She's Rooted Home

Author: Tara Philipp

  • Chicken Victory Garden

    Chicken Victory Garden

    How to create a chicken victory garden and cut back on feed.

    Our hens love lots of treats! So much so that I can’t walk outside without feeling guilt if I don’t have anything in hand for them. Our girls come running as soon as I walk outside, but they know it’s treat time when I whistle. I’ve tried planting many different plant varieties for treats in the past but they wipe them out before the plants even get a chance to establish themselves.

    I wanted to be able to grow beautiful plants around their coop without them getting ahold of them and killing them. Even a strong & well established plant would be wiped out in a day. I decided I would need to make some sort of raised bed with chicken wire to keep them from wiping the plants out completely.

    It was also very important to me to use what we already had on hand to create their raised bed garden. We had a lot of old pallets piled up in the backyard I knew would make great scrap wood for this project. Instead of taking the boards apart, I had Chad cut them in half for me to create a large raised bed.

    After cutting 3 pallets in half and screwing them together to create the bottom of the raised bed. I decided to pull a few more pieces of scrap wood from the pile, that already had wire attached, from an old chicken coop that feel apart. I tested a few different ways I could attach these pieces to create a raised bed that would grow healthy plants, but also keep the chickens from destroying the plants completely. This house shape was my absolute favorite, it’s like a little chicken greenhouse.

    I took a few pieces with wire already attached and overlapped them to create a house effect. I hammered a few nails & screws to hold it in place. Making sure there was an opening for me to pull weeds and harvest the hens treats daily, I started planting lavender, candela, nasturtiums, tomatoes, zinnias, kale, beets, carrots, lettuce and even some borage for the bees. Then I covered the two sides with more chicken wire.

    In order to ensure the plants could grow I had to secure the sides with wire too, so that the hens wouldn’t destroy them them right away. Now I can harvest as much or little as I’d like daily to spoil them. It also makes a beautiful addition to the chicken coop area. I do plan on adding more herbs as well as sprouting grains to there diet this summer, but please tell me in the comments below, what treats do your hens enjoy?

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  • The Back Loop Bobble Dishcloth

    The Back Loop Bobble Dishcloth

    A crochet dishcloth using a new stitch technique called the back loop bobble.

    This stitch is a lot of fun and makes such a great texture for washcloths! The back is simple & smooth, while the front steals the show, but my favorite part might just be the boarder.

    To create the back loop bobble, yarn over and insert your hook into the back loop only. Yarn over and draw up a loop. You should now have a total of 3 loops on your hook.

    Careful to continue working in the same stitch, yarn over and insert your hook into the whole stitch(front & back loop). Yarn over and draw up another loop, for a total of 5 loops on your crochet hook.

    Yarn over and draw through all 5 loops on your hook. You can find the step by step tutorial HERE.

    The Back Loop Bobble Dishcloth

    Download The Back Loop Bobble Dishcloth

    You can get creative with this stitch by lining up all of your bobbles into a row or you can stager them. To line up each row make sure you start each bobble row the same. If you started with a single crochet (sc) and then a back loop bobble, make sure to do that for each row. Pictured below as the dark grey.

    If you want to stager the rows, alternate between starting your work with a single crochet (sc) and a back loop bobble. This is my personal preference. Pictured below as the green.

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  • The Back Loop Bobble. A New Stitch Technique

    The Back Loop Bobble. A New Stitch Technique

    New stitch technique: The back loop bobble stitch.

    This stitch has quickly become one of my favorites because of how it came to be. I was working on a slipper pattern to mimic the old knitted slippers my great grandma use to create for our family. I was having a hard time creating a crochet stitch that looked similar to her knitted one, that she used to join the slippers together. That was until I found this combination.

    I loved it so much I decided to test it as a washcloth pattern. The best part is the texture it gives your crochet project. To get started you’ll need yarn and a crochet hook. Anything will do, I am using a size 5.0mm/H hook and Red Heart yarn. Attach your yarn to your crochet hook and chain(CH) 11. When counting your chains(CH) look for the V’s, each V is one chain. 

    Back Loop Bobble

    Single crochet (sc) in each chain (ch) for a total of 10 single crochets (sc). Chain (ch) 1 and turn your work. Single crochet (sc) in your first stitch.

    To create the back loop bobble, yarn over and insert your hook into the back loop only. When you are looking at the top of your work, you’ll see two strands making up the next crochet stitch. The one closest to you is called the front loop & the second loop, behind it, is called the back loop.

    After you have yarned over and inserted your hook into the back loop, you are going to yarn over and draw up another loop. You should now have a total of 3 loops on your hook.

    We’re not finished yet. Careful to continue working in the same stitch, yarn over and insert your hook into the whole stitch, front & back loop.

