant access to resources, video courses, downloads, and upcoming homestead tours. Don’t wait your homestead starts today!

What’s August Look Like?

Our August schedule is quieter than July this year, which means I’ll have the time I need to keep up with the garden. In addition, I’ll be outlining a few projects for the fall including the never ending task of repairing fencing.

In case you need some ideas to keep you going in August - here you go:

🌿 What to Do in the Garden This Month

Everything You Should Be Doing in Your Veggie Garden in August
August is a balancing act: enjoying the harvest while prepping for what’s next. Here’s exactly what to focus on this month, from beating the heat to keeping pests in check.

🥫 Preserving the Harvest

25 Food Preservation Skills Every Homesteader Should Know
Canning, fermenting, drying, curing: if your counters are piling up with produce, this is your one-stop guide to putting it all up safely.

How to Make Homemade Veggie Broth
Don’t toss those zucchini ends and cucumber trimmings — turn your garden scraps into a rich, freezer-ready broth.

🧄 Garlic Scape Season

How to Make Pickled Garlic Scapes
No canning equipment needed: just a sharp brine and 20 minutes for scapes that stay crunchy in the fridge for months.

What to Do with Garlic Scapes (Every Way I Use Them)
Still got scapes tucked in the freezer? Here’s every way I use them, from raw to roasted to pickled.

How to Make Garlic Scape Pesto
Ten minutes, one food processor, and a jar of pesto that stays bright green for days.

🌸 Last of the Rhubarb

Rhubarb Compote Recipe with Vanilla & Citrus
Five ingredients, under 30 minutes — this is my go-to for the last of the season’s stalks.

How to Make Homemade Rhubarb Lemonade Juice Concentrate
Lemonade, spritzers, cocktails, sno-cones — one batch of concentrate, endless ways to drink it all summer.

A Complete Guide to Harvesting and Storing Rhubarb
Not sure which stalks to pick or how to make them last? Start here.

🛠️ For a Slow Weekend

30 Micro Projects for Your Backyard Farm
Small, satisfying projects for when the garden gives you a breather — from a solar dehydrator to a mini root cellar corner.

Subscribe now

Click on the Image below to learn more…

Subscribe now

Happy Homesteading,

Gretchen

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Hi Homesteader,

July is almost behind us, and I always find this last week of the month to be one of my favorites.

Not because things slow down — they definitely don’t — but because there’s a moment around now when you can actually see what the season taught you. What worked. What you’d do differently. What surprised you. I think that kind of reflection is one of the most underrated parts of homesteading.

Here’s what July looked like for me:

The cucumbers went completely wild and I’m so glad I stayed on top of picking them. The beans came in beautifully. The tomatoes are loaded and about two weeks away from being a full-on situation. And the kitchen has been busy — more pickling, more jamming, more figuring out where to put everything.

One thing I leaned into this month that I want to pass along: baking bread in summer.

It sounds counterintuitive, who wants to turn the oven on in July? But I’ve found that summer is actually one of my favorite times to bake. The warm kitchen means dough rises faster and more reliably than it does in January. And there’s something about eating a thick slice of homemade bread with fresh garden tomatoes, good olive oil, and a little salt that feels like the whole point of all this effort.

If you’ve been wanting to try baking your own bread, or you want to expand beyond your go-to recipe, everything I know about it is here: How to Bake Bread. I’ve been doing it weekly for over a decade and the guide covers basic loaves, oatmeal honey bread, English muffins, sourdough, and more.

As July wraps up, a few things worth doing this week:

• Do a quick inventory of what you’ve preserved so far and what’s still coming. Are you set up for the tomato wave?

• Pull anything in the garden that’s finished and get it composted.

• Make a note, even just a mental one, of what you’d plant more of next year and what you’d skip.

August is a big month. The harvest really hits its stride, the preservation work accelerates, and the days start getting just a little shorter. It’s the season at full volume.

I’ll be here for all of it. See you in August.

Gretchen

P.S. — Want to explore everything on the site? The homestead kitchen, growing guides, and animal guides are all good places to dig in this week while you’re in a reflective July mood.

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen

And honestly, that’s part of it.

But after talking with many chicken keepers over the years, and making plenty of mistakes myself, I’ve noticed there are a few things that catch almost everyone off guard.

If you’re thinking about getting chickens, or you’ve recently started your flock, here are some things that may surprise you.

If you are raising chickens - I’ve got some things to help. Check out:

• How to Raise Chickens

• Chicken Coop and Run Calculator

• Chicken Runs and Chicken Tunnels

1. The Eggs Are the Easy Part

Most people get chickens for the eggs.

The funny thing is that collecting eggs is usually the simplest part of keeping chickens.

