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Here you will find my most recent blog posts. Tough Kraut guides you from city apartments to homesteads. Explore our categories:

Homestead Chronicles: Follow our journey. Read “A Starter’s Guide” for basics or “Life on the Land” for real stories.

Cultivate & Thrive: Grow food anywhere. Try “Homegrown Harvests” for balcony tips or “Building Soil” for yards.

Self-Sufficient Living: Learn off-grid skills. Check “Water Conservation” or “Homesteading & DIY” for practical projects.

Farm Companions: Use animals and plants smartly. Explore “Natural Pest Control” or “Foraging” for free resources.

Permie Pantry: Cook and preserve. Start with “Garden-To-Table Recipes” or “Pickle & Preserve” for easy ideas.

Cultivate & Thrive

Grow your garden and organic food with Cultivate & Thrive! From soil prep to harvest, explore practical how-tos, lessons from our land, and tips for raised beds or edible forests. Learn to cultivate food and resilience.

A collection of labeled potted and bare-root tree saplings arranged for planting on a grassy area, with olive trees and sheep in the background.

Bare-Root Trees & Shrubs: December Planting for Mediterranean Food Forests

Every December here in our Zone 8 corner of rural Portugal, the soil shifts. The first real rains quiet the dust, the nights cool, and the whole landscape feels ready to exhale. This is when planting stops being a chore and becomes an opportunity. Bare-root trees arrive at nurseries looking unimpressive — a bundle of sticks, a few roots, and a lot of potential. But these humble bundles are the secret to building a resilient food forest without breaking your budget or your bac

2 days ago

A white hyacinth emerging from leaf mulch in a sunlit garden, with other green shoots and flowers growing nearby.

Turn Fall Leaves into Garden Gold: Composting Strategy for Layers, Microbes & Springtime Fertility

Every November, gardeners everywhere face the same dilemma: towering piles of fallen leaves and no clear plan for dealing with them. Bags stack up, pathways disappear under a crunchy carpet, and the temptation to burn or dump the whole mess grows by the hour. I’ve been there. In my first autumn on our Portuguese land, a strong storm brought down so many oak leaves that I wandered around with bags and containers trying to collect them all before the wind carried them off to Sp

Nov 30

Detailed view of a Gardena-style hose connector showing signs of freezing and cold weather exposure.

November Garden Tasks: Final Preparations & Winter Readiness

November sneaks up fast in a Mediterranean garden. One moment you’re still harvesting late peppers and self-seeded tomatoes, and the next you’re watching the first frost creep across the terrace like it owns the place. This is the month when small, steady actions matter more than big projects. Clear the beds. Protect the roots. Drain the hoses. Trim what needs trimming and leave what helps wildlife. These steps don’t just tidy your garden — they set the foundation for resilie

Nov 24

Outdoor view of a tunnel-style greenhouse with translucent walls, surrounded by natural vegetation and shaded areas.

November Greenhouse Gardening for Mediterranean Winters

Our greenhouse on the second terrace, soaking up the last warm days before winter’s slow rhythm settles in. November on a Mediterranean homestead can feel like a season of contrasts. Sunlight still warms the afternoons, but nights drop fast. Air stays humid longer. Condensation gathers on greenhouse walls. Tender greens grow one moment and stall the next. This is the month where careful greenhouse management makes all the difference between strong winter crops and a disappoin

Nov 18

MuDan wearing a beige sunhat and rubber boots planting a young tree in a grassy field, surrounded by soil and compost.

Bare-Root Trees & Perennials: November Planting for Mediterranean

November brings a rare window of opportunity to Mediterranean gardeners. The first rains soften the soil, daytime warmth lingers, and the air smells of change. This is when roots want to move. On our land, this is also when we planted our first bare-root apple and cherry trees . The soil was still warm from summer, the sky generous with drizzle, and thanks to the granite stone house’s previous life as a goat and sheep stable, we had plenty of aged manure to mix into the plan

Nov 15

Rural Portuguese village scene featuring historic buildings, overhead power lines, and a golden-leaved tree as the central focal point.

November planting guide for Zones 8–11: Your Last 3 Weeks to Plant 35+ Crops Before Winter Slows Growth

Short days. Cold nights. Empty beds. November can feel like the end of the road. In Mediterranean Zones 8–11, it is the opposite. You have about three weeks to lock in spinach, roots, alliums, favas, and even bare-root trees while the soil is still warm. Do this now and winter works for you. Skip it and growth stalls until spring. I have made both choices. The “plant now” choice wins every time. Golden autumn in the hills – Portugal’s quiet villages glow before winter settles

Nov 6

Close-up of Italian flat-leaf parsley with vibrant green, lobed leaves growing among grass and natural debris.

What to Plant in November: Complete Mediterranean Cool-Zone Planting Guide

Our Mediterranean garden rests and regenerates — November’s planting rhythm in full swing. November may sound like a time for rest, but in a Mediterranean garden it’s the quiet builder of next spring’s success. Soil still carries the last whispers of summer warmth, rains return in earnest, and every small task — from sowing hardy greens to protecting brassicas — adds resilience for the months ahead. On our own Portuguese hillside (Zone 8a), November is when the rhythm slows j

Nov 3

Bright pink snapdragon-like flowers in focus, with blurred cactus paddles and other vegetation behind.

Mediterranean Autumn Flowers & Herbs: October Color Guide

October in a Mediterranean garden feels like an exhale. The harsh summer glare softens, rain teases the dust back into life, and the air finally smells of promise — damp soil, rosemary, and the first brave blooms of calendula. This is the quiet season when Mediterranean autumn flowers and herbs steal the stage, painting terraces with color while feeding the last bees before winter. On our Quinta, it’s the month of simple rituals: spreading mulch around new plantings, trimmin

Oct 28

Assorted bottle gourds spread out to dry on top of a white IBC water tank outdoors.

Bulbs, Seeds & Storage: October Harvest and Planning Tasks

The last baskets of squash are stacked, the air smells faintly of earth and rain, and half-forgotten bulb packets stare at you from the shed shelf. October has that deceptive calm — harvest behind you, winter ahead — yet this is when quiet action shapes next year’s garden. Now’s the time to plant bulbs before the soil cools, gather and dry seeds while they’re still viable, and tuck cured roots and squash into cool corners. Label, store, and plan — these simple rituals keep ch

Oct 25

Close detail of Gardena secateurs trimming a rosemary stem among narrow green leaves.

October Mediterranean Garden Tasks: Essential Garden Maintenance

October isn’t a time to hang up your garden gloves—it’s the month that quietly decides how well your garden will bounce back next spring. Mediterranean climates reward those who keep tending, mulching, pruning, and fine-tuning when others are winding down. By now, your summer crops have bowed out, your soil is thirsty for organic matter, and your irrigation system probably deserves a check-up. These are the October Mediterranean garden tasks that strengthen your ecosystem th

Oct 19

Back entrance of a curved-roof polytunnel open to reveal dense plants, framed by dry grass and trees.

October Polytunnel & Greenhouse Gardening: Winter Crop Planning

October arrives quietly here on our second terrace. The summer sun still lingers through the afternoons, but by dusk, the air turns sharp and restless — sliding downhill from the ridge, carrying the chill of the nearby river straight through the gaps of our greenhouse doors. Each autumn, I’m reminded that growing through winter isn’t just about plants. It’s about preparation, patience, and plugging the small leaks that let comfort escape. This year, I’m sealing those gaps wit

Oct 16