I love growing all the farmers market favorite vegetables like beets, lettuce, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more. However, as a homesteader I want to keep on homesteading indefinitely, so ...
How Expert Gardeners Choose the Perfect Plants That Always Thrive (So You Can, Too)
I had an amazing patch of Lily of the Valley growing in acidic clay soil, in full sun at my old house. Recently, I decided to plant them on my new homestead. I heard the plants were toxic to ...
15 Tips and Ideas to Help You Create Decorative Garden Fences
I know fencing is not usually considered a “sexy” topic for gardeners and homesteaders. Often, we just consider them a necessary evil to keep pests like deer and dogs from ruining our beloved plants. ...
20 Tips to Help You Become a Minimalist Homesteader
Minimalism is a bit of a buzzword these days. It has a lot of different meanings depending on who you ask. I like this description: Minimalism is a tool to rid yourself of life’s excess in favor ...
The Good and The Bad About Using Urine as Garden Fertilizer
Gardeners have different opinion when it comes to using urine in the garden as fertilizer. It is a great nutrient source for plants, but it also has some risks. Not to mention some people are grossed ...
Potting Shed: Why You Need It and 15 Tips on How to Use It
I dreamed of having a potting shed for years before I actually got one. I don't know why, but a potting shed seemed like a symbol of gardening excellence. I felt like I had to have one before I could ...
14 Do’s and Don’ts of Growing an Organic Vegetable Garden
The other day, some friends who are starting an organic vegetable garden told me they got their soil test results back. They said the only recommendation they got was to apply 10-10-10 fertilizer. ...
How to Create a Beautiful Homestead Office that Works for You
I used to have one of those big, cushy, windowed offices in Washington DC. It had bookcases and file cabinets and a large desk. There were even chairs in front of my desk, so I could have meetings in ...
How to Make and Use Aerated Compost Tea (ACT) in Your Garden
I have been making good old-fashioned compost tea for years. All you do is wrap 2 pounds of your best quality compost in a flour sack towel, tie it off with a rubber band, and soak it in a 5-gallon ...