How to Homestead | Simple Living | Homesteading | Homesteaders | Homestead Blog
It involves back-breaking manual labor, disappointments, long hours, and lots of dirty clothes.
Perhaps you’re wondering why I’m trying to convince you that this homesteading gig is a good idea, huh?
Click over to Frugal Granola today to see the 7 reasons my family chooses to produce their own food, even though it can definitely be the “hard way” sometimes…
(By the way, there’s still time to enter the Lilla Rose Giveaway! See why I think this is my answer to “homestead hair”!)
Hope everyone is having a wonderfully relaxing Labor Day weekend! There will be no Homestead Barn Hop this week, but it will resume next Monday, so have your links ready!
Have you seen my latest post over at Frugal Granola? It’s really starting to feel like fall here in Wyoming, which means it’s time to plant garlic! I’m over there chatting about the hows and why of planting your own garlic crop to harvest next summer. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend giving it a go this year. You can never, EVER have too much garlic!
Credit: freedigitalphotos.net
Welcome Rhoda, a Shaklee Independent Distributor, as the newest sponsor of The Prairie Homestead! I am currently having a blast testing out a few different Shaklee products and am excited to be hosting a review and giveaway of them later this month, so stay tuned for that! I wasn’t familiar with Shaklee until recently, and while I don’t want to spoil all the fun for the review post, let’s just say I really am liking what I see so far! Be sure to head over to there to have a look around.
And last, but not least, I’ve mentioned this on the Facebook page several times last week, but I don’t want anyone to miss out on the latest ebook from Modern Alternative Mama. Treat Yourself: Real Food Desserts was released last week and is chock-full of every type of sweet thing you could ever imagine. Plus, it’s all real food! You can’t beat that!
I’m busy canning and preserving this week (peaches today, then cucumbers and tomatoes!). Many of the summertime homestead activities are starting to wind down, and is it horrible to admit that I’m ready for fall? I sure love summer, but I am definitely looking forward to having a break from the never ending mowing, watering, and weeding. At least for a little while, anyway. 
I’m sure many of you can relate.
Happy homesteading everyone!
I am thrilled to welcome Holly from Your Gardening Friend as a special guest poster today! After reading my post over at Frugal Granola about utilizing the shady areas of your yard, Holly had some wonderful ideas and decided to turn them into a post!
John and I have always lived in places with an abundance of shade. For the past 4 years, we’ve lived smack-dab in the middle of the woods… literally. During these 4 years, I’ve come to learn of, and appreciate, a vast variety of plants that enjoy, and some even thrive in, partial to full shade.
Here is only a sampling list of plants that enjoy a partial shade or full shade garden.
Hardy Zones
Most of these plants are within hardy zones 4-8 or 5-9.
Amount of Sun
Full Sun = 6 or more hours of direct sunlight
Part Sun and Part Shade = 3-6 hours of sunlight (preferably the earlier hours of the day)
[Definitions on this vary.] Plants that are said to need “part sun” would need the upper end of the 3-6 hours, and “part shade” would need the lower end of the 3-6 hours.
Full Shade = less than 2 or 3 hours of sunlight, sometimes in the form of dappled sunlight
If you have direct sunlight, but not a full 6 hours of direct sunlight, experiment with some of your favorite sun-loving plants. You may find some plants are more tolerant of shade than others. I have tall (about 3 feet tall) decorative perennial grasses in an area where they clearly do not get the recommended daily dosage of sun. They’re doing fine. Granted, they’d probably be fuller (and “happier”) if they had more sun, but they’re doing fine.
What’s been your experience with shady gardens?
Holly shares helpful gardening tips, and explores the fascinations of nature (birds, bats, butterflies, bees, bugs, and all) on her blog, Your Gardening Friend
It’s a never-ending battle for gardeners everywhere- the war on weeds!
Weeding is a seemingly endless part of my homestead life. Unfortunately, it’s one of jobs that just never stays done…
I’m over at Frugal Granola today sharing a list of natural and frugal ways to win the war on weeds at your homestead.
There will be no Homestead Barn Hop this week in honor of Independence Day. Have a wonderful 4th of July with your friends and family, eat lots of good food, and have your posts ready for next week! I’ll leave you with the most recent article I wrote for Frugal Granola. Good bugs vs. bad bugs…
I love using diatomaceous earth as a natural pesticide alternative. However, the downside to it is that it kills all insects, both good and bad.
Yes, you read that correctly– there are GOOD bugs!
Learn how to use insects to your garden’s benefit, there are more beneficial bugs that I ever thought!
In order to successfully homestead (whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural homestead), it’s vital to learn how to use what you have to it’s fullest potential.
You may have lots of moisture, or none. Plenty of bright sun, or very little.
Many homesteaders and gardeners must deal with having too much shade. So, I’ve brainstormed and come up with a list of ways you can use those shady spots to their full potential. Read the post today over at Frugal Granola.
My passion is showing people how they can partake of the homesteading lifestyle, regardless of where they live.
