YouTube comment sections are not always the friendliest of stomping grounds. If you reveal that you live off-grid, or worse, you try to teach others how to get started living off-grid, the critics crawl out of the woodwork. Rather than seeing that weโre offering free information to help others along their way, endless debates about
Search Results for: bathroom/natural-dental-care/mouthwash
19 Eye-Catching Terrarium Plants For Your Miniature Garden
A terrarium garden is much like an aquarium, but a habitat for plants rather than aquatic life. A terrarium can be constructed in a diverse array of glass containers. When planted, it should look like a miniature forest or fairy garden; its own unique little world. Terrariums are fun to craft for home decor or
25 Front Porch Ideas To Spruce Up Your Entryway
Whether youโve been blessed with a grand wrap-around porch or youโre looking to glam up a tiny front stoop, there are countless front porch ideas to add some style to your space. From seasonal decorations to simple enhancements that boost curb appeal, adding decor to the front of your home doesnโt have to break the
10 Ground Cover Plants to Replace Your Grass Lawn
Though it’s outside, there’s really nothing all that natural about the picture-perfect lawn. Artificially grown, watered, fertilized, and maintained, it’s a strange picture of modernity. We’ve made our case against the “normal” patch of featureless fescue, and if you agree with us, perhaps you’re ready to change up the backyard for something new and less
Lucky Bamboo
Lucky bamboo is a fascinating little house plant. Adorable and easy to grow, they are quite common in homes around the world. Yet there are some myths that we need to get out of the way before we discuss this plant. Firstly, one of the most interesting things about lucky bamboo is that it is
Growing Radishes
Every garden has its challenges: Florence fennel that refuses to make a sizeable bulb, spinach that bolts immediately, corn that’s full of tunneling, or kernel-wrecking worms. But every once in awhile, there comes a plant that gives and gives and doesnโt ask much more than a space to give it. Like radishes. I see these
Ant Photography By Andrey Pavlov
Mr. Pavlov sets up the props, the ants gladly raise them. According to Mr Pavlov, “I used to work in theatre which was a big help when it came to making props, and I chose ants because I respect them and their way of life.” www.dailymail.co.uk Mr. Pavlov says that having children changed the way
Can I Compost Flowers?
Fresh or dried, flowers are more than just their visible beauty. Some flower types can contribute to your compost pile under optimal conditions and correct preparation.
10 Gorgeous Winter Flowers To Add Color To Gray Winter Days
It can be rather sad to see the blooms of summer fade. As your summer flowers die back and prepare for winter, plant some of these winter flowers to create color for otherwise dreary landscaping. You can fill containers with winter-blooming annuals like pansies and violas, and plant perennials in the landscape for color that
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
How To Grow Healthy Aloe Vera
Aloe vera may bring to mind colorful bottles and memories of a bad sunburn, but the plant is relatively easy to grow at home and comes with a load of health benefits. If youโre looking for a constant source of aloe vera for its medicinal worth, or if you simply love the look of the
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, and formaldehyde? Nowadays, youโll find these ingredients in all sorts of skin and hair care products because theyโre a
How to Protect Plants From Frost: 12 Clever Methods That Work
As winter wanes and patches of bare ground open up in the fields, my green thumb gets crazy-itchy. I am eager to get back in the garden and get my eyes full of living, growing things again. With the seasonโs change, however, comes the age-old game of chicken that gardeners play with the weather —
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. Novice homesteaders discover that raising goats for their milk, meat, and fiber can be a financially rewarding experience. However, caring for them can also be a
20 Unique Gift Basket Ideas for Your Loved Ones
Creating gifts from scratch is rewarding. Gifting something you have worked on with your own two hands makes it worth so much more. One of the best ways to give loved ones homemade gifts is by making a gift basket. DIY gift baskets are completely customizable and crafted to be perfect for the receiver. There
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 decision to make if your friend is a down-to-earth, outdoorsy type who doesnโt care much about possessions. What gifts can you get
What is Seasonal Eating?
