Homesteading: Autumn Veggie Garden Plan

According to the calendar, Scrub Cottage and other Southern Hemispherians are now in Autumn.  While we're complaining that the weather is still too hot and more like the middle of Summer, it sounds like some of you Northern Hemispherians are wondering if Spring will ever make an appearance!

Today I wanted to share my Autumn Veggie Garden Plan with you all.  I've usually got lots of good intentions on keeping a gardening diary but after the first entry, it all goes pear-shaped!  This season I've gone with a slightly higher tech option, an Excel spreadsheet.  Lots of the blogs at the moment are sharing some great programs that can create an electronic picture with all the associated information on the one sheet, but I think for me it might be a bit like the diary and be great on the first day and terrible after that!

I like Excel for it's simplicity and ease of use.  I made the cells all 20x20 and marked out the garden bed to scale using the cell borders. One cell is equal to 10cm x 10cm.  I've coloured in the cells according to the particular vegetable I want to plant and used the scale to indicate the plant and row spacing.  This was to show how much I could actually fit into my space, since I've been underusing my plot so far.

Wouldn't this be lovely!

 

I was planning on included a copy of the spreadsheet so you could have a visual for the explanation above but it is 'on of those days' where technology doesn't seem to be in a cooperative mood and I am unable.  I would be more than happy to email you a copy so either leave your email address in the comments below or email me lilyrosedesigns10@gmail.com and I would love to send you a copy.  Don't worry, I won't do anything sinister with your email address (ie sell it or spam you).

 

I printed out the spreadsheet and stuck it on the inside of my laundry cupboard door.  My seeds are stored in a box in the top of this cupboard so it seemed an easier place for consulting than my Homemaking Binder (which I love dearly!).  The plan is to be able to record the day I planted my seeds or transplanted my seedlings in order to know when the harvest might be.  Some of the seeds also need to have a few batches sown a few weeks apart so rather than guessing, I'll have a record of when the first lot were planted, where they were planted and how many need to be done in the next planting.  Having both a printed copy and an electronic copy means I also have a record to use for crop rotation and to know how much space I've got come the Spring planting.

 

Looks like I'm not the only one to plant out their front yard!

 

The Internet is full of information and plenty relates to Veggie gardening.  I found it difficult to locate Australian-specific information though.  The Diggers Club has been around for years and is brilliant.  Yates and Mr Fothergills sell seeds and have basic information, but there are times when I like the feel of a printed book (I'm a bit old-fashioned in that respect!).  Bay Books Gardening Library The Food Garden is simple and full of everything I need and not much of things I don't need.  I found it at our local library's book sale and never regretted buying it.  Another great resource for Australian gardeners is Bay Books Herb and Vegetable Gardening.  It has a HUGE amount of information and amazing pictures.  It includes general information on getting a garden started, propagating and an A-Z index of both Herbs and Vegetables including information on how to store and use them.  The book links are to Amazon to provide you with information should you wish to access your own copy.  I am not affiliated with them and receive nothing if you purchase from them.

 

I hope I've inspired you to either update your garden plan or to create a new one for the new season.  Just imagine, all your hard work now might pay dividends and end up providing you with a harvest like this!



 

 

Rachel at Scrub Cottage

Homemaking: Cleaning Schedule

I thought I'd begin by getting right done to business and the heart of a a homemaker's daily job...cleaning.

Are you the sort of person who has a plan for cleaning every square inch of your home? Or do you wonder the last time your bathroom was properly cleaned?  Perhaps, like me, you are somewhere in between.

I wanted to share my chore schedule with you today as a way of encouraging you to keep up with the cleaning.  I has found my schedule to be a great motivator as my chores are only done once a week, so when the washing is all done, I don't need to worry about it until next week.  Surprisingly, it also acts as a permission giver to do something else.  When, say, my washing is done, I feel that I can sew or read or just sit and stare out the window without feeling guilty for not 'working'.

I have taken my order from the Amish books I read a while ago because it suited me and I love that their tradition and simpleness can live on in my family, even though I've embraced technology.

Monday: Washing Day (Involves the actual washing of the clothes, hanging up, drying, folding and putting away.  I usually have to iron 1 of my husband's shirts in preparation for Tuesday, but the rest will wait)

Tuesday: Ironing Day (Ironing...obviously! I have my husband's work shirts, sometimes a top or two for myself and sometimes my daughter's school uniform.  It's a rather easy day!)

Wednesday: Sewing/Mending Day (I love to sew, knit, crochet and potter in my little craft area but I have found some small, niggly sewing projects that seem to keep getting pushed aside in preference for a larger complete project.  On of my first sewing days that I actually kept just recently allowed me to finish some mending that had been moved from multiple crates every time I cleaned up for almost a year.  4 little projects was all it took and I felt a real sense of achievement)

Thursday: Shopping/Baking Day (I have been shopping fortnightly for almost a year. Before that was a year of monthly shopping  that was preceeded by 3 years of weekly shopping.  Pay day always seems to be on a Thursday so it makes sense to shop also on a Thursday.  On the non shopping days I want to get in the kitchen and bake.  Muffins for lunchboxes, bar cakes for the freezer for visitors and now, being 4 months pregnent, our newly purchased chest freezer should also be starting to be filled with meals for post-birth)

Friday: Cleaning Day (I try to get my bathroom and toilet cleaned, the floor vacuumed, the lounge room dusted and my kitchen dressers and benches cleared off.  I'm not fanatical about cleaning because I find it causes a lot of stress for me, so a once a week clean works well.

Saturday and Sunday are reserved for family time as my husband is home on the weekend.  We catch up with family and doing chores around family visits is rather difficult.

My mornings have become a great time to get my children involved in caring for a home.  We are usually ready to leave for school about 10-15 minutes early.  Simple things like making the beds has made a big difference to the feeling inside my home.  My daughter is also getting better at cleaning up her toys before bed and before leaving for school so our home is neat and tidy most of the day.

I hope you feel encouraged to bless your home and family by implementing a cleaning schedule that suits you.

Joining my first link parties at Homestead Barn Hop, Domestically Divine Tuesday