Garden Gossip - Smith "Nature Friendly" Farm

Do you click to like pages on Facebook that you want to see but then never get to see them?

It's becuase Facebooks system is not designed to favour pages unless you are very active with that page or unless the page owner pays Facebook for their page to show up more.

Good news, buried deep within the Facebook settings is a way to make it so you see your Facebook pages more. It is not hard once you do it a few times but it is literally buried, so it does have a few steps. Once you get started, you will be able to change the way your feed is, getting to see more of the pages you liked.

We hope you will set Smith's Nature Friendly Farm to your favourites as we would love to be a regular on your feed! Here is exactly how to do it.

Starting Point - Start from your main Facebook feed page as shown below.



Step 2 - Click on "Pages" on the left hand side of your screen.



Step 3 - Now click the "Liked Pages" on the left hand side.



Step 4 - On the right hand side and middle of your screen all the pages you have liked will appear here. If you have liked a lot keep scrolling as more will appear as you scroll down.They will load as fast as your internet provider allows, so give it a second.



Step 5 - Once you have found the group you want to change, click on the 3 dots to access the settings for that group.


Step 6 - This is where you can do a lot to decide how your liked page is fed to you. The most important is to set it up to how you want to see it. If you want to see it less, you can snooze it or silence it totally. You can leave it for Facebook to decide by leaving it on "default" or you can set it up so you can see the page more by setting it as favourite. The settings also allow you to decide how you see the video's they post and offers. To change, just click the option you want your page set to.



Finally, make sure to find us and set us to your favourites. We'd love for you to see us in your feed.



When I went through my list of pages I was shocked at how many Facebook pages I had not seen in a long time. Sometimes it's becuase the owner doesn't post but sometimes Facebook is just not feeding it to you. It gets lost in the noise. Facebook pages are really fantastic for helping change the content on your feed. For example, if you want to see less politics and more plants you can join plant groups. But you have to keep liking or commenting to ensure Facebook sends you those posts. These steps above should help those who are not active likers or commenters on Facebook. It also helps a small business who likely does not have the cash flow to pay for the advertising with Facebook yet.

We hope this helps you navigate the pages Faebook settings.

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Smith’s Nature Friendly Farm Store

Want to keep reading?
Check out the Aosom Greenhouse we have added to the farm.

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10 cents from every dollar made at Smith's Nature Friendly Farm including ad revenue from Google or Amazon will be donated to the charities we work with. Learn more about how we give back.

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Garlic is by far one of the easiest plants to grow. Why more people don’t grow it, I just don’t understand. A good amount of the garlic in North America is imported despite the ease of growing it and storing it here. For me, it is very rare that I even purchase garlic anymore.

This year we will be growing 3 garlic varieties:

Creole Garlic - This is a great softneck garlic variety that has some of the prettiest pink bulbs. These garlic have very small bulbs but are packed with excellent flavour. Great for eating fresh within a salad or marinade. This variety is best suited for our Southern climate.

Bogatyr - This hardneck garlic is known for it’s true garlic flavour. It is rich and with a bit of heat that doesn’t overwhelm. It is fantastic for those that love the garlic flavour or those who do a fair bit of italian cooking. Makes great garlic bread.

Elephant Garlic - We are trialing Elephant Garlic thanks to a lovely customer who gave us a bulb. Elephant Garlic is not a true garlic, but actually a member of the leek family. It is milder than most garlic and considered a bit more palatable for some when used raw.

The Bogatyr and Elephant Garlic is being grown for the first time in our garden. This means the first few years it is being grown to expand the seed stock and to be tested. In future years these varieties (if they test well) will be made available for sale through our farm.

The Creole garlic is in its second year of growth and we should have a larger amount available. This means it will likely be available through our farm in late Spring of 2021.

Why should you cook with garlic?

According to medical news today there are a lot of great reasons to love garlic. It is said to help lead you to a healthier heart and fight off many well known cancers. And of course we cannot forget how it wards off Vampires!

Check out the medical news article, there are a lot of health reasons to love garlic.

Garlic is for sure a staple product in our home and we are excited each year about expanding our garlic volume to serve our customers with great home grown flavour.

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Smith’s Nature Friendly Farm Store

Want to keep reading?
3 great squash that store well.

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Our blog can include Google Advertisements or Amazon affiliate links. These links can generate revenue from Google or Amazon. See our privacy policy to learn more.


10 cents from every dollar made at Smith's Nature Friendly Farm including ad revenue from Google or Amazon will be donated to the charities we work with. Learn more about how we give back.