Have you noticed the idea of seasonal eating “cropping up” in lifestyle magazines and organic-themed publications? I find myself viewing the trend with the same strange feeling as when I read modern articles about off-grid living, or pasturing livestock. Though these concepts are presented as new, they honestly couldnโt be more ancient. As mislabeled as
Electric Lawn Mower Reviews
You probably are ready to say goodbye to checking the oil, yanking the start chain, monitoring the gas, and enduring the noise of your gas mower. You can’t even listen to a podcast with that thing on! Still, the best reason to buy an electric lawn mower is that it’s one step closer to a
Robot Lawn Mower
50 years from now, people will look back and marvel at the fact that in 2016 we drove our own carsโthe same way we marvel at our grandparents having to use a washing board rather than a laundry machine. Maybe they’ll be amazed that we mowed our own lawns, too. Robot mowers have been around
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,
Raising Goats
Goats are sweet, social, mischievous and stubborn. They are a favorite of urban homesteaders who want fresh milk but canโt keep a cow. Homesteaders favor milking goats as a food source because of their milk’s mild flavor and moderate output. Even people (like me) who donโt like โgoatโ flavor in milk and cheese are startled
How To Buy Meat Direct From A Farm
So you eat meat, and you want to get it from a farm you know and trust. Donโt we all! If you are considering buying meat direct from a local farmer for the first time, you may have some questions and uncertainties. When I was growing up, my parents bought meat from Safeway and other
7 Ways To Mouse-Proof Your Homestead
For homesteaders, the common house mouse is one of the most troublesome of pests. A small brown or gray rodent with little beady eyes, large ears, and a skinny three to four-inch long tail, house mice flourish under a diverse array of conditions in and around homes, sheds, barns, and outbuildings. The unwelcome intruders consume
Growing Tomatoes
Delicious, versatile, juicy, nothing says summer to me like fresh tomatoes still warm from the sun. As the song goes, “thereโs two things money canโt buy: thatโs true love and homegrown tomatoes.” One of the home gardenerโs favorite staples is the tomato, but it can be a finicky plant, especially in cooler climates. Iโve grown
How To Rent Out Your Goats
Thinking about renting out your goats? You should understand both the good and the baaaahd of this possible revenue source. My husband and I ran a goat rental business from our farm, The Mushroom Hut @ Fox Farms. Our goat herd was the only part of the farm that wasn’t in the black. Our goat herd was
Brahma
Description With a heavy brow that gives it a uniquely aquiline mien and fluffy feathered feet, this large bird will certainly turn heads. Donโt let itโs imposing size intimidate you, though! Few chickens are as gentle and willing to be handled as these huggable hens. Their incredibly calm dispositions make them a fabulously friendly addition
Homestead Stories: Parrot Tulips
โIs something wrong with your tulips?โ It was late spring, and I was admiring the colorful display of tulips in my friendโs garden. โThey appear rather ruffled.โ โTheyโre supposed to be ruffled,โ came the answer. โTheyโre called parrot tulips, and the ruffled edges make them look like a parrotโs feathers.โ โRuffled,โ I repeated. โYes. Theyโre
9 Beautiful Water Plants For Your Aquatic Garden Or Pond
Spring has come. For the winter-weary gardener, the chance to finally get back out into the wonderful world of soil and sprouts is exhilarating. Within a few short weeks, garden beds are awake and planted, pots are filled and placed back on the porch, and flower beds are tenderly mulched. And then โฆ all that
Gardening Resources for Seniors
Gardening is a rewarding hobby that boosts both physical and psychological health among all ages. If youโre a senior searching for relaxation, consider growing your own garden. Reconnecting to nature is one way to relieve the daily stress of modern life. Along the way, youโll have the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other gardening enthusiasts.
Getting Started With Self-Sufficient Living (And Why It IS Possible)
Self-sufficiency. What other term in the homesteading sphere carries such a weight of history, responsibility, and hope? Watch The Video Visions of lush, productive gardens, cozy wood stoves crackling with hand-split hardwood, provisions lining the pantry shelves, and healthy animals moving through the fields; all dance in our heads backed by the resounding questions: Is
Pekin
Characteristics Pekins display a characteristic forward-tilting posture. They usually hold their cushion of a tail higher than their single-combed head. This distinctive feature, along with feathering that is so dense that it obscures their bitty feet, are just some of the endearing qualities of the Pekin chicken. Pekins are an ornamental breed. So small that
7 Indoor Trees To Add Some Greenery To Your Home
When one thinks of trees, visions of vast swaths of forested mountains, steamy jungles, or frosty taigas may come to mind. But not every tree needs a scenic backdrop to flourishโsome can be content to live in your home with you. And you have to admit, few things can enliven a bitty apartment or a
Sicilian Buttercup
Characteristics Visually, a Buttercup chicken is quite a lovely sight. First, there is the distinctive comb that lends the breed its name–two single combs fused together at the front and back of the head. Cascading down from his bright red crown and white earlobes, the roosters have gleaming copper necks, glossy green tails, and willow-green
How to Grow an Avocado Plant
Avocados have long been considered a perfect food. If the avocado were newly discovered today, it would be marketed as a miracle food. Irresistibly flavorful with a smooth, creamy texture, avocados should be part of everyoneโs daily diet. Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, avocado trees thrive in sub-tropical and tropical climates around the world.
