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  • Drip System Installation (Video)

    Drip System Installation (Video)

    Recently I wrote about how to conserve water, time, and energy by watering wisely, but that is under the assumption that you, like myself, don’t have a drip system.  If you have the money to invest in a drip system there is no better way to conserve water, time, and energy in watering your garden.  With a timer added to your system you can pretty much forget about your garden and it will still grow.  This video features a system that retails for about $30, in the video it irrigates a 8’x10’ bed with material to spare (the timer is not included in the price).  While not every garden setup allows for a drip system, if you live in an area prone to drought, you may want to design your garden to be compatible.

     

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  • Growing Loofah Sponges  

    Growing Loofah Sponges  

     

    I always thought that loofah was the remains of some aquatic creature living on oceans reefs.  But then when I was searching an online seed catalog I saw it listed.  I had to click it to check it out, and then grow some for myself.  It turns out that loofah is in the same family as cucumber, it’s a gourd, and it can be eaten or left to dry on the vine and used as the sponge you see in stores.  Here’s how.

     

    • They do not handle frost well, so don’t plant them too early if you live in a cold zone.
    • Plant them in an area where they will have room to grow, which can be horizontal on a fence, or vertical on a trellis, and where they can get plenty of sun.
    • They produce a nice yellow flower that looks nice.
    • This will turn into a gourd that while young resembles a cucumber. It’s at this stage that it is edible.  If you want to eat them, harvest them when they are between 4 to 6inches long and still tender and green.   You will need to remove the skin, and cook them.  They can be steamed, stewed, or best of all, stir-fried.
    • If you want to get a sponge just keep waiting. The gourd should start to turn yellow or brown.  Shake the gourd regularly to check if it’s done.  If you can hear loose seeds rattling around inside it is done.  You want to keep checking and not leave it too long so that it doesn’t begin to rot.  If it does rot it will ruin a portion of the sponge that you can cut off, but it will also leave the rest of it brown instead of white or yellow.  After harvesting the dried gourd, remove the top and empty out the seeds so you can grow more next season.  Then soak the gourd until the skin softens and peel the skin off.  What remains is the loofah sponge.

    It’s not the most productive crop in the garden, but it does taste good when harvest young, and the novelty of growing your own sponge is pretty cool.  It’s also a nice non-perishable item that you can take to the local farmer’s market or sell online to make some income off of your garden and help fund your homestead.

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  • Getting Rid of Mice

    Getting Rid of Mice

    Some people are horrified of mice. Some people think they are cute. When you are a homesteader, they are a problem that you need to solve quickly. If you are unable to get rid of the mice, they can destroy or contaminate your food supply faster than you might think. They breed quickly, and when you see just one or two of these rodents, you can be sure the problem runs a lot deeper.

    First, you will want to determine just how you want to get rid of the mice – humanely or with lethal traps. It depends on how you feel about killing mice. Live traps can work quite well. However, if you choose this method, you need to release the mice far away from civilization. You can’t just walk to the other side of your yard and let them go because they will head straight back into the house, your storage, and everywhere else you don’t want them to be.

    If you utilize lethal traps, don’t feel bad about it. If you don’t get rid of the mice, they are going to cause a substantial amount of problems for your home and potentially your health. You need to put you and your family above your feelings for fuzzy little mice.

    Once you get rid of the mice on your property, you will want to make sure they stay away. Using a spray of apple cider vinegar and water has proven successful for some. In addition, you might want to consider getting cats, as they can prey on the mice. Also, if you happen to see snakes on your property, as long as they are nonvenomous, let them stay. The snakes will also help to keep the population of mice down for you.

     

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  • Cheap Homesteading Supplies You Need

    Cheap Homesteading Supplies You Need

    As a homesteader, you want to reduce your expenditures and become more self-sufficient. You want to grow your own food, and perhaps even mend and make your own clothing. However, as independent as you might be, or want to be, you still need to have the right tools and supplies. You can get many of the supplies you need without going over your budget thanks to buying in bulk and buying from places such as dollar stores. The following are some of the supplies you can find in these stores.

    Needles are usually available at these budget stores, and you can buy several packs since they are only a dollar. You may also be able to find thread there as well. However, you should be careful. Only buy one spindle at first and check the quality. While the needles shouldn’t be a problem, the thread might be low quality, and you don’t want to waste your money on it.

