Looking for a mosquito-free garden? We know that plant extracts and oils are effective as mosquito repellents, but there’s a variety of mosquito repelling plants also help keep pesky insects away. “Mosquito repelling plants tend to be highly aromatic,” says Amy Lawhorne, Vice President of Mosquito Squad, a national tick and mosquito control company. “Some have
Search Results for: eco-home/energy-efficient-appliances/composting-toilets
20 Free Pole Barn Plans
If youโre ready to take on a new project, why not consider constructing a pole barn? This type of building can add some much-needed storage space and covered area to a residential property. Unfortunately, due to the scarcity of information regarding pole barns, very few individuals take on such an ambitious project.
Caring for the Off-Season Woodstove
During the summer months, it probably seems strange to be discussing something as out of season as woodstoves. The days of freezing, blizzard-whipped nights and bone-shakingly cold mornings seem a lifetime ago when you’re sweating over your tomato beds. This time of year, however, is an absolutely perfect time to clean and care for your
How To Build An Earthbag House For $6,164
In this post, guest author Jay Eisenberg details how he and his wife built their earthbag house for $6,164, completed on Oahu recently in 2017. For years I had dreamed of building my own home and not being enslaved with a mortgage. While living in New Zealand I was connected with Shaye Boddington of DIY
Whole Tree Architecture
Whole Tree Architecture
Worm Bin Essentials: Getting Started with Vermiculture
Starting a worm bin can feel overwhelming – where do I keep it? What kind of worms do I need? What if it smells awful? What if I kill my worms? Not to worry! Humans have been throwing food scraps in a pile for thousands of years. Worm bins are a great way to turn
Tree Houses! From The Past Into The Future
future tree houses, modern tree houses, treehouse inspiration
Food Choices Affect the Climate
Food Choices Affect the Climate
7 Ways To Upcycle Styrofoam Coolers
Got foam containers laying around that you don’t want to throw away. Here are some ways to upcycle styrofoam coolers and shipping boxes.
10 Awesome New Inventions For Homesteaders
Handy Camel Bag Clip The problem: Most bag clips are cheaply-made and used for light stuff like bags of chips. The solution: A hardy clip that seals bags without puncturing them, since the plastic “teeth” aren’t sharp. The tech: A handle on the clip lets you carry the bags around by the clip rather than
Uses And Benefits Of Cover Crops
What Are Cover Crops? Cover crops are planted in rotation with other crops to improve soil health, control erosion and hold nutrients. With the right rotation of cover crops for your climate and soil texture, you can increase your gardenโs yield and reduce your environmental footprint. Cover Crops: What Not To Do My first summer
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 how to build a worm composter. This is the final product. I didn’t want to paint my worm composter, so I
Free Ranging: The Pros & Cons
When I brought my first animals home to the farm there was no question in my mind as to whether they would live the life of free range animals. I wanted my animals to be just as free as I was, free to explore, roam, hunt for food, and live their own life while coexisting
Growing Cucumbers
Growing cucumbers is a rewarding experience. Nothing is quite as satisfying on a hot day as that juicy crunch when you bite into a fresh cucumber. These delicious vegetables can be a little tricky to grow, especially in cool climates, but there’s no looking back once you find the varieties and practices that work for
Wanderlust Festival brings mindful joy, healthy living to north shore of Oahu
Creating community around mindful living. Traveling the world meeting a cultural demand that’s already there, and just fulfilling it.That’s the job description for John Krasno and Seane Hoess, founders of Wanderlust. They’ve been doing this for a while, but they’ve found new elements to incorporate in the Oahu Wanderlust–especially surfing. Seeing the correlation between surfing
