Insteading
Homesteading & Sustainability
Maybe it's because I'm frugal, but I hate to throw away anything that can be reused or recycled -- and that includes eggshells. No matter if you are raising chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, or turkeys, …
Continue Reading about 13 Inventive & Simple Eggshell Uses For Your Home And Garden →
Epsom salt is an all-natural, time-tested mineral compound composed of magnesium, sulfate, and oxygen. Not only does it make bathwater soft and silky, but a long, relaxing soak in a hot bath full of …
Continue Reading about 10 Beneficial Ways To Use Epsom Salt For Plants →
On any given day, normal people are concerned with the temperature of the air. If you have to walk a few blocks to the subway, or you want to plan a barbecue, the ambient air temperature can affect …
Continue Reading about Soil Temperature: What It Is And Why It Matters →
I don’t like to describe anything as a miracle when it comes to gardening, but honestly, mulch comes close. Before I learned how to mulch, my garden was plagued with problems. While my square-foot …
Continue Reading about How To Mulch For A Beautiful, Weed-Free Garden →
An ancient gardening technique dating back to the Romans, straw bale gardening is a simple concept. As a straw bale starts to decompose or break down, it turns into a raised, compostable, 40-gallon …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NY-DTD7obEVermiculture is pretty magical. Think about it, you put your kitchen scraps in a bin with some wiggly worms and before you know it, everything has …
Experienced gardeners know: A healthy productive garden is one in which the plants are compatible with the pH of the soil. Not all soils are the same, and it's important to recognize that many plants, …
Compost tea is enjoying a huge surge of popularity in the gardening world. Sometimes called the "liquid gold" of gardening, this nutrient-rich, microbe-rich liquid is hailed as a disease preventative …
Diatomaceous earth (DE), also known as diatomite, is a soft sedimentary rock made up of the fossils of algae-like organisms called diatoms. It’s 80-90% silica and usually comes in the form of a fine, …
Continue Reading about Diatomaceous Earth: 14 Surprising Everyday Uses →
Even the most dedicated permaculturalist has probably had moments of weakness. Sure, you know that pulling weeds by hand is the most sustainable method for your soil and plants, but you’ve probably …
Continue Reading about 7 Ways To Get Rid Of Weeds Without Roundup Or Herbicides →
When I lived in the city, I had the luxury of ignoring poop. If a neighbor’s dog left it on my tiny lawn, it was a rude, unusual inconvenience. Aside from what I delicately flushed into oblivion with …
Continue Reading about Why Manure Is The Unsung Hero of the Homestead →
I love my garden and I love working in it. Unfortunately, it’s a seasonal thing. Once winter approaches I do all I can to protect and preserve my garden for the next spring.Many people, myself …
“Ugh! What’s that smell?” I still remember the exclamations that came from our next door neighbor, back in the day when we lived nestled way too close together in not-so-blissful suburbia. Over time …
Continue Reading about What I Did When My Compost Got Smelly →
When I first heard all the hype surrounding biochar, it was hard for me to believe that a material that looked as simple as charcoal could be the solution to some really serious issues. Biochar may be …
Does your homestead landscape have some empty space that could become a rock garden? Also known as a rockery, a rock garden adds dramatic year-round visual interest to any landscape while expanding …
It can be difficult to have a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms when you live in a world where Purell hand sanitizer dispensers line the wall of every doctor’s office and the words “bacteria” …
When you consider gardening in a heavily watered area, it is important to know which plants will thrive.Anything, from the sun you get to the seeds you buy, can affect the growth of your plants. …
Do you love mild, crisp peppers in a broad spectrum of colors? Or hot red chili peppers that make your taste buds tingle and your eyes water? Grow peppers in your garden and you'll have an assortment …
The gardener’s greatest asset is healthy soil. No matter where you are or what you are trying to grow, taking care of your soil will help your crops.Learning soil science can be overwhelming. …
With a greater focus on the environment than ever before, more and more people are trying to figure out how they can make a positive impact. If this sounds like you, then indoor composting might be a …
Worm boxes are excellent additions to the garden. Vermiculture (the process of using worms to decompose organic food waste) is a method of composting that’s been used for centuries. This is a guide on …
Handy Camel Bag ClipThe problem: Most bag clips are cheaply-made and used for light stuff like bags of chips.The solution: A hardy clip that seals bags without puncturing them, since the plastic …
Continue Reading about 10 Awesome New Inventions For Homesteaders →
You may have heard a phrase that makes you wonder if you’re doing your garden bed prep correctly. No till gardening is a trendy idea right now and you may be wondering—what the heck is it? How do I do …
Continue Reading about No Till Gardening: To Till or Not to Till? →
What Is Mycelium?Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus. It is a network of cells living within and throughout almost all landmasses on Earth. More than 8 miles of these cells can be found in a …
Starting a worm bin can feel overwhelming - where do I keep it? What kind of worms do I need? What if it smells awful? What if I kill my worms?Not to worry! Humans have been throwing food scraps …
Continue Reading about Worm Bin Essentials: Getting Started with Vermiculture →
A study out of Finland has found that plants fertilized with urine performed four times as well as nonfertilized plants and just as well as plants given commercial mineral fertilizer.Urine plus …
