Tag: gardening
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5 Space Saving Tips for Your Garden
For most of us, space is an issue in the garden. Whether your yard is small or you just haven’t converted as much lawn into growing space as you want to so far, space can be the number one determining factor for productivity in your garden. Here is a list of 5 ways that you…
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All About Lemon Balm
Lemon balm is a perennial herb in the mint family. It gets its name from the strong “lemony” smell of the leaves, which also have a tangy taste to them. If you aren’t currently growing some, here are a few reasons why you should start. Ease: Lemon balm is easy to start from seed…
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Food That Magically Re-Grows Itself
I recently found this awesome infographic on Pinterest that depicts several foods that can regrow themselves, no garden needed! It’s from WholeFoods.com. Most of these you can do on your counter, windowsill or on your porch, and it’s a great way to re-use scraps from vegetables (which, if you’re shopping at Whole Foods, will probably…
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Safe Homemade Weed Killer (Video)
If you are homesteading and have not heard about the dangers of using chemical herbicides like Round Up, then you have probably been living under a rock. For everyone else, controlling weeds with natural methods can be time consuming and energy intense. Aside from mulching your garden heavily, what can you do? Here is a…
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All About Feverfew
Feverfew is a great resource to have on your homestead. With so much work to get done, you can’t just take a sick day every time you don’t feel good. You need to have a medicine on hand to get you back on your feet. Feverfew can help with that. Uses Feverfew can be…
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What Is Hugelkultur?
The name is funny, but for those seeking to have a garden that requires less water and fertilizing, hugelkultur is something to take seriously. The basic idea is to create raised beds on top of buried wood. It may take a little more effort to get in place, but in the years to come, it…
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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…
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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, http://homesteaderdepot.com/supports-for-vertical-gardens-infographic/here are some alternative or unique supports you could use…
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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…
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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…
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Garden Calendar (Infographic)
I came across this great infographic on Pinterest today for what needs to be done in the garden during each month. Given we have Fall and Winter well on the way I thought it was perfect for this time of year. Not only for what to do in the garden as the seasons are changing…
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Storing Potatoes for Winter
Potatoes are one of the best crops you can grow! Nutritious, substantial sources of food, they also keep well over the winter, if you know how to store them right. Whether you’ve been growing them and would like to do a big harvest to keep them all over the winter, or you’re buying them in bulk from…
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Easy Perennial Greens
Often we think of taking the easy way out as a bad thing, but in gardening it can be best way to do things. One example is perennial greens. After getting a perennial green started and established, your yield is going to increase for years. You will also not have down time in your garden…
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What Items Should You Never Compost?
Composting is something that every homesteader should do. It allows you to recycle food and other material and to create richer soil at the same time. However, there are only some items that you should not add to the compost pile. Let’s look at some of the elements that you should not add to the…
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Super-Simple DIY Pest Repellent for the Garden
As you probably know, most commercially available pest-repellants are full of harmful chemicals that you wouldn’t want anywhere near your house, children, or pets, let alone near the garden that you’re growing your food in. Even if you don’t spray chemicals right on the leaves of your plants, spraying them around the perimeter, either to…
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What to Plant to Attract Bees
Bees are essential for our survival, and they’re dying in record numbers. We need them to pollinate our plants, so as they are dying in record numbers worldwide, it is devastating to think of the effects this might have on life on earth. There’s only so much a single homesteader can do, but as bees…
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Supports for Vertical Gardens (Infographic)
Adding vertical support to your garden can be a great way to maximize space and allow crawling and vining plants to do what they do best. This handy infographic breaks down the types of vertical support and which plants they are best suited for. It was originally published on FamilyFoodGarden.com, along with some gorgeous photographs…
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3 Ways to Save Money on Your Garden
Growing your own fruits, vegetables, and herbs can save you a lot of money over the long run. When you invest in your garden, you’re basically completely negating the need to buy produce at a grocery store, which can add up to a lot of savings very quickly. Of course, even knowing that your garden…
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How to Safely Let Chickens in the Garden
One of the most serious drawbacks to having truly free-range chickens is that they can go anywhere they want to and they tend to want to go to your garden. This makes sense since, hopefully, your garden is a healthfully functional natural environment filled with potential prey (many of which you would be happy to see…
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Prolonging Your Tomato Harvest Through the Winter
Surely by now you have noticed that your tomatoes are not producing like they were in July, and what they are producing is not ripening as fast. No matter what you do, shorter days and cooler temperatures are going to stop your tomato production almost everywhere but the tropics. But you can still prolong your…
