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 How to Set Up a Large, High-Tunnel Greenhouse
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 How and Why to Grow Dogwood Trees
Water is amazing – we know that. Without it, life on earth would not exist, at least not as we know it! That’s a simple fact that pretty much everybody accepts, but something people tend to have a much harder time wrapping their heads around? If you’re anything like me, you probably find indoor houseplants … Read more 20 Ways to Water Your Houseplants
DIY natural air fresheners, both sprays and other varieties, will keep your house smelling sweet and fresh without introducing and potentially dangerous chemicals into your home. I used to love the smell of my home after squirting a bit (OK, sometimes a lot) of air freshener spray from an attractive store-bought bottle. That is, until … Read more 14 DIY Natural Air Freshener Recipes
Amish black drawing salve is a homesteading “medicine” cabinet staple in Appalachia. More times than I can count, we have used it to pull out tiny bits of a splinter that digging painfully into the skin with tweezers does not retrieve. I used to pay a pretty penny to buy the black drawing salve from … Read more How to Make Amish Black Drawing Salve
Most homesteads have some sort of herb garden outdoors, but sometimes, you want to bring the outdoors in. Whether it’s due to your space, simple convenience, or because you aren’t actually on a homestead yet, an indoor herb garden is an ideal solution. Let’s face it, there are many reasons for an indoor herb garden, … Read more 27 Amazing Indoor Herb Garden Ideas
Making your own DIY all natural lip gloss will not only prevent the absorption of potentially dangerous chemicals and fragrance ingredients, but is far cheaper, fun, and allows for customization of both texture and scent. There is no need to empty your wallet to buy popular and pricey lip gloss from trendy suppliers like Fenty … Read more DIY Natural Lip Gloss – Cheap and Easy!
Getting new chicks – especially if it is your first time, is quite exciting. But, if you fail to set up the brooder and start the little flock members properly, tragedy can strike. While there is no need to purchase an expensive commercially manufactured brooder, the habitat must conform to the basic needs of the … Read more How to Set Up a Brooder for Your Chicks
Keeping animals on the homestead reduces the family’s grocery store expenses, infuses more healthy whole food into the diet, and is often quite a joy. However feed storage is often an imposing obstacle that must be dealt with properly. If animal feed is not stored in a manner that prevents spoilage and rodent infestations you … Read more Storing Animal Feed to Prevent Spoilage and Pests
Dandelion infusions and tinctures have been used to garner the high nutrient content contained in the flowers, leaves, roots, and stems, and also to harness the potential natural medicinal properties the plant parts contain. Making a dandelion infusion is neither difficult nor expensive, but it does require both time and patience on the part of … Read more How to Make Dandelion Infusion and Tincture
Honey and camomile are two of the most popular additives to natural soap bars. Combining the two is to make, and the melt and pour soap base creates both a pleasing scent and feel when used. The use of honey in soaps infuses it with humectant compounds that help combat and prevent acne, as well … Read more How to Make Honey and Chamomile Soap
If you’ve been following the news or social media, you may have heard of the deadly Chagas disease. On this note, you might have heard rumors that Chagas disease is spread by assassin bug bites. If you’re asking yourself, “can you get Chagas disease from assassin bug bites?” the answer, unfortunately, is yes. You can … Read more Can You Get Chagas Disease from Assassin Bug Bites?
The coop is supposed to be a safe and healthy place for your chickens to live. In order for them to be healthy you need to allow for ventilation. With a poorly ventilated coop, your chickens can develop respiratory problems. Without proper ventilation the ammonia from the chicken droppings will accumulate and cause breathing problems … Read more Chicken Coop Ventilation and Why It’s Critical
If you are looking for a hearty dinner without a lot of fat, cream, or unnecessary additives, this chicken stew with potatoes is the way to go. It’s chock-full of vegetables, and is still remarkably savory for a filling meal.
An assassin bug infestation is no laughing matter. If you’ve ever dealt with these pests before, you know how frustrating it can be to have them on your property. Although some types of assassin bugs are completely harmless to humans and would rather spend their entire life cycles outside in your garden, munching on garden … Read more How to Control and Get Rid of Kissing (Assassin) Bugs
Chickens do not like to be dirty birds – they love dirt, and hate water. It is just that simple, fellow homesteaders. If you have ever had to give a chicken a bath – or a wash off a chick with the dreaded “pasty butt,” you know exactly what I’m talking about. To keep themselves … Read more 22 DIY Chicken Dust Bath Ideas for Your Girls