What To Do When Plant Disease Attacks Your Garden
No matter if it is viral, fungal, or bacterial, plant disease can enter your garden in a diverse array of ways. Many plant diseases are difficult to identify or to even to determine if what is attacking your plants is, in fact, a disease. Symptoms appear similar from bacterial to viral to fungal. Even insects
Topsoil: Civilization & Foundation Eroding
By Lester R. Brown The thin layer of topsoil that covers the planetโs land surface is the foundation of civilization. This soil, typically 6 inches or so deep, was formed over long stretches of geological time as new soil formation exceeded the natural rate of erosion. But sometime within the last century, as human and
5 Gallon Bucket Gardening: Seven Ways to Reuse Plastic Buckets for Growing Food
We usually discuss container gardening in the context of space: if you live in an apartment, or have a small yard, containers might be your best bet. But even though I’ve got space for gardening – not a ton, but enough – I’m thinking about incorporating containers more this year. Not only are they mobile,
80 Awesome Earth Day Tips
Happy Earth Day! What better way to celebrate than choosing to make some positive changes in your everyday life! Whether you want to reduce your carbon footprint, teach your kids about the importance of protecting the environment, or support a company that makes donations to earth-conscious charities, weโve found 80 things to do on Earth
Food Industry
Comfrey
Cultivated since at least 400 B.C., comfrey exhibits delicate blue, pink, purple, or white flowers that attract birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators and beneficial insects to the homestead landscape. An extremely cold-hardy, perennial plant with an expansive root system, comfrey, also known as houndโs tongue, presents large bold, green leaves and a sturdy, upright
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
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
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
Powdery Mildew: What It Is, How To Identify It, And Treatment Methods
You walk into the garden, wiping sweat from your forehead in the summerโs boggy heat. The peppers are dangling like hidden jewels beneath their glossy leaves. The okra is dazzling with its tropical, hollyhock-like blooms. And the tomatoes are looking fine — even though you flicked a hornworm to your chickens as a treat. But
17 Treats For Chickens
There is nothing quite as satisfying as a happy flock of chickens. I’ve developed a good relationship with my chickens through care, gentle handling, and the occasional treat or two. I love to watch them run toward me when I come outside.ย When they see me, they’re usually hoping for attention and a snack. Over the
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.
10 Cheap Chicken Feed Ideas For Feeding Your Flock On A Budget
Raising chickens is extremely rewarding, but the costs of commercial feed can add up quickly. If youโre raising just a couple of hens for eggs, you may not mind paying the price for quality feed, but trying to feed a large flock can get expensive fast. Yes, youโll get eggs and you can sell your eggs
๐ Building Plans
How to Make Soil Acidic: 3 Natural Methods That Work
When you think of the word โacidicโ, 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 didnโt join their number. If youโre hoping to grow a bumper crop of blueberries or potatoes, soil acidity and learning how to
Goat Shelter Basics: What You Need to Know to Keep Your Herd Safe
Goats are remarkably hardy animals. They can survive on forage and browse that would make a cow or sheepโs stomach rumble in discontent, and their clever feet can scamper among rocks, cliffs, and scree that are impassable to even the most surefooted human. For all their apparent toughness to inhospitable environments, however, there is one
What is Organic Farming?
