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garden – Homesteader Depot

Homesteader Depot

Tag: garden

  • 5 Common Fertilization Mistakes

    5 Common Fertilization Mistakes

    How much do you know about plant fertilizer? While your level of knowledge depends on your gardening experience, as well as how much research you’ve done on the topic, this doesn’t mean that you don’t make mistakes when applying yours. It’s very easy to use the wrong type of fertilizer, not mix it correctly, or even apply too much (or too little) of it. Since fertilizer is an important part of the growing process, you need to know which mistakes your making so that you can avoid them in the future. Here are some of the most common ones.

    Using Too Much Fertilizer

    Too much of a good thing is definitely a problem. If you use too much fertilizer, you could actually be hurting your plants. As it turns out, over-fertilizing can cause certain compounds in the soil to build up, which will hurt your plants. For example, they need just enough nitrogen in order to survive and thrive, but too much can kill them. Never over fertilize. This is one of those things where the words “too much of a good thing” certainly come true. In fact, if you’ve just fertilized the soil and your plants look as if they need more fertilizer (look for droopy leaves, and so on) this might actually be a sign that you applied too much.

    Suggested Article: The Best All Natural Fertilizers for Your Garden

    Adding Too Much of One Nutrient

    It’s easy to add too much of one nutrient and not enough of the others. Many people focus on the trio of NPK, or Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium, while forgetting that their soil actually needs to be a perfect balance of these compounds and others. In order to balance things out properly, make sure to use more than one type of fertilizer. Look for ones that contain calcium, sulfur, or one of the other many micronutrients that your plants need.

    Related Article: 4 Simple Ways to Improve Your Garden Soil

    Your Fertilized Them at the Wrong Time

    This is where doing research on your plants comes in handy. There are numerous resources out there that tell you exactly when this type of tomato plant or that type of cucumber vine needs to be fertilized. You shouldn’t fertilize everything at once, or just “wing it.” Instead, look up your exact varietals and create a calendar or chart that shows when in their growth cycles that they need to be fertilized. Your plants will reward you growing plenty of vegetables if you do this correctly.

    Repeating the Same Patterns

    You need to remember that what worked great one year won’t necessarily provide the same results the next. It’s easy to fall into these habits and come up with a formula of sorts that spells out success. However, your plants might have different needs the next year, based on the air temperatures, amount of sunlight, soil conditions, and even how much water they’ve received. You need to plan everything to match – not just do the same thing over again because it worked that way in the past. Be open to change and everything will work out for the best.

    Suggested Article: Why You Should Keep a Homesteading Journal

    Not Testing Your Soil

    The soil that you plant your crops in needs to be tested every year because its condition can change. Since you want your soil to have that perfect balance of nutrients and micronutrients, it helps to know what it’s exactly chemical composition is. This way, you can add in the right type of fertilizer. Otherwise, you might be applying more phosphorus to soil that already has plenty of this nutrient. This isn’t good for the plants or your soil composition. The more that you know about your soil before you fertilize it, the better.

    Related Article: How to Test Soil Quality

  • 8 Items to NOT Include in Your Compost

    8 Items to NOT Include in Your Compost

    Creating a compost pile is always a good idea. You’ll get to reuse food scraps that would otherwise end up in the trash, and then eventually in a landfill. On top of this, compost piles create new, fresh soil that contains plenty of nutrients. Your plants will love it. However, before it gets to that point, you need to understand the basics of composting, which involve knowing what you shouldn’t put into a compost bin. Many of these items are downright harmful to your compost and will cause a number of problems. Avoid adding them to the pile at all costs.

    Citrus Peels

    While fruit waste of all kinds can be added to a compost pile, you should avoid adding in those citrus peels. They take way too long to decompose and can affect the overall balance in your pile. Your goal is to make soil, and you won’t be able to use it for much when it contains whole chunks of orange, lemon, lime, and grapefruit peels in it.

    Animal Feces

    It’s understandable that you want to do something with your cat or dog feces besides putting it in the trash. However, if you add it to your compost pile, you risk contaminating it with parasites and microorganisms. You don’t want them getting anywhere near your plants, especially if you grow your own vegetables.

    Onion Peels

    A good compost pile contains a balanced combination of food scraps and other waste that break down slowly over time. In some cases, you might want to add some worms to your pile in order to help this process along. Onion peels will hurt, rather than help, here. Not only do they slow down the decomposition process, but they also hurt your worms.

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    Sticker Labels

    You’ve no doubt seen those annoying sticker labels that appear on fruits and vegetables. Yes, they serve a purpose – helping the cashier code in the right items during checkout – but they don’t do much else. You can’t even add them to your compost pile, because they won’t biodegrade. They’re actually made of plastic, not paper.

