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.
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15 DIY Cat Toys
Though we often consider our precious feline companions aloof and independent, itโs crucial they have physical and mental stimuli between napping in the glow of a sunbeam, or knocking things off tables. You donโt have to spend a bunch of cash at the pet store to provide your kitty with endless entertainment. Using materials you
Your Apocalypse Could Be a Wet One – Be Ready!
The apocalypse can come in many forms – and one of the most traditional end of times horrors is one that is with us today: the flood!
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? View this post on Instagram @tinyhousebasics remodel coming
How To Grow Victory Gardens
During both World War I and World War II, people with land (even small parcels) planted victory gardens — also known as war gardens or food gardens for defense. It was a means to feed the family, to supplement the restrictions enforced with rationing, and to ease the food chain. Victory gardens provided people with
All About Sage
Experienced homesteaders suggest that if you want to attract birds, bees, butterflies, and wildlife to your rural homestead, plant and grow sage. Sage is a favorite in homestead herb gardens because it is one of the easiest plants to grow. A member of 200 genera and more than 3,200 species of the plant family Lamiaceae,
Pergola Plans
Picture this: You’ve just finished your gardening chores for the weekend, and now you’re relaxing in your backyard with a refreshing glass of lemonade. You sit down in an Adirondack chair with your feet kicked up. Suddenly, you feel the heat of the day scorching your face. Relaxation is officially out the window. This is
White House to Plant Organic Vegetable Garden
ABC news’ Brian Hartman has reported what many have been wishfully waiting to hear for months: the Obamas will soon plant an organic vegetable garden on the White House South grounds. Following a 60 Minutes interview with Chez Panisse chef, renowned slow foodist and activist for improved national eating habits in the US, Alice Waters,
Best Fruit Trees for Seattle
At my permaculture design course last weekend the guest speaker was Douglas Bullock, of the well-known Bullock Brothers Permaculture Homestead on Orcas Island. Douglas was lecturing on the overall topic of soil, and specifically spoke about nitrogen-fixing plants, sheet mulching, microclimates, and last but not least, orchard design and his personal fruit tree recommendations for
Medicinal Benefits of Onions
According to a quick Google search, onions are the third most bought vegetable in the United States (the average U.S. citizen consumes about 22 pounds of onions a year). Most people that I know use onions as a top ingredient in recipes — even the ones that donโt call for onions. Onions are a simply
Writer’s Guidelines
About Our Audience: Insteading readers are active gardeners, beekeepers, chicken herders, permaculturalists, environmentalists, and many other things. Our readers range from newbies looking to plant their first raised bed, to advanced homesteaders who live in earthen homes powered by solar panels and produce most of what they eat. Our readers make sustainable and organic choices whenever
10 Probiotic-Rich Foods That Are Even Better Than Yogurt
Move over, yogurt! These probiotic rich foods are even better.
What Do Goats Eat?
Many of usโparticularly those who didnโt grow up on a farmโhave some strange stereotypes embedded in our minds about what farms are like. All cows are black and white, all farmers wear overalls, all barns are painted red. One of the oddest ones I remember inheriting is the idea that goats enjoy munching on tin
Growing Grapes
Grapes are one of the oldest propagated crops and with good reason! These beautiful fruits are delicious and versatile foods used for snacking, canning, freezing, and of course, winemaking. Even if you don’t want to harvest your grapes, they are lovely ornamentals and even just a few plants can make a dazzling trellis display in
What Is Fruit Tree Grafting?
Do you have an orchard or a beautiful fruit tree you would like to see produce more fruit? Are you interested in growing more fruit varieties but not necessarily planting more trees? And would you like to produce fruit quicker on younger trees? If the answer was yes to any of the above, you might
String Art
Artists who’ve done incredible portraits and abstract work using everyday string or thread. String Art By Casey Zavaglia ‘Darbi’ – cotton, silk and wool thread on linen byย Cayce Zavaglia. Sanded acrylic paint onย the background only. 6.5 x 7.5″. Cayce lives and works inย St Louis, Missouri.ย www.caycezavaglia.com ‘Dad’ byย Cayce Zavaglia.ย “The direction in which the threads are sewn
Circuit Board Art
Circuit boards are the foundation of 21st century, online living. They’re also strangely beautiful. The Circuit Board Art Of Theo Kamecke Circuit Board Box. Theo Kamecke started collecting vintage circuit boards in the 1980s. Old circuit boards were often handmade, and therefore unique and interesting. www.theokamecke.com Inside of a circuit board box by Theo Kamecke.
Chopping Wood: A Helpful Beginner’s Guide
Firewood is sold in measurements called cords and half-cords. A cord of stacked firewood measures 8 feet long by 4 feet high by 4 feet deep, or 128 cubic feet. A half-cord is half as long (so 4 feet ร 4 feet ร 4 feet), or 64 cubic feet. Currently, in Connecticut, the going rate
Grow Healthy, Flavorful Fruit With The Best Fertilizer For Tomatoes
โYou get your tomatoes in yet?โ My neighbor smiled with his usual good-natured grin, but there was no denying the competitive edge to his voice. This was no mere neighborly exchange. It was the opening to a summer-long challenge where plants were pawns and bragging rights, the prize. As a newcomer to the Ozarks, I
Companion Plants For Potatoes
It’s easy to cultivate potatoes on a homestead, and it’s well worth it: they’re a staple food that can be used in almost any kind of cooking. If you grow your own potatoes, you can be sure that they’re organic, non-GMO, and pesticide free. You can easily store them withoutย freezing, drying or canning. Companion plantsโplants
Growing Spinach
Originally hailing from 4th-century Persia, Spinacia Oleracea or spinach has a long and storied past as a health tonic, a poor manโs food, a favorite of big-forearmed sailor men, and a choice food of health gurus. We are constantly hearing about how important it is to eat your leafy greens, and for good reasonโtheyโre fantastic