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
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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
39 Ways to Make Money Homesteading
"Eh... So where does your money come from?" Hands down, this is the question I get the most often... And if people aren't asking it, I can tell they are thinking it. ;) First off, let's clarify a few things: Like I mentioned in my homestead myth-busting post, becoming a modern homesteader doesn't necessarily mean you head for the hills, go completely off-grid, and live off the land entirely. (Although I suppose you could go ...Continue Reading
Lemongrass – How to Grow It and Use It
By Anni Winings, contributing writer I first came across lemongrass while visiting a farmer's market in Florida while we were traveling. The little old man handed me a bunch of lemongrass stalks and said, "You put those in water and they grow again." He picked up another stalk and showed me how to chop it and use the inner part of the lemongrass. It smelled amazing when he chopped it up, and I bought a couple of bunches of ...Continue Reading