Top 10 Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds
For many people, the main incentive of raising chickens in the backyard is a fresh supply of eggs. I still remember the joy of picking fresh eggs from my chicken’s…
Enzymes for Plants: The Secret to Boosting Harvests and Blooms
A great secret to a thriving garden, enzymes make nutrients in the soil more available for plants to use. They are sometimes used as an ingredient in expensive plant sprays…
Roosters A Plenty
When I moved to this two-acre croft in Iowa, just outside Iowa City, I was pleased to become part of the management of a flock of chickens. Mostly Leghorns and…
Keeping Skunks at Bay
Anyone old enough to remember the classic Looney Tunes cartoons is familiar with Pepé Le Pew, the amorous French skunk in relentless pursuit of romance. In real life, skunks, which…
Summer Vegetable Baked Ziti
I had a cooking show on the TV in the background, as I often do while working on the pages of Homestead.org. A sweet, white-aproned, Italian grandma was making her…
Five Weeks from Seed to Table
Growing vegetables from seed is probably one of the greatest pleasures of gardening. You can see the whole process from seed to table and taste the results of your labor.…
Garden Planning Made Easy: Two DIY Garden Planners
In the tens of thousands of years that people have cultivated the land to raise food for themselves, humans have had to come up with the most efficient ways to…
Hydroponic Gardening for Anyone, Anywhere
Hydroponic gardening is not new, but it has seen an increase in popularity lately. This is easily understandable, as hydroponics require minimal space, use 90% less water, and can grow…
Early Spring Wild Edibles: It’s Time to Go Foraging!
Leaves are unfurling in the masses, enjoying the warm sun and gentle drops of rain as morels are generously filling handwoven baskets. This can only mean one thing: it is…
A Practical Guide For Controlling Technology
I’m an off-grid homesteader, which means I come from a pretty extreme end of the lifestyle spectrum (at least, according to my extended family). They know I heat my home…
Soil-Making Magic: The Secret Witches’ Spell for the Perfect Garden
Springtime gardens turn into summertime weed lots. Does this happen to you? You till and dig, bring in dirt or compost, broadcast fertilizer, and perhaps even lime or calcium in…
6 Tips for Dividing Perennials in the Spring
Perennials offer great value in the flower or shade garden. These plants come back year after year with really minimal care and produce fabulous flowers or show-stopping foliage. Each year,…