    Paper That’s Coated or Glossy

    When you’re adding items to your compost bin, you do need to balance out those fruit and vegetable scraps with some paper. However, it needs to be the right kind of paper. You can’t use glossy or coated paper. Those enhancements are made of plastic, which prevents the paper from breaking down properly.

    Tea Bags and Coffee Filters

    While used tea leaves and coffee grounds absolutely can be added to your compost, the items that you use to make that tea and coffee cannot. Your tea bags and coffee filters need to be placed in the trash unless you’ve determined that they’re made of natural materials. Many consist of synthetic polyester fibers that won’t break down properly, if at all.

    Meat Scraps of All Kinds

    The meat of any sort can’t be placed in a compost bin. This means that you can’t include any beef trimmings, leftover cooked chicken (or uncooked chicken), fish bones, or anything that came from an animal. The problem here lies not so much in getting those items to biodegrade (they will, along with everything else around them), but in the smell that they give off while doing so. All of the animals in your neighborhood will end up rooting through your compost bin looking for food.

    Used Charcoal

    It can be tempting to dump leftover charcoal in your compost bin, but you shouldn’t do it. This material actually contains a lot of sulfur, which can upset the overall balance of your compost. It’s even worse if your charcoal has been treated or soaked in fire starting liquid.

    The #1 problem with the “Plant-Based Diet”? (solved) — Learn More Here>>>

  • 11 Simple Ways to Practice Sustainable Gardening

    11 Simple Ways to Practice Sustainable Gardening

    How much do you know about sustainable gardening? These useful tips might just fill in any gaps in your knowledge! The more you know about these practices the better. Do you think that you’ll use some of these in your garden this year?

    1) If you own cats or dogs, brush them and then sprinkle some of their hair around the edges of your garden. Sure, it might look weird, but it will keep any critters away. They’ll smell your predators and steer clear of your vegetables.

    2) Place a laundry sink in your yard, near where your vegetable garden is located. A bucket underneath will collect the water that runs through it as you hose off your newly picked fruits and vegetables. Then, you can use that water in your garden.

    3) Don’t use a machine to pull up weeds. Instead, get on your hands and knees and pull them the old-fashioned way – with your hands, or, if you need to, with a hand tool. You’ll have a better appreciation for your garden and the earth this way.

    4) Instead of using pieces of plastic in order to mark your plants, just grab some twigs. Shave off a section of the bark and write on it with an environmentally friendly marker. The best thing about this is that the twig will end up decaying over the course of the season, helping the composition of your soil.

    5) Repurpose old pieces of concrete that you find lying about. They make great stepping stones and even garden borders. Plus, they add a little rustic look to things, thanks to their broken edges.

    10 Medical Supplies You Need To Stockpile Before It’s Too Late

    6) Create a hot sauce spray in order to keep pests off of your plants. Certain ones will not appreciate the flavor of the spray that ends up on the leaves. (Note: this takes care of many critters as well.) Just mix some ground cayenne pepper, Tabasco sauce, and water in a spray bottle.

    7) Rather than buy twine to use as garden ties, just use some old pantyhose. You can even cover growing melons and other trellised vegetables in it, and then tie the pantyhose to the trellis. This is a great way to reuse something that would otherwise end up in the trash.

    8) Make your own mulch out of old tree limbs, pieces of branches that you’ve pruned off of your hedges, or anything else that you remove from your perennials. As long as it’s small enough, and you can guarantee that it won’t sprout seedlings, it’s safe to use. This is a great way to use yard waste.

    Suggested Article: Why do You Need a Greenhouse and Things to Look for?

    9) Turn vegetable trimmings into stock. Rather than throw the ends of things right into the compost bin or the trash, place them in a freezer bag. When you have enough in the bag, make stock with them (all that you need is some water, those veggies, and a pot over low heat). Then, skim your stock and place the vegetable bits into your compost pile.

    10)  When you’re planting your vegetables, create a furrow on either side of them. This will hold water for some time, and allow that water to go straight to the roots of the plants. It’s like creating a mini irrigation system in your yard.

    11) Save items throughout the year and use them for other purposes in your garden. For example, you can use leftover rags (ripped into strips) as markers or ties. You can turn old popsicle sticks into plant markers. There are plenty of things that you can reuse as long as you get a little creative. This is one of the hallmarks of sustainable gardening.

