My Earthway seeder arrived today. I was excited to assemble it. However, the ground is still to cold to be direct seeding yet, so I will have to wait (patiently) to try it out.
If you are anything like me, you have aspirations of moving to fully sustainable living on your homestead. Perhaps you are there already. As I have written elsewhere, even if you are not at that point, you don’t need to wait to begin adjusting your lifestyle appropriately. You can start today with adjusting your financial [...]
This year, I plan to test out the “Spud Barrel” method of growing potatoes. If you have never heard of a spud barrel, this is essentially a process of growing potatoes in a barrel (or trash can, a stack of old tires, or some other type of cylindrical object) and filling it with new soil [...]
It seems like it would be putting the cart before the horse to think about canning already. Really, there is still some snow on the ground around here. However, I want to be “putting food by” this year so I need to be planning ahead of planting. If I put some thought into what we [...]
I recently discovered author Jerry Apps.
I very much enjoy reading stories of rural life and agrarian living such as “The Writings of a Deliberate Agrarian” by Herrick Kimball. I also follow Herrick’s blog on a regular basis. Both of these are highly recommended, if you haven’t already read them, but that is getting away [...]
This year, I intend to use a garden seeder to assist with planting. I have spent a great deal of time deciding on what seeder to use. In fact, I’ve put this decision off for at least the past year as I could not make a decision. Since the cost of even the simplest seeder [...]
Many of the most useful vegetables are neglected in the majority of home gardens. Okra, Swiss Chard, Leeks, Brussels Sprouts, Scotch Kale, and Kohlrabi tend to be overlooked, yet they are all appetizing, healthy additions to the table, and require no special conditions to grow.
Okra
Okra, or gumbo, as it is invariably called in the [...]
Paramount to the agrarian lifestyle is frugality. Avoid debt, don’t buy new when used will do, make what you can yourself. In other words, be a good steward of your money. This applies to gas as well. But it doesn’t make a lot of sense to drive around town looking to save a nickel finding [...]
According to the results of the most recent Census of Agriculture, we may be witnessing the return to small, diversified, family farms. This article in US News and World Report indicates that new farming techniques make small farms more viable and demand for fresh organic food is increasing. With the current economic environment, it should [...]
When talking about self-sufficiency and zero inputs, the thoughts of most folks turn to organic farming, composting, natural growing methods, and raising your own food. But what about your energy inputs? If you run a vehicle or a tractor, what do you fuel it with.
The thought of fuel inputs has been on my mind as [...]
