Welcome to My Homestead Garden
From City Lights to Country Delights
This website is for aspiring homesteaders, gardeners, and culinary enthusiasts eager to cultivate their own food forest and savor the bounty of a homegrown lifestyle.
Welcome to Susan’s Homestead Garden!
My Story
Welcome to my homestead garden! I’m [Susan} a country girl at heart with a unique journey. Growing up surrounded by nature, I always had a deep love for the land and all it could provide. However, life took me to the bustling streets of New York City, where I spent over 20 years working on Wall Street. While the city was vibrant and exciting, my heart yearned for the simplicity and fulfillment that only a connection to nature could bring.
After two decades of city life, I made the bold decision to return to my roots and create a backyard homestead. During my time in a Brooklyn/Queens brownstone, I cultivated a beautiful, thriving garden in a small backyard, which brought immense satisfaction and a sense of peace. This urban gardening experience inspired me to explore the concept of a homesteading lifestyle more deeply, knowing there would be much to learn. My front yard has now been transformed into a beautiful food forest, an oasis of lush greenery and bountiful harvests. In addition to my food forest, I’ve cultivated several other gardens filled with a vibrant mix of flowers and vegetables, creating a tapestry of color and sustenance. One of my proudest achievements is the chicken coop and run I designed for my flock of hens. What started as a handful of baby chicks has grown into a group of happy, egg-laying hens that bring nourishment and fulfillment to my homestead. Though my professional background is in finance, my true passion lies in creating beauty and tranquility in my surroundings. Join me as I share my adventures in homesteading, gardening, and creating a life that is deeply connected to the earth. Here, you’ll find insights, tips, and stories about transforming a simple plot of land into a flourishing homestead garden. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting out, I hope to inspire and assist you in your own gardening endeavors. Welcome to our community, where we celebrate the beauty and rewards of homesteading together.
Our Blog
Homestead Chronicles: Tips, Tales, and Recipes
Welcome to the Homestead Chronicles, where we share our journey from city life to country living. Dive into our collection of blog posts featuring gardening tips, DIY projects, sustainable living advice, and delicious recipes straight from our garden. Whether you’re a seasoned homesteader or just starting out, you’ll find inspiration, practical insights, and heartwarming stories to guide you on your own path to a simpler, more fulfilling life. Join us as we cultivate joy, one blog post at a time.
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5 Ideas for Creating an Abundant Herb Garden and How to Begin
Welcome to my homestead garden! If you’re anything like me, you love the idea of stepping outside, brushing your hands…
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Jumpstarting Your Spring Garden: What to Start Indoors vs. Direct Sow
Spring is in the air, and I can’t help but feel the excitement of a brand-new growing season! There’s something…
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Cold Frames & Early Planting: Extending Your Growing Season
Spring might still feel like a distant dream, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait until warm weather to…
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Preparing Your Soil for Spring Planting: A Homesteader’s Guide to a Thriving Garden
Spring is right around the corner, and for homesteaders and gardeners like us, that means one thing—it’s time to get…
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Raising Spring Chicks: What You Need to Know Before Bringing Them Home
There’s something deeply magical about bringing home your first batch of baby chicks in the spring. Those tiny fluffballs hold…
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Preparing Your Garden for May: Essential Tasks for Spring Growth
There’s something electric about the garden in May. The soil is warming, the days are longer, and everything is stretching…
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Square Foot Gardening and Why It Works (Especially for Backyard Homesteaders Like Us)
When I first started gardening seriously—back in my Brooklyn brownstone days—I didn’t have a lot of space to work with….
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Garden Zen: Creating a Peaceful Outdoor Space You’ll Actually Use
When I first left the fast-paced world of Wall Street and stepped back into the rhythm of the garden, I…
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The Art of Succession Planting: What to Sow After Your Spring Harvest
There’s a moment in every spring garden when you suddenly realize: Things are coming out just as fast as they…
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Snip Smart: The Secret to Flavorful, Long-Lived Herbs
If you’ve ever had a basil plant bolt too soon, or watched your parsley get spindly and sad by July,…
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5 Creative Ways to Trellis Your Vining Veggies
Support with Style on the Homestead There’s something wildly satisfying about watching a cucumber vine wind its way up a…
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The Stylish Gardener’s Guide to Attracting Pollinators
Create a Lush, Beautiful Garden That’s Also a Buzzing Paradise You don’t need a sprawling meadow or wild acreage to…
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Garden Pulse: What Your Plants Are Telling You in June
Create Welcome back to the garden, friends. June has arrived, and here on my homestead, the garden is bursting with…
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June Tune-Up: A Smart Gardener’s Mid-Season Walkthrough
By now, the garden is in full swing. June is that middle-of-the-road month where everything’s alive and growing — but…
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From Garden to Kitchen: The Art of Harvesting Herbs
Welcome back to my garden, friends. Today, I want to take you on a journey that’s very close to my…
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A Garden Fit for Chickens: Creating Harmony Between Hens & Herbs
There’s something magical about watching my chickens scratch beneath the rosemary bushes or sunbathe under a patch of lemon balm….
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Alfresco Living: How to Create a Cozy Outdoor Gathering Space This Spring
Spring has finally arrived on the homestead. The hens are fluffing their feathers in the sun, daffodils are popping up…
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The Garden Party Edit: Tips for Hosting a Low-Key Outdoor Gathering
There’s something deeply special about a garden party—especially one that doesn’t try too hard. The kind where wildflowers grace the…
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Garden in Bloom: A Photo Journal from the Garden
There’s something undeniably magical about a garden in full bloom. It’s not always the harvest or the big garden projects…
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Squeeze In One More Harvest: Fast-Growing Crops to Plant in August
There’s a magical window in the garden calendar that many overlook—August. While some gardeners are already pulling out spent tomato…
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How to Save Seeds from Your Summer Garden
There’s something truly special about saving seeds. It’s like bottling up the spirit of summer to plant again next season….
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How to Protect Fall Crops from Frost and Pests
There’s something magical about the fall garden. The air is crisp, the sun a little gentler, and the greens taste…
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Feeding the Soil: Simple Fall Amendments That Make a Big Spring Difference
When the last tomato is picked and the beds are cleared of summer’s glory, it can be tempting to close…
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Planning Your Garlic and Onion Beds: What to Plant Before the Frost
As the garden slows and the leaves begin to fall, it might feel like time to hang up your gloves—but…
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How to Use Chicken Manure in the Garden (Safely!)
If you’ve got chickens and a garden, you’re sitting on black gold—literally. Chicken manure is one of the richest natural…
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Preserving the Harvest: My Favorite Ways to Freeze, Dry, and Store Garden Veggies
There’s a particular joy that comes with standing in the kitchen, apron dusted with flour or herbs, surrounded by baskets…
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Holiday DIY: Homemade Wreaths and Décor Using Garden + Barnyard Finds
One of my favorite holiday rituals happens before the decorations ever go up—walking around the garden and coop, gathering bits…
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Fieldstone’s Year in the Garden: Lessons Learned + What I’m Planning for Next Year
As the last of the leaves drift across the chicken run and the garden beds settle into their winter slumber,…
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Starting Seeds in January: How to Get Ahead on Your Spring Garden Plans
I know—it’s still cold, the ground might be frozen, and the garden feels like a distant dream. But come January,…
