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Tips for Repelling Ticks

If you have to live in the woods, you’re probably very familiar with ticks. They are not a fun creature deal with, and they can cause Lyme disease. Whether you’re trying to protect yourself, your children, or pets, you need to have some tips for making sure you can keep ticks at bay. Garlic is said to work quite well at repelling ticks. However, you probably don’t want rub garlic all over yourself. Eating garlic or garlic pills can provide the same results though. Something to remember is that garlic is not good for pets such as dogs and cats. […]

Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow

If you are a new homesteader, one of the first things you want to think about when creating your plan is what vegetables you will be growing. You want to be as self-sufficient as possible, and that means growing and raising as much of your own food as possible. Of course, those who are new might not know what some of the best perennial vegetables are to plant. Asparagus One of the nice things about asparagus is that it is extremely durable as a crop. It also happens to be one of the first vegetables that you can harvest during […]

Tips for Weeding the Garden

Having a garden is a lot of work, and a big part of that work is weeding it. If you don’t weed the garden, those weeds can end up choking out the vegetable plants, or any other plants you want to grow. They take the nutrients that your plants need. However, if you are vigilant and are willing to spend time maintaining the garden each day, you have a much better chance of combating weeds effectively. One of the first things you want to do is make sure that you aerate the soil. You can do this with a specialized […]

How to Make Sauerkraut

The nutrition you can grow on your homestead is not limited to your garden! Fermenting is great for gardeners not only because you can use the excess vegetables in your garden, but also because it is a way to preserve vegetables that increases the nutritional value of what you are preserving. Fermenting is basically growing beneficial bacteria, and it’s been done for thousands of years, all over the world. Sauerkraut is a type of fermented vegetable that you’re probably familiar with already, it’s a popular condiment in Germany and much loved in the United States as well. It’s very easy to make […]

Garden Calendar (Infographic)

I came across this great infographic on Pinterest today for what needs to be done in the garden during each month. Given we have Fall and Winter well on the way I thought it was perfect for this time of year. Not only for what to do in the garden as the seasons are changing but also because winter is a great time to start planning next year’s garden. As the weather gets cool and you harvest your summer crops, it’s the perfect time to think about next year’s garden. Garden journals are great for this: you can write down […]

How to Kill Microbes

How often do you think about microbes and other types of infectious pathogens? If you are learning to survive and trying to be more self-sufficient, then you might think about this more than the average person. Still, you may not understand how to deal with these types of infectious pathogens and microbes properly. In many cases, utilizing things such as antibiotics and antimicrobials will work to deal with microbes. In fact, you can find quite a few items in the store, including a variety of name brand cleaners, that have antimicrobial properties. Of course, if you only rely on these […]

3 Reasons Why Ducks Are Better Than Chickens

When most people think of animals for their back yard they quickly think of chickens. And while there is good reason so many people think to raise chickens, there are also reasons why ducks may be the preferable livestock for your backyard farm. Ducks don’t crow Not everyone starting their homestead has 15 acres in the country. Some may have less than an acre with neighbors right next to them that don’t share their passion for raising animals and growing food. Keeping this in mind, it is not hard to think of how a rooster could degrade the relationship one […]

The Benefits of Solar Water Heaters

As the cost of energy rises, more and more people are looking toward solar power. One of the areas that interest them the most is solar water heating. While it can seem more expensive in the beginning, utilizing a solar water heater has the potential to provide you with a substantial amount of saved money in the long run. In addition, this will help to get you entirely off the grid. There are two different types of solar water heaters available – active and passive. The active systems use cells, pumps, and controllers as they move fluid through the system. […]

Storing Potatoes for Winter

Potatoes are one of the best crops you can grow! Nutritious, substantial sources of food, they also keep well over the winter, if you know how to store them right. Whether you’ve been growing them and would like to do a big harvest to keep them all over the winter, or you’re buying them in bulk from the farmer’s market before it closes from the winter, it’s important to use the best storage practices so they don’t rot or sprout through the winter months. Potatoes are wonderful for hearty winter dishes so it’s imperative to store them well! Here are a few […]

Easy Perennial Greens

Often we think of taking the easy way out as a bad thing, but in gardening it can be best way to do things. One example is perennial greens. After getting a perennial green started and established, your yield is going to increase for years. You will also not have down time in your garden while you wait for seeds to sprout, then to mature, and then go to seed again so you can get the next generation. Perennial greens also give you a chance to nurse an injured or sick plant back that you couldn’t do if it’s life […]

