Bunker Hill Hardware is owned and operated by Javon and Becky Miller and their sons Brandon and Jayden. They also have a daughter Emily helping in the store. Javon grew up on the farm and has been employed as a plumbing service tech, pump service man in the past. He is with the hardware store, operating Enviro-Sol, an off-grid solar installation company employing four people. 

Bunker Hill Hardware was started about 40 years ago as a small independent country hardware store. It has changed ownership a couple of times and is now located about 3 miles from Bunker Hill village. But more on homesteading. A homesteader is anyone that has a desire to reduce their dependence on the national and global food market. Many do this by growing their own gardens and orchards. Others do it by buying directly from local growers or local market stands. Whichever is your preferred option, you can be assured that it will be fresh and that you know what means were used to grow it. A homesteader will also usually devote as much space to food production as possible. 

When you think gardening, what comes to your mind? Probably many of us imagine a large area of bare “dirt” with long, orderly rows of plants. Much of this has come about because of the commercial market “gardens”. Do you picture sprays, dusts, and fertilizers derived from chemicals in order to be productive?  Do you envision “organic” gardens that are overrun with weeds and bugs? Do you picture the same product that you will find on your supermarket produce shelf, but with added work? If this is your idea of a garden or orchards, let’s take a look at what it really is.

You don’t need large acreage to have a garden or orchard. By mixing the garden layout with 3'-4' squares filled with carrots, lettuce, cabbage, and other small crop items you will harvest more food per square foot. Javon explains, “In my personal experimental landscape garden I have inter-planted tomatoes, carrots, multiple colors and varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli among my quince fruit trees.” Cabbage lends itself well to small acreage gardens and it also makes a healthy delicious salad. Another crop that is easy to cultivate in landscaping is carrots. Ahh, the crisp sweetness of a freshly dug carrot can’t be beat. Add the fine fern-like fronds of carrot tops amid brightly colored flowers and it doesn’t even resemble a vegetable garden. Carrots take up little room with their small footprint, but grown in loose friable soil, will grow downward and make a delicious fresh snack. Now for the most widely grown vegetable ever: Actually, let’s make a minor correction. I believe the tomato is genetically a fruit. Roma, Beefsteak, Amish Paste, red, orange, yellow, purple, heritage, or hybrid - the list goes on and on. Is there any other produce that gets the attention of the tomato? There are many ways of cultivating tomato plants. The main goal is to keep them up off the ground. There are stakes, cages, fences, and trellises to support them. We like to use wire “cattle panels” tied to metal T posts. We keep them about one foot off the ground and tie the plants to these. Be sure and trim the bottom twelve inches of leaves off the plant as it grows. We have found this helpful in reducing disease problems. 

Going into fruits on the homestead: The very first basic is strawberries, the first fresh fruit of the year! They can be easily grown in containers on the porch or as a  border plant in your flower bed if you don’t have acreage to dedicate to a strawberry patch. The delicate white blossoms make a showy early flower display. Add the benefit of an ever bearing variety and you have luscious berries all summer long. Strawberries are good frozen for a year. They can be frozen whole or pureed and chopped. Apples from the orchard are good fresh, as pie filling, applesauce, or dehydrated. Applesauce is easy with the food strainer made by Norpor or Victoria. We especially like the Yellow Transparent for frozen applesauce. Simply cook the apples in a stockpot until soft and run through the food strainer. Add sugar to taste and freeze. It’s so simple that anyone can do it, with the right tools. As with strawberries, apples can be integrated into your landscaping. Instead of weeping or flowering trees, use dwarf apple trees. They can be pruned into fine landscaping focal points. For fresh eating, choose Gala, Yellow Delicious, or Jonagold. For processing or dessert apples, choose Red Delicious or Jonathan, and for sauce apples, Yellow Transparent. Grapes can be grown on an arbor over a walkway or up a wall trellis. The old standby is the Concord purple grape. They might be a bit messy and juicy, but well worth the effort. These are the core basics to start with: We could add raspberries, cherries, peaches, gooseberries, and many others, but the mentioned fruits and vegetables are the basic core group for a self-sufficient Homestead. With these, you have what you need to start processing your own soups, desserts, and base foods for many main dishes. These items will empower you to gain control of your food source. If you have never canned or frozen your own food, start simple with applesauce, jams and jellies, and pie filling. Then move on to the vegetables. Remember that the right tools make any job easier. 

In summary, the goal is to provide a selection of items that will make your life easier and better if you live in the country and try to be self sufficient. many of the items that you will find in their store are items that they personally use. Stop in and check out their large selection dedicated to off-grid energy. They have their homestead set up to run on solar and wind. They offer systems large and small. Many of their customers do not wish to go with a large all electric home with large inverters. They understand this and will try to help you keep it small and basic. They offer their own brand of LED lights in electric and many models also available in battery (DC voltage). The retail store offers many items not listed such as tools, paint, farm supplies, electric and solar fencers, electrical supplies, plumbing supplies, and lawn and garden tools. They will be working on adding more in the future. If you need something that you don’t see, feel free to ask.

Stop in Bunker Hill Hardware today at 3939 County Road 135, Millersburg, OH 44654. They’re 2 miles east of Berlin, just south of State Route 39. Open Monday through Thursday 7:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday 8:00am to noon.

Written by www.ohacg.com