In this 225th Episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, I recorded a video and audio while I was IN the garden, so this is truly a garden chat with your lovable host Tom. In this episode, I discuss the garden build project including the fencing, the border, mulch, gates, Wicking Bed Planters and Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow System Planters. I talk about cabbage worms eating my broccoli, how my peppers really stink this year and how my tomatoes, zucchini and basil are stars of the garden.
Towards the very end of the episode, I talk about Driftless Oaks Farm and provide some advice about where to buy land or a homestead based on our own experience at Driftless Oaks Farm. While it didn’t work out as expected for us, it might be different for you. I would highly recommend that you think long and hard and look long and closely at any property before purchasing it. We got caught up in the idea and excitement, and fortunately the gods smiled upon us.
While we podcasting types typically obsess about audio quality, there is something neat about this recording. It is imperfect: there are chickadees chirping, the green heron squawking, planes flying, traffic driving by, Julie talking to a friend, kids chattering as they walk down the street in front of our house and a passing train heading from the Twin Cities to Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
This is life in a small town in America in 2024. This is how it should be. We are part of this community, and these things are just part of our life here now. We can be perfectly imperfect because that is what we are.
And that, my friends, is a GOOD thing.
It has been a while…..Have Some Mulch
I published my last episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast at the end of May 2024. As soon as that episode was published, I got REALLY busy on landscaping and building a garden.
We worked hard on the landscaping around The Landing here in New Richmond, Wisconsin. As I sit in the garden and think about what we have accomplished, we have literally mulched around almost the whole property and put black plastic borders around most of the flower gardens in the yard. To do this, we needed and got a ton of mulch from a local supplier, and we put in a lot of sweat, time and effort to move and place Mulch Mountain in our driveway.
We got the mulch in late May, and we didn’t conquer Mulch Mountain and lay the last of the mulch until the end of June. It was a marathon, but we got the neglected and expanded flower gardens and “alley” between our house and the neighbor’s garage looking good.
Now that the mulch is in place, we are in constant maintenance mode. The weeds continue to find their way to the surface, and we are always trying to keep them at bay. More on that in future episodes…yes, Operation WW continues here at The Landing!
Building a Garden; Prepping the Battlefield
While all of this landscaping was going on, I had to plan, design and build the new garden area. My journey building a garden started last fall when I cut and removed sod. I tarped the area off (with cardboard and tarps) and waited for spring.
When spring finally came, I removed the tarps and cardboard and put down landscape fabric and installed a black plastic border (edging). Then I used mulch from Mulch Mountain to cover the landscape fabric. The goal is to manage weeds and grass with the edging, landscape fabric and a thick layer of mulch.
Fencing and Gates
I also installed a fence around the perimeter of the garden. It is six feet high, and while a motivated hungry deer can easily jump that fence, I am hoping that a more narrow garden with large planters will discourage them. There isn’t much room to land safely, frankly!
As part of the fence project. I designed and built two gates. One is about 5 feet wide by 6 feet tall. That is the main gate, and it has special meaning for me. I built the Norse Pagan rune “Inguz” (the diamond shape) into the main gate. This has special meaning to me as it means “seed, hope and new beginnings.” It also implies that there was a completion, an ending to what was since you cannot have a new beginning without an ending of something else. Walking through the main gate is like entering a portal, a different realm, and that symbolism was very important to me.
The lakeside gate allows me to access the lakeshore, lakeshore bird feeders and Asparagus Alley. I have a patch of asparagus that is going to need some weeding, and I am planning to plant rhubarb, comfrey and other native pollinators along the shore (while managing grapevine, Virginia Creeper, thistle, vetch and stinging nettle). That is a topic for another video! This gate is 32 inches wide by 6 feet high.
Wicking Beds
With the fence and gates in place, I got the Wicking Beds set up. I am using equal parts compost, peat moss and vermiculite in the Wicking Beds. It is essentially Mel’s Mix from the Square Foot Gardening Method of growing, and it works VERY well in Wicking Beds.
I also had to build the Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow Systems from scratch. I am testing this new design that I developed, and we’ll see how it plays out. Plants are growing, but I am not seeing the growth I want and expect. It could be that my compost wasn’t good, and that can be correct next year.
I have some ideas for improvements, but that will require some demolition and reconstruction. I am not sure I am ready for that yet. Funny how that Improving and Building the Garden process continues even when you are done, isn’t it?.
After Building a Garden, How are Plants Growing?
Unfortunately, because I was so focused on building a garden, plants did not get transplanted until early July. Some plants took off and are doing really well; others are struggling. Here is a short summary of what is doing well and what isn’t.
What’s Growing Well:
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
- Basil
- Rosemary
- Cucumbers
- Green Beans (Bush and Pole)
What’s Not Growing Well
- Tomatoes in Grow Bags (starting to take off this week)
- Peppers (terrible year and squirrels)
- Dill (I recently transplanted them)
- Broccoli (squirrels)
Critter Control
We have had up to a dozen squirrels running around here at The Landing. That is a lot and too many for this property. While I believe a number of them have moved on, we still have about six regular squirrels here. They are getting into food storage mode, especially since black walnuts are ripening up on the walnut trees. When squirrels start to get into that mode, they start to dig and bury things.
The squirrels have dug up peppers, cucumbers, green beans, broccoli and squash. It is frustrating to come out and see their little arms feverishly digging away in a grow bag. As I think about it, I might have to change the Hybrid Rain Gutter Grow Systems to reduce the loss from these squirrels and protect the garden beds. It is something I am seriously considering for 2025.
