Homesteading Archives - Page 8 of 36 - Homesteader DepotHomesteader Depot

Is Your Soil Good Quality?

If you are interested in homesteading, urban homesteading, or natural health, you probably care about what goes into your body. You try to buy organic and eat whole, healthy foods that are the best sources for the macronutrients, micronutrients, and minerals that our bodies need to thrive. But do you take so much care of the plants you grow? Plants need food as well, and not just bland, synthetic versions of the food they thrive on, but natural, pure, varied nutrients. The way plants get their “food” is through the soil. This is one reason it is so important to […]

Living Simply in a Tiny Off-Grid Cabin (Video)

Would you be happy living with less? This family certainly is. Living in a tiny cabin on a piece of land in New Zealand, instead of paying rent, they do work-trade for the opportunity to live off the land. You’d be amazed at the simplicity of their dwelling, and yet, they’re clearly very fulfilled. I found this to be such an inspiring look at just how fulfilling a more reduced life can be. I lived in a similar way for some time and relate so much to their experiences. It really is amazing just how much easier life can be […]

Why Raise Meat Chickens?

If you are used to buying your chicken from the supermarket, you might not realize this, but there is one breed of meat chicken that dominates the modern, globalized meat market. You know it well, and yet probably don’t even know the name. You buy your whole fryers, your boneless skinless chicken breast, your thigh meat, your wings, your drumsticks, your whole legs. It might come from different brands, priced differently, sometimes on sale, sometimes more expensive for higher quality. But it is almost always the same chicken breed: the Cornish Cross. The Cornish Cross has not always been the […]

Why You Need to Rest if You’re a Homesteader

Homesteading is a lot of work. It’s definitely work that’s quite worth it, and if you are a homesteader, it’s probably what you signed up for. You are probably the kind of person who was willing to sacrifice the ease and convenience of modern life to roll up your sleeves, pull on your work boots, and get dirty doing what you love most. If you’re a type-A personality and absolutely live to work, that’s great. Or maybe you get stressed out easily, and overwhelmed by all the spinning plates of homestead life. The thing is, regardless of how naturally hard-working […]

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 […]

Goat Crossfit (Video)

Regular Crossfit is all the rage, but now…there’s goat Crossfit! When this urban homesteader’s friends all started going to Crossfit down the street from her house, she knew she didn’t need to go, because she already had goats. This very cute and funny video shows the brilliant invention of goat Crossfit! It has yet to take off, but it looks like such a fun, great workout, we’re confident it will very soon… 😉 If you enjoyed this, you might also like…. Long-Term Survival for Homesteaders… Natural Healing Secrets You Need to Know… Effective Primal Diet Hacks…

Life In The Country Is Free of Pollution….Right?

It is a very common assumption that urban centers tend to be much more toxic and polluted than rural communities or wilderness. And there’s good reason to think this. Cities have far more toxic emissions from the many vehicles that go in and out of the city every day, the high concentration of factories, plants, and refineries, the shere volume of people densely populating our nation’s major urban centers. It is true that there is much pollution in cities, as anyone who’s ever overlooked the Los Angeles basin on a sunny day can attest. Cities produce a huge amount of […]

A Basic Guide to Marking Goats

Goats are a wonderful addition to any homestead, but if you have quite a few, you might need to consider marking them at some point. Usually, small homesteads who raise a handful of goats merely for pleasure and can recognize all their goats according to their markings won’t need to rely on marking to identify their goats. But if you’d like to breed, sell, and/or register your goats, you will need a system for keeping track of them. The most common methods of marking goats are either tattooing or ear tagging. Tattooing is the only permanent method and may be required to register […]

How to Stay Cool on the Homestead

The last few years have experienced record-breaking heat throughout the summer, all across North America and Europe. With unseasonably warm winters, it’s likely that this summer will be no different. Unfortunately, for gardeners and homesteaders, we need to spend quite a bit of time outside, heat or no heat. So what are some ways you can keep cool, while still staying on top of your chores? We’ve got some tips. 1. Timing is Everything Perhaps most important is to plan very carefully for all your chores to get done in the cooler parts of the day. Get up with the […]

Essential Items for Your Emergency Survival Kit (Infographic)

Whether you’re a survivalist, prepper, homesteader, or simply someone who wants to create a culture of self-reliance in your home, you need to be prepared for emergencies. It can be overwhelming thinking about everything you might need to survive long-term, but it’s always prudent to simply start with the basics. Every family should have a basic emergency survival kit, and this infographic from SHTFPreparedness.com is a great guide for how to build this kit and what you should have in it. These simple items are essential for any kind of emergency, and even if you’re not set up with enough food […]

Survivalist or Homesteader? (Video)

