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When to Harvest Vegetables and Herbs

Time is a key factor in determining when to harvest vegetables. You want to be sure to harvest them when they are on the verge of maturity. The time of day is also a factor in assuring that you harvest vegetables appropriately. It’s helpful to keep the seed packet or plant identification marker for each item you plant in your garden. This is where you will find information regarding the estimated time to maturity. If you keep a garden journal, you can write that information in your journal. There are also plenty of charts available on line that list the […]

A Vegetable Growing Cheat Sheet

I love a good, detailed infographic, especially when it comes to gardening. A lot of the gardening infographics that show up on my feed on Pinterest are pretty simple, so I was stoked when I found this one from Anglianhome.co.uk recently. It’s an all-purpose cheat sheet for vegetable growing, from what’s best for plot vs. patio (or potted) vegetable gardens, where to plant, when to plant, and a handy companion planting guide as well. I think the companion planting guide section is my favorite, with handy color coding. It can be overwhelming trying to decide what to plant with what, […]

Tips to get Free Wood Chips

In case you hadn’t noticed from other articles I love wood chips. I’m not alone on this, gardeners and homesteaders with much more experience that I have swear by the power of wood chips. Whether it’s just for mulch, to add to the compost, for soil transformation, or even to build your own soil from scratch, you will be hard-pressed to find a better resource than wood chips. But those who have bought wood chips, by the truckload, but especially by the bag full, know that wood chips can be costly. On the other hand, those of us who have […]

How to Make a Holiday Wreath (Video)

A holiday wreath is a really easy way to dress up your house for the holidays without spending hours hanging lights that you’ll just take down in a few weeks anyway. And for homesteaders, why not make some wreaths out of found seasonal foliage on your property? Even if you don’t homestead, this easy, homemade wreath is a great alternative to artificial or expensive seasonal wreaths at Walmart. I think my favorite thing about this homemade wreath is that you can customize it to use whatever foliage and decorations you have, you could integrate Christmas tree ornaments, tinsel, even lights […]

Succession Staggered Planting

As a home gardener, your goal is to grow fresh vegetables that you and your family can enjoy from spring until fall. Regardless of whether you’re growing a traditional garden in your backyard or are among those using the space-saving raised bed style of gardening, succession planting will enable you to enjoy a more bountiful, long-term harvest. Succession planting is a simple concept that can be done in two different ways. One method is to stagger the time frame in which you plant the same type of vegetable. The second method is to harvest one crop, then plant a different […]

Black Fly Control

If you have been growing fava beans then it’s likely that you have run into black flies. Black flies love to damage fava bean plants and ruin your production. But there are a few simple ways to fight back if you notice an infection and even measures you can take to prevent your plants from ever getting infected while increasing the food you get out of your plants. Here’s how. Check your plants regularly. Black flies will only ever affect the tops of the plants, so keep a close eye on the tops especially. If you see black flies on […]

Homestead Hog Slaughtering (Video)

I think hogs are some of the best animals to have on the homestead. They are cost efficient and can produce a lot of meat in a short amount of time. And who doesn’t love lots of pork and bacon? Of course, there’s the dirty business of slaughtering them. They’re pretty big, heavy, strong animals, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into. I like this simple guide to slaughtering a pig, and seeing how it’s done by seasoned hog farmers. Check it out! Hopefully it won’t scare you off from raising hogs, but I found it quite fascinating! […]

Medicinal Herbs and Roots for Homesteaders

When living as self-sufficiently as possible, you want to keep trips to the drugstore to a minimum, naturally. Fortunately, you can find some great medicinal herbs that you can grow and keep around the house that will help to keep you and your family healthy. Of course, there may always come a time when you have no choice but to use meds from the doctor or the drugstore, but these herbs can help you with quite a few ailments. Cayenne Pepper Powdered cayenne pepper is for more than adding some spice to your meals. You can use it for several […]

Using Compostable Diapers in the Garden

If you have kids in diapers and have gotten on the “green” bandwagon, then you are paying enough for those diapers that you might want to get more than one use out of them. Well, maybe not some of them, but the ones that have only been soiled with urine. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, then you can get a little more for your money that you are spending on those fancy compostable diapers. Compost Again, you don’t want to spread any sort of yucky disease, so only use the pee diapers. After cutting them up with […]

Shearing Sheep for Wool (Video)