    Freezer bags are usually available as well. Sometimes, they are name brand and sometimes they aren’t. However, they all tend to do the job the same. You can use these bags for meat, vegetables, and more. Along the same lines, you may find some aluminum foil. You can never have too much.

    If you are lucky, you might even find some buckets with lids at the store, and these are great for storing many different things. However, you should only store food, such as rice or beans, in food grade buckets, or in glass jars.

    The next time you are in town and passing by the local dollar store, take a few minutes to walk around the aisles. You might find quite a few other homesteading supplies, such as duct tape, that you can buy without breaking the bank.

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  • Growing An Edible Garden Landscape

    Growing An Edible Garden Landscape

    Gardening is a hobby that can be enjoyed by everyone. With the numerous types of accessible gardening methods available, physical limitations or mobility concerns should not prohibit you from growing a garden. An online search of photos of accessible gardens that creative individuals have designed will give you some ideas as to how you might want to design your garden. Keep in mind that accessible gardening is just like traditional gardening in that the design you choose and the plants you include can be tailored to your individual preference.

    Raised beds are a popular form of accessible garden. When you choose this method, you can construct the gardens so that they are a convenient height for you. The width of the garden can also be determined in accordance with the range of reach you have. If you have the space available, you can construct numerous raised beds in order to increase the variety and amount of vegetables you grow. Be sure the area between the beds is large enough for a wheelchair, walker or rolling cart if you depend on any of these items. A smooth surface area is essential for easy navigation through your raised beds.

    Garden tables are an ideal method of accessible gardening. They are ideal for anyone using a wheelchair or mobility scooter. Garden tables can be built to fit the space you have available. You can find some helpful information on how to construct a table garden from most cooperative extension offices. Table gardens should allow for at least a 6″ soil depth. Increasing the soil depth will expand the variety of vegetables you can grow in your table garden. A lightweight, organic potting mix is recommended for table gardens. This type of accessible garden will require more frequent watering than a traditional garden or a raised bed garden. When you plan the layout for individual plants, be sure you put plants such as beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and anything other type of vine along the edge of a raised bed or table garden. This will make harvesting the vegetables much easier and prevent them for becoming entwined with the other plants.

    Planter boxes and standing planters are an ideal way to create an accessible garden. You can create an individual garden design using boxes, planters and trellises by looking around the Internet and at local stores.  The shape of the boxes allow for easy reach and easy navigation around the planters. This type of garden is a great choice if your only available space is a patio or deck.

    An accessible garden is quite similar to the very popular container gardens that are increasingly trendy. To assure the greatest success with the plants you include in your garden, you can utilize the list of recommended vegetable varieties for container gardens found at http://www.highmowingseeds.com/Suggested-Varieties-For-organic-non-gmo-Vegetable-Container-Gardening.html. Don’t hesitate to try new vegetables in your garden. Gardening should not simply be a means of providing food for you and your family; it should also be an enjoyable and personally rewarding hobby.

     

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  • Sewing, Knitting, and Crocheting – Three Skills You Need

    Sewing, Knitting, and Crocheting – Three Skills You Need

    As a homesteader, you are a collector of skills. With every skill that you acquire, it leads you one step closer to true self-sufficiency. The following are three related skills that you will certainly want to add to your repertoire – sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Let’s learn how these skills can benefit you.

    Sewing

    If you can sew, and if you practice your techniques, you can mend your clothing and tailor it as needed. This means your clothes can last for far longer than they would have. Not only that, but you may even get to the point where you decide you can make some of your clothing. You want to learn how to sew with a sewing machine, of course, but that’s not all. You should also learn how to sew by hand since a machine might not always be available.

    Knitting and Crocheting

    While these two skills are very similar, the methodology behind them is different. You may choose to focus on just one of the fields, or you might want to learn how to do both. When you can knit and crochet, you can make hats, mittens, scarves, blankets, and more. These are fun skills to learn, and you can put them to use. Having extra blankets around is always nice. In addition, you can give gifts that you’ve made, which is part of the homesteader’s DIY spirit.

