Harvesting Your Own Maple in Just a Few Simple Steps

Harvesting Your Own Maple in Just a Few Simple Steps

Tapping maple trees for sap may seem like a daunting task. However, it really is not hard to do. In fact, this outside activity can be fun as the days get warmer in anticipation of springtime. But what if you are not sure which trees are maple? Or which maple trees are the best to tap? Be assured that being self-sufficient doesn’t mean you need to be a pro at tapping. Why not start out with tapping just a few trees? You could join in with neighbors or homesteading friends to see if it is something you want to do […]

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What Is Guerrilla Tree Planting?

What Is Guerrilla Tree Planting?

A lot of people out there would love to live a more sustainable lifestyle. One in which you give back to the environment from which we take so much. If you live in a city or suburb, or even if you’re homesteading, it might feel like there’s only so much you can do to make a positive impact on our natural world beyond your own small life. When it comes to living a greener life, there are so many great ways you live more in a more sustainable and self-reliant way. Whatever your views on environmental policy, I think everyone […]

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Stump Removal Hack: Epsom Salt

Stump Removal Hack: Epsom Salt

If you have any experience with removing a stump, you know what a headache it can be. It will either cost you hours, possibly days, of backbreaking, arduous labor, or way too much money to pay someone to do it for you. No matter how successful you are at cutting down a tree, the truck is a whole different story. Part of what makes stump removal so difficult is that a well-established root network will keep that stump alive, and, if not dealt with, will continue to grow and even sprout off new shoots. There are chemicals that can kill a […]

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Stump Removal (VIDEO)   

Stump Removal (VIDEO)  

Getting rid of an unwanted tree doesn’t end with cutting it down (that’s the easy part!) Even after cutting it up and hauling it off or chipping it, you will be left with a stump, and this can be where the real work starts. I’ve seen people try to get around this with various methods, including burning the stump, which is so dangerous I can’t believe people do it.  The fire can easily travel underground through the roots, starting other fires.  But in this video, the method of using a farm jack to lift the stump while cutting the roots […]

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Tips for Pruning Fruit Trees

Tips for Pruning Fruit Trees

  Fruit trees, like all perennials, are a great source of food for years to come, and should therefore be taken care of to keep them healthy and productive.  Some find it hard to bring themselves to cut anything from their fruit trees thinking that pruning will harm the tree, or that it will reduce productivity since in other cases in the garden, the more the plant grows the more food that it will be able to produce.  But this isn’t the case, fruit trees can benefit greatly from pruning when it is done correctly.  Here are a few tips […]

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