Last winter, we had unusually warm weather. It never got below 14°F, which was wonderful. In addition, it only got that low once. Just once! In our 7a zone in TN, that’s rather incredible. This fall? Well, I’m not so sure things are looking so great. Winter? I’m getting rather concerned about. I mean, not
Category: Common Homestead Issues
I’m going to be 100% honest here: Homesteading is not easy. It is not all happy, healthy, bouncing babies, or bumper crop after bumper crop. It’s not all joy and laughter. It just simply isn’t. Truthfully, homesteading isn’t for the faint of heart. We wouldn’t trade it for the world, though. This might not be
Pepper seeds are one of the slowest seeds to germinate. A lot of first year gardeners (and even second year, if they’re quick to forget!) seem to miss this memo, and they lose confidence when those tiny little seedlings fail to break the surface. With a bit of patience, they’ll eventually poke their heads above
Are your seeds having spotty germination? Do you notice that some seeds like broccoli are coming up without an issue, but your peppers are slowly and poorly germinating? Some seeds simply require a little more attention when it comes to germination. Here are some incredibly simply tips for accelerating your germination, while significantly increasing your
Alright, alright. I was one of those who complained incessantly about winter’s cold, vengeful reign. I swore I wouldn’t complain about summer. But y’all. I’m dying out here. Lately, we’ve had some pretty hot and humid days. The animals simply aren’t having it, either. I’ve considered laying over the air conditioner vent and panting like
Consistent watering is pretty important for a garden. However, a lot of people have it set in their minds that the garden simply must be watered every day. Unless you live in an area with very sandy soil, you could be doing more harm to your plants than good! This even applies to watering every
Predatory birds can be difficult to fight off when it comes to your chickens, but there are ways to minimize losses among free range birds. If your birds are not free ranged, you can eliminate losses completely; but most homesteaders prefer to free range their larger flocks of birds, as a loss here and there
I haven’t presented my readers with a growing guide in quite a while, aside from growing Lavender from seed. It’s about that time, isn’t it? Carrots prove to be one of the most complicated crops for new gardeners and homesteaders to grow; unlike plants like cucumbers or potatoes (which grow anywhere and everywhere without a
Let me reiterate: Homesteading isn’t 100% rainbows and sunshine; bad things happen, we adapt and overcome. I planted over 60 green bean seeds with more to go, and I might have 20 plants left. Now, this isn’t terribly tragic; as a matter of fact, I wasn’t too worried at all! This is a cheap, easy
The Battle Against Squash Vine Borers: Chapter One Squash Vine Borers get the best of us every year- they kill most of our squash plants before we can get a decent harvest of zucchini, yellow crookneck, pumpkin, and other hollow stemmed squashes. If your squash plants seem fine one day, then are wilted and dying
Who doesn’t love a freshly picked, home-grown blueberry straight from the backyard? I know we do… Except, it just wasn’t happening for us. Our blueberry plants were doing exactly the opposite of what we wanted them to do: thrive. Last summer, we watched them begin to fail, struggle to catch up, and begin to fail
I’d just like to take a minute or two today, just to express how much of a pain in my rear that voles are. These tiny little critters (okay, they’re bigger than field mice) may look cute, with their short, stubby little tails…. But they are an absolute disaster waiting to happen. They are our
As a homesteader or gardener, dogs can be a real problem. This is a hot topic that I really wanted to bring to the table, as I know all too well how these situations can end up. If you think you’ve been having a horrid experience with some dogs, you’re not alone. Many of us
We tried out some White Nighting corn this year, a wonderful variety that reigns from Alabama. This corn variety was offered by Baker’s Creek, but they no longer have it available for sale. Thus, we shall save seed every year just in case we cannot find it again- because we enjoyed it! For us, we
I sure do love pulling a massive, jaw-dropping sweet potato from beneath the soil. There’s just something so invigorating and satisfying about harvesting these tubers in particular, that no other crop can rival. However, I’ll tell you one thing I do not like: Voles. Filthy, thieving, over-populated voles. The war against these tiny demons is
Establishing a new garden bed is so much fun! Well, that is, until you realize that the new spot is completely shaded…. Most plants will not tolerate full shade, especially during the spring and fall seasons. If you plan to place your bed: Within a breezeway Under an overhang or carport Underneath a large tree
Do you deal with an angry, hateful rooster every single day? Do you get challenged, chased, pecked, or even spurred? Does he make it nearly impossible to finish chores on the homestead? I know how the story goes, and I know how common this chicken owner’s “rite of passage” is among new homesteaders. Aggressive roosters
So, you go outside with plans to check out your compost pile, like any other regular day on the homestead. Perhaps you’re adding some garden fresh veggie scraps from last night’s delicious oven roasted chicken recipe; or maybe you just shredded a ton of junk mail from the last two weeks, and you’re ready to