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Homesteading – Page 76 – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Category: Homesteading

  • How to Use Fall Leaves

    How to Use Fall Leaves

    This time of year many of us are going to have a layer of leaves all over the lawn.  Many people simply rake and bag them to put on the street for the trash men to pick up, others will even pay someone else to do this.  But there are more options for what to do with this fantastic free garden resource.

    Fall Mulch

    Mulching with leaves can have a drastic impact on your garden’s soil mineral content.  Not only do the leaves of many deciduous trees have an NPK of around .5, .1, .5, but they also have calcium, magnesium, and other minerals drawn deep from underground by the trees roots.  Along with providing a slow release fertilizer for your garden a thick layer of leaf mulch applied in the fall or winter will insulate your soil, providing a more hospitable environment for earthworms which will feed on the leaves all winter.

    Leaf Mold or Compost

    Leaves can also be bagged and kept for leaf mold.  Leaf mold can help aerate clay soil or help water retention in sandy soil.  But it will take years to make and not everyone has the space or the patience for that.  Some of the benefits can still be had simply by adding the leaves to your compost pile.

    Spring Mulch

    If you do bag your leaves for leaf mulch only to find that you don’t have the space to store the bags, or that you are just not patient enough to wait 2 years for the results all is not lost.  You can take the partially broken down leaf mold which will still resemble its original state, and apply it as a thick layer of mulch in spring or summer.  It will not heat up the way grass clipping do, and leaf mold, even partial leaf mold, can hold up to 3 times it’s weight in water, reducing your need to irrigate or hand water, and keeping your crops happy in warm weather.

     

    This year, don’t waste your time and energy to just throw away a free resource that could have powerful benefits for your garden.

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  • Are Vertical Farms The Future Of Agriculture?

    Are Vertical Farms The Future Of Agriculture?

    When space is tight and the demand for food is high, vertical farms might be the best answer. Check out this piece from PBS on the subject.

    Here are some fun facts about vertical farms. If you are interested in building your own vertical farm, https://homesteaderdepot.com/supports-for-vertical-gardens-infographic/here are some alternative or unique supports you could use to get started.

    How to get started with Aquaponics.

    Vertical Farming

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  • Tips for Making Your Own Crispy Pickles

    Tips for Making Your Own Crispy Pickles

    Do you and your family love the taste of fresh crunchy pickles? If you do, and you are a homesteader, you have probably been trying to make your own pickles. It is not a difficult process, but you might’ve found that pickles you’ve made don’t quite have the same snap and crunch that you really like. Fortunately, you don’t have to live with soggy, bendy pickles for much longer. Just use the tips that follow and you will find that your pickles will have a much more significant crunch.

    One of the first things you want to do is make sure you’re using the freshest cucumbers possible. When you go to the grocery store to buy cucumbers or, even better since you are a homesteader, go out to the garden and pick the cucumbers, you want to use them right away. The fresher the better, as this will typically mean the texture is going to be crisper.

    Another good tip is to cut off the blossom end of the cucumbers. This is one of the best ways to make sure the cucumbers are nice and crisp. The reason for this is because this area of the cucumber has microbes that can cause the pickles to become soft. Also, make sure that you do not keep the pickles in the canning pot for too long. Be aware of what the timer says when you are making the pickles and take them off right away. Otherwise, the additional heat has the potential to soften the texture. Just make sure they have enough heat to kill any bacteria that may be on the vegetables.

    Now that you have a few more tips on your belt for making pickles, get out there grab some cucumbers so you can start making the best pickles of your pickling career!

     

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  • Homestead (and Life) Lessons From the Great Depression

    Homestead (and Life) Lessons From the Great Depression

    The Great Depression was one of the most harrowing periods of history in our country, and there are many lessons we can take from it. It dramatically changed our economy, our government, our agriculture and our people. We made it through the recent Great Recession with far less damage than the Great Depression, but the possibility of something far worse seems to be constantly looming on the horizon and it’s hard to imagine we’d be prepared the way our resourceful ancestors were.

    The thing is, life has changed so much since the 20’s and 30’s, and we have become far more reliant on the resources of a globalized economy. This is why homesteading is so appealing to a growing number of people; in the face of a crippling economic meltdown, we want to be prepared, and self-reliant, and self-sufficient.

    Here are some lessons we can take from the Great Depression for homesteading, self-reliance, and life in general:

    1. Use what you have

    We get so used to constantly spending, we’ve forgotten how to use what we have already. Homesteaders are probably already familiar with this, especially if you live far from town and get used to  being resourceful, but Amazon Prime has definitely made it easier to order the most obscure homesteading equipment to be delivered right to our front door (or the mailbox at the top of our country road). Before you spend, try to imagine you have no spare money, what you would do. You’d be surprised how quickly you can problem solve sometimes if buying an additional tool or supply were not an option!

    2. Rely on others

    Community is the backbone of any country, and we have, over time, become more autonomous, individual agents who are ironically much more reliant on the grid and less on one another. Get to know your neighbors, your suppliers, shopkeepers, etc. Form bonds with others, trade work and supplies, pitch in to help others out and ask for help on your own homestead. Find a church, homeschool group, grocery co-op, book club, farmer’s market whatever it is that you’re interested in and make connections. When things get crazy you’ll need support and resources, and a few heads are always better than one.