We appreciate you joining us. Be friendly. Be kind. Take care.

Being able to extend your garden season and even grow all year is glorious. We recently added a mini high tunnel from Aosom.com to our garden and I am incredibly excited about it for this garden season. Here is a quick review of our early findings on the Aosom mini high tunnel and our experience with the purchase of the product.



Shipping
This was shipped incredibly fast and in good order. No packaging damage and every required piece in the box and accounted for.

Instructions
It's a large structure. It's not going to be easy, but it wasn’t hard. Well hard for my husband. If I did it alone I might not say the same thing. For the most part one person can do it but at some point you will need two people to hold up ends while the other person connects the pieces. The instructions are visual displays with numbers and not written. In our video we address a couple of spots in the set up that were not clear through the visuals.

Cost
You cannot beat the price. We paid just under $190 for a 10x10x20 greenhouse. Look for sales and sign up for email to get additional discounts.

Product Quality
Value for money is absolutely there. FOr what I paid I am sure for a few years I will massively enjoy this greenhouse. Reality check is that it's not a high end product. You have to remember you did not pay a high end price. But value for money is spot on. The greenhouse uses a very light frame and could be easily bent. The zipper is the biggest weak zone and is likely the first thing to go. But the structure is sound and designed well. You most definitely want to reinforce the structure to hold it down in the wind.

Can it withstand wind
Yes but…you have to take some time to secure it yourself. Hurricane Delt came through about a month after we had our greenhouse put up. I will admit I was worried. But we staked down the frame with extra long tent poles and used weighted materials to hold down the sides of the cover and it held through some very intense wind. Now we are inland and not along the coast so it did not have 100 mph wind but it did withstand 50 mph wind. You need to ensure the velcro inside is 100% attached to your structure to keep it from lifting. And you certainly could not install it as is from the box and expect it to be just fine. You have to do your own work to make this structure wind resistant. But that was not hard nor expensive.

What I love
This greenhouse is really spacious. The windows flip up and down easily and the cover seems really solid. It took less than two hours to build and when I was done I could get excited about winter growing. As a market farmer who is just starting out, you cannot beat the affordability. I of course in future hope for a larger and more long term high tunnel, but this will allow me to expand this year while keeping within our means.

What I would change
I wish the greenhouse had doors on both ends. This would allow for greater airflow and less pressure on the use of one door. I would also use a higher quality zipper. I would have paid more for a better zipper for sure.

Important to note
The greenhouse does not come with ground cover or pegs to stake it into the ground. Make sure to get both before you set it up.

Well the Aosom Greenhouse gets two thumbs up for value. I can tell you it has created a new happy place within our garden.


Smith’s Nature Friendly Farm Store

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Check out our Hybrid No Till Garden on YouTube


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Our blog can include Google Advertisements or Amazon affiliate links. These links can generate revenue from Google or Amazon. See our privacy policy to learn more.


10 cents from every dollar made at Smith's "Nature Friendly" Farm including ad revenue from Google or Amazon will be donated to the charities we work with. Learn more about how we give back.

We appreciate you joining us. Be friendly. Be kind. Take care.

Not all squash are created equal but three stand out for me for their great ability to be stored. Each year I grow an abundance of squash. They are relatively easy to grow if you can get through the bug pressures.But some squash have a shorter shelf life than others. Yellow squash for most, is preferred fresh. They can have a bit of a shelf life in the fridge unwashed, but the fresher they are the happier my customers are.

But these 3 powerhouse squash can be picked and last for a lot longer, allowing you to stock your pantry with healthy home grown options.

This includes:

• Spaghetti Squash
  

• Acorn Squash
  

• Butternut Squash
  

You can on occasion get an edible pumpkin variety that stores well too. We have had good luck with Long Island Cheese pumpkins.

Good to know.

• For storing, you should cure your squash (this encourages the moisture to dissipate). This just means letting it sit for 10 - 14 days with good air circulation. This can be inside or outside. Spaghetti squash and Acorn squash do not require curing unless you plan to store them.
  

• Keep the stem on for storage.
  

• Butternut squash actually tastes better after storing (curing) for 2 months. This is because as the moisture leaves the squash, the sugars within it, intensify.
  

• Spaghetti & Acorn squash flavour does not intensify and can be eaten right away after harvest.
  

• I have always wiped the outside of my squash with a diluted bleach mixture. 2 tablespoons of bleach to a gallon of water. It is not harmful and helps ensure any mold properties are killed off. Keep in mind you do not eat the outside of your squash. And I never seem to lose a squash to mold.
  

