Today I'm welcoming Melissa from Ever Growing Farm to the Prairie Homestead. We share the challenge of gardening in less-than-ideal climates, and I love her ideas for gardening in the desert. Take it away Melissa! Growing food in the high desert can be an incredible challenge, but I am living proof that you can be successful at it! If you follow a few simple methods to help combat the hot, dry, and windy conditions that are the norm ...Continue Reading
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Homemade Potting Soil Recipe
(Pssst. This post is from 2015. I'm not pregnant anymore.) ;) I'm back from the dead. Or at least that's what it feels like, especially if dead = first trimester. That's right, there'll be a new Prairie Kid on the homestead come October. (Pssst. This post is from 2015. I'm not pregnant anymore.) The funny thing about me and the first trimester (actually, funny really isn't the right word...) is that my personality pretty much ...Continue Reading
How to Test Seeds for Viability
You dig, you till, you fertilize, you plant, you water... And then you wait. And wait. And you scratch your head when nothing pops out of the ground... Was it lack of water? A hungry animal? Poor soil? Bad seeds? Whatever the cause, it's always frustrating when you have to replant. Last year my bean rows had a germination rate of around 20%. It was dismal, especially considering all the big plans I had for those heirloom ...Continue Reading
8 Ways to Use Chickens in the Garden
I'm honored to have Justin Rhodes from Abundant Permaculture guest posting today. Justin is a wealth of information when it comes to sustainable chicken-keeping, and you're going to love his tips for putting your flock to work in the garden. He is also currently in the thick of producing a documentary all about Permaculture Chickens. I've NEVER seen anything like this-- this information has been so hard to find up until ...Continue Reading
20 Ways to Save Money on Chicken Feed
It's a heartbreaking moment... When you first realize your homegrown eggs are costing you more than what you'd pay for eggs at the store... The current state of mass food production has duped us into believing things like milk, eggs, and grains cost much less than they actually do or should. For example: Even though we have our own milk cow, our milk technically costs me MORE than it would to simply buy a gallon at the ...Continue Reading