(M) is for Maintenance.

This time of year has us stretching ourselves outside. When living on a 6-acre homestead, there is always something to fix or expand.

We are just entering garden season here in Wisconsin and are awaiting the arrival of blueberry bushes and red-bud trees. As the excitement builds, we are doing maintenance on our garden area and prepping a few new areas.

This past weekend, we picked up four more of the cattle tanks that we use as raised beds closer to the house. This will bring our raised beds to a total of 8, downsizing from the third-acre beds we’ve gardened in years past. We use 6ft cattle panels as arbor-like archways over pairs of beds with a walkway between them. This allows us to espalier everything from tomatoes to beans to cucumbers.

Three years ago, we planted a Japanese maple on either side of our front walkway. Sadly, after ice storms during that time, neither survived, so we are replacing them with Eastern Redbud trees.

Regular maintenance around the farm takes many forms, and I find adding trees and planting the garden to be the most satisfying jobs!

Stay tuned for homesteading updates!

Part of the Blogging A-Z 2026 Challenge.