Indoor gardening strikes excitement within the hearts of homesteaders, because it allows us to deny winter (as much as we can, anyways…). Overall, being able to produce your own greens, fully grown vegetables, and even flowers indoors without sunlight is extremely exhilarating.
Making money on the homestead doesn’t have to be hard, or boring. In addition, you don’t have to do the same things that surrounding homesteads are doing in order to earn an income, either. Why compete, when you can dominate your own market, that’s just as easy to maintain? Now, I present this list to
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
During this long, cold winter, I decided I’d take on a few different projects in an attempt to fight off the mid-winter blues. We’re all dreaming of sunny, warm spring days, with flowers in bloom and tender salad greens as far as the eye can see…. That’s definitely not our reality right now, though; at
Are you new to the magical, incredible, laborious-yet-rewarding realm of homesteading? Whether you’re simply dreaming or just getting started, or maybe even an experienced homesteader who wants to explore other important crops, food production and preservation is truly the heart of self sufficiency. Part of homesteading is becoming at least semi-self sufficient, which means that
Normal people go grocery shopping between 1 and 3 times per week. They’ll pick up pantry essentials along with their fresh foods (such as produce, meats, and bakery items), generally in smaller amounts. For example: the shopper might pick up 4 lb bags of sugar, 5 lb bags of flour, and 1 lb bags of
All of the leaves have disappeared from sight. The days are reaching their shortest length, and the chickens are our strongest evidence. We’ve had very few eggs for weeks; the primary chicken run is a muddy pit more often than not. The garden weeds have long been brown and dry; many already falling to the
New baby? Just bought your homestead? Still grinding through college? Whether your finances are tight or you’re simply adopting a frugal lifestyle, you can garden without spending money! Standard gardens do require a good bit of preparation and investment: building beds and buying pots, amending soil, purchasing seeds, buying pest control, adding garden tools…. it
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
Tomatoes are one of our most important crops that we grow! I’m sure you can agree, as they are used for so many different foods including: Tomato Pasta Sauce (paste tomatoes) Marinara and Pizza Sauce (paste tomatoes) Salsa (slicing tomatoes) Ketchup (slicing or cherry/grape tomatoes) Salads (cherry tomatoes) Sandwiches & Burgers (slicing tomatoes) …. We’ll
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
If you’re anything like me, carrots are life. Those long, orange (or white, yellow, red, purple… whatever your carrots may be!) roots simply call to your soul with their satisfying, flavor-packed crunch. Carrots will go with nearly anything on your plate, too…. it’s impossible to argue that with a carrot fiend like myself. Carrots are
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
Chickens are one of the most popular, iconic, flexible, and functional features of the historical homestead. Some modern homesteads only keep them for egg production and pets; but if your homestead is geared towards the historic style of self sufficiency (producing and making use of everything that your land can handle, including meat), you’re probably
Melons are delicious little presents that we anxiously await from our garden. While other gardeners and homesteaders were busy focusing on watermelons and cantaloupes, we decided that we were going to take on Sakata’s Sweet Melon. You won’t find too much information about experiences elsewhere; however, we’re about to lay it all out on the
Who doesn’t love an incredible hunk of freshly baked apple crisp, with a little bit of homemade, vanilla bean ice cream; Am I right, or am I right? Apple crisp is much easier to whip up at home than a pie is, and zucchinis are much easier to core and cut than apples are. They
You’ve probably heard about fermenting feed; it stretches feed, allows beneficial bacteria to grow, and increases digestibility. But have you heard about simply soaking your feed?! If you are currently feeding your chickens a layer or grower crumble (pellets, too!), even a specially ordered high quality organic feed, I cannot recommend soaking enough! Soaking has
Asparagus is one of my top veggies; it also happens to be one of the most expensive vegetables! Even the cheapest bunches at the local grocery stores ring in at $3 a pound; now, let’s not forget that you still have to cut the hardened, tough, browned, and woody ends off of your asparagus
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
If you find yourself with a lot of wood chips to get rid of, you can always compost them. Composting wood chips allows you to turn excess wood from your property into a rich, nutritious, organic growing medium for your gardens.