Perhaps the reason we don’t see many bare spots in the wilderness is that Mother Nature knows the uncovered ground is bad for business. When we manipulate our environment by growing something (plants, trees, flowers, vegetables), we can improve the ecosystem by covering up the resulting bare spots with mulch.
homesteading
Ten Tips For Water Efficiency In The Garden
Plants need water; that is a fact. However, to make the most of this, often limited, resource, it pays to use it economically by understanding plants’ needs and using techniques to help limit water loss from both plants and soil.
How To Get Started With Permaculture – Second Part
In the first article related to Permaculture and how to get started with your sustainable, nature-based, and balanced garden, we covered the aspects related to its ideology and methodology.
A Few Historic American Stews You Should Try
Traditional meat stews have existed since before the written word. Hunter-gatherers worldwide would boil what they could find in a hollowed rock, an animal skin or, later, in clay pots. Different regions of the world developed different styles of stew using local ingredients.
Critter Control Tips To Keep Your Garden Safe
There’s nothing that will make a gardener teeter on the verge of madness more than marauding wildlife. In the spring, rabbits, groundhogs, and ground squirrels (depending on your part of the country) can destroy a newly planted garden seemingly overnight. And throughout the season, wildlife does its best to harvest before you do.
Tips For Planting A Survival Orchard
As a homesteader, you’ve probably learned that diversification is a great way to ensure success, but have you considered growing anything other than annual crops that must be replanted each year? Fruit and nut trees are perennials that can provide you with excellent sources of food with little effort past the initial planting.
A Few Tips To Protect Gardens From The Japanese Beetle
Growing along my front porch, a Virginia creeper rises up from the ground 10 feet below. It twists around 6×6-inch porch support, and once reaching the railing, branches are trained left and right to provide the south-facing porch deck some protective shade during the summer.
Growing Healthy Eats With Grow Bags
Containers can be tricky. They’re invaluable for those who don’t have garden space or whose soil is extremely poor. Even if you have space, there are areas where the soil is so poor or laden with heavy metals from historic mining or industrial use that you wouldn’t want to eat anything grown in it. Containers are the way to go in either situation.
How To Maximize Your Microclimate
Natural environments evolve effortlessly, so why oh why do we have problem areas in our gardens? Everywhere else on earth, these areas are simply places for something different to colonize. By identifying different microclimates in our gardens, we can turn these challenging areas into assets. Even better, we can increase the range of plants that will grow in our yards.
Things You Should Know Before Farming On A Large Lot
A lot that is half an acre up to five acres and beyond gives you room to do most anything you should want to do, using only a modicum of restraint. You may have room for a little pasture, or even a small woodlot or a large pond.
Tips You Should Know Before Buying A Tractor
To a food plotter, buying a tractor is a decision that’s probably second only to buying or leasing the right hunting property, and for a good reason. Your tractor is the power center for your entire food plot operation
The Quest For Perfect Hogs For Your Homestead
From the first pigs introduced by Christopher Columbus and Hernando De Soto up until 50 years ago, hogs in America were a diverse lot. Breeds from all across Europe and the Far East were imported by various cargo ships that docked along the East Coast.
Tips For Raising Meat Goats For Your Homestead
Have you ever wondered what the most popular protein source worldwide is? You might be surprised to learn that it is goat meat. Nearly 70 percent of the world’s population chooses goat as its main meat supply.