Organic farming! It’s becoming more and more familiar and popularized these days. Every time you’re at the grocery store, you see two different types of veggie options: organic or nonorganic. What Makes Organic, Organic? Organic farming’s aim is to be environmentally sustainable. To do this, organic farmers utilize methods of pest control and soil fertilizers
8 Mistakes to Avoid as a New Homesteader
If youโre a new homesteader on new land, youโre in an interesting place. Youโve probably just left everything in the city, your job, your friends, your family, your inherited way of life, to start over in the country. And, like earlier generations of back-to-the-landers, you may not really know what you are doing, have had
21 Essential Off-Grid Tools We Love
We recently asked our Insteading Community and YouTube viewers if they had any questions about homesteading that we might answer. You all replied with some great questions, and gave us a lot of ideas on material we can pull together to help you! Watch The Video So for our first installment in what we hope
The Surprising Benefits of Rabbit Manure
I love raising rabbits for many reasons, one being the many benefits of their manure. Rabbit manure is an incredible resource for organic gardens. It increases soil quality by improving both the soil structure and the life cycle of beneficial microorganisms living in the soil. Rabbits are an excellent source of poop, and it doesnโt
Getting Rid of Squash Bugs
Am I the only one who had an all-out war with squash bugs this year? They annihilated most of my butternut and zucchini before the plants even had a chance to produce. I knew how to get rid of them, but the bugs had covered too much ground before I realized they were present. We’d
Storage Benches
Storage benches may be one of the most versatile pieces of furniture we can own. For anyone needing to maximize space, theyโre the answer to solving storage and seating problems. They can also serve as a beautiful piece of home dรฉcor. The options for storage benches are endless. Weโre using them in our living rooms,
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
Seattle Resources
Here’s a never-quite-complete list of the local businesses & organizations we support. Almost all of the businesses on this list support sustainability, organic practices, or other environmental issues we’re concerned about. There’s also a few listed that are just good local businesses that we like. Please email or tweet or leave a facebook comment if
About Us
Insteading helps people on their journey to live a more positive lifeโpositive for themselves, for their neighbors, and for the world around them. As the world awakens to the need to transition away from fossil fuels, people are making alternative choices with the clothes they wear, the products they buy, and the transportation choices they
Tiny House Books
While we’re pretty happy with the tiny house guide we’ve put together here at Insteading, we also recognize that it’s great to have a physical book of photographic inspiration to look at when planning your own tiny house. Here are some of our favorite tiny house books and links to their Amazon reviews. Jump To
Manual Tools for Off-Grid Land
When it comes to living and working on an off-grid homestead, there are a lot of different tasks people need to accomplish. Many of these tasks are in the area of land maintenance. Trust me, if you donโt take care of the land, it will be an overgrown mess in no time flat, and then
Seven More Homes and Buildings Made from the Darndest Things
You might see “Seven More” above, and think “Where were the first ones?” That’s OK… we’re doing something a little unusual in the blogging world: creating a sequel to a post on another blog. Not quite a year ago, Brian Clark Howard at The Daily Green did a post on unusual green buildings that included
Rain Chains
You know whatโs perfect on a rainy day besides a good book and a roaring fire? Listening to the soothing sounds produced by a rain chain. There is something very zen-like about hearing the trickle of water during a light rain, or the roar of whitewater during a downpour! Rain chains were originally created in
Buying Baby Chicks: A First-Timer’s Guide
Raising your own backyard chickens makes you feel connected to the source of your food, and proud of every egg you eat. There are lots of resources to help you get started if you are a first-time chicken owner. Here, we will look at where and how to go about buying baby chicks. Even if
Rammed Earth: What Is It, How Is It Made, And Photos
When it comes to alternative building methods to construct a home, you have a host of different choices. Some rely on fairly modern materials like poly bags or used tires (considered new guys on the block). Others have been used for millennia and have proven themselves to stand the test of time. Of this second
17 DIY Smoker Plans
Smoking is a prehistoric practice, and we have records of it in ancient sources of food and cooking. At its most basic, smoking meat just means hanging salted meat over a slow, smoky fire. Smokehouses havenโt changed much in thousands of years, but today there many different sizes and styles of smokers available commercially and
Canning Green Beans
To reduce our reliance on commercially grown produce, we grow as much of our own food as possible and preserve it for the offseason. Preserving fruits and vegetables is a centuries-old homesteading tradition. Growing up on my grandparents’ farm, I have fond memories of rows of pantry shelves packed full of colorful jars of syrup,
13 DIY Candle Ideas
Candles bring warmth to any space. DIY candles are a fantastic way to customize ambient sight and scent and save money while doing it. They are a fantastic gift and there are a lot of options when it comes to the materials and style of candle you make. We are going to go over the
25 Fun and Festive Fall Pallet Projects
If youโve been an Insteading reader for some time, you probably know that we love the idea of upcycling pallets! Not only does it utilize scrap wood that might otherwise end up in a landfill, itโs a resourceful way to craft decor, furniture, and even garden beds without having to spend a pretty penny for