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
Stevia: A Sweet Perennial Herb
Stevia is a very cool plant: It’s a little perennial herb that is beautiful to look at, easy to grow, and is a deliciously sweet herb to use in your teas and cooking. Stevia (official name Stevia rebaudiana; in the family Asteraceae, along with sunflowers and daisies) is of South American origin and has been used
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 their excellent pollinating abilities, their beneficial guano, and the fact that they eat mosquitoes by the thousands per day. Just one bat
DIY Soap Recipes
As an urban homesteading enthusiast, I definitely have the DIY bug. Gardening, landscaping, and chickens are all great for outdoor ideas, but in rainy Seattle itโs nice to find an indoor project too. I love all of the crazy scents available at our local farmers market (thai basil & lemongrass?!), that I chose this as
Can I Compost Citrus?
Composting citrus fruits presents some challenges, especially on your pile’s pH. Learn the correct preparation and best practices when processing your citrus scraps into nutrient-rich compost.
Homestead Stories: The Kudzu Monster Plant and Other Invasive Species
โWhat are those creepy figures?โ my youngest asked. We were driving the back roads to Florida for a family vacation. โI believe thatโs what they call kudzu,โ I explained. โThey look like monsters.โ โYes, they do.โ I had read about kudzu years ago but had never seen the plant this close. It was downright eerie.
30 Lovely Garden Trellises
A staple of backyards and gardens for decades, trellises can serve as functional garden bed additions and decorative works of art. By supporting climbing plants, vines, and flowers, empty trellises can transform into beautiful, natural garden featuresโwith a bit of time and patience. Larger trellises can serve as a privacy screen, while smaller, more narrow
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 visitors to backyards, botanical gardens, and important events like weddings, moon gates are quite stunning in their gravity-bending construction. Traditionally constructed out
Savin Couelle
Savin Couรซlle
Biodiversity Organizations
Biodiversity Organizations, Conservation Organizations, Ecology Organizations.
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
๐ Pest & Weed Management
Let’s face it – I can’t blame some of these bugs and plants for showing up in my garden. My broccoli is amazing – why wouldn’t those caterpillars want to eat it? My soil is has more nutrients than a bag of compost – why wouldn’t that Himalayan blackberry want to set its roots down?
Homestead Stories: Skeleton Flowers
โOh my! Those petals are translucent — why is that?” It was eerie. Once again, I was visiting my friend and enjoying the array of plants in her garden. She had something new to show me, something uncommon. โDiphylleia grayi.โ I could always count on her to be technical in answers, especially when it came
How To Get Rid Of Gophers
Thereโs nothing like planting a beautiful garden, only to have burrowing animals eating your carrots and making tunnels through your lettuce patch. Despite being cute and fluffy, gophers are a farm and garden pest. Along with rabbits and field mice, gophers are some of the most common mammals that disrupt growing crops. There are plenty
Chicken Molting: What It Is And What To Expect
Itโs a beautiful day with the first fall feelings. Maybe the asters and goldenrod have begun to bloom, and you noticed monarch butterflies headed south. Thereโs a good, crisp smell to the air — but as you near the chicken coop, your heart drops! There are feathers everywhere. A panicked headcount soon reveals that all
How To Get Rid Of Mosquitoes (Without All Of The Chemicals)
Nothing ruins a lazy, summer afternoon with a book and a tall glass of iced tea like a swarm of hungry mosquitoes. They buzz, they fly, they pinch and bite. Not to mention they can carry dangerous diseases that they can pass on to you and your family this summer. Come June and July youโll