In the meantime, I have added wood chips to the grow bags to discourage the little buggers from digging. It seems to be working so far, but it has only been a couple days. We’ll see.
During the recording, I noticed that my broccoli had a lot of holes in the leaves and black flakes on the leaves and stems of the plants. For experienced gardeners, we know what this means: cabbage worms. I found four or five during the recording of this episode, and I had enough on the plants to record a video specifically about cabbage worms. More on that later!
Homesteading Advice
During the video, an eastbound CN train rolled through, heading for Stevens Point, Wisconsin. If you know me, you know that I love trains (hence my current occupation).
The passing train spurred a quick discussion about selling and moving away from Driftless Oaks Farm, our little 10-acre farm in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. We sold the farm in June 2023, and we moved to The Landing over a year ago. Time flies when you are having fun and building a garden, landscaping and making other improvements to the house while working a full time job.
Looking back at our time in Maiden Rock, we found that the Driftless Oaks Farm was too remote and too far away from civilization. Going to the store for supplies would take a couple hours (round trip), and we do a lot of projects. We lost a lot of time on the road.
At the same time, it was far for friends and family to come to visit, and the little 1900-built farm house was too small to have many friends over and stay the night. Because we were so remote, we only had a few neighbors nearby, and frankly we really didn’t meet many of them. Yes, that was on us, and we tend to focus and bear down on projects instead of being social butterflies. That comes after the work is done! Still, we didn’t make connections like we should have at the farm.
Thinking about the Driftless Oaks Farm experience, we recommend looking for land or a homestead near a city, but in a rural area. You want to be on the fringe where you have access to stores and are close to your family, friends, and/or your market/customers.
We got caught up in the process and the beauty/potential of the land, but we didn’t look at those other important features. We didn’t see the old infrastructure and issues with the old infrastructure. After all, Erin and Ben Napier or Dave and Jenny Marrs tear apart old houses and put them back together again in less than an hour on HGTV. We can too, right?
No. We cannot.
Decisions were made after talking with contractors and assessing what we wanted to do and what we wanted to spend. It was time to sell. Fortunately, the gods smiled upon us and allowed us to reverse course and not lose a ton of money in the process.
Our homesteading advice to you: think long and hard and take a good look at the property, infrastructure and structures on the property before saying yes and spending your hard earned money. Also, look to the fringe areas for your homestead. Being close to people has value!
Blemishes and Less Than Perfect
There is a lot a person can learn in the garden. I enjoyed building the garden, recording my first episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast there, and growing vegetables and herbs in the garden. It is a special place for me.
In this episode, you got to hear the green heron, chickadees, the train, Julie talking to her friend, a plane, traffic and some kids walking down the street.
That’s ok.
That’s my Small Scale Life in a small town in Wisconsin. Sometimes the blemishes and less than perfect stuff is where the beauty and growth occurs.
Let me repeat that: sometimes the blemishes and less than perfect stuff is where the beauty and growth occurs.
Remember to always learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. And that, my friends, is a good thing!
I’ll be back soon with more garden tours, videos from the garden, videos from the kitchen and of course content showing our feathered friends and other creatures on the shores of the Willow River.
Take care, everybody!
Tom
In Closing….
As we close this episode of the Small Scale Life Podcast, remember to keep going. It might seem like an impossible thing to achieve your goals (like starting a small business, losing stubborn weight, tackling your debt or becoming that person you always wanted to become), but it is achievable.
You can do it!
You need to put one step in front of the other, but you have to begin that journey by making a decision and taking that step forward.
So….Start. Take that step. You can do it! We are here to help.
This is Tom from the Small Scale Life Podcast reminding you to learn, do, grow and be a little better everyday. We’ll be back real soon; take care, everybody!
Watch the Episode on YouTube
I orignially filmed this podcast episode in the garden. While you do not get some of the extras on the audio version, you do get the visual of the garden, cabbage worms and of course the train! Watch the video on the Small Scale Life YouTube Channel!
Maybe you would like to LIKE the video, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE with a friend? I would appreciate it!
Listen to this Episode!
Listen to the Small Scale Life Podcast on any of the following apps:
Special Thanks
For Small Scale Life Podcasts, I would like to thank Sean at Osi and the Jupiter for the intro song "Harvest." Sean wrote this specifically for us, and I really enjoy all of his work. You can find more Osi and the Jupiter at their Bandcamp site: https://osifolk.bandcamp.com/
I would also like to thank Austin Quinn at Vlog Vibes for the intro and outro music. For more information abut Austin and Vlog Vibes, please see the Vlog Vibes YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY80LeqtJf-YBzJy2TWKpDw
Reviews on iTunes
We love reviews! It helps us grow the show. To leave a review of the Small Scale Life Podcast on iTunes, please follow these simple steps:
- Click on this link or the image above.
- Go to ratings and reviews.
- Click on the number stars.
- Subscribe to the podcast (optional, but appreciated)!
- You can also write a quick review or some words of encouragement (optional, but GREATLY appreciated)!
You can also write a longer review, though it’s not necessary. Again, thank you for listening and your review!
Ratings and reviews help us grow the podcast and the blog, and I appreciate your reviews. I will be reading reviews out on future episodes of the Small Scale Life Podcast!