Heirloom seeds offer much to the backyard and homestead gardener. They reproduce true-to-type, affording you seed self-sufficiency if you grow and save them from year to year. But for those who love a good story or who really enjoy delving into history, these seeds also offer something for the intellect and curiosity, as well as
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Homestead Stories: Our Murder of Crows
Here on our farm, we strive to live as peaceably as possible with the wildlife surrounding us. Now, Iโm far from Sleeping Beauty in the enchanted forest (although I do love my sleep), but it is relatively normal to look out my windows, and witness a doe with her fawns grazing in the grass, and
6 Reasons You Should Have Flowers in Your Vegetable Garden
With self-sufficiency as the someday goal, my first gardening days were purely practical. I browsed through seed catalogs with an iron will, bypassing the flower sections with a steely gaze — and a resolved set to my jaw. I was convinced I didn’t need that flouncy, frivolous, floral frippery in my veggie patch. I was
10 Considerations For Your Backyard Duck Coop
When it comes to barnyard livestock, ducks are probably the easiest-going of the bunch. When there is a slight drizzle, the goats complain and run into the barn. When the north wind blows ice crystals across the fields, your chickens are floofed-up and hiding in the coop. Meanwhile, the ducks are blithely waddling across slush
10 Probiotic-Rich Foods That Are Even Better Than Yogurt
Move over, yogurt! These probiotic rich foods are even better.
Can I Compost Pasta?
Composting pasta has been linked to major composting issues, making it an unconventional organic material. However, with proper preparation and best pile management practices, you can convert leftover pasta into nutritious compost.
How To Eat A Persimmon: 4 Easy Steps To Enjoy This Unique Fruit
When I first moved to California, the house we rented had a mature Fuyu persimmon tree in the front yard. I had never tasted them before and didn’t know what to make of them or even how to eat a persimmon. It wasn’t long before the tree’s boughs began to bend with the weight of
How To Make Your Own Fruit Jam In 30 Minutes Or Less
This past weekend, I tried my hand at making freezer jam, the lazy-cook’s alternative to canning. It was awesome! Here’s how to do it.
How To Make Soy Milk
Back when I lived in the city, well before there were dairy goats in my barn, I had an automatic soy milk maker. I lived in an area where raw milk was (frustratingly) illegal, organic milk was really expensive, and store-bought soy milk had too many additives, so the machine gave me some sense of
30 Easy Road Trip Foods
While road trips are great fun, they can also be stressful journeys if you fail to plan in advance. Aside from making sure you have everything you need once you reach your destination, you should also think about how youโll fuel up along the way. The chance to stop by a rest area may not
How To Cook Leeks
Leeks are a must-grow star of the winter garden. Leeks are milder in flavor and have a longer growing season than onions, another member of the allium family. Because the edible bulb of a leek grows underground, it can withstand far colder temperatures than onions. Depending on where you live, you can keepย leeks in the
Edible Mushrooms
No doubt, white mushrooms (also known as button mushrooms) are yummy. Those little white fungi that you can find at nearly every grocery store are adorable, affordable, and super versatile for cooking. You can turn them into veggie tacos, stroganoff, scrambles, veggie burgers, and they are the perfect shape and size for stuffing.ย Button mushrooms have
Can I Compost Watermelon Rinds?
Popular during summer days, watermelons have chunky rinds that can be used for composting. Learn how to maximize their nutrients for your compost, and avoid common composting issues.
6 Methods for Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning
When food preservation comes to mind, the first words to follow in the modern homesteaderโs thoughts are likely โcanningโ and โfreezing.โ These two methods to stop food decomposition have become THE go-tos when an ample harvest needs to be put up for later. Both indoor freezing and canning, however, are quite new inventions: Canning has
How To Dry Herbs From Your Garden
Growing fresh herbs is a delightful task. Raising basil, dill, cilantro, oregano, mint, parsley, and other fragrant plants provide a fun distraction each day as you caretake your little greens. But the best part about growing herbs is that you get to enjoy a wide variety of flavor in your foods on a budget! But
๐ป Gardening
Gardening is a cornerstone of both homesteading and sustainability. Nothing is quite as local as growing your food in your own backyard! Gardeners can come in all sorts of shapes and forms, from the apartment-dwelling indoor gardener to the 20-acre owning permaculturist. Whether you have a few plant containers to maintain or entire fields of
Bento Box Inspiration
Bento Box Inspiration
Dent Corn Puts a Dent in Our Health
Dent Corn and Sweet Corn
MTV Cuts Down Rainforest for Reality TV Show
After the Viacom-owned network finished filming their new treasure-hunt themed “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” on a remote, uninhabited island in the Republic of Panama, locals returned to find their beach tattered and abused. The television show, which premieres on September 17th, took over the neighboring, inhabited island in militant style by hiring the local police
Keyhole Gardens: What Are They, The History Behind Them, And Photos
Drought. Nutrient depletion. Bending over with a bad back or dealing with mobility issues. Have you ever had to battle with any of these gardening-impeding troubles? Don’t you wish there was an accessible method for growing your own food that eliminated these problems and more? Maybe keyhole gardens are the answer you’ve been looking for.
