Self Sufficient Living

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2025 - Garden

2025 was a busy and rewarding year, featuring the conversion of half the garden into 15 raised beds, the creation of a cozy sitting area, and the transformation of the firepit from irregular rocks to beautiful silver quartzite flagstone.

Sequence of four photos showing the process of building wooden beds in a backyard garden: initial layout of framework on soil, assembling and stacking the wooden structures, and partially completed raised beds with vertical support posts, with trees, a fence, and houses in the background.
A collage of four images showing a gardening project: top left shows a dump truck and a pile of soil, top right depicts a fallen tree with a ladder and a fence, bottom left shows empty garden beds with a person standing nearby, bottom right displays completed raised garden beds with wooden posts in a yard. The text overlay reads 'Filling the Beds.'

First week May 2025

A collage of four photos showing a garden with raised beds and a greenhouse, with a central text overlay that reads 'Planting the Beds'.

Second week May 2025

May 26, 2025

Sequence of images showing a garden area under renovation, including a circular stone patio, stacking of rocks in wire cages for a planter, and organized outdoor furniture with potted plants and gardening tools.

May 26-June 6, 2025 created a sitting area next to the raised garden beds.

A collage of six photos showing a garden with wooden raised beds, some with young plants and flowers, and a vegetable bed with rows of freshly tilled soil.

June 9, 2025 (week 2)

Multiple raised garden beds filled with various vegetables and flowering plants in a backyard garden.

June 17, 2025 (week 4)

Sequence of images showing the stages of building a circular stone fire pit in a backyard. The process begins with clearing a site, followed by leveling the ground, adding a fire pit ring, and then laying down large flagstone pieces to create a surrounding patio. Final images show the completed fire pit with a circular arrangement of stones and a central metal fire ring, surrounded by outdoor furniture and trees.
Six photos of a backyard garden with raised beds, plants, and wooden fences, showing various stages of planting and growth.

June 21, 2025 (update 1.12.2026 I will be tearing out the rock, laying sand down and getting a load of gravel to use instead. The rock will then be placed in the garden walkways in-between the beds.)

A backyard garden with multiple wooden raised beds and small greenhouses with plastic covers, surrounded by tall trees and a clear blue sky.

July 7, 2025 (week 6) temperatures got into the 90’s and has caused the stunting of beets and cool weather plants to bolt. As a result, I am building frames around each bed to hang some shade cloth.

July 8, 2025 Shade cloth installed using garden bug screen doubled over.

Collage of multiple vegetable garden beds with green leafy vegetables, flowers, and plants, protected by mesh covers, in an outdoor backyard setting.

July 21, 2026 (week 8)

Collage of multiple images showing a garden with various vegetables and plants, some under protective structures like tunnels and netting, with trees and blue skies in the background.

Aug 8, 2026 (week 10)

collage of various garden beds and greenhouses with vegetables and plants, including corn, leafy greens, cucumbers, and flowering plants, set in a backyard with trees and wooden fences.

Aug 31, 2026 (week 13)

What is a Plant Hardiness Zone?

The plant hardiness zone is a standard by which gardeners can determine which plants will thrive in their specific location based on weather data that is collected. Zone 1 is the coldest with zone 13 being the warmest.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 covering the United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. Shows different climate zones based on average annual extreme minimum temperatures from 1991-2020, color-coded from blues (coldest) to reds (warmest).
NOAA Interactive Map

Click on the link which will take you to an interactive map. You will be able to click on a dot to see the average date (1991-2020) that temperatures drop below freezing.

Table showing average last and first frost dates by agricultural hardiness zones in the United States, with zones 1 to 13 listed. Zone 1: last frost May 22-Jun 4, first frost Aug 25-31. Zone 13: no usual frost.