Garden

With the arrival of my son last September, I found myself chomping at the bit to find ways to get him outside – and my research led me to instructions on how to build a play garden for kids. I have to be patient for now. After all, he’s not even a year old! However, … Read more

Urtica dioica, commonly known as stinging nettle, is a perennial herb growing throughout many continents. The herb is native to Asia and north Africa, but has travelled to Europe, North America, and even in some parts of the South Pacific. It gets its common name from the stinging hairs, known as trichomes. These fine hairs … Read more

Do you want to maximize the yields of your garden – and minimize the amount of work you have to do? If so, there’s a gardening hack you need to know about – and it’s called crop rotation. It sounds like an agricultural technique that only large-scale commercial farmers would rely on, but the reality … Read more

I’m sure we all enjoy a nice, sugary drink every now and then; maybe you like to put loads of sugar in your tea or coffee. Maybe you eat a lot of sugary foods/sweets. Whatever the case, it’s clear that humans have developed quite the sweet tooth since we first started using sweeteners/sugars in our … Read more

I’m about ready to harvest my first watermelon! Not only my first watermelon of the season, but the first watermelon I have ever grown – ever! I’m incredibly excited to hit this milestone, as I’ve always had a hard time growing these delicious fruits. In a few weeks, I think my fruit will be all … Read more

When most people think of clover, what comes to mind are the staple green leaves and the folklore of luck when you find a four-leaf clover. Clover is often viewed as a weed or derivative of grass, when actually it is a great crop cover and overall addition to landscaping. If you’re a homesteader, then … Read more

No-one wants the hard work, money and energy that they have invested in creating a garden to be ruined by weeds. It’s sometimes a temptation to go to the store and buy an environmentally friendly product that say it will eliminate the problem. But just as it isn’t necessary to use toxic chemicals to prevent … Read more

No-till gardening is a recent trend for homesteaders looking to improve their land instead of depleting it. Traditional farming and gardening tactics reduce soil biology and fertility, leading to successive plantings that are less productive. No-till gardening aims to build soil life and structure while reducing some backbreaking jobs that traditional gardeners deal with regularly. … Read more

My garden is my pride and joy. I love looking out at it while sipping a cup of coffee on the back deck, admiring all the hard work I’ve put into it and the bounty that it continues to produce. However, there is nothing more frustrating than watching invaders like birds pecking and digging up … Read more

I commented to my husband the other day that it seemed like we had an awful lot of birds hanging round the farm this year. From cardinals to starlings, mourning doves to crows, we’ve had no shortage of feathered friends flitting about the place! The bluebirds, though, are some of the most remarkable to behold. … Read more

I finally finished planting the last round of tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers in the hoophouse! It’s still summer, so it might seem odd that I am planting in an insulated greenhouse. However, I’m trying to plan ahead for November – when I plan to still be enjoying juicy homegrown tomatoes fresh from the garden. Where … Read more

Summer is just around the corner, and many homesteaders are trying to decide what to plant on the homestead. As homesteaders, we tend to spend a lot of time outdoors, but in the summertime, we spend even more. Deciding which summer plants to grow on your homestead can take some time and thought. Before you … Read more

Owning your own greenhouse is a great way to extend the growing season so you can have fresh, delicious vegetables all year long. It’s also a wonderful way to improve your yields so you can sell produce to others if that’s something you’d like to do. What Does it Cost to Build a DIY Greenhouse? … Read more

Homesteaders do not often focus the planting plan on any trees that do not produce food or firewood. Space if maximized to its best potential on homesteads both large and small. At first glance, planting a tree that isn’t going to bear edible fruit or good firewood for the wood stove might seem like a … Read more

Saving seeds so you can start a new crop the following season only makes good economic sense. Preserving the seeds from a tasty and bountiful vegetable, fruit, or herb harvest also helps you increase the odds of replicating the same flavor and yield the following year. Typically, seeds will last between 1 and 5 years … Read more