    3. Get skilled

    Skills are invaluable, and the more you learn, the better equipped you are for #1 and #2. If you can build or repair things you won’t need to spend as much hiring others or buying new supplies or replacement parts, and if you have marketable skills or an artisan craft you can trade your work for things you need or simply pitch in to help others out and help strengthen your community.

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  • Benefits of Bees for Homesteads

    Benefits of Bees for Homesteads

    Bees can be greatly beneficial to the homestead. Becoming a beekeeper requires some knowledge, but it is still relatively simple to get into the field. Once you start to look at beekeeping, you will see that bees can provide a number of wonderful benefits.

    If you have a large garden that is meant to feed you and your entire family, then you need to make sure everything is pollinated properly. Same is true if you have some fruit trees on your property as well. By having bees on the property, you can ensure the pollination and fertilization of various crops. This means your food output via the garden could be much better than it is right now.

    In addition, there are a number of other benefits having bees can provide. One that comes to mind most readily is having fresh raw honey. Honey is fantastic as a sweetener, of course. However, that is not the only way that you can use the honey. In addition, it works well for healing on a variety of wounds including burns. It has antibacterial properties, as well as antiviral and antifungal properties.

    In addition, the honey works well as a long-term food storage item. In fact, it can be stored for decades. The beeswax provided from the beehives you set up can be quite beneficial as well. You can utilize the wax to make lotion, lip balms, and even beeswax candles.

    As you can see, there are a number of reasons to start keeping bees on your property. Just make sure you have the knowledge needed to keep your hive up and running, and remain safe while doing so. With a little research, you will have all of these benefits – and all that great tasting honey – sooner than you might think.

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  • Tips for Repelling Ticks

    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. So do not give it to them.

    Utilizing insect repellent that contains DEET can help as well. You can spray your clothing, as well as your shoes and socks. This works very well to keep the ticks away. If you’re going to be in an area where you know ticks are present, keep your pant legs tucked into your socks. It might look silly, but you can be sure the ticks are not going to get inside and onto your skin. You can also look for products that you can give to your pets that will help to repel or kill the ticks.

    Always take some time to check yourself, your loved ones, and your pets after you’ve come back from an area where there are ticks. If you find any ticks, use tweezers with a fine tip to grab the tick. You want to grab as close to the surface of the skin is possible. Then, pull upward with a steady pressure. Never twist or yank the tick. This could cause the head or parts of the mouth to break off inside the skin. Then, clean the area.

    To dispose of a tick, you can drown in alcohol. It can also be flushed down the toilet. You do not want to crush it with your finger.

    Be aware of the ticks that might be in your area, and start taking precautions if you haven’t already.

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  • Best Perennial Vegetables to Grow

    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 springtime. They are easy to plant. You want to plant them in moist but well-drained soil that gets full sun, and you will want to plant in the early spring after the last frost. The best way to grow them is from rooted crowns. You can find these online or at local nurseries.

    Rhubarb

    You will actually plant rhubarb in a similar manner to asparagus. You want to have it in a location where it will not be disturbed and can grow year after year. Plant this the same time as you plant your asparagus. Something important to keep in mind about rhubarb is that you are only supposed to eat the stems. The leaves are poisonous.

    Sorrel

    This is another perennial plant that works very well in many gardens. It has a tart flavor that is similar to rhubarb. In fact, they are related plants. You will plant these so they get full sun and in soil about six eight inches apart, and rows that are two feet apart. The sorrel can be used in salads, as well as a number of other dishes.

    Garlic

    This can be a perennial as well. All you need to do is leave some of them to go to seed, and they will grow again the next year. One of the nice things about garlic is that it is very easy to grow. In fact, you could even go in for a store-bought garlic if you had to. They need to be planted in a sunny location with well-drained soil, and the root side needs to be down. Only the top of the cloves should stick out above the ground, and then only just barely. They should be spaced about 8 inches apart. As long as you want them, they will sprout relatively quickly.

    Garlic works well to flavor many different types of food from soups to sauces to meat and more. It also has some nice health benefits, as it is good for the heart.

    These are just some of the many different types of perennial plants you can start growing. Take some time to consider different types of fruits and vegetables that you enjoy, and see which ones will work best as perennials. They will likely become a staple of your diet, so make sure it is food that you and the family actually enjoy.

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  • Tips for Weeding the Garden

    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 aeration tool. This will help to loosen any weeds, which can remove before you do the planting. Try to remove every bit of the weeds if you can. If you have chickens, you can count on them to eat the weeds. They can do a good job of cleaning up.

    Also, make sure you use mulch. Mulch can be very effective at getting rid of weeds. It helps to keep the soil cool and moist. In addition, it will not let the weeds get light. Mulch also happens to be a good home for crickets, which tend to eat weed seeds.

    Take care when you are watering the plants as well. Only water the plants you want to grow – not the weeds.

    Take 10 to 15 minutes each day just walk around the garden and look for any weeds that might have sprouted up. Remove them as soon as you find them. If you are willing to put in this work each day, it will be much easier to have a weed free garden.

    With these tips, and some work on your part, you can get the better of the weeds that are in your garden.

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