This is a great video from a popular homesteading and survivalism vlogger I really enjoy. He poses the questions: which will survive longer, a homesteader or a survivalist? Are they the same thing? Does one come before the other? I think this is a really great topic since, while homesteading and survivalism are not necessarily synonymous, there’s a lot of overlap. The ultimate goal of homesteading is self-reliance and independence, and survivalism is all about preparing for any number of scenarios in which you will not be able to rely on others to save or help you. If you’ve ever […]

When the Garden Doesn’t Grow: How to Increase Food Supply

As a homesteader, you will typically put a lot of faith in your garden when it comes to having enough food to last your family. You will learn how to plant and keep the plants healthy and strong, how and when to harvest, and canning techniques, most likely. When everything is going well with the garden, this can be a great method to take care of the bulk of the food you and your family need. However, it is not always enough. Sometimes, the garden can fail, too, and that means you need to have some other ways of procuring […]

Make Money on Your Homestead

You love the idea of living simply and living on a homestead. However, you probably also love the idea of having some extra money coming into the household. Fortunately, you can combine these two loves and find some interesting ways to make money from your homestead, and it is easier than you might imagine. Here are just some of the different ways that you can start using your activities on the homestead to earn more to supplement your life. Grow and Sell Excess Food If you are already growing a nice garden, and perhaps some fruit trees to provide for […]

All About Parsnips

Parsnips are not a very well-known garden vegetable, but they’re wonderful to grow, taste delicious, and keep extraordinarily well in the garden over winter, or in your root cellar. From the carrot family, parsnips, or Pastinaca sativa, resemble a pale carrot. They can be difficult to grow, but they’re worth the effort for their ability to keep through winter. They are the easiest garden vegetable to keep in the soil through the winter, to be dug up as needed, which makes them a wonderful choice for homesteaders. Today, we’re going to discuss all things parsnip; how to plant, grow, harvest, and keep. […]

How to Make a Silkworm Habitat (Video)

One of the more obscure “animals” you can raise on your homestead, especially if you’d like to think about making a profit in the long-term, is silkworms. These little critters are where pure silk comes from, and, like bees, it’s common for them to be raised in indoor or artificial habitats so that their silk can be harvested. Silkworms love mulberry trees, and this video shows you how to make an artificial mulberry habitat to raise silkworms in. It was actually made by a 2nd grade teacher, so she could show her students how silkworms lived in their “natural” habitat, but I […]

Common Canning Mistakes to Avoid

Home canning is one of the best ways to preserve food, and every homesteader should try their hand at it! You’ll love being able to make huge batches of all kinds of canned food, and save for gifts or for food through the winter. However, since it is food preservation, it is very important that you do it properly. These canning mistakes have the potential to actually make your canned food highly dangerous, so make sure you are following canning safety protocol before you dive in and start experimenting. Here are some of the worst canning mistakes you can make, […]

Top 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Harvesting Rainwater (Video)

Harvesting rainwater is one of the best things you can do on your homestead, particularly if you are trying to be prepared for emergencies or establish self-reliance. Not to mention, it’s simply a very convenient way to water your garden and animals without impacting your water bill! However, as many people who have set up their own water harvesting systems will tell you, there’s a lot that can go wrong. Rain is unpredictable and water is heavy, and if you don’t have a secure, reliable set-up, there are many ways your system can fail. Fortunately, you can learn from those brave […]

The Reality of Homesteading: What No One Tells You

Homesteading is a noble pursuit, and we obviously strongly encourage everyone to try their hand at it! Growing your own food, raising livestock, and living off-grid are a wonderful way to enrich your life, get healthier, and truly embrace self-reliant living. But it’s not all puppies and sunshine! There are some harsh realities of homesteading that a lot of people won’t tell you. Here’s what you need to know if you want to face the music. You Will Make a Lot of Mistakes Homesteading is all about trial and error, and it is through these errors that you learn. It is just […]

Top Chicken Breed Comparison (Infographic)

When it comes to choosing breeds to begin a flock of chickens, you have probably found it is quite overwhelming choosing the right one for your needs. Every breed has it’s pros and cons. Those that are popular are popular for good reason, but, like heirloom vegetables, lesser-known chicken breeds have their perks and benefits. Chicken breeds are much more varied than you might think, and this great infographic from ManateeChickens.com breaks down several popular breeds and various factors that might influence your decision of which ones to raise. Factors like egg production, size, weather tolerance, ability to forage, and […]

13 Useful Ways to Reuse Eggshells

If you raise chickens or simply eat a lot of eggs, you probably produce a lot of egg shells! And simply throwing them in the trash is a huge waste. Egg shells are loaded with beneficial nutrients and properties, and there are lots of ways to reuse them and make the most out of your chickens or grocery budget! First off, you need to make sure you store them properly. You might be able to get away with tossing them all in a 5-gallon bucket on your back porch, or, if that attracts pests or mold, you might want to […]