Though it was hardly a masculine name, I couldnโt help but refer to our male Cayuga as โLisa Frank Duck.โ He may have looked like a simple black duck in the shadows, but as soon as he waddled into …
Introduction To Permaculture
Interested in permaculture and not sure what to plant? This could be a great article to get ideas for unique and useful permaculture species! Before we begin, let's talk about what permaculture …
6 Reasons Why I Chose Clover as a Living Mulch
I mentioned in my post about building raised beds that I chose to add New Zealand white clover to the edges of the raised bed to act as a living mulch. First off, I should explain what a living mulch …
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Companion Planting For Turnips
Turnips are great for any garden, and you can use companion planting to help them grow even better. Permaculture Research Institute describes companion planting as โA gardening method which makes use …
How To Integrate Goats Into The Homestead
A multipurpose, engaging, and entertaining animal with a great many uses ranging from companionship to commercial meat production, the domestic goat is an excellent addition to most any homestead. …
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Preparing for Cold Weather Predators
Predators are just trying to live their best life. As the weather turns from summer to autumn, the temperatures begin to drop, and as winter creeps in, it becomes more difficult for predators to find …
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20+ DIY Bat House Plans
If youโre considering adding a bat house to your property, you likely already know the benefits of inviting these furry friends to your yard. Among their many positive qualities, the top three are …
19 DIY Duck House Plans
Ducks differ in their needs from backyard chickens, and it can be straightforward to create a DIY duck house with some readily available, basic materials. When starting your flock, making your own …
Healthy Homemade Homestead Snacks
Sometimes, you just get a hankering for something salty and crunchy. Usually, that itch is scratched with a snack from a shiny, throwaway bag that has more multisyllabic chemical ingredients than …
Useful Knots for the Homestead
Once upon a time, there were things that needed to be held in place, tied down, hoisted up, and cinched shut. The humble rope -- and the knots it could tie -- was the answer to all of these problems …
40 Large Planters For Trees And Flowers
When you're planning your garden for the upcoming spring, you may find yourself quickly running out of space in your yard, garden beds, and hanging planters, but who says you have to pick and choose …
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How To Get Rid Of Squirrels: Natural and Effective Options
Most people love squirrels, delighting in their antics as they scamper through the trees and across the landscape. However, many folks quickly change their view when an infestation of squirrels …
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DIY Worm Composting Solution for Under $20
Living off the grid - whether by choice or by chance - is all about efficiency. You need to learn to make the most of your land, your water, and even your food waste. That's where worm composting …
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Recycled Glass Bottles
Much of the glass we throw out is not recycled because different glass has different melting points and recyclers only melt the most common containers. Artists use old and new glass to create …
11 Fun DIY Dremel Projects to Try This Weekend
While the term "Dremel" has become a catchall for just about any rotary tool, Dremel is actually a brand. They were the first company to produce the popular rotary tools we know and love …
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Introduction to Agroforestry: What It Is and How to Successfully Implement It on Your Homestead
As a recently graduated wildlife major, I was a little out of my general comfort and knowledge range when I was accepted into the Peace Corps as an agroforestry volunteer. It was a challenging …
Pallet Garden: 20 Clever Ideas For The Ultimate Upcycle
Wooden pallets are more than โhaving a momentโ. In recent years, theyโve made their way in and onto nearly surface imaginable. From furniture to shutters, to walkways and light fixtures, wood …
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Free Land: Where and How to Find It
Land, free for the taking, just waiting for someone to work hard enough to claim it as their own. Does a sentence like that send shivers of longing and hope down your spine? "But those days are …
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20 Energy Saving, Eco-Friendly DIY Clothesline Ideas
In today's world, people are becoming ever more conscious of the ways their behavior impacts the planet. Everything we consider a modern convenience, from electricity right down to how we do our …
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38 Eye-Catching Moon Gate Designs For Your Garden
A moon gate rises out of the earth, like the moon rises in the sky; both spheres celebrate the continuous cycle of birth and death...rising and falling... A circular passageway designed to welcome …
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Hugelkultur: What It Is & Inspiration For Your Permaculture Garden
Instead of putting those small branches, leaves, and grass clippings in bags by the curbside...build a hugelkultur bed. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, …
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65+ Gardening Gifts
'Tis the season of gift-giving. Since colder weather has many of us stuck inside instead of in the dirt, we figured this holiday season is the perfect time to find the best in gardening gifts …
25+ Sustainable Stocking Stuffers To Give This Holiday Season
It's not always possible to buy that new greenhouse or build a rain garden as a holiday gift. At Insteading, we understand that garden gifts can easily run on the large and expensive side. We …
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13 Useful & Fun Gifts For Chicken Keepers
As the holiday season approaches, many of us are struggling to decide what to get for our friends, to show thoughtfulness and care, without breaking the bank. This can be an especially hard …
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How to Make Beeswax Candles: 3 Methods to Try at Home
DIY beeswax candle making is a great way to add a festive flair to your home. Not only do beeswax candles provide a warm and inviting light, but their fresh fragrance is also appealing this time of …
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How To Build A Worm Composter
