10 Homestead Lessons From 10 Years on the Ranch

Chelsea wearing a teal shirt standing in front of her pumpkin patch and little greenhouse.

Table of Contents We are three weeks away from leaving the homestead we’ve spent a decade building. Ten years ago, Dan and I moved onto 160 acres in the central interior of BC with a lot of enthusiasm and not nearly enough knowledge. We’ve grown most of our own food, raised livestock, built a root … Read more

How to Plan Your Garden Harvest Around a Move

Chelsea standing in her garden smiling.

Table of Contents Nobody plans to move in the middle of harvest season. And yet, here we are: three weeks out from our move date, and the garden is fuller than I anticipated. After 10 years on our 160-acre ranch in the central interior of BC, we’re relocating to a smaller 16-acre farm, and I … Read more

 How to Harvest Garlic in a Northern Garden (Step-by-Step)

Chelsea standing front of the row of garlic she's about to harvest.

I planted 600 cloves of garlic last October and pulled them out of the ground this week. I am not going to pretend that was not emotional, because this particular harvest carries more weight than usual. This garlic is not just for our kitchen. It is the seed stock for next year’s crop at our new farm, the first tangible step toward the farm store I have been working toward for years.

How to Propagate Perennial Berry Bushes: A Simple Guide

When we decided to move our family off our 160-acre ranch in central BC, the thing that worried me most was not packing the house or selling the equipment. It was the garden.

Six years of perennial plants. Haskaps that fruit before anything else in the yard. Comfrey that feeds the apple trees without being asked. Raspberries that have taken over in the best possible way. Plants we chose carefully for our cold climate and that took years to establish.

There was no way I was leaving all of it behind.

How to Harden Off Seedlings and Prevent Transplant Shock

Chelsea in the high tunnel in front of growing seedlings.

Transitioning plants from a cozy indoor grow room to the harsh outdoor elements requires careful planning. Indoors, seedlings are protected from wind, heavy rains, and intense UV rays. If you move them outside too quickly, the shock can easily kill them.

5 Vegetable Garden Layout Strategies for Better Yields

Close up of Chelsea with a variety of storage vegetables (carrots, cabbage, squash and onions).

In this guide, we will cover the practical strategies I use to structure my main crop garden. We will discuss exactly where to place specific plants, how to manage pests and slopes, and why you might want to stop growing certain vegetables altogether.

Spring Garden Planning: 3 Lessons for a Better Harvest

A split screen of Chelsea in a bare high tunnel on the left and a fully grown garden in the middle of the season.

Welcome to the first garden update of 2026! The ground here in the North is still frozen solid. We are waking up to snow almost every other day. While it can be a bit demoralizing, this weather forces me to sit down and get serious about spring garden planning.