As much as we’d all hate to admit it, the winterpocalypse is coming. I know, I know. I’m terrible for even bringing it up. However, we all need to begin prepping for the winter season during fall, and it’s ideal to have a plan in motion before the time comes. That chore list of yours
Yay! We crossed 100 posts on the blog! Here’s to 1,000 more! Yesterday, I posted #100; it was so exciting to cross that threshold. I mean, I’ve been eyeballing those numbers for a few months. In celebration, I thought it would be fun to make a compilation post of my 10 favorite posts so far
Yup. There is actually a utensil out there that is designed for serving tomatoes! With all of us being in the height of the relentless tomato season, from canning to saving tomato seeds, I thought this would be a fun little utensil to feature. As unnecessary as it is, it is functional; but the price?
When I say “pink spotted lady beetle”, you might be thinking of the traditional ladybug. Perhaps you’ve never heard of this insect, and assume I’m referring to the well-known ladybug. While the two are related, they look very, very different; They’re not the same beetle species. Instead, the pink spotted lady beetle is confused with
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
If you haven’t already purchased one, you need a planner in your life. As a homestead grows, it becomes nearly impossible to figure out what needs to be done when! From worming and hoof trimming to pest control and annual vet visits, it can be hard to keep up. Here’s our method for making your
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
Growing food is great and all… But, what about growing food that can withstand complete and total neglect? The type of plants that just hang out in the yard all year, yet you forget they even exist (until you eat them)? I’m talking about a truly amazing, plant-it-and-forget-it garden full of the lazy homesteader’s best
As I discussed on our Facebook page (for those who haven’t seen the post or “liked” us, find us here!), I was contemplating a customized, printable series which could be incredibly useful should internet access be lost. You can find nearly anything you need on the internet information-wise. But what if you could no longer
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
It has been a while since I’ve done an update of any kind, so why not today? As the days become longer, hotter, and more humid, we have babies bouncing, seedlings sprawling, and buildings growing. May is a beautiful month, as it’s when our garden begins to truly explode with life of all kinds! So,
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
Alright, alright. I get it; for many of us, antiperspirant plays a major role in our daily lives. We may be human, but the stench we can produce can be unbearable for others. It’s embarrassing… the thought of skipping on a potent antiperspirant is terrifying at best. For some of us, these antiperspirants have become impossible to
For some plants, bolting, flowering, and producing seed is a bad thing for the gardener. Unless they’re saving seed, that is. Everyone dreads finding out that their lettuce or spinach has started to bolt; every year, we risk encountering bolted greens when spring arrives. Bolting is commonly associated with woody tubers, bitter greens, and reseeding.
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
Commercial feed can be expensive and unsustainable, especially for a family that is trying to reduce its dependence on modern conveniences. There are a couple of options for cheap, free, or pre-existing feed that many families could take advantage of to: slash their feed bills, reduce their dependence on outside sources of feed, and raise
With a new homestead comes lots of new challenges- for most people, they have to start entirely from scratch. For us, we purchased our home, had a baby, and we were faced with buying a new (to us) car within months of each other; therefore, getting our homestead up and running was quite the challenge, as
Lavender is such a versatile, therapeutic herb on the homestead; it is also deeply cherished throughout the farthest reaches of the modern and ancient world, being used medicinally, aromatically, and cosmetically. In France, lambs were released to graze upon Lavender, as it is believed to make the meat of a lamb more fragrant and tender (more