Heirloom Seeds: What Are They?
Heirloom seeds are what our great-grandparents called โseeds.โ My mother often complained during my childhood that you couldnโt buy tomatoes like her grandmother grew. The tomatoes in the grocery stores were hard, mealy, and tasteless. When a farmerโs market opened in our neighborhood, she would buy a bag of heirloom tomatoes every week and eat
Plants Database
NatureZap: Weed With Light, Not Chemicals Or Fire
Small weeds lodged in cracks are unsightly and aggravating. The traditional options for dealing with them are: Spray them with noxious chemicals. Get on your hands and knees and attack them with a special paving weeder. Incinerate them with a propane weed torch. The first is bad for Mother Earth, the second painful and sporadically
Companion Planting For Strawberries
The sweetest, juiciest strawberries youโll ever enjoy will come from a home garden. By growing strawberries at home, you’ll enjoy fully ripened, chemical-free berries. Like other homegrown produce, the strawberries you grow at home will be more flavorful than whatever you could buy at a supermarket. One of the ways you can grow the best strawberries
Online Homesteading Courses
Webinars and other online courses are great tools for homesteaders. Homesteaders who live in remote, rural areas will find online courses particularly useful. Online courses can fill community knowledge gaps that homesteaders might only have been able to fill through community college classes, conventions, or meetups. Dozens of courses in areas that will interest the
Growing Asparagus
If you had told my 10-year-old self that I would one day be deeply emotionally invested in growing asparagus, I would have said โGross!โ Love it, or hate it, this early spring crop has a unique place in both the kitchen and the garden. But even after I developed a taste for asparagus, I hesitated
๐ฑ Companion Planting Chart & Guide
You may have heard of companion planting, or perhaps you’ve seen books like “Carrots Love Tomatoes and Roses Love Garlic” that talk about beneficial plant combinations. Well look no further, we’ve got you covered on the basics! What Are Companion Plants? Companion Plants are plants that help each other in some manner when they’re planted next
Companion Planting For Peppers
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 to add bold flavor to soups, stews, stir-fries, sandwiches, salads, and salsa. Folks who say they don’t like
Companion Planting For Broccoli
Experienced organic gardeners bring diversity and balance to the garden with the age-old wisdom of companion planting, a time-tested method of close planting specific species based on their propensity to enhance each otherโs growth and quality. Companion planting can help you grow a thriving crop of delicious, healthy broccoli. Companion plants offer shade or shelter,
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 of the synergistic properties found in nature: cooperation between plants to achieve optimum health and viability.โ View this post on Instagram A post shared
How To Start A Farm
So you want to start a farm. You’ve got the green thumb, the know-how, and the gumption to grow your own food. Now you’re ready to start selling it. Buying a little piece of land and starting a farm is the dream, right? Speaking as someone who is in the middle of transforming a young
Chicken Feed
Mixing your own feed ration, rather than buying prepared feed, is one of the best ways to save money if you raise chickens (or any animal). You can also be certain about the quality and origin of what your animals are eating. However, to make sure your birds stay healthy, you have to mix the
You Need Chickens: Backyard Chickens and Why They’re Great
Fluffball and Arrow, our two urban chickens, are pretty much the greatest pets ever.
Everything Basil
Of all the herbs, basil is by far my favorite. The sweet, subtle aroma washes over me like velvet. And the taste? It certainly embellishes many of my savory dishes with flair. The benefits of this luscious herb are multiple. And the best part is that itโs easy to grow, both indoors and out. Consequently,
What, How, and When to Plant Vegetables [Infographic]
For all you urban farmers out there, here’s an infographic about how and when to plant vegetables, plus a few of my own urban farm lessons learned. Enjoy!