When you store squash how long do they last?

• Spaghetti Squash Recommended (3 months) tested by myself (6 months)
  

• Acorn Squash Recommended (3 Months)
  

• Butternut Squash Recommended and tested by myself (6 months)
  

Make sure to store them in a cool dark place inside your home. Move them periodically to check for the development of soft spots and to ideally shift their pressure points.

Also, very important, before eating your squash take a small taste test to ensure it is not bitter. NEVER eat bitter squash. Keep reading to learn more about toxic squash.

Shop with us!
Smith’s Nature Friendly Farm Store

Want to keep reading?
Great garden read, a review of The Humane Gardener.
How to get started with baby chickens.

We would love it if you would connect with us:

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On Twitter  


Our blog can include Google Advertisements or Amazon affiliate links. These links can generate revenue from Google or Amazon. See our privacy policy to learn more.


10 cents from every dollar made at Smith's "Nature Friendly" Farm including ad revenue from Google or Amazon will be donated to the charities we work with. Learn more about how we give back.

We appreciate you joining us. Be friendly. Be kind. Take care.

A story of compassion for McComb's most vunerable.

If you ever have the chance to sit down with Sarah Connerly (Greater Hope Homeless Shelter founder and owner) you might be amazed to hear the compassionate stories of her guests.

Recently, at the fundraiser Farmers for Greater Hope an elderly gentleman walked down the street with his newspaper tucked under his arm.  He saw Sarah and she greeted him excitedly and they exchanged happy updates on how things were.

My assumption, he was a friend. Nice guy. Enjoying the beautiful day and on his way for a walk to find a place to enjoy his newspaper.  And yes, he was all those things.

Later, after the event I would sit down with Sarah and we would talk about misconceptions. I ask about the misconceptions I have heard or read about such as “get a job like the rest of us”.

Sarah answers my question with a real life example of who can be homeless.

“Jollean, you remember that elderly man that walked by us today? The one with the newspaper?”

“Yes”. I reply.

Sarah continues, “He is 72 year old. He stayed here for a short time when he was kicked out of his apartment. And let me tell you, he did not want to be here. He told me everyday ‘I am 72 years old, I don’t belong in no homeless shelter’. He had nowhere to go. He spent every day going through his newspaper to look for a place to stay. Got up each day to look for places. We helped him store some of his furniture and belongings”.

Sarah did not ask why he was kicked out of his apartment, her role is not to judge. Her immediate focus is on his need in that moment for a roof over his head.

The majority of people grow up knowing a roof over our head. May not be the prettiest roof but having shelter is usually a norm. Now imagine, a moment in your life that takes away that norm and how you might feel.

No washroom to run to.
No place to hide from rain.
No cooking space.
No electrical outlets to plug something in.
No bed to sleep soundly on behind walls that make you feel secure.

It would be terrifying!

In Mississippi almost 1200 people experience homelessness a day.

There can be many reasons for homelessness. A google search will present you with a plethora of stats that give you a picture of who is most vulnerable.

Sarah has already seen this first hand and without the stats will tell you.

• Medical conditions.
  

• Elderly.
  

• Working poor.
  

• Young, single males with no family support system.
  

• Mental & physical disabilities.
  

• Those battling with addictions.
  

Her story of the elderly gentleman is a great example of why places like Greater Hope need to exist. Transitional homeless makes up the largest reason for the need for shelter. Working poor or those living with incomes with no free cash flow, often have to choose between paying the rent and eating. Or paying the light bill this month vs paying what is owed on the rent. Eventually, it catches up to them and then leaves them in a situation where they are in the short term, homeless.

Greater hope is filling a gap that exists in McComb and surrounding area and throughout the United States to provide transitional shelter for those in their moment of need. She is preventing the most vulnerable from sleeping under bridges and slipping even farther down the path of desperation.

What happened to her 72 year old guest? Well, he is back to living on his own. Within 2 weeks he found a home. He was like most people, determined not to be homeless, he just needed a hand.

We all need a hand now and then. Some of us are blessed with large families, maybe an above average job or maybe both. But at some point in our life we will all need a hand with something. Greater Hope Homeless Shelter is offering a hand to those who have nowhere else to turn.

Sarah cannot do it alone and is always in search of help.

Volunteer, donate and advocate for public services that help those transition from poverty to independence.

To learn more about Sarah and the story of Greater Hope Homeless Shelter visit here or visit her website Greater Hope Homeless Shelter
To donate to the shelter visit here.


As always folks, be friendly. Be kind!

Thanks for reading.