She's Rooted Home

Author: Tara Philipp

  • 4 Seed Exchange Ideas

    4 Seed Exchange Ideas

    Todays guest post is from Bailey at Tribe Van Tassel & she’s sharing 4 Seed Exchange Ideas to send your partner.

    4 Seed Exchange Ideas

    4 Seed Exchange Ideas

    I’ll never forget the first seeds I ever planted that turned into real live vegetables that my family ate. It’s some kind of wonderful magic. And really it’s much easier than you think. I promise! 

    For the last 12,000 years people have traditionally saved seeds to maintain gardens and farms. It’s really just been in the 20th century that people have bought seed packets. These farmers and gardeners from centuries past have utilized faith, knowledge, and community to keep traditions alive. To keep nurturing their family, to keep working with the tides and the moon and the soil and the bees to make so much more than vegetables and flowers. It’s to preserve a legacy of self-reliance, beauty, hope, and perseverance. It’s to witness miracles and inspire us to see the apple within the seed. 

    My friend Tara at She’s Rooted Home has blessed us all by creating an online seed exchange where we can share knowledge, tools, seeds, and whatever we want to help each other live our best gardening lives. She’s matching people based on their hardiness zones so that we can best help each other, and I couldn’t be more excited. She’s only opening doors for this until the end of next week, so hop on the bandwagon stat. Oh and you don’t need to save your own seeds – packets will do just fine!!

    I’ve put together some ideas for what I could be sending my partners below. The options are endless! 

    Here are some seed exchange ideas to help you plan: 

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    1. Seeds of course! 

    This year I am really looking forward to growing these mini butternut squashes from Row7 Seeds. This company in itself is so rad, and I’m excited to share about them with anyone who will listen. They also sell out often, so they can be hard to come by! 

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    2. The Growing Candle 

    These are the actual coolest candles on the planet. They are in gorgeous little pots and the packaging is a seed packet of wildflowers! Can you even believe such a thing?! I’m in love. 

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    3. Cute harvest basket

    All gardeners need a basket for gathering their goodies, and this little vintage inspired wire number does the trick! Perfect for a small batch of herbs and perhaps a handful of beans and flowers. 

    4. A very personal graft 

    Something I’m hoping to do is get a very special graft from a specific Ojai Pixie Tangerine tree. I grew up running through the groves of a farm in Ojai, and some of my best memories as a kid were there making fresh orange juice and hiding in boxes of puppies while my cowboy parents made lunch and talked about rodeoing. I would love to be able to get a few of these to share and spread the love. 

    I hope these ideas inspire you to get out there and participate in a seed exchange, virtual or otherwise! To sign up for the She’s Rooted Home Seed Exchange, click here, and join us! 

    *This post contains affiliate links, which help me earn a living for my family. Thank you for supporting us! 

  • Seed Swap Gift Ideas

    Seed Swap Gift Ideas

    Todays guest appearance is from Annette at Azure Farm & she’s sharing her Seed Swap Gift Ideas with you.

    Seed Swap Gift Ideas

    Sign up HERE for She’s Rooted Home Seed Exchange.

    Garden Printable-

    Annette has been so kind to include 9 pages for you to get your garden plans organized and ready for the year. “Can’t wait for you guys to use this guide. I really hope it is beneficial to you!” You can grab them HERE!

    Zinnias-

    Annette will definitely be including Zinnias in her partners Seed Exchange package. “These have fast become my FAVORITE flowers!! I feel they are pretty easy to grow! They come in a million different colors and last all summer! If you maintain them they will continue to bloom until it’s too cold. They last forever in a vase and are just so very pretty!”

    Seed vs seedlings

    “I’ve done both! If you have the time to start seedlings you can start them a few weeks or even a month early. Then that way they are already growing by the time you plant them and you’ll have blooms quicker!”

    “There’s nothing more fun than the garden, it brings us life through its’ produce, and builds in us a sense of appreciation and hard work. We believe in sharing recipes that promote a healthy lifestyle and plant-based diet.”

    Hey Friends! My name is Annette and I’m a midwest girl turned southern belle after marrying my husband Jared. I studied nursing in college, then designed wedding gowns for many years. Now I’m transitioning to farmgirl and we just added a beautiful baby girl to the mix. Ava Rose was born in May. Homestead living has quickly become my passion. I honestly wish I had started sooner. Learning to slow down and live with intention has been so rewarding. I look forward to learning all I can now that God has shown me the thrill of getting back to nature. l believe in laughter – it truly is the best medicine. I also believe in loving fiercely, and creating community with those both near and far. I hope you enjoy following along our journey.

    Learn more about Annette and her farm family at Azure Farm or follow her on Instagram @azurefarm

    *This post contains affiliate links, which help me earn a living for my family. Thank you for supporting us! 

