The next time you have eggshells to throw out after your morning scramble or Benedict, don’t just toss them in the trash. When you have backyard chickens, you are going to get eggs. When you have eggs, you are going to get eggshells. You may be wondering “What can I do with eggshells?” Sure, you can… [read more]
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Bacterial Canker
If you have a small farm or homestead, you’ve likely considered the many benefits of growing ornamental or fruit trees. While trees are beautiful statement pieces on any property, requiring minimal attention and care, there is one disease that is known to afflict fruit trees that can make your work a lot harder. Has your… [read more]
13 Child-Friendly Chicken Breeds
Just because you have little ones doesn’t mean you need to avoid raising chickens! While many people assume that raising a flock of backyard chickens if off-limits if you have kids, the opposite is actually true. Raising chickens is a great way to improve your kids’ self-esteem, autonomy, and interaction with the natural environment. However,… [read more]
Are White Pumpkins Edible and Healthy?
If orange is the new black, then is white the new orange? It might be for pumpkins! White pumpkins used to be a rare find, but now you can see them just about anywhere in the fall. These pumpkins can be a bit more expensive to purchase from the store, but luckily, they are incredibly… [read more]
4 Ways to Sterilize Jars
It’s an age-old debate, and likely one that you’ve found yourself engaged in with old fashioned canning enthusiasts and new-age canners alike from time to time. Do you need to sterilize your canning jars? The short answer…. most of the time. But if you’re unsure of whether you need to sterilize – or how, exactly,… [read more]
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Corn Smut
If you have a backyard garden in one of the warmer growing zones, you’ve likely been left scratching your head a time or two over corn smut. This disease is a fascinating – albeit troublesome – beast, found typically in small, urban gardens instead of in large, commercial productions. This disease appears on the ears,… [read more]
How to Grow Bay Leaves
There’s nothing quite like a crunchy bay leaf to lend a savory flavor to your soups, stews, or stir fries. If you’re familiar with growing herbs and are looking for a more challenging option, you might want to consider growing the bay leaf plant. Also known as bay laurel, sweet bay, and laurel, this plant… [read more]
How to Prevent and Get Rid of Early Blight
You have worked hard to cultivate a gorgeous crop of tomatoes. From sunup to sundown, you’ve been out in your garden planting, watering, fertilizing, and pruning your plants, all in the hopes that your tomatoes will grow tall, verdant, and productive. And then it hits – the early blight. Blight is one of the most… [read more]
How to Prepare Your Flower Beds for Spring
The weather is starting to warm up, and while you may be focusing all your efforts on preparing your vegetable gardens and animal pastures for spring, make sure you don’t overlook your flower beds. Everybody wants a touch of color on the homestead, and flower beds are also beneficial in that they attract pollinators and… [read more]
How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Winter Squash
Colorful, unique, and easy to grow, winter squash is one of the most popular types of vegetables grown in gardens all over the world. A nutritious and delicious crop, winter squash has a long storage life, allowing you to keep it with minimal care for many months without having to worry about spoilage. Luckily, growing… [read more]