    You might be wondering how long each of these skills takes to learn. Well, it depends on the person. Some people are fast learners and can pick up the basics quickly. It might take others a little longer to get the skills down. Once you get the basics though, you are well on your way. Of course, it can take quite some time to become a true master of these skills.

     

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  • Watering Wisely to Conserve Water, Time, and Energy

    Watering Wisely to Conserve Water, Time, and Energy

    Whether you get the water for your garden from rain collection or from the tap, you are going to want to conserve this precious resource as much as possible.  You don’t want to run out, and you don’t want to add unnecessary cost to your garden.  You also don’t want to have to take the time and energy to water your garden inefficiently since you have enough to do already.  Here are a few tips on how to get the most of your water by watering wisely.

     

    Check First

    Check the soil to see if watering is necessary before you water.  Just because the soil on the surface looks dry doesn’t mean that your plants don’t have access to water underneath.  Poke your pointer finger into the soil, if you can’t feel moisture at this depth then it’s time to soak your soil.

    Soak Don’t Spray

    When you are watering your plants don’t spray them with a blast of water that could disturb soil, damage leaves, and even kill seedlings.  Soak the soil around the plants thoroughly with a gentle mist from a hose, or use a watering can that allows for a slow fine flow instead of a flood.

    Add Organic Material

    Organic material improves soil structure, aids in water retention, and adds food for beneficial organisms.  When your beds or rows are inactive, dig in material like horse manure.  This will feed worms and act like a sponge when watered.  You don’t want to add manure under the soil surface in an active bed.

    Mulch

    Mulching will provide a layer of insulation against evaporation while also adding organic material to the soil surface that worms will feed on and then carry into the soil naturally.  A heavy layer of good mulch like straw or wood chips will greatly increase the amount of time between necessary watering.

    Timing

    Don’t water during the day, especially in the early afternoon.  Evaporation rates are highest during this time.  Watering in the early evening when the air has cooled and the sun is going down will allow the water the greatest amount of time to soak in.

     

    I hope these tips help you save resources and time in your garden.

     

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  • Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Garden

    Mistakes to Avoid When Planning Your Garden

    To assure that the plants in your garden thrive, there are several mistakes you should avoid when setting up your garden. Getting things right from the start can save you time and money and eliminate a lot of stress and frustration.

    Determine the size

    Ambition is a wonderful thing, but being overly ambitious and planting a garden that is too large for you to manage is a mistake you want to avoid. Deciding how much time and energy you have to devote to maintaining a garden should be the basis for determining its size.

    Choosing a location

    Most vegetables require a considerable amount of sunlight to thrive. Therefore, you need to observe the area you have available for setting up a garden and select a sunny location for it. You also need to consider how well water drains from the area. If you’re choosing your garden spot during the winter or early spring, keep in mind that any trees nearby will shade the garden once their leaves reappear.

    Planning the layout

    To have the most success with your gardening endeavor, you should plan the layout before you begin buying seeds or plants. You need to know what plants need to be staked, which ones need a trellis or fence to climb on and which plants can be used as companion plants or as a source of shade for other plants.

    Soil

    It’s a mistake to plant anything before you properly prepare the soil. Loosen the soil and add compost and fertilizer as soon as the weather in your area permits. You can get kits to test your soil to see if you need to add specific before you begin planting.

    Planting

    If you simply buy some seeds and put them in the ground without reading the planting information on the container, you could make several mistakes. The packet will tell you when to plant the seeds. It also provides information on planting depth and tells you the amount of sunlight the plant needs. It’s also important that you read the planting and care instructions for whatever plants you purchase for your garden. Buying anything other than healthy looking plants is a mistake. You want to set your garden up so it has the best opportunity to produce the highest yield possible.

    Wildlife

    It is definitely a mistake to set your garden up assuming that you won’t have any problems with wildlife. You should go ahead and plan to add the proper type of fencing to keep deer, rabbits and other animals out of your garden. If you prefer not to add a fence around your garden, you’ll need to explore some alternative methods such as planting a border around your garden using plants, such as marigolds, which deter animals from eating your vegetable plants. Scarecrows are not just decorative objects in a garden. They can provide protection, but most likely, when setting up your garden, you’ll need to take additional measures to win the battle against furry and feathered invaders.

    If you avoid these common mistakes, you will enjoy your garden more, all without worrying about every little issue that may arise.

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