If you’re doing a home renovation or are in the market for some new flooring, you’re in luck. Right now, it appears that just about every type of flooring company has some exciting option you’re bound to love. Before choosing your flooring there are a few things to keep in mind. First, be sure that […]
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Eco-Friendly DIY Drain Cleaners
Why is it a slow or clogged drain always seems to occur at the worst possible moment? You’re busy preparing a dinner party, company is soon to arrive, and now you find the water in the guest bathroom sink doesn’t want to drain. What to do? You want something that will clear your plumbing problems
5 Tips For Raising A Baby In A Tiny House
Raising a baby in a tiny house has both challenges and benefits. When we moved to our tiny house, I was seven months pregnant and incredibly nervous about how we would fit into the space! The Stuff Our first challenge was fitting all of our new baby items into our home. When you add a
20 Types Of Succulents For Your Desktop Or Rock Garden
Generally, a succulent refers to a plant with chubby, fleshy greenery. The word on its own evokes a particular image, so if you think it’s a succulent, it probably is. The thick leaves are often plump because they’re designed to retain moisture for these drought-tolerant plants. Most succulents are fairly low maintenance and produce flowers
How To Grow And Forage For Lady Fern
I am in love with lady ferns and tuck every variety into shaded crevices, niches, nooks, and crannies in my homestead rockery. Apple-green in the spring and a glorious golden-yellow in autumn, lady fern is one of the easiest plants to grow in moist, shaded locations. With hundreds of species of lady fern and dozens
How To Get Rid Of Mildew Smell To Freshen Your Space
Mildew is a type of fungus that produces a distinct, foul odor. The growth is often confused with mold which has a different texture and is usually darker. Mildew has been linked to health issues like respiratory problems, skin irritation, and chronic fatigue. Often, the terms mold and mildew are used interchangeably. Mildew growth occurs
23 Genius Epsom Salt Uses For Your Home, Garden, And Wellness
Epsom salt established its name 1600 years ago from the location where it was first discovered in Epsom Common, Surrey, England. It is most commonly marketed as bath products: powder, granules, crystal, flakes, and bath bombs. Although similar to common table salt in color and texture, Epsom salt and table salt are distinctly different. Epsom
25 Effective Bedroom Storage Ideas To Make The Most Of Your Space
Your clothes are scattered in the corner. Clutter fills your nightstand because you’re not quite sure where to put your piles of books and knick-knacks. The top of your dresser is a mess of disorganized jewelry. And inside the drawers, it’s tough to locate anything in the mixed-up socks and accessories. Needless to say, you
Stop Spraying Your Dandelions: 3 Simple Methods For Making Dandelion Tea
I find it a weird mix of sad and amusing that our current culture spends so much time killing dandelions. These nonnative lettuce relatives were brought to the United States from Europe for their very useful purposes as food and medicine. In a great stroke of what now seems irony, the grass was torn out
25 DIY Nightstand Ideas to Upgrade Your Bedroom
When it comes to bedroom décor, it seems the only choices are to buy a nightstand or accept the one that comes with a larger bedroom set. But what about DIY-ing your own unique piece? After all, nothing spruces up the décor of a space like a nightstand of your own design. So before you
7 DIY Bath Bombs For a Soothing, Relaxing Soak
Fizz away fatigue with all-natural, DIY bath bombs that transform bathwater into a fragrant, skin nurturing, stress-melting oasis. A quick search of the internet yields as many different recipes for DIY bath bombs as for chocolate chip cookies. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you can make a basic bath bomb with a few drops of water
Can I Compost Glass?
Learn why glass is not suitable for composting and how it can negatively impact the composting process. Explore alternative methods such as recycling and upcycling to safely and sustainably dispose of glass waste.
12 DIY Lip Balm Recipes
If you love lip balm, you know the dread when you’re down to the last few uses. Make DIY lip balm with just a few simple ingredients to save on buying it new. Lip balm is essential for facial health and looking and feeling your best. Rather than purchase a ready-made lip balm, have a
How To Humanely Kill A Chicken
People learn to kill chickens for many reasons. As interest in local and ethical food increases, many meat-eaters have challenged themselves to raise and slaughter their own meat. People who keep backyard chickens for eggs often kill older chickens when they have passed their prime laying age. Even people who keep chickens as pets may
Concerns With Urban Animal Slaughter
Photo Credit by VeryGeeky. This article is a response to a Slate.com piece published by James McWilliams on June 6th, 2012. The article, titled “The Butcher Next Door: Why the rise of DIY urban animal slaughter is bad for people and animals,” tries to make the point that animal slaughter by untrained people in an
Urban Chicken Laws in Washington
Here are the chicken laws for cities throughout Washington state. This list is mostly compiled via submissions from our readers. Do you know city or county rules that aren’t completed here? Leave a comment on this page and help out your fellow homesteaders! By City: Aberdeen – No information yet – please let us know if you
How To Build A Fish Farming Pond
Fish farming is an old agricultural method that modern homesteaders can use today. A great source of continuous protein, freshwater fish farms allow anyone to grow a different variety of fish that can be used for personal consumption. While it may be hard work to get started, building a fish farm can be rewarding, fun,
How To Get Rid Of Pests In Your Vegetable Garden
Pests can harm your garden, but there are natural solutions available. A new piece of property, fertile soil, and lots of sun and water is all you should need for a successful vegetable garden. However, there are the invasions that you probably didn’t consider. For instance, you have the blue jays that peck mercilessly at
The Best Amazon Prime Day Deals For Homesteaders
Amazon’s massive Prime Day promotion started Monday, July 15th at 12 am PT. They’ll be announcing deals throughout the day. This year’s Prime Day will last for 48 hours. Each deal will be one of four types: Prime Day Deals: Deep discounts on top products that last until Amazon runs out of stock (in some cases,
No Till Gardening: To Till or Not to Till?
