Growing
Garden Hoops: Low Tunnels for Frost and Insect Protection
Add to Favorites When you’re itching to get your hands dirty, garden hoops can extend the season enough to avoid disaster. Midway between full-sized greenhouses and the gamble of throwing …
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How to Care for a Shamrock Plant
Shamrock plants are in abundance in stores every March for St. Patrick’s Day. Have you ever wondered how the humble shamrock plant became associated with St. Patrick?
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Gardening Tips: 12 Common Gardening Mistakes to Avoid
Gardening can be a fun and easy way to put food on your family’s table. But it can also be frustrating when things don’t grow as you expected.
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DIY Wine Barrel Herb Garden
A DIY wine barrel herb garden is a great way to have your herbs right at your fingertips if you wish. Have you ever seen wine barrel planters in the store?
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Self-Watering Planters: DIY Containers to Combat Drought
What holds five gallons of soil, uses 80% less water and costs less than a dollar? Self-watering planters! DIY instructions are simple and most materials can be recycled.
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Using Natural Fertilizers on the Homestead
Gardens are hungry creatures, demanding endless applications of fertilizer to keep vegetables, fruits, and flowers growing throughout the season. Unfortunately, many find their plot’s needs increase each passing year despite frequent feedings.
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Starting an Orchard for Profit at Skipley Farm
About 10 years ago, Gil Schieber decided that starting an orchard for profit was something he wanted to try. He started his home orchard on seven and a half acres near Snohomish, Washington, 30 miles north of Seattle.
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DIY Cattle Panel Trellis
As I get older, the desire to get on my knees to work in the garden becomes less, so I needed to figure out an inexpensive way to avoid all of the bending and crawling on the ground.
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How Do Greenhouses Work?
Greenhouses are useful for growing produce out of season or starting seeds and cuttings earlier than your climate allows. This jump-start allows us to extend our growing season.
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Top 10 Witch Hazel Uses
Available in lotions, pads, distilled extracts and even suppositories, witch hazel uses are widespread. Earlier this summer I was weeding in shorts, and I was stung or bitten on my inner thigh by an unknown insect. It was incredibly painful.
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Growing Calendula from Seed
Growing calendula (Calendula officinalis) from seed is an annual garden project in my family. We let the little ones help, and they enjoy monitoring growth as the first seedlings push their way through the soil.
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Recycling Materials on Hand for Compost Bin Plans
Add to Favorites There are endless compost bin plans available online. A basic understanding of what components a compost bin must have is essential. Composting is among the easiest, environmentally …
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Evergreen Tree Care and Diseases
Learning the basics of evergreen tree care can yield a bounty of useful products for your homestead. In addition to shade, wind insulation, and oxygen production, various evergreens can yield nuts, edible buds, as well as inner bark and needles for tea.
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A Guide to Growing Vegetables in Pots and Containers
How often have you strolled through a farmer’s market or eyed a friend’s fresh produce and wished you had your own garden? Perhaps you lack space.
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Get An Early Start With Carrots
Carrots are one of the most versatile vegetables I grow in my garden. We plant them once a month through spring, and again after Labor Day. Except during summer’s intense heat, I harvest a continuous supply for salads or for cooking.
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