Growing Food in Your Backyard (and indoors)

Are you interested in growing your own food and embracing the beauty of a simple, self-sufficient lifestyle? Then you’re in the right place! Whether you’re planting your first seeds or tending a flourishing garden, you’ll find practical tips and projects to make growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs easier and more rewarding.

From creating a bountiful vegetable patch to harvesting fresh herbs from your kitchen windowsill, this space is all about cultivating nourishment, connection, and sustainability. Discover beginner-friendly guides, seasonal planting advice, and tried-and-true tips for growing your favorite foods at home.

Ready to dig in? Explore our gardening resources and see how growing your own food can transform your simple living journey—one seed at a time.

If you need a little help planning your garden and keeping your notes organized or understanding your climate, we can help.

In the garden… growing zucchini and summer squash

September 15, 2025March 30, 2011 by Angi Schneider

Close-up of a thriving zucchini plant showcasing a vibrant yellow flower and a growing zucchini in the garden. The text on the image reads, "Growing Zucchini: Tips and Uses" and "SchneiderPeeps.com.

Sometimes zucchini gets a bad wrap, but if you’re serious about feeding your family from your garden then growing zucchini is great way to do that. Unlike winter squash that will produce just a few squash per vine, zucchini will produce many squash per plant. There are three main types of summer squash; zucchini, yellow squash (sometimes …

Growing and Preserving Tomatoes

August 11, 2025March 23, 2011 by Angi Schneider

Tomatoes are probably the most popular homegrown vegetable. Homegrown tomatoes taste far better than store bought tomatoes, and they're pretty easy to grow. Growing and preserving tomatoes allows you to enjoy summer all year long.

Tomatoes are probably the most popular homegrown vegetable. Homegrown tomatoes are so much better than store bought tomatoes and that’s why so many people grow tomatoes. Even people who don’t garden will often plant a tomato or two in containers or sneak them into the back flower bed. For the most part, tomatoes are pretty …

::peep, peep::

January 30, 2019February 22, 2011 by Angi Schneider

A group of fluffy brown chicks huddles together in a clear container filled with wood shavings. They are surrounded by a small amount of food and water in bowls. The setting appears to be indoors.

The chicks are here! Friday, Phoebe and Benjamin became the proud “parents” of 25 baby hens. We spent the weekend working outside, enlarging the chicken coop and making some pens for these little girls to be in after they leave our mudroom but before they go into the chicken yard. The older boys have decided …

::meet the ladies::

August 12, 2025January 25, 2011 by Angi Schneider

Three chickens, including a black one and two with brown and white plumage, are standing on dry grass near a wire fence.

Remember when I said that Phoebe and Benjamin wanted to start an egg business. Well, some friends wanted to tidy up their back yard and so they gave us their hens. These were really more like pets than livestock, and came with cute names, such as “Fluffy, Tweetie and Blackie”. They are fitting in just …