Blog - Page 25 of 41 - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

Tips For Watering Your Garden

Although it may seem that watering your garden should be as simple as turning on a hose or pouring water from a watering can, there are various factors to consider in order to prevent water-related problems in your garden. The type of soil you have will play a large role in determining your watering routine. The amount of rainfall nature provides and the intensity of the summer sun will also affect how frequently you’ll need to water your garden. As a general guideline, the top three inches of soil in the garden should be dry before you water. This guideline […]

Tips to Save Money in the Garden

One of the big benefits of growing a garden is that your grocery expenses are less when you grow your own vegetables, berries and herbs. There are numerous tips you can implement to save money in the garden. By becoming a frugal gardener, you will increase the financial benefits your garden offers. Some of the money saving tips related to gardening involves the plants themselves. Starting plants from seeds enables you to get more plants for less money than if you bought individual plants. However, if you don’t have the proper setup for starting with seeds, go ahead and buy […]

How to Reduce Waste in Your Kitchen

Our kitchens can produce tons of waste. Food scraps, packing, plastic bags, used napkins, and paper towels. Unfortunately, all this waste just ends up in a landfill somewhere, after being hauled away, of course. If you have any kind of desire to be more self-reliant, off-the-grid, and self-sustainable, waste removal is going to be an issue. So reducing waste in the kitchen is a great way to get started addressing this issue, and get you thinking about long-term waste solutions for your home or homestead. Here are some ideas for quick and simple ways you can reduce waste in your […]

DIY Scrap Mouse Trap

Mice can be a real problem, this time of year they aren’t satisfied with staying outside. This means that they will bring all of their diseases with them, if you let them. Exterminators can be expensive, and traps can too. My favorite store bought trap is the igloo-like electric trap, and that can cost as much as $50 depending on where you get it. Poisons can be dangerous to children and pets, and might leave a dead animal trapped in your walls rotting. Like always, it’s better if you can just do it yourself. Here is a video demonstrating and […]

Benefits of Aquaponics

Aquaponics, which has grown in popularity in recent years, is a combination of hydroponics, growing plants in water, and aquaculture, the practice of raising fish in containers. The idea is that the waste produced by the fish provides fertilizer to the plants, and the plants provide food for the fish. It might sound rather complicated, but there are a lot of resources available to you to get started if you’re interested. It does require a bit of a set-up but it doesn’t have to be too fancy. It might be worth the investment when you weigh the benefits. Here are some of […]

Container Gardens

I would always recommend growing in wooden raised beds when possible, but it’s not always possible for everyone to do so. A few years ago I lived in small ground floor apartment with a tiny yard, my rental agreement had all sorts of rules that wouldn’t allow me to change the landscaping (which wasn’t much more than a poorly-cared-for grass full of weeds), this left me with no other option but to have an entire container garden. So, here are some tips on how to get the most out of a container garden if it’s the only option you have. […]

How to Get Vitamin D in the Winter

Our main source of essential immune-boosting Vitamin D is from the sun, so naturally, in winter time, it can be hard to get enough. This is a likely cause of increased colds and flus during the winter time. Vitamin D not only keeps you healthy, it is also important for healthy bones, teeth, hair, nails and eyesight, and helps regulate mood and hormones too. To make sure you get enough vitamin D during cold and flu season, here are some tips: Seek the sun The sun is always the best source of vitamin D, so while you might not spend […]

Easiest Herbs to Grow Indoors (Infographic)

It’s winter time and you’re probably missing having fresh produce from your garden or farmer’s market. This time of year it can be hard to find local herbs and greens. Do you want a way to continue to have access to fresh herbs without braving the cold? Winter is a common time of year for folks with green thumbs to invest in an indoor herb garden. You can grow these year-round, and keep them right on your kitchen windowsill to add to dishes. There really is no flavor like fresh herbs and it can change the flavor of a very […]

First Snow of Winter on the Homestead (Video)

All across the country, temperatures are dropping and snow is beginning to fall. Winter is officially almost here! Of course, for many homesteaders across the country this means a big change of pace. “Off the Grid with Doug and Stacey” is a really cute channel that documents their off-grid adventures in their tiny log cabin homestead. A few weeks ago they published a video of the sights on their first snow day of the year. It’s fun to see their authentic, simple, small homestead get covered with it’s first layer of 2016 winter snow. Enjoy! If you enjoyed this, you […]

DIY Calamine Lotion

If you’ve ever had poison ivy, poison oak, hives, or any other kind of severe skin irritation that causes itching, you’ll know just how soothing calamine lotion can be. I always thought it was something specific, but it turns out the ingredients will probably be pretty familiar to you if you have a basic natural first aid arsenal. Even if you’ve never made your own home remedy, this is still an easy remedy with simple ingredients that aren’t too hard to find if you know where to look. Kaolin or bentonite clay are normally available at a health food store, […]