It’s really cool to see real-life demonstrations of classic farm work, and shearing sheep is one of the coolest. Modern electric buzzers have certainly made this age-old practice much quicker, but it’s still pretty old-school in our fast-paced age of information. This video shows the Austrailian method of shearing. I think the coolest thing is watching all the wool fall off in what look like big pelts and seeing the completely unrecognizable freshly shorn animal underneath! It must be nice as the weather warms up for these animals to shed all that warm wool. Enjoy! If you liked this, […]

Make Your Own Powdered Laundry Detergent

Are you tired of buying overpriced laundry detergent that has too much scent? As a homesteader, you should be making your own laundry detergent. You will find that with a few simple ingredients, you can create laundry detergent that works just as well as what you buy, and it will save you quite a bit of money in the end. Choose a bar soap that you like, and look for the powdered form. You should be able to find it in the grocery store or online. Then, take four cups of the shaved or powdered soap and combine it with […]

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 […]

Your Homesteading Could Pay Off in Financial Gains

As a homesteader, or as someone who wants to be a homesteader, you probably aren’t thinking about the financial gains that you could make from the experience. Instead, you are thinking about the benefits of living simply and simply living better. However, there are quite a few ways that you can turn your homesteading into something profitable if you would like. One of the first things you might want to consider doing is selling some of the crafts that you make. As a homesteader, you might make your own candles, your own soap, and even your own blankets, scarves, and […]

Tips for Raising Goats

Homesteaders should certainly consider raising goats. They can be used for meat, milk, and more. However, it is important that you have a good understanding of how to raise the goats properly and safely, and to provide them with a healthy environment. The following are some tips that can help you get started. More than One Even if you have a relatively small space, you should still have room for more than just one goat. Goats are herd animals, and they like to be social. Having several, at least, is a good option. It keeps them happy and it keeps […]

Easy Flourless Fudge Brownies

I’ve been on a grain-free kick lately. I’m not really “paleo”, but I do love trying out new paleo recipes as I enjoy experimenting with dairy- and grain-free recipes in the kitchen. I’m a big believer in butter and eggs, so I’d never give them up completely, but I think my favorite thing about learning paleo recipes is learning how to use non-dairy ingredients. It’s just a great cooking skill to have, plus, if I’m ever out of them and don’t feel like running to the store, which happens a lot in the winter time, let me tell you! This is a […]

Soil Tests

Soil test kits are one of the most under-used tools for backyard homesteaders in their gardens. Most gardeners seem to prefer to treat all soil as equal, equally bad, or equally good. Adding compost and fertilizer to every square inch of growing space, and treating soil for every crop that goes in. But money and hours of hard work can be saved though testing your soil for pH and mineral content. pH Without knowing what the pH of their soil is, most people will add acidic soil amendments like elemental sulfur to their soil if they are planting […]

Saving Space While Growing Corn

Corn is a crop that has disappointed many backyard gardeners. Mostly because they watch lush green stalks grow up with anticipation, only to find that the ears didn’t produce any corn. One of the more common reasons why is that they didn’t plant enough corn. In order for corn to properly pollinate it needs to be planted in several rows, if you are planting in rows. This can take up more space than most backyard gardeners have, or are willing to give to one crop. But there is a way to grow corn successfully without using so much space. […]

The Meat Makers (Infographic)

I recently found this great infographic from HobbyFarms.com that breaks down each standard farm animal, recommended breeds, needs, and amount of dressing each typically provides. When you invest in livestock, it’s important that you are getting what you want out of the animal, if your intention is to get a return on your initial investment in sustenance. Obviously, there are plenty of other factors that might influence your choice of livestock, but if meat is your goal, this is a really handy at-a-glance breakdown of the needs and return from each animal. Enjoy! If you liked this, you might also […]

Making Candles in a Pringles Tube! (Video)

This is entire too cool not to share! I’ve always loved those big, tall, chunky pillar candles, but I’ve always figured they needed fancy candle making molds that I couldn’t afford, and I really prefer to do everything as simple as possible. However, I have seen floating around social media a simple trick: using a Pringles can! It works as a perfect mold for tall pillar candles, and is so simple and easy you could make a bunch for easy and meaningful holiday gifts, or to stock up on survival candles for the homestead. Check it out! If you liked […]

3 Homesteading Skills to Learn

Whether you have been merely thinking about homesteading, or you’ve given it a go for a while now, it is vital that you have a good and varied skillset. The goal of homesteading is to be as self-sufficient as possible, and the following skills are all good to have under your belt. You will find that some of them can be quite fun as well. Candle Making Making candles has several advantages. First, if you’ve considered buying any decent candles lately, you’ve probably been struck by just how expensive they are. When you learn how to make your own candles, […]