Every week there are chores to do around the farm! This past week we tackled some of our garden and orchard chores together! As new parents it’s hard to find time to go on dates and plan things without little Ava in tow. Farm life is busy and many times we are tired and sleepy! But there’s many ways to hang out when you homestead. We choose to make the most out of them and that way we can still “ date” and have fun while doing chores!

Read on to see our tips on dating each other and also tips and ways we keep up with the garden and orchard using some of our favorite tools.

Ways to “ DATE” while doing chores

So here’s a few tips on how to go on a “date” while on the homestead.

• Garden together - take time even if just 10 min a day to pull weeds and garden. You can talk about your day and it’s a great time to catch up and talk.

• Fold laundry together ( you laugh but hey it’s a bonding experience)

• Picnic lunch in the pasture

• Dinner under the stars

• Cook a meal together. It’s really fun to harvest things from the garden and then cook together. Kind of brings everything full circle. Keep reading to see one of my favorite garden fresh recipes!

TIPS FOR PRUNING TREES

Prunning should be done in late fall or early spring. Jared did this to all our fruit tree’s but there were a few we had not addressed so he did it now. It’s easier to do when the tree is dormant and there are no leaves so you can see exactly what you’re doing. Below are a few standard tips Jared follows when pruning our tree’s.

• Clean up the smaller branches ( side shoots) so your branches can hold the weight of the fruit once ripe. It looks nice to have lots of fruit but if you haven’t given your branches the opportunity to be strong enough they can break. So trim the smaller ones and leave the big hearty ones .

• Trim the tees in the shape of an upside down umbrella. Trim out the middle which helps the tree get lots of sunlight.

• Ensure there are no branches lower than about 3 feet of the ground

• Trim the tops so they are not taller than about 7 feet. We wanted to keep ours fairly small so this allows us to be able to reach and get to all the fruit without loosing any.

BELOW ARE SOME OF JARED’S FAVORITE TOOLS TO PRUNE WITH

TIPS FOR TRIMMING HERBS

The smell of fresh herbs is so delicious not to mention how amazing fresh herbs make your meals taste! Follow a few simple guidelines when it comes to herbs to keep them growing and thriving all summer long.

• Begin to trim the herb as soon as the plant is strong and growing. Hens tend to grow quick and pretty soon they will be out of control!

• Use clean sharp snips to easily cut herbs and not damage the plant

• Snip off all the flower buds so the herbs last longer

• Prune new growth about every week during the summer

• Cilantro you can let go to seed and harvest the seeds and use them while cooking ( I didn't know for the longest time that coriander is cilantro seeds)

  
  

BELOW ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR TRIMMING HERBS

TIPS FOR DAHLIA & FLOWER PLANTING

I’m gonna go ahead and say I am new to Dahlias’s and cut flower gardens. I am NO expert but I got lots of questions on the topic so there’s a few thoughts. Always make sure you have adequate fertilized soil and good drainage. That is key before even starting to plant! Planting in an area with lots of sunlight is also a needed thing.

DAHLIA TIPS

• Two weeks after the last frost is the best time to plant

• Ground termperature should be around 60 for them to really grow

• Plant Dahlias tubers in an area that has full sun

• Plant about 2-3 feet apart for the medium to larger varieties.

CUT FLOWERS

• Cosmo’s and Zinnias are some of my favorite and have always done pretty well with not much upkeep.

• Always deadhead your flowers. This will guarantee more blooms come and your plants stay healthy.

  
  

BELOW ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE TOOLS TO USE WHEN GETTING MY GARDEN BEDS READY FOR FLOWER PLANTING

MAKING A MEAL TOGETHER

The best part of gardening is harvesting all the yummy things you’ve grown! Even better? Getting to cook and eat all you’ve grown. Herbs are a bit part of what we grow and after our chore day I made a delicious potato and dil salad that was garden fresh and full of flavor.

WAYS TO PLAN A DINNER DATE AT HOME

• Set the table in a special way

• Make a fun drink

• Make your significant other’s favorite recipe one week then yours the next

• Cook a cuisine you’ve never tried before

Cooking together is a wonderful way to have “date night” Talking, learning, sharing. A meal can really bring us together. See link below for recipe.

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE KITCHEN UTENSILS I USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

I hope this has given you some ideas on hoe to “Date” on the farm + helpful gardening tips! The weeks are just flying by for us and we are always busy. Once has to be intentional when it comes to planning and spending time together. At least this way you can still hang out while getting work done! A big thank you to FISKARS for sending over so many amazing tools. We have used FISKARS for years and they have been such a staple on our farm. It always makes it easier to get chores done when you have a good product.

Until Next Time,

Annette