Natural Antibiotics That Are Better Than a Perscription

This time of year there are all kinds of bugs in the air, and you’re bound to get sick sooner or later. A lot of people will rush right to the doctor to get antibiotics if they suspect an infection, and antibiotics certainly are amazing miracles of modern medicine. But they can also be harmful to your immune system and will wreak havoc on your gut bacteria, which are necessary for a healthy body. Rather than resort to antibiotics right away, why not try some natural antibiotics first? These are some great options for natural remedies of all kind, and […]

Growing Turmeric

Do you ever go inside after gardening with sore hands and stiff knees? Instead of reaching for some Advil or other store bought anti-inflammatory medicine, why not grow your own? Turmeric is a great medicinal plant because not only does it offer a wide array of health benefits, but it is one of the easiest plants to grow, and to harvest. Just head to your local Asian grocery store and look for a piece of turmeric root that you can use to grow your own plants from. Here’s how, and why you might want to. To Plant Simply purchase […]

Tips for Better Tomatoes

Homegrown tomatoes taste a far cry better than anything you will find at the grocery store. You know exactly what’s in your soil and what you are putting on the plant, so you don’t have to worry about pesticides getting you or your family sick. Here are some quick and simple tips you can use to improve the tomatoes in your garden. Plant Deep First, you always want to make sure you are planting your tomatoes as deeply as possible, without having any of the leaves touch the ground. This way, the plant will produce a stronger root system, which […]

Rope Making (Video)

When it comes to homesteading, I love plotting and planning for as much self-reliance as possible. And a huge part of that includes supplies. I love to see how other people make their own supplies, and this rope-making video is pretty cool. They have a pretty cool little contraption that wouldn’t be to difficult to make, and it’s really awesome to see the way they suspend the pieces of twine out on it and carefully twist the rope together. Check it out! If you liked this, you might also enjoy… Become A Master Healer With This Revolutionary Course… Traditional Hindu Yoga […]

Seed Tape

At $3 or more per packet, seeds can be one of the primary costs of gardening, especially if you are starting a new garden or expanding the crops you are growing. To some extent, it is an unavoidable cost, but all too often seeds are wasted and the cost of your garden grows needlessly. One of the most common causes for this is not properly spacing the seeds when they are planted. Seed tape is a great way to prevent this from happening and save you a lot of money on your garden budget. Here’s what you need and […]

How to Build Your Food Supply

It’s been awhile since I wrote a prepping-related post, but winter always makes me think of stocking up for disaster. If you are just getting into the field of survival and prepping, you know how important it is to have a good stockpile of food, but you might be intimidated by the amount of food that you’ve seen other preppers accumulate. Just because they might have a basement that’s brimming with canned goods and rice doesn’t mean you need to do the same thing overnight. Here are some tips you can follow so you can build your own food supply. […]

Does Tap Water Kill Garden Bacteria?

Some people believe that the chemicals used in treating tap water, namely chlorine, will kill or harm the bacteria in their garden soil. Since bacteria are the base of the food web in your garden it’s important to keep them healthy and happy. Because of this some gardeners have resorted to filtering their water with costly filtrations systems, or letting it sit out for hours or even days in watering cans to allow the chlorine to evaporate. But is any of this necessary? In this video we are shown the painstakingly scientific evaluation of this hypothesis. The experiment takes […]

A Simple DIY Cold and Flu Tonic

I know I’ve been sharing a lot of DIY natural cold and flu remedies lately, but I seriously don’t think anyone can ever have too many in their natural health arsenal. Also, a lot of the remedies I’ve been sharing are make-ahead or big batch remedies, and sometimes busy people just need a quick fix for when they feel a cold or flu coming on. This has been my go-to for years as I usually have these ingredients in my cupboard, they’re super healthy and all boast immune-boosting properties, and you can make it in about five minutes, and even […]

How to Make Fermented Chicken Feed

Us humans love fermented food. It’s not just kombucha and sauerkraut for hippies, most of us eat fermented food in the form of beer, wine, cheese, yogurt, vinegar, pickles and sourdough and levain-style artisan breads, which are all fermented when traditionally made. I’m a big fan of fermentation because not only are most fermented foods delicious, they’re also packed with beneficial bacteria that can heal your gut and improve overall health tremendously. So when I first heard about fermented chicken feed, I was instantly intrigued. If you’re rolling your eyes, I understand, it definitely sounds like a pretty hippie thing […]

Indoor Microgreens

With things getting colder and colder outside this time of year it’s getting harder and harder to produce much food in the garden. For those that don’t have a greenhouse, or that live in an area where even a layer of protection or two from the cold is not enough, you might want to consider growing microgreens inside near your windows. Microgreens are not special plants that stop growing after they get only a few inches, they are just normal plants that are harvested early, shortly after sprouting. Why Grow Microgreens Microgreens can be grown inside during the cold […]