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1991greenery,LLC

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10/23/2026

🌱 Something new is growing at 1991greenery Homestead!

I'm so excited to officially announce the launch of The Growing Journal, my new Substack publication, coming November 2nd!

After 12+ years of getting my hands dirty, learning through trial and error, and growing food in the heart of Lansing, Michigan, I've decided to create a space where I can share a little more of my journey with you all.

The Growing Journal will be filled with gardening and homesteading education, seasonal recipes, DIY projects, seed-saving tips, honest and transparent articles about my experiences, personal reflections, and so much more.

I want this publication to be more than just gardening tips. I want to talk about the beauty, challenges, lessons, and realities of growing your own food, building something from the ground up, and finding joy in a slower, more intentional way of living.

Whether you're a seasoned grower, just getting started, or simply curious about homesteading, there's a little something here for you.

The Growing Journal officially launches November 2nd!

I'd love for you to be part of this next chapter. Subscribe now
https://substack.com/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=2tpnje

With love and a little dirt under my nails,
Hillary
1991greenery Homestead

10/14/2026

Growing Observation: Lacinato Kale

1991greenery Homestead | Lansing, Michigan | 2026 Growing Season

🌱Growing Observations
Lacinato kale, also known as Dinosaur Kale, grew like weeds in my garden this season! I planted approximately 10 kale plants in one 4 × 2 × 1 ft raised bed, with one marigold intercropped at each end. The plants grew vigorously and produced an abundance of delicious kale throughout the summer and into fall.

Although the plants performed well, I would reduce the number to 6–8 plants next season to allow for better airflow, spacing, and fuller growth. I believe this would improve the overall health and productivity of each plant.

One lesson I learned (and honestly, I knew better!) was the importance of keeping my brassicas protected. I did not keep the bed covered with breathable tulle throughout the summer, cabbage moth caterpillars had done quite a bit of damage. Despite the numerous holes in the leaves, the kale remained edible, tender, and flavorful after cleaning and removing damaged portions.

🌱Fall Growing & Season Extension
I planted this kale in June, and as of mid-October, the plants are still producing! With Lansing's cooler fall temperatures, I plan to cover the bed with greenhouse plastic, properly ventilated, to extend the growing season for as long as possible.

Lacinato kale has proven to be a resilient, productive, and dependable crop in my small-space garden.

10/13/2026

Growing Observation: Doc’s North Florida Roselle

1991greenery Homestead | Lansing, Michigan | 2026 Growing Season

This year, I experimented with growing Doc’s North Florida Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa), a heat-tolerant variety developed from Jamaican and Thai roselle lines, here in Lansing, Michigan (Zone 6a).

I planted two roselle plants together in one 4 ft × 2 ft × 1 ft raised garden bed, and they did exceptionally well! Both plants grew vigorously, produced beautiful flowers, and developed an abundance of calyces.

One observation I made was that these plants would benefit from more growing space. Although they performed well sharing a bed, next season I plan to grow just one plant per bed to allow for better branching, airflow, and hopefully even greater calyx production.

My primary goal for the 2026 growing season is seed saving. Rather than harvesting the calyces for culinary use, I'm allowing them to mature in hopes of collecting viable seeds. I want to continue growing this variety over multiple seasons, selecting seeds from plants that perform well in Lansing's shorter growing season and cooler climate.

I'm also excited to share these seeds with other Michigan growers interested in experimenting with roselle in northern climates.

Looking ahead to 2027, I plan to continue growing Doc’s North Florida Roselle for seed production while hopefully harvesting enough calyces to experiment with homemade roselle jam or w**e.

This growing season has been an encouraging reminder that experimenting with crops outside our typical growing region can open up new possibilities. I'm excited to see how this variety performs over the next several years as I continue saving seeds, observing its growth, and exploring its potential here in Mid-Michigan.

Growing, observing, saving seeds, and sharing knowledge , that's what it's all about!

10/11/2026

Picked some Gold Rush Apples from my lil orchard 🍏

10/09/2026

Rising Stars: Meet Hillary Coleman – Voyage Michigan Magazine https://share.google/Joyh9QBsx16sD0iF2

10/01/2026

So, what will you actually learn with Kura? 🌱

Kura is about taking gardening knowledge and making it practical, approachable, and useful in the space you already have.

