Spring Garden Tour: How We’re Building a Productive Backyard Homestead (Without Perfection)
Welcome to Our Spring Garden (And Real Life, Not Perfect Life)
We are officially on spring break over here—which means slower mornings, kids home all day, and finally… time to step outside and really get our hands in the dirt.
So today, I wanted to take you along on our first garden tour of the season.
Not the polished version.
Not the “everything is done and picture-perfect” version.
But the real one.
The one with half-filled beds, changing plans, and muddy boots.
Because if you’re anything like me, you don’t need more inspiration that makes you feel behind…
You need to see what it actually looks like to build a homestead in real life.
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🌱 The Vision for This Year’s Garden
Before we jump into what’s growing, let me share the heart behind this year’s garden.
This isn’t just about growing food.
This is about building a life.
A life where:
- My kids are involved
- We grow what we can
- We learn as we go
- And we create something meaningful together
This year, we have a few big goals:
- 🌸 Grow enough cut flowers to open a small market stand
- 🍅 Produce enough tomatoes for at least half the year
- 🫛 Grow enough green beans to last the whole year
- 🌽 Try our hand at corn for the first time
- 🐓 Start integrating chickens into our homestead
It’s a lot…
But we’re not doing it all at once.
We’re doing it step-by-step.
🛠️ Progress Over Perfection (A Real Look at Our Setup)
Let me just say this upfront:
This garden is not finished.
And honestly… it probably never will be.
Because every time we start a project, something shifts.
- The walkway we planned? → Turned into a patio
- The entrance design? → Completely changed
- The dahlias? → Planted early with makeshift frost protection
We pivot. A lot.
And that’s okay.
Because this is what homesteading actually looks like:
👉 You use what you have
👉 You adjust as you go
👉 You figure it out along the way
Messy action beats no action. Every single time.
🪴 Raised Beds, Herbs & Simple Systems
One of the biggest upgrades this year has been adding more raised beds.
And here’s the best part…
My kids helped put them together.
Not perfectly.
But they did it.
And now they’re invested in the space too.
What we’re growing here:
- Oregano (coming back from last year 🙌)
- Parsley
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Other simple kitchen herbs
Nothing fancy.
Just the basics we actually use.
Because that’s the goal:
Grow what fits your real life.
🍓 Strawberries, Flowers & Spaces for the Kids
We also added a few fun (and meaningful) elements this year.
🍓 Strawberry Tower
- Rebuilt this year
- Using everbearing strawberries
- Easy for the kids to pick and snack
🌻 Sunflower “House” (in progress)
This might be one of my favorite ideas…
We’re planting a mini sunflower field—possibly in a design—so the kids can have their own little sunflower house.
Not because it’s efficient.
But because it creates memories.
And that matters just as much.
🌸 Our Cut Flower Garden Plan (Simple & Scalable)
This year, we’re going all in on cut flowers.
We have 12 beds dedicated just to flowers—and the goal is simple:
👉 Grow enough to start a small market stand
But here’s how we’re keeping it manageable…
We’re sticking to easy, high-yield flowers:
- Zinnias
- Cosmos
- Gladiolus
- Basil (for greenery)
- A few “fun” additions like celosia
Nothing complicated.
Nothing overwhelming.
Just simple, repeatable, and productive.
🧄 What’s Already Growing (Early Season Crops)
Even with everything still coming together, we already have some things growing:
- Garlic (planted in the fall and looking AMAZING)
- Potatoes (Yukon Gold & red)
- Sugar snap peas (on arches)
- Strawberries
- Hardy kiwi (…trying its best after frost 😅)
And soon:
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Tomatoes (lots of tomatoes)
Because yes…
We are growing a LOT of tomatoes this year.
🌿 Our Soil Method (Budget-Friendly & Practical)
If you’ve ever felt like filling raised beds is overwhelming or expensive…
This is how we do it:
Our simple layering method:
- Twigs + sticks + yard waste (bottom layer)
- Native soil (bulk fill)
- Leaf compost (top layer)
That’s it.
No complicated formulas.
No expensive soil mixes.
Just practical, affordable, and effective.
🐓 What’s Coming Next: Chickens & Expansion
One of our biggest upcoming projects is adding:
👉 A chicken coop + run
We’re designing it so:
- You can collect eggs from outside the garden
- It’s predator-proof
- It integrates into our overall layout
It’s not done yet.
But it’s coming.
And that’s the theme of this whole garden…
It’s always becoming.
🌼 The Daffodil Field (A Legacy Project)
Okay… this one is close to my heart.
We’re starting our own daffodil field.
Not for profit.
Not for productivity.
But for legacy.
Some of these daffodils:
- Came with the property
- Came from our old home
- Are being shared from neighbors
And the dream?
That one day…
These flowers will still be blooming long after we’re gone.