There are many things that people don’t necessarily “need” as far as self-sufficiency goes. Soap is not one of them. Knowing how to make soap from scratch with hardwood ash lye and fat might mean the ...
16 Wild Foods You Can Forage to Pickle for the Pantry
Stocking the pantry for the winter months is a must for self-sufficiency. Sure, in a best-case scenario, you can pop down to the supermarket for essentials in the dead of winter. But that’s not always ...
The Right Way to Deal With Venomous Snakes on the Homestead
If you’re living, gardening, homesteading in an area where there are venomous reptiles, you’re bound to encounter one eventually. That’s absolutely okay. When you’re aware of all the issues you may ...
The “Nitty Gritty” of Soil Health and Why It Matters
Whether you’re a novice gardener or you’ve been at this for a while, you’ve probably noticed that life begins at soil level. All those seeds we coax into abundant, food-giving plants need healthy, ...
Watering the Desert: How to Keep Your Garden Hydrated in Zones 10+
I live by the motto that anyone can grow at least some of their own food and medicine, no matter where they are. Of course, some regions are much more hospitable than others when it comes to edible ...
7 Ways to Camouflage Garden Hoses and Drip Lines
There are some aspects of your garden that you’d really like to stand out and others that you’d like to hide. Flowers, vegetables, statues, and water features are stars of the show. Garden hoses, ...
How to Build a Budget-Friendly Food Garden
Creating an edible garden doesn’t have to break the bank. Truth be told, it barely requires you to dip into the bank at all. You might be surprised to discover just how easy it is to create a ...
How to Save Money by Building with Local Stones
When creating a garden or farm on a budget, it's smart to take advantage of local materials. I’ve built trellises, chicken coops, and mini greenhouses from salvaged materials. Similarly, using local ...
The Basics of Building a Symbiotic Garden
If you want to cultivate a garden that thrives well without a lot of human intervention, striving for symbiotic harmony is a great approach. When you think of symbiotic relationships, what comes to ...