Canning Tips for Those Just Starting Out

You are a homesteader, then it typically means you have a garden. This means you are growing vegetables and fruit more than likely. You cannot eat all the food right away in most cases, so you want to can it to preserve it. There are some excellent benefits to canning in addition to having all that extra food in the house. One of the primary benefits is that you do not have to worry about any added chemicals to the food. In addition, it tends to taste quite a bit better than commercial canned food. It is also quite a […]

Water Conservation Tips

Even though you might have plenty of access to clean and fresh water right now, it doesn’t mean that will always be the case. There may come a time when you have to conserve the water you have for survival. In addition, unless you have your own well already – which is a good idea if it is possible in your area – you are probably paying for water. As you can see, learning to conserve water now has the potential to pay off for you in a number of ways. Let’s look at some of the different ways that […]

What Items Should You Never Compost?

Composting is something that every homesteader should do. It allows you to recycle food and other material and to create richer soil at the same time. However, there are only some items that you should not add to the compost pile. Let’s look at some of the elements that you should not add to the compost pile, as well as the reasons why. Never put any meat scraps into the compost pile. The same goes for bones. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it has the potential to attract vermin. In addition, it is going to cause […]

Homemade Bird Feeders

During the fall and winter, as trees die and snow eventually covers the ground, many birds have a harder time finding their food than during the spring and summer months. But unlike their hibernating woodland counterparts, birds still look for sustenance in the coldest months! A very nice way to help them out a bit, and attract beautiful birds into your yard is to make your own bird feeder. It’s very easy to make and doesn’t require much at all. This is a great indoor, snow day craft for little ones. You can make the bird feeders with them, then […]

Super-Simple DIY Pest Repellent for the Garden

As you probably know, most commercially available pest-repellants are full of harmful chemicals that you wouldn’t want anywhere near your house, children, or pets, let alone near the garden that you’re growing your food in. Even if you don’t spray chemicals right on the leaves of your plants, spraying them around the perimeter, either to kill grass, weeds or bugs, will trickle into the soil and can easily be absorbed through the roots of your plants, and you don’t want that. But there is a very easy, at-home solution for keeping pests out of your garden, and it’s safe enough […]

Simple Steps Towards Self-Reliance

If you’re homesteading, you’re probably already pretty self-reliant. But if you’re not and you wish you were, there are still many ways you can become more self-reliant, no matter where you’re living. Every little thing you can do counts, and also will help you assess just how much you rely on “the system” and what you can do to change that. Here are a few simple ideas to reduce your dependence on, say, multi-national corporations or globalized trade, and more on yourself and the resources that are available in your community. It might be called “self” reliance, but really, relying […]

The Cost-Effectiveness of Homestead Pigs

A lot of people don’t like pigs because they’re stinky, dirty and loud. But most people won’t object to bacon, ribs or pork chops. And this is a pretty good reason to have pigs, and why most people raise them! Not only are pigs delicious, however, they are also very cost-effective sources of meat, especially if you are looking to be more or totally self-sufficient. Larger meat animals like cows need a lot of space, and smaller meat animals don’t yield anywhere near as much meat. But pigs are just perfect! Here are some reasons why they are economical choices […]

How to Make Goat Cheese

Goats are such wonderful homestead animals, for many reasons, but of course, at the top that list is plenty of fresh, raw, delicious goat cheese! Goat cheese is great not only because it is delicious and nutritious, but if you do have goats, you probably also have lots of extra milk. Making your own cheese can be a great way to use it up, and you can even sell it at the farmer’s market or right out of your homestead-goat cheese has gotten very popular in recent years and many folks are willing to pay top dollar for fresh, local, […]

What to Plant to Attract Bees

Bees are essential for our survival, and they’re dying in record numbers. We need them to pollinate our plants, so as they are dying in record numbers worldwide, it is devastating to think of the effects this might have on life on earth. There’s only so much a single homesteader can do, but as bees are just as vital to our small operations as they are to global food production, we can definitely still try to do our part to attract, nourish and sustain bees on our humble homesteads. Of course, beekeeping is a great way to do this, and […]

Why Your Homestead Needs A Dog

One of the reasons many people want to homestead is to find a safe place to get away from it all, and wait it out if civilization happens to crumble. Of course, even before the proverbial feces hits the fan, there are many reasons to keep a homestead safe. For one, there will always be natural predators who may be very interested in what you have growing in your garden or sleeping in your hen house. We can’t all afford to make mini-compounds out of our land, and of course, there are many options when it comes to fencing and […]