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If your veggie patch could talk, it would probably say, “Hey, can I get a blanket over here?” That’s basically what mulch is — a cozy cover for your soil that keeps it comfy, nourished, and protected. Whether you’re growing tomatoes, carrots, or enough zucchini to feed the whole neighborhood, the right mulch can make...
Read More →Projects inside the house and around the yard — heating and firewood, pest and tick control, repairs and upgrades, and the work that makes a home run on less.
The best part of having a homestead is getting creative with your land. You can get some crazy idea to build an ice rink and then go out and do it. I’ve built one on my property every year for the past five years, and each time I learn something new. Here are the basic…
Most homesteaders begin their journey with the desire to be fully self-sufficient. From food, to power, to transportation, this can be quite a process. Oftentimes, however, the simplest needs are overlooked in favor of more flashy pursuits, but the devil is in the details. Have you ever considered, for instance, how to live without store-bought…
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You’re officially at the fun part. And unlike your mean uncle Phil, I do NOT mean that ironically. You’ve suffered through the stink and the steam, the rotted meat and potential maggots. You’ve spooned out eyes and cut off ears, but you’re now at the finish line, and…
I’ve always wanted to be a shrewd negotiator. To get a great deal on something simply due to my slick talking and hardened determination, or willingness to walk away from a deal, hoping the seller would chase me down and beg me to come back. But I suck at bluffing, and my conscience usually gets…
(For legal purposes, I have to say this is not advice. I do not recommend doing this in any way shape or form, nor do the owners of this blog, business, or any of its subsidiaries. This is a cautionary tale.) I’m either a pyromaniac, lazy, or cheap. Most likely, it’s all three. I don’t…
Howdy folks! Its been a little longer than anticipated since my first installment in the Euro-mount series. My apologies on that, been some busy times around the homestead this month. That said, the mercury is flirting with triple digits outside, and I think that is just the excuse I needed to move us along to…
Good day folks. As I sit here at my steam-powered excuse for a computer, I’ve begun to realize something–my writing has taken a distinctly garden-esque turn as of late. Perhaps it was the brisk spring air, or maybe it was watching the little green shoots peek through the dirt, but I’ve been in a distinctly…
A few weeks ago, I posted a series of articles detailing the uses for, and construction of rain barrels. As I scanned the comments later, along with noticing quite a few folks pointing out my error of switching oxygen for nitrogen, I saw a few people mentioned that, in some sections of the country, the…
Okay, so let me start by saying, I know what you’re thinking. If I stumbled across an article like this on the internet, my first thought would be “Seriously?! A DIY rain barrel?? Step one, buy barrel, step two, collect rain. How hard can it really be?” While that would be a perfectly adequate rain…
Go to almost any homestead, and you’ll see something interesting. Many of them seem to have a bit in common with a New York City apartment building–they feature a rain barrel (or three) to catch water. Now on the first glance this seems to make sense. After all, water is essential to human life, so…
I realize at a few points in this solar-power series, I have said a component is absolutely essential to the system. While this may seem hyperbolic, in actuality, it is because most parts of the system I outline are truly essential to its success. While this next component may not be technically essential to collect…
If you’ve stuck with us this far concerning solar-powered setups, congratulations! If not, perhaps consider going back to review the other articles on solar systems that have brought us here. This week, we’re continuing the series with a discussion of batteries, the primary source of power storage for your system. While they’re heavy, expensive, and…