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  • 7 More High Tech Tools and Tricks for Modern Homesteading

    7 More High Tech Tools and Tricks for Modern Homesteading

    Modern homesteaders can take advantage of a number of different high tech tricks and tools in order to make their lives easier. Technology has changed quite a bit since the original homesteaders claimed parcels of land back in the 1800s. Just because you’re trying to recreate that lifestyle, doesn’t mean that you need to utilize their old technology, like pot-bellied coal stoves and outdoor bathrooms. Instead, use these seven tools in order to make your modern homestead run much more smoothly. You’ll be glad that you did!

    1) 3D Printers

    When something breaks, it can be hard to run out and get a part, especially if you’re located hundreds of miles from the latest town or store. For example, if a crucial part of your tractor breaks, you could be stuck without one for quite some time. This is where a 3D printer comes into play. These printers make three-dimensional objects out of sturdy plastic. While the part that they make may not hold up for years, it should do the job well enough to keep the tractor running until a proper replacement can be procured.

    2) Grafting Plants and Other Gardening Techniques

    Did you know that you can graft plants together in order to create a kind of hybrid? For example, if you graft branches of one apple tree to another, you’ll end up with a tree that produces two different types of apples. This is quite a space saver! On top of this, you can also create your own plant hybrids by using cuttings and breeding them together. This is a less expensive option than purchasing new plants and seeds every year, plus you’ll end up with a plant that will thrive on your specific plot of land.

    3) Canners and Dehydrators

    Saving every last bit of the fruits and vegetables that you grow is a crucial part of homesteading. You don’t want to waste anything. Since you’ll inevitably grow more crops than you can eat fresh, you’ll need to rely on canning and dehydrating in order to save them for later. Modern canning devices are very easy to use and heat the jar’s contents to safe levels. Dehydrators are another simple tool that can help you waste less food.

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    4) The Internet

    This one seems obvious since you’re reading this article online. However, you need to keep in mind that the internet is a huge resource for things like recipes, instructions, and more. Everything that you need in order to be a great homesteader is right at your fingertips, through your WiFi connection.

    5) Electric Bikes

    These bikes have a power source, so they move faster than a standard bicycle. They charge themselves as well when you use them to travel from one spot on your land to another. Why do you want an electric bike on your homestead? They are cheaper to maintain, store and insure than a regular vehicle, and they have a smaller environmental footprint.

    6) Drones

    Drones are more than those tools that the military uses in order to shoot at and keep an eye on enemies. You can purchase a non-military drone and use it to watch everything that takes place on your land. This will save you time and energy since you won’t have to walk your land yourself.

    7) Micro-Electric Power

    Harnessing nature to create power for your homestead is always a great idea. You can use these micro-electric generators in order to gather power from a local stream or other water sources. While they won’t be able to generate enough electricity to run your entire home, they can be good for smaller things, like the electric pumps on your well or even the lights in your livestock barn.

  • Urban Homesteading Alternatives

    Urban Homesteading Alternatives

    You don’t need to live on a farm or even in the country in order to be a homesteader. In fact, even people who reside in the suburbs or even the city can homestead in their own ways. Homesteading generally means using the land to provide for yourself and your family in one way or another. You can get a little creative with this and find ways to make it work no matter where you live, even if all that you have is a small apartment. Here are some great suggestions that you can utilize. Build off of them and find ways to make your own urban homestead.

    Set Up a Clothesline

    Yes, drying clothing outdoors is a practice that many homesteaders partake in. A clothesline is easy to set up when you have a yard of any particular size, as well as a fence, post, or even tree to anchor it on. City living makes this a bit trickier, especially if you lack a yard. Thankfully, they sell retractable clotheslines that you place on a balcony. When you’re done, just roll them up. There are also devices called “airers” that are meant to do the same thing, only they stay indoors.

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    Start a Garden

    Gardening is an essential part of homesteading. You need to grow your own food in one way or another. Again, this all comes down to the size of your yard. Even some city dwellers may have enough land for a small garden plot. They just need to use that space wisely. Alternatively, plants can be grown on a porch, a back deck, or even an apartment balcony. If you’re truly landlocked, find a community gardening program in your area and then join it. This way, you can fulfill this general homesteading practice.

    Join a Composting Program

    Composting is tricky when you’re in the city. Compost bins tend to get a bit smelly, which can annoy your neighbors. With that said, there are still programs that you can join, including city-wide ones where they’ll collect your food scraps and use them to create a large batch of compost. Of course, not all cities do this, and if yours doesn’t, why not convince them to start one? Sometimes you have to take homesteading into your own hands.