  • First Time Gardener, Seed Exchange Package Guide

    First Time Gardener, Seed Exchange Package Guide

    A Seed Exchange package guide or the first time gardener.

    Don’t know what to send a first time gardener?

    It can be hard to remember what got you started gardening, especially if you’ve been gardening for quite some time. I’ve complied a few shopping lists that will help you supply your partner with a fun and useful seed exchange package.

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

    grow your own food cheap and easy diy raised garden bed

    #1

    #2

    #3

    All of these kits include the minimum requirement of 3 seed packets and reach the $50 budget. You could purchase the supplies to create one of these first time gardener kits or use it as inspiration to come up with even more ideas for your seed exchange partner.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

  • How To Add Bees To A New Hive Box.

    How To Add Bees To A New Hive Box.

    Today I’m sharing a step by step process to adding your bees to their new hive box.

    For information on the supplies needed to get stared bee keeping, click here.

    I was so anxious waiting for our bees to arrive, checking there shipment anytime I had a little free time. Once they arrived, Chad made me wait to add them to the hive until he got home. I’m glad I did because I was able to record the whole process for you. For information on the supplies needed to get stared bee keeping, click here

    Spray the bees with a sugar water mixture to prevent them from flying away.

    First you’ll want to pick a spot that gives the hive a little privacy and make sure that they’ll be uninterrupted. Place the hive box on top of the 2 cinder blocks or hive frame. Open the hive lid and remove 2-3 frames. Spray the bees with a sugar water mixture to prevent them from flying away.

    During this time they will bond and except her as there new queen.

    Remove the lid to the shipment of bees, but not completely. Bounce the bees down and remove the queen box, place the lid back on top of the bees. Brush any bees on the queen box down into the hive. Remove the plug on the queens box and add a gummy bear. The bees will eat at the gummy bear to get to the queen. During this time they will bond and except her as there new queen.

    You will want to bounce or knock the bees into the hive, I wouldn’t shake them.

    Attach the queens box to the top of one of the frames inside the hive. Spray and bounce the bees down again. Remove the lid from the bees and turn over, dumping all the bees inside of the hive box. You will want to bounce or knock the bees into the hive, I wouldn’t shake them.

    The remaining bees will likely find their way into the hive.

    Spray the bees as you do this to prevent them from flying away. After you’ve gotten majority of the bees out, you can place the box they came in, by the hive entrance. The remaining bees will likely find their way into the hive.

    You’ll want to establish a water source for them.

    Make sure you have the smaller entrance door on your hive, to prevent swarming. Fill the hive box with as many frames as you can, without squishing the bees. You can add the remaining frames in a few days. You’ll want to establish a water source for them. You don’t want them to search your neighborhood and choose a pool, where they can drowned or a house that uses strong pesticides.

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!

  • The Supplies Needed To Become A Backyard Bee Keeper

    The Supplies Needed To Become A Backyard Bee Keeper

    What you need to become a backyard bee keeper.

    Last week I shared Our Journey To Becoming Backyard Bee Keepers, in case you missed it. This week I wanted to follow up with the supplies needed to become a backyard bee keeper.

    This made all the difference for us when we dove into backyard bee keeping.

    If you read last weeks post then you know we worked with a local bee keeper who helped us get started. This made all the difference for us when we dove into backyard bee keeping. Its easy to get overwhelmed with all that you need to get started. You may even talk yourself out of supplies because of the costs. I don’t want you to do that. I want you to think of me as your local bee keeper, coming over and explaining all the steps.

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

    I know this is a no brainer but make sure you purchase your hive box first and allow yourself to unbox the hive.

    Before purchasing any live bees you should have a hive box. Live bees ship when they are ready. They don’t wait on your hive box to come in first. I know this is a no brainer but make sure you purchase your hive box first and allow yourself to unbox the hive. Go over all the supplies, Youtube anything you are unsure of. If you are working on a tight budget, I recommend purchasing your hive box around summer. Then purchase your bee suits in the fall or winter and purchase you live bees in the spring.

    Keep in mind where your hive will live.

    The hive will need to be off the ground to help protect it from insects like ants or rodents that want to get in. We used four cinder blocks but you only need two to keep the hive off the ground. You could also purchase a hive stand. Keep in mind where your hive will live. You’ll want to make sure it’s protected and a little hidden. Ours is nested in a little spot just behind a fallen Joshua tree. You’ll also want to make sure there isn’t a lot of traffic around them. This will only agitate the bees, making them defensive.

    The supplies needed to become a backyard bee keeper

    I am so excited that you are curious about becoming a backyard bee keeper! I hope you have found this series helpful and I can’t wait for you to get started!

    PIN IT FOR LATER!!!