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 […]
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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
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 —
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
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
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
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 the forests and fields around my homestead. But as I glanced at the letters to the editor, I put down my tea mug
25 Gorgeous Tree Stump Tables
Simply put, tree stump tables are easily the most gorgeous addition you can add to a room. Not only are the majority of them constructed from reclaimed or sustainable wood, but they are eye-catching and sure to start a conversation. While some of the options on this list are more functional than others, they all
20 Fire Pit Ideas To Make The Summer Last All Year Long
No matter what time of year it is, an outdoor fire always gets people excited. Thereโs something magical about gathering around with friends and family, making sโmores, or toasting with your favorite cocktails. When it comes to deciding which kind of fire pit makes sense for your own yard, there’s such a wide array of
9 Beneficial Uses For Grass Clippings
Many people around the world cut their grass, and either leave the clippings right where the lawnmower spits them out, or toss them into the yard waste bin. While those are perfectly fine ways to dispose of them, there are several beneficial uses for grass clippings around the homestead. Ever since I was a little
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
Adirondack Chairs
Almost no vacation would be complete without the addition of an Adirondack chair somewhere on the property. Whether youโre lounging beside the sea, or circled around a campfire with friends, an Adirondack chair is practically essential. These comfortable, spacious chairs have become staples on beaches and shorefront cottages, and weโve started to incorporate them into
Pollinators
This spring, my partner and I planted a small orchard on our new property. We ran into some confusion when deciding how far apart to plant our chestnut trees. Turns out there isnโt a simple answer, because of pollination! What Is Pollination And Why Is It Important? Briefly, pollination is how plants sexually reproduce, how
25 Effortless Room Divider Ideas To Make Use Of Your Small Space
Whether youโre dealing with a huge open space or a make-shift living room in a tiny home, room dividers help to divvy up your home’s space. The easiest, cheapest way to divide your living area is to use a temporary fixture of some sort, but there are also lots of permanent ideas for those looking
Green Products
Why Manure Is The Unsung Hero of the Homestead
When I lived in the city, I had the luxury of ignoring poop. If a neighborโs dog left it on my tiny lawn, it was a rude, unusual inconvenience. Aside from what I delicately flushed into oblivion with the touch of a lever, my experiences with poop were largely nonexistent. My suburban upbringing trained me