The Prairie Homestead

Homesteading | Self Sufficient Living | Living off the Land

Jill Winger

3 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 9, 2021

How To Plan Out Your Fall Garden

Most folks assume that once summer is over, then the gardening season is complete. But did you know there is a whole other world of gardening possibilities? Possibilities that can help increase your harvest and even passively improve your soil.  Yep, I'm talking about fall gardening. I've kinda talked a bit about fall gardening in the past by listing 21 vegetables you can plant in a fall garden. However, that article didn't get ...Continue Reading

10 Comments | |    Last Updated: August 5, 2021

Top Reasons For Tomato Leaf Curling

There is nothing more amazing than harvesting those ruby-red romas or vibrantly colored heirloom tomatoes. Many home-gardeners pride themselves on the success and health of their tomato plants. When something out of the ordinary happens, it can be heartbreaking. And finding that your precious tomatoes have tomato leaf curl can be one of those heartbreaking moments. I have been one of those gardeners left wondering “Why are my tomato ...Continue Reading

4 Comments | |    Last Updated: April 2, 2024

How to Cultivate Community While Homesteading

No Homestead is an island. When it comes to homesteading, there is a lot is said about self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and blazing your own trail. However, one thing that hasn’t been talked about much is the important role community plays in building that self-sufficiency and how to cultivate community while doing it. Engaging with community can be a tricky thing for anyone, especially if you are an introvert like me. Over the ...Continue Reading

1 Comment | |    Last Updated: April 21, 2025

The Best Organic Fertilizers for Your Vegetable Garden

Perfect… Healthy… Well Balanced... Soil... ...the kind of soil that encourages disease-free veggie plant growth and produces amazingly high harvest yields. Every Gardener’s Dream! Well, this gardener’s dream anyway… The reality is that most of us won’t find the perfect soil patiently waiting for them in the vegetable garden. I, for one, have yet to turn over a patch of dirt and find perfect soil waiting for me to plant in. Maybe ...Continue Reading

13 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 7, 2021

DIY Organic Aphid Spray Recipe for the Garden

Our new greenhouse has drastically expanded our short growing season... But it's also expanded my garden challenges. Especially when it comes to pests-- something I usually don't have to worry *too* much about, considering we garden in the arctic (aka Wyoming)... The Surprise Guests in My Greenhouse... The kids ran into the house one March afternoon announcing there were tiny eggs all over my spinach. Honestly, I ignored it ...Continue Reading

5 Comments | |    Last Updated: July 16, 2024

8 Healthy Alternatives to Soda

Fine. I'll admit it. Some days... when I've been sweating in the garden all day (seriously-- my EYELIDS were dripping sweat a few days ago...) and it feels like the heat just won't quit, I dream of a Coke. Yes, you read that right. A tall, frosty glass of Coca-Cola. You know, the kind with high fructose corn syrup and caramel coloring. Yep-- that kind. Every so often, I give into my craving. (And I don't freak out... because ...Continue Reading

Nice to Meet You

I’m Jill. I’ve never been very good at following prescribed paths.

For the last 15 years, that instinct has led me through homesteading, entrepreneurship, and creating a life my younger self could have only dreamed of.

These days, I’m less interested in living the perfect "old-fashioned life" and more interested in knowing which ideas are worth carrying forward. The first half of this story was about building a homestead. The next part is about building a life that actually fits.
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