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 it? Will I grow better food? Let’s take a look at what no till gardening means,
Blog Action Day: What Do Meat Labels Really Mean?
With different labels like “natural,” “organic,” “free-range,” and “grass-fed” competing for your attention, it can be hard to know which type of meat comes with the lowest health risk and carbon footprint.
Can I Compost Newspaper?
Compost newspapers effectively with the best preparation techniques, optimal composting conditions, and methods. Avoid common pitfalls, explore alternatives, and repurpose newspapers creatively for a sustainable approach to waste management.
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 wouldn’t want to substitute our love of natural and sustainable products for a plastic and battery-operated gadget, though, so we’ve
Growing Horseradish In The Homestead Garden
Horseradish, a member of the mustard family and a close cousin of both cauliflower and the common radish, deserves a place in the homestead garden. Cultivated for its thick, creamy white or yellowish roots, horseradish derives its heat from isothiocyanate, a unique volatile compound oxidized when exposed to air and saliva. The spicy taste, pungent
Can I Compost Bread?
Discover which types of bread are suitable for composting, how to prepare bread scraps, and the optimal composting conditions. Additionally, explore alternative ways to reuse bread and find out what bread should not be composted.
How to Make Soil Acidic: 3 Natural Methods That Work
When you think of the word “acidic”, what images first spring to mind? Perhaps visions of lemons, vinegar, and upset stomachs — but I will hazard a guess that a pile of soil didn’t join their number. If you’re hoping to grow a bumper crop of blueberries or potatoes, soil acidity and learning how to
How To Get Rid Of Aphids
If you’re a gardener, you’re probably familiar with finding colonies of tiny, gray insects and eggs clinging to the underside of a leaf. If you’re unlucky, you may have even taken a bite of a kale leaf and spat it out quickly. Aphids are a common and persistent pest that lives all over North America.
Companion Planting For Beets
Do you want to improve the health and yield of your beet crop? Companion planting might be the answer. Companion planting is a time-tested, organic gardening method of planting compatible plants in close proximity to each other so that each may benefit from the other. Companion plants provide shade and shelter, control weeds, enrich the
Raising Baby Chicks: A Helpful Guide For First-Time “Parents”
My first baby chicks were an impulse buy. We had an empty chicken coop in the backyard and my roommate and I got over-excited. A week after moving into that house we were in the car with a heat lamp, a sack of chick feed, and six cheeping chicks in a box on the back
Feel-Better Remedies and Recipes for Sick Days
You first feel it with that tickle in the back of your throat. Maybe you ignore it. Maybe you pretend to ignore it because you have things to do — then by evening, the tickle feels like someone took sandpaper to your trachea. Your head is pounding, and you feel chilled. It’s obvious you’re coming
Scientists Discover New Global Warming Threat: ‘Methane Time Bomb’ Under Arctic Seabed
Scientists have today warned that global warming could rapidly accelerate as millions of tons of methane escape from the arctic seabed. According to preliminary findings, as the Arctic region gets warmer massive deposits of the greenhouse gas – 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide – are rising to the surface. Orjan Gustafsson of Stockholm
🌸 Ornamentals
Homestead Stories: The Delicate Donkey Tail Succulent
“Oh my!” I exclaimed as I stood with a friend admiring her latest garden addition. She was more creative than I and loved to experiment with uniquely new things. “What did you say it was called?” “It’s a donkey tail succulent,” she said — once again happy that she had impressed me with a new
8 Ways to Practice Homesteading While Living in a City
The (most recent) Back-to-the-Land Movement may have peaked in the 60s and 70s, but that doesn’t mean people haven’t had the desire for a more land-based way of life every decade before and since. Many armchair homesteaders find themselves tirelessly reading through the Storey’s Guides to Livestock at their local library, browsing websites like Insteading
14 More Tough Plants That Can Survive Drought
This summer has been unusually hot (in case you haven’t noticed). In my part of the Ozarks, it’s been bone dry to boot. That deadly combination of searing heat and clear skies has sent my state and many others into a serious drought that ceaselessly claimed vegetal casualties. Though many of us tried to water
8 Beautiful, Drought Tolerant Plants For Dry Landscapes