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    Raise Some Animals

    Obviously, your animal choices are limited based on your location. Some cities allow people to keep chickens in their backyards, while others have strict laws against this practice. If you’re lucky enough to live in an urban location that allows chickens, then, by all means, build or purchase a coop and buy a few chickens to raise. You’ll get plenty of fresh eggs and will learn quite a bit from the chickens themselves, as these animals all have very interesting personalities. However, if you’re in an apartment, you obviously can’t have a chicken coop. You’re limited to cats and dogs, depending on the rules in your lease. While you can’t obtain food from them like your chickens, you still receive many of the mental benefits of raising a pet. This is a good thing.

    As you can see, there are a number of things that you can do in order to be an urban homesteader. You just need to get a little creative and find ways around the problem. For example, if you live in an apartment, you can start a container garden and have a cat or two. If your city lot is large enough for a garden, then feel free to start one. There are so many options available to you if you know where to look for them.

  • 5 Things to Consider When Building an Aquaponic System

    5 Things to Consider When Building an Aquaponic System


    Setting up an aquaponic system, although quite an easy task, requires some basic knowledge of aquaponics. If you have decided to install such a system in your house, then you probably know what this is and how it could help you. However, there may still be things which can interest or help you. Below you will find 5 essential things which you should know in order to obtain spectacular results.

    1. Location
    The place where you put your aquaponic system is highly important for the way in which the plants and the fish will develop. In order to obtain great results, you should make sure that the temperature from the room is not too high, nor too low, that there is enough light for the plants to prepare their food and that no wind or extreme weather conditions will reach them. Also, make sure that no harming chemical substances can get inside the water as this means death for both your fish and your plants.

    2. Oxygenizing the water
    The happier your fish are, the better your system will work! This is why you need to oxygenize the water on a daily basis and make sure your fish have all the “comfort” they need.

    Related Article: “Advantages of Aquaponic Farming”

    3. Choosing your fish accordingly
    The aquaponic system works well with almost all types of fish. Yet, there are states in which you are not allowed to grow whatever type of fish you want, so you will want to see what types of fish you are allowed to have before starting your aquaponic system as you do not want any problems with the law.

    4. Placing the pots
    In order to make the harvest much easier, you should place the pots or the entire system at your waist level. This way you will not have to bend over, making the daily care routine a much easier activity.

    5. Adding additives
    There are cases in which your fish may not provide all the nutrients needed for your plants. If the quantity is lower than what the plants need, then you will have to supply them with the respective substances. In most cases, you will need to add iron, calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate.

    Aquaponics is an easy activity which will provide you with the necessary vegetables and fish in a short amount of time. Just follow the tips mentioned above and you will have great success in your attempt to grow organic food in your home. 

  • Easy Checklist to Winterize Your Garden

    Easy Checklist to Winterize Your Garden

    As a homesteader, you may be wondering where you’re going to get the energy for preparing your garden for winter after all the hard work of harvesting the vegetables from your garden.  Remember how happy you were when you realized that you wouldn’t need to buy any vegetables all winter long? Keep that in mind along with the fact that it will now be cooler to work outside.

    You can print out the below list to check off items as you complete them and before long you’ll be done so you can take a break for a few days. Those gardeners in warmer southern areas can ignore the items not applicable.

     

    Before Winter Check List

    • Harvest any remaining root plants such as potatoes and carrots after their foliage has withered and died
    • If you didn’t harvest all crops of specific vegetation such as winter squash, eggplant or cucumbers so you could collect their seeds, now is the time to pick before any frost
    • Remove and discard all dead vegetation and rotten vegetables or fruit to keep away any pests that may cling to them for the winter
    • Rake to remove small debris and to turn the soil
    • Now is the best time to do a soil test for PH levels and minerals; adding a fertilizer such as fish and seaweed is excellent for adding minerals
    • Be sure to have some covering handy for signs of the first frost and cover annuals as soon as there is a hint of frost on the way
    • Cut back dead leaves on perennials that can survive winter and rose bushes, cover with about 3 inches of mulch; fragile rose bushes need protective covering if in colder climate
    • Water shrubs and evergreens before a freeze and mulch after freeze
    • Root crops such as parsnips, arugula, or sprouting broccoli can be stored in the ground for the winter (overwintered) and depending on your USDA zone, will need the protection of heavy mulch, a thick layer of straw, tarp or row cover
    • After the first frost, cut back and dig up perennial bulbs such as gladiolus that can’t survive colder climates, dust off and store in breathable container like a cardboard box in a cool, dry place; cover beds with evergreen boughs
    • Repair raised box beds and make more boxes if needed
    • Pruning of shrubs that bloom in the summer should be done after all leaves are gone and while dormant or in early spring; however, hydrangea types such as mopheads should be pruned in June

     

    More Garden Tips

    • If you haven’t started a garden notebook yet, this is an excellent time to make notes on how each plant did, what problems it may have had, and if any areas didn’t grow as well as others.
    • To tell when to harvest potatoes, rub the skin and if it doesn’t scrub off quickly, it’s ready.
    • To save time and wear on your back when pruning plants, use a pole pruner to remove stems down to the base of the plant.