The real work is providing clean water, maintaining the coop, managing predators, handling health issues, and keeping everything running smoothly year-round.

The eggs are the reward.

The daily care is the commitment.

2. They Waste More Feed Than You Expect

I was shocked by how much feed ended up on the ground when I first started keeping chickens.

They scratch.

They dig.

They toss feed around looking for their favorite pieces.

A good feeder can help, but some waste is simply part of chicken keeping.

3. Chickens Have Personalities

People who don’t keep chickens often assume they’re all basically the same.

They’re not.

Some are bold. Some are shy. Some are curious. Some seem determined to create trouble wherever they go.

You’ll quickly start recognizing individual birds and their quirks.

4. The Pecking Order Is Real

The pecking order isn’t just a saying.

It’s a social structure that chickens take very seriously.

When new birds are introduced, there is usually some level of adjustment as the flock figures out where everyone fits. We just introduced a new older chicken from a friend who lost the rest of her flock - it takes time to establish the order.

Understanding this can save a lot of unnecessary worry.

5. Water Becomes Your Biggest Summer Concern

Most new chicken keepers focus heavily on feed.

Feed matters.

But during the hottest days of summer, water often becomes the bigger priority.

A flock can go through surprising amounts of water when temperatures rise, and clean, cool water is one of the best things you can provide. It’s hard to keep chickens cool.

6. Predators Are Smarter Than You Think

Many of us build our first coop assuming predators only come around occasionally.

Unfortunately, predators are often persistent, patient, and highly motivated.

Raccoons can open latches. Foxes can dig. Hawks can appear out of nowhere.

The best time to think about predator protection is before you need it.

And you will lose chickens to predators.

7. Chickens Can Be Hard on Gardens

Many new chicken owners imagine chickens helping tidy up the garden.

Sometimes they do.

Other times they dig up seedlings, scratch mulch into pathways, and sample vegetables you were planning to harvest.

Chickens are excellent at finding exactly the plant you hoped they would leave alone.

Subscribe now

Read more

Subscribe now

Each week I share snapshots from our homestead.

No words - just a few shots from our home to yours in the Backyard Farming Connection Chat. I invite you to share your own Homestead Snapshot in the Notes or chat or if you prefer words - let me know what is happening this week on your homestead.

Love the free tips? Paid members get the step-by-step tools and challenges that cut the trial-and-error out of homesteading, so you can save time, skip the stress, and actually enjoy the process.

Subscribe now

Looking for more Homestead Resources? Visit our Website - The Backyard Farming Connection.

Have a wonderful weekend and Happy Homesteading.

Gretchen

Subscribe now

Subscribe now

Hi Homesteader,

We’re in the final stretch of July and I always use this week to think ahead to August, because what you do in the next few days has a real impact on how your garden finishes out the season.

August can go two ways. Either your garden hits a second gear and keeps producing right up until frost, or it burns out, gets overtaken by weeds, and limps to the finish line. The difference is usually a few intentional decisions made right now.

See Everything you should be doing in August in your Garden.

Feed your heavy producers. Tomatoes, squash, and peppers have been working hard. By late July they’ve used up a lot of the nutrients in your soil. A top dressing of compost or a dose of a balanced organic fertilizer right now gives them the energy to keep producing for another 6–8 weeks.

Pull anything that’s done. Spent pea plants, bolted lettuce, finished spring radishes get them out. They’re taking up space and can harbor pests and disease. Clearing them opens up room for a late summer planting or a cover crop.

Plant for fall right now. This is the thing most gardeners don’t do, and it’s such a missed opportunity. Kale, chard, beets, and carrots all love being planted in late July for a fall harvest. They germinate fast in the warm soil and are then growing through the cooling days of September and October — which is when they taste best anyway. Check out my guide to planning your homestead garden for help mapping this out.

Get your preservation plan in place. The tomato avalanche is coming. So are the peppers. If you want to can salsa, make sauce, or dry herbs, think now about what equipment and supplies you need so you’re not scrambling when everything ripens at once. My full homestead kitchen guide is the best place to start.

July is almost over, but the season isn’t. There’s still a lot of growing left to do — and a lot of eating.

See you next week for the August kickoff.

Gretchen

P.S. If you want a complete resource for planning, growing, preserving, and raising animals all in one place, the Modern Homesteading Academy is our low-cost membership program with everything inside. Worth a look.

Leave a comment

Want more from the Backyard Farming Connection?

Head over to my website and see some of my favorite articles on homesteading.

Get updates on Pinterest.

Advertise to our 5000 + subscribers and 10,000 Facebook Followers.

Subscribe now

Happy Homestead,

Gretchen