Goats are herd animals by nature. I remember when I first read that statement on some blog, or in a book, many years ago. It seemed like such a quaint, charming idea. I envisioned goats living ...
Seed Stratification: A Comprehensive Guide to This Seed Germination Trick
For many years I stuck to growing plants from seed that were easy to germinate. But, as I started getting into more exotic perennials, I kept coming across instructions to stratify seeds. ...
Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV): Symptoms, Control, and Treatment
The Tobacco Mosaic Virus or TMV is the first plant virus ever identified. Although it wasn't labeled as a virus until 1930, it has plagued tobacco farmers since the late 1800s to present. Despite its ...
Beginner’s Guide to Raising Goats for Milk Production
Raising goats for milk production is generally considered the most labor-intensive reason for keeping them. Between daily milking, special nutrition management, and the mandatory breeding necessary to ...
How To Make The Easiest Fermented Pickles Ever
The first year I grew a large vegetable garden, I spent most of my summer days hauling in laundry baskets full of cucumbers. It was thousands of pounds of food that only amounted to only a few hundred ...
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 ...
Growing Poppies for Decorative Seed Pods, Spice, and Beauty
I've been a culinary herb gardener for most of my adult life. For the past few years, though, I've been expanding beyond herbs and mastering the art of growing spices. To me, spices are a bit ...
Carbon to Nitrogen Compost Calculator: Create the Perfect Compost Pile
Do you want to create a perfect compost pile? Well, according to the USDA, the ideal carbon to nitrogen rate for optimal microbial action in a compost pile is between 20:1 and 40:1, with 24:1 being ...
15 Solar Cooking Tips to Help You Cook Better With Sunshine
Many of us are looking for ways to live more eco-friendly these days. Plus, as homesteaders, we're always trying to find ways to reduce our dependence on outside resources. The more we can do ...