     

    Conclusion

    Winterizing your garden is the best way to ensure it will come back next spring looking as good or better than it did this year.  How much time preparing your garden for winter will take depends on how big your garden is, what type of plants you have, and if applicable, when the first frost usually comes and how cold it usually gets where you live.

    No matter where you live or what type of garden you have, we want to wish you a Happy Homestead Winterizing!

    [Food Storage] – How to build a small root cellar in your backyard <<<Watch Short Video Here>>>

  • 3 Keys to Choosing the Perfect Livestock

    3 Keys to Choosing the Perfect Livestock

    A farm or homestead without livestock seems unusual, to say the least.  Whether you see yourself with a flock of cheerful chickens, a herd of graceful goats or a few calming cows, livestock are a valuable food source that should be planned for carefully, then cared for consistently.

    Are You Ready to Be Available Every Minute of Every Day?

    Are you prepared to be “on-call” for your animals 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? When you enter the world of livestock, a few things to be aware of are:

    • Newborns usually come in the middle of the night.
    • Orphaned or abandoned babies will need you to feed them around the clock.
    • Escaped animals and flattened fencing will need attending to immediately, even in 110o F heat.

    Just like having kids, keeping livestock can tie you down in ways you can’t even imagine.  And, they won’t eventually grow up and learn how to take care of themselves like kids will.

    Basic Ownership Preparation and Considerations

    Before you add animals to your homestead, evaluate your situation and skills to see if you have what you need to support the new lives coming in. The following points will help you in your evaluation.

    Research, research, research-Knowledge is power!  Educate yourself on each of your options before you make any purchases.

    Talk to the Local Vet-Find out what animals the veterinarians in your area are qualified to treat.  This info alone can go a long way in helping you decide what livestock to get.

    Similar Article: “Are You Ready for Livestock?”

    Look for a Soul Mate-If you have a loud and abrupt personality, and so does your livestock, you could easily run into more issues than you want to deal with. Assess yourself and research compatible animals. In the same breath, many species require brute strength to safely interact with them, make sure you don’t take on more than you can handle.

    Enjoy the Animals-You must honestly take pleasure working with the kind of livestock you choose.

    Have Their New Home Ready and Waiting-Make sure you have ample land, structures, and resources before you finally bring them home.

    So, What Are Your Options?

    Here is some basic info on the most common livestock homesteaders consider when adding to their property.

    Beef Cattle

    Beef cattle are low maintenance and don’t need complex facilities. Most people are able to handle cattle with minimum issues and local vets can usually treat them. If you decide to go the milk cattle route, you will need to make sure you have the proper equipment to handle the milking process and storage.

    Goats

    According to a publication by Florida A&M University, 70% percent of the world population eats goat regularly. If that’s not to your fancy, dairy products like goat milk and cheese are another good protein source. Additionally, known to eat just about anything, you can picket them or corral them in a different area each day and never have to mow your lawn again.

    Rabbits

    Whether for meat, fiber, or just to have as a pet, rabbits can bring a lot to a homestead.  Just don’t go too far too fast.  Proceed carefully and know your limits.  And, keep the males away from the females unless you want your “herd” to expand exponentially.

    Related Article: “Beginners Guide to Buying Rabbits”

    So, whether you go small, medium, or large, make sure you are thoroughly prepared to take on the challenges adding livestock to your way of life can produce.

    Chickens

    Chickens need very little besides food, water, a safe place to sleep, and a few hours from you each week to gather eggs and clean the roosts.  For that relatively little amount of effort, you will be rewarded with fresh eggs and roast chicken on Sundays (or Mondays, or Tuesdays….)

    If chickens are your choice, I suggest taking a look at this guide to building the perfect chicken coops to protect your new friends and future food source <<<Click Here>>>

    Pigs

    Pigs are one of the easiest animals for your homestead because they will eat literally anything, they will be your living compost.  No need to throw away and waste anything edible, your pigs will take care of that.

    They are also great at killing parasites that may harm you other livestock, they have different internal parasites that can digest other animal parasites.  Let them graze with your other animals to help clean up the pasture and keep everyone healthy.

    The obvious reason would be the delicious meat such as ham, sausage, and bacon.

    In conclusion, livestock is a great source for food if a self-sustaining homestead is what you are looking for.  Even though it may take some time, research and hard work, the end result will be worth it.

    Here are some other food options for your “Survival Farm”