Worm boxes are excellent additions to the garden. Vermiculture (the process of using worms to decompose organic food waste) is a method of composting thatโs been used for centuries. This is a guide on …
Canning
For several years after I started cooking and farming, I avoided canning. It intimidated me. I was afraid of making someone sick. I was overwhelmed by recipes. I didnโt have any of the special …
10 Fun Tire Swing Ideas for Kids and the Young at Heart
As a kid, you probably had the chance to enjoy a tire swing at least once. Whether it was at a local park or you were lucky enough to have one in your own backyard, a tire swing offered a whole …
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20 Soothing DIY Wind Chimes
Wind chimes: They're soothing, relaxing, and add a beautiful, decorative addition to your garden or backyard. Wind chimes come in basically any color, material, size, and price tag, and nowadays, …
26 Affordable Shoe Rack Ideas To De-Clutter Your Space
The current shoe rack situation in my home is not ideal. Weโve struggled to find a way to store shoes in our tiny, awkward entryway. When my husband came home with plastic racks from the hardware …
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6 Reasons to Overcome Your Fear Of Spiders On The Homestead
I flipped open the new issue of my local conservation departmentโs magazine. Filled with gorgeous photography and information about nature in my state, I often learned things I had never known about …
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13 Effective Homemade Face Wash Recipes
Take a look at the label on your face wash. Does it have a long list of ingredients that you can barely pronounce (let alone identify what they are)? Does it include things like parabens, phthalates, …
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20 Fun Sewing Projects To Tackle This Weekend
Sewing, a skill that lasts a lifetime, is an integral part of the homestead lifestyle. The hands-on, learn-as-you-go experience of creating something useful and beautiful with your own hands, is …
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Farmhouse Bedroom Inspiration For Your Rustic Home
If youโre thinking of redecorating your bedroom, consider a farmhouse-inspired look for an ultra-cozy feel. Revamp your boring sleeping nook into something rustic and romantic. If youโre not ready for …
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20 Ways To Use The 5-Gallon Bucket: The Most Useful Tool On The Homestead
We homesteaders love our tools. We hang them from our belts, carry them until the handles show the impression of our hands, and use them to accomplish amazing things. As we keep our acres and animals …
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How To Support Local Farmers & Local Businesses During Social Distancing
Insteading is based here in Seattle, one of the earliest outbreak areas for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and social distancing efforts. As the city has quickly retreated into our homes over the past few …
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10 Amazing School Bus Conversions
Converting a school bus into a permanent residence is a bit like a coming-of-age story. You take a school bus, probably one very similar to the one you rode in elementary school, gut it entirely, and …
15 Natural DIY Perfume Ideas
Did you know there are over 4,000 chemicals that are used to create fragrances in skincare and beauty products? And since these fragrance blends are considered trade secrets, companies aren't required …
How To Make Mesquite Bean Coffee
I live in Texas and there are mesquite trees everywhere. In fact, theyโre not actually a tree (more like a bush) and technically, theyโre part of the legume family. Mesquite trees are called trash …
How To Make Essential Oils
Over the last few years, essential oils have become incredibly popular. Some people use them for aromatherapy while others swear by their health benefits and healing properties. Regardless of how you …
How To Press Flowers For All Your DIY Needs
Who doesnโt love to admire a gorgeous bunch of flowers in bloom? Iโm lucky enough to have a patch of zinnias still going strong in my garden -- despite the chilly weather of late. If I could enjoy …
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20 Homemade Floor Cleaners For A Sparkly Clean House
Mopping is one of my least favorite chores. At least, it was until I stopped using store-bought cleaners and transitioned to homemade solutions. The store-bought stuff never seemed to clean my floors …
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Canning Peaches
After spending many memorable summers in the south, I am addicted to the smell and taste of peaches. Aunt Mildred and Uncle Elmer nurtured several different varieties in the peach orchard of their …
16 Cheap Fence Ideas For The Suburbs And The Country
When buying a new property -- whether in the city, suburbs, or country -- you may also inherit broken-down, ugly, or absent fences. With a small patch of land, this may lead to privacy concerns. …
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40 Smart Uses For Dryer Sheets In Your Home And Garden
When you put laundry in a dryer, static builds up on the clothes, sheets, and towels that bounce and tumble in the heat. Throwing in a dryer sheet can reduce static cling and leave your clothes …
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How To Clean A Showerhead: 5 Natural Options That Actually Work
A showerhead is one of many often-neglected home fixtures. When was the last time you gave your showerhead a proper scrubbing -- or even thought about it? You might not think much about washing this …
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20 DIY Wall Art Ideas To Give Your Home Some Personality
Wall art provides the finishing touch to a room and can pull an entire space together. The addition of wall art creates a focal point, adds texture, offers a splash of color, and shows the unique …
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17 Effective DIY Dishwasher Detergent Recipes
Iโm probably one of the few people in this world who loves doing dishes -- I love to load up the dishwasher and forget them, that is! Washing dishes by hand is an annoying and time-consuming …
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How To Make Irish Soda Bread
Irish soda bread traditionally contains only four ingredients: flour, salt, buttermilk, and baking soda. Purists would say that anything beyond these four essentials makes an entirely different …
12 Stunning Driveway Ideas To Transform Your Home’s Exterior
After months of planning, house hunting, and endless emails to your very patient realtor, you've finally found the house of your dreams -- but the driveway is showing every crack and oil spill from …
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