    Yarn over and draw up another loop, for a total of 5 loops on your crochet hook. Yarn over and draw through all 5 loops on your hook.

    Alternate between single crochets (sc) and the back loop bobble until the end of your row. Chain 1 to begin a new row. Single crochet (sc) across.

    You can get creative with this stitch by lining up all of your bobbles into a row or you can stager them. To line up each row make sure you start each bobble row the same. If you started with a single crochet (sc) and then a back loop bobble, make sure to do that for each row. Pictured below as the dark grey.

    If you want to stager the rows, alternate between starting your work with a single crochet (sc) and a back loop bobble. This is my personal preference. Pictured below as the green.

    Remember that each row after alternating between a single crochet (sc) and back loop bobble, you’ll want to single crochet across. This creates a very textured side, as well as a simple and smooth backing.

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  • A Beginners Guide To Crocheting: How To Half Double Crochet (HDC)

    A Beginners Guide To Crocheting: How To Half Double Crochet (HDC)

    A beginners guide to crocheting a half double crochet (hdc).

    Hello friend! I am so excited that you are eager to learn more crochet stitches! I can’t wait to teach you one of my favorites, the half double crochet (hdc). Just in case that last sentence confused you HDC is an abbreviation for H-half D-double C-crochet.  I want to add these abbreviations to all posts and get you familiar with seeing them. This will help you later in your crochet journey to read patterns easily.

    To get started you’ll need yarn and a crochet hook. Anything will do, I am using a size 5.0mm/H hook and Red Heart yarn. I’d like you to attach your yarn to your crochet hook and chain(CH) 11. When counting your chains(CH) look for the V’s or as my daughter likes to call them hearts. Each V is one chain. 

    • Now that you have 11 CH(chains), turn your work over.
    • Yarn over.
    • Now insert your hook into the second chain from your hook.
    • Yarn over again and draw up a loop.
    • With 3 loops on your hook, yarn over one more time & draw through all 3 loops on your hook. This stitch is similar to a double crochet, except you are drawing the yarn through all 3 loops.

    Repeat for the remaining chains(CH) for a total of 10 half double crochets (HDC). Yarn over & insert your hook into the next chain space. Wrap your working yarn around the hook, draw through the chain space. With 3 loops on your hook, yarn over(wrapping the yarn around the hook) and pull through all 3 loops.

    Now we are going to build on top of that first row by chaining(CH) 1 and turning your work over. Half double crocheting (HDC) on top of the previous row. Yarn over & insert your hook into the first stitch(opening), yarn over and draw up a loop. With three loops on your hook, yarn over and pull through all three. You’re half double crocheting (HDC).

    To count your stitches turn your work slightly so that you’re looking at it from the top instead of the side. Count each sideways V or 2 strands of yarn. You should have 10 HDC-half double crochets. Continue working 10 half double crochets(HDC) across each row. Chaining(CH) 1 and turning to start another row. Once you feel comfortable half double crocheting(HDC) you can move onto a double crochet(DC). Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @shesrootedhome #abeginnersguidetocrocheting so I can see your progress and cheer you on my sweet friend!

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  • How To Start A Garden By Propagating Tree Cuttings

    How To Start A Garden By Propagating Tree Cuttings

    Propagate tree cuttings and get started growing your own food.

    A great way to start growing your own food and receive continual harvests, year after year, is to invest in fruit trees. Investing in multiple trees can become quite expensive, very quickly. If you don’t mind waiting, propagating tree cuttings could be the route to go.

    So far we have had success rooting fig tree cuttings. Many we received from IV Organics or rooted from our own fig trees, that we planted last year. Most of the information shared in this blog post was learned from Charles Malki’s Youtube Channel.

    This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. 

    Supplies

    Instructions

    1. Drill a few small holes at the bottom of your plastic cup.
    2. Mix 50/50 pearlite and vermiculite and add it to your plastic cup. Filling it up 75% of the way.
    3. Make a cut on the bottom edge of the cutting, right at the node.
    4. Dip in rooting hormone.
    5. Insert your tree cutting in the middle of your cup, approximately half way down. Place in your seed tray or saucer.
    6. Water from the bottom. Try to always have 1/4′ of water in your seed tray or saucer.
    7. Optional: Place a heating pad underneath the seed tray.

    Up Potting

    Once your roots are established, taking over the bottom of your plastic cup, you’ll want to up pot it into a larger container.

    Supplies

    Instructions

    1. Mix your pearlite, vermiculite, peat moss/coco coir, citrus potting mix.
    2. Place your soil mixture in your pot and gently transfer your fig/tree cutting into the pot.

    Fertilize

    Once the cutting has a few sets of leaves you may fertilize every 7-14 days.

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