We'll start at the beginning,understanding seeds, soil, transplants and how to plan a garden and work our way through the entire growing cycle.

We'll talk about growing food in small spaces, watering, fertilizing, pest management, composting, vermicomposting, rainwater collection, pollinators, harvesting, seed saving, heirlooms and growing through the seasons.

Because I don't believe you need acres of land to learn how to grow food.
A backyard can be a classroom.
A patio can be a classroom.
A few containers can be a classroom.
You don't need a lot of land to grow a lot of knowledge. 🌱

Welcome to Kura, Learning Through Growing.

Classes & workshops coming in 2027.

09/30/2026

Introducing Kura: Learning Through Growing

For years, 1991greenery Homestead has been a place where I’ve grown food, experimented, made mistakes, learned, tried again, and shared what I know with others.

Now, that part of my work has a name.
Meet Kura. 🌱

Kura was inspired by my time in Rwanda and by something I’ve come to believe deeply: growing is about so much more than plants.
We grow knowledge.
We grow confidence.
We grow skills.
We grow community.

Kura is the educational extension of 1991greenery Homestead, created to make gardening, urban farming, and homesteading education practical and approachable,,especially for beginners and people who don't have a lot of space.

Through Kura, I’ll be offering hands-on classes and workshops covering everything from seeds, soil and garden planning to composting, harvesting, seed saving, small-space growing and more.

You don't need acres of land.
You don't need fancy equipment.
You just need somewhere to start.

This idea has been growing for a while, and I'm so excited to finally share it with you.
Welcome to Kura , Learning Through Growing. 🌱

Classes and workshops coming in 2027.

09/08/2026

🥔 🥔 🥔 🥔
Mikayla and I finally took apart the potato towers!

We pulled a pretty good harvest of Yukon Gold and red potatoes, but gardening always gives you something to take into the next season.

One thing I’d change? More sun!

The towers ended up being a little more shaded than I intended. While the potatoes still produced, I believe we could’ve gotten an even better harvest with more direct sunlight.

That’s part of growing food: observe, harvest, learn, adjust, and try again. 🌱

Next year: same towers, sunnier spot, bigger harvest.

08/30/2026

TODAY WE ARE STILL OPEN!
plant sale will he held in the garage
Everything is $1
Cash, Venmo & CashApp

08/26/2026

It’s time to propagate those berry plants!

Late summer is a great time for me to start taking cuttings from some of my berry plants and making FREE plants for next season. Instead of buying more, I’m multiplying what I already have!

I’ll be using fresh aloe vera as my DIY rooting helper. Aloe isn’t a guaranteed replacement for commercial rooting hormone, but I like experimenting with it when propagating at home. I’ll dip the exposed ends of my cuttings in aloe before potting them up.

Here’s my play-by-play:

Choose a healthy cane/shoot. Look for healthy, disease-free growth from this season.

Take your cutting. Cut a section about 6–8 inches long, making your bottom cut just below a node.

Remove the lower leaves. Leave a couple of leaves toward the top, but expose the bottom few nodes. This is where we want new roots to develop.

Expose a little stem. I lightly scrape a small section of the outer layer near the bottom of the cutting to expose fresh tissue. You don't need to go crazy—just a little!
Bring in the aloe! Cut open a fresh aloe vera leaf and dip/coat the exposed end of the cutting in the gel.

Pot it up. Stick the cutting into a small pot filled with a moist, well-draining propagation mix. Make sure at least 1–2 nodes are below the soil line.

Keep it moist, not soaking wet. Until roots develop, the cutting can't take up water the way an established plant can. Keep the medium consistently damp while avoiding soggy soil.

Give it bright, indirect light. I don't want these little cuttings baking in full sun while they're trying to establish roots.

Check for roots later. After several weeks, a very gentle tug can tell you whether the cutting has started anchoring itself. Don't keep pulling it up to check!

Protect them through winter. Once established, I'll keep my young berry plants protected in my unheated greenhouse for the winter. They'll stay dormant and sheltered, and I'll make sure the pots don't completely dry out.

Then come spring… new berry plants ready to grow!

This is one of my favorite parts of growing food,learning how to turn one healthy plant into many. Buy it once, propagate it, share it.

Address

Lansing, MI

Website

http://www.1991greenery.etsy.com/

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