You’ve heard the rain. All that free water falling from the sky, keeping the hills and valleys green. But if you live in a drought-prone area that cooling summer rain may seem more like a fever dream than reality, and all the lush, beautiful vegetation associated with rain — as far away as the clouds that
How To Raise Pigs
Pigs are by far my favorite homestead animal. They are curious, affectionate, and incredibly smart. Those are also the characteristics that make them uniquely challenging. The first time I ever saw a pig I was 12, travelling in Eastern Europe. The pig had gotten out and was being chased around a courtyard by four or
Homestead Stories: Kalanchoe, The Eye-Catching Geometric Succulent
“Is that a real flower?” I asked, studying the display of succulents in my friend’s garden window. “Of course,” she replied (sounding a little miffed). “You know I don’t go in for fake flowers. Or fake anything, for that matter.” “But it’s almost too pretty to be real,” I insisted. “What is it?” The geometric
Lessons From Facing Death On The Homestead
As a small girl in my suburban neighborhood, dealing with death was something unusual. So when my pet fish died, tears were shed and a solemn, toilet-side funeral was held, complete with speeches! Any time I found a dead baby bird in the spring, my long-suffering father would kindly wrap it in tissues and bury
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
Raising Pekin Ducks
When you think “duck” what image do you see? I bet for a majority of people, the endearingly chubby, orange-billed and white-feathered barnyard duck leaps (or rather waddles) into your mind’s eye. That duck is the Pekin. This duck breed is by far the most popular of the domesticated duck breeds, and its popularity has
Homestead Stories: The Monkey Orchid
If my Insteading readers have been following the orchid stories, you’ll know how much I love this charming plant. There’s my general, informative article on orchids, the unusually-shaped bat flower, and the swaddled babies. I keep finding more orchid varieties as I browse the local nurseries or share my discoveries with friends. I want to
Appliances Of The Future
What will kitchens look like in 30 years? Likely, they’ll need to be much more energy-efficient and take up less space. Like these! Dishwasher Under The Sink Drain Dishwasher under the sink drainer by Cristiano Giuggiol. Good idea! The washing cycle takes only 6 minutes and uses 23 litres of water. www.coroflot.com The Kitchen Hideaway
Toys Upcycled Into Sculpture By Kris Kuksi
Unwanted toys, frames and plastic model kits are recreated into fantastic sculptures by Kris Kuksi. By turning old plastic soldiers, dolls and tanks into sculpture, all that plastic is kept out of the landfill, long term. The Deadly Sins, 2007, 40″ x 24″ x 8.5″ The Deadly Sins, detail. kuksi.com Kris Kuksi with Imminent Utopia,
Best Dehydrator Recipes
If you’re lucky enough to have an overabundance of fruit, veggies, or meat, you also have a problem. How to preserve this bounty? Refrigeration may only keep the stuff fresh for a few days. Freezing? Maybe a few months—less if your power happens to go out. Dehydration is the best way to store food for
Arizona Solar
Going solar? Good call. It’s the right choice for your pocketbook and for the climate. If everyone in Arizona used solar power, it would take 117 billion pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere every year—according to the EPA’s greenhouse gas calculator, that’s the equivalent of planting a forest that would cover nearly two-thirds of
How To Choose The Best Greenhouse Materials To Extend Your Gardening Season
By extending the growing season, greenhouse growing enables the cultivation of organic, pesticide-free produce all year round. Whether you have a small greenhouse for just a few of your favorite plants, or your entire vegetable garden is reliant on a huge structure, choosing the right greenhouse materials for your needs is key to having a bountiful
Tiny House Transition: Downsizing
Downsizing is a difficult aspect of tiny house living. It’s often overlooked on social media platforms or in the press. Making the transition to a tiny house isn’t as simple as it seems, but If you downsize well, the transition will be much easier. What Is Downsizing? https://www.instagram.com/p/BTwaLWkFJrQ/ Setting realistic expectations and changing your lifestyle
California Passes Neighborhood Food Act
California gov. Jerry Brown signed the Neighborhood Food Act into law last week, asserting the rights of individuals to grown produce on their land.
23 Charming Outdoor Thermometers
Outdoor thermometers have been a staple in gardens and backyards for years. Not only are they functional and helpful, but they are a beautiful addition to your outdoor decor. There are both vintage and modern options, all of which can bring your own personal touch to your backyard. Moon Phase Outdoor Thermometer With this thermometer,