Growing Cabbage
Cabbage, a dietary staple in cultures around the world, is a hardy, green leaf vegetable packed full of vitamins. Although it establishes itself easily, cabbage can be somewhat challenging to grow. A magnet for many garden pests, cabbage requires cool temperatures, fertile soil, excellent drainage, and plenty of moisture. Plant Description A member of the
Hairy Bittercress
Type: Annual or BiennialRegion: Most of the Northern Hemisphere, including Great BritainUsed For: Food Few things embody the spirit of spring like getting outside, taking a deep breath, and getting your hands dirty in the damp earth of a garden. But wait! Youโre not the first one to get started. No matter how early you are able to
8 Low Sugar Fruits: A Safer Way To Snack
Fruits are nature’s candy and offer an array of flavors, colors, and textures for us to enjoy. But these sweet treats are so appealing because of their high sugar content, and if you’re on a low-sugar or no-sugar diet, you might want to avoid them. But some fruits are lower in sugar than others, making
Edible Landscaping: The Basics And Plants To Get Started
What if you could turn your yard into an edible landscape with fruits, vegetables, and herbs? Edible landscaping, also known as foodscaping, brings more homegrown foods into your life while beautifying your home landscaping. And it’s easier than you think! While a lush green lawn is lovely in its own way, edible landscaping is, as
25+ Acid-Loving Plants For Your Garden
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, shrubs, grasses, and trees require a specific nutrient balance. Some plants prefer a neutral soil, and others prefer a more
Clever Tips For Growing The Artichoke Plant
Artichokes are beautiful and interesting plants to grow, and if you have space, they can be an incredibly delicious addition to your garden. An artichoke plant has the unique distinction of being one of the few perennial vegetables that come back season after season if cared for well. They can survive about 4 to 8 years.
Cardoon Plant
Cardoon isn’t a vegetable you’ll find at the supermarket, and maybe not even at a farmers’ market. This spiky, stalky relative of the artichoke is a delicacy, especially in the US. You’re more likely to find it in Italy, France, Spain, and North Africa. A Mediterranean climate is perfect growing conditions for this tough looking
What to Feed Ducks Instead of Bread
When the weather starts to get warmer, lots of people enjoy feeding waterfowl at local parks, lakes, and ponds. Unfortunately, we have all been making a common mistake by tossing them bread and other flour-based products! In this article, I will explain why we shouldnโt be doing that, and what is actually safe to share
The Basics of No-Dig Gardening
Wouldnโt gardening be far easier and infinitely more enjoyable if you didnโt have to turn the soil and break your back every spring? Each of us has been there and done that! After all, that ritual is what conventional gardeners have taught and passed down from generation to generation. In the search for a better
How To Grow Celery
If you want a gardening challenge, try growing celery. Celery requires a long growing season, plenty of sunshine, lots of water, tender loving care, and infinite patience. A popular herb in the parsley family with its crisp, crunchy texture and delicate earthy flavor, celery is one of Americaโs favorite vegetables. In fact, according to the
The Basics Of Straw Bale Gardening
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 planter that’s ideal for growing vegetables. Straw bale gardens are inexpensive, easy to set up, easy to maintain, and biodegradable. Straw bale
How To Mulch For A Beautiful, Weed-Free Garden
I donโt 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 garden did a good job of choking out weeds on its own (due to close spacing), my garden soil still seemed
What Size Is Best For A Vegetable Garden?
So youโve taken a long, hard look at the sunny space in the back yard, and youโve decided itโs time to grow more than useless grass. Maybe youโve just moved to a new property that is full of potential and devoid of a garden, and your green thumbโs itching something fierce. Or, perhaps, you are
Are Underwater Herb Gardens The Future? [Video]
If sea levels keep rising, where will we grow our food? Researchers in Italy are exploring one option: Underwater gardens. Nemo’s Garden in Noli, Italy is an agricultural project that’s attempting to grow herbs and other lettuce greens in a place where no one thought you could: underwater, in the middle of the ocean. They
Soil Temperature: What It Is And Why It Matters
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 whether you go out in a t-shirt or hunker down inside. But us gardening folk are a