Make A Solitary Bee House (That Also Attracts GOOD Wasps!)
So you’ve planted an orchard. Or a food forest. Or a garden. You may have added irrigation, planned in some nice cover crops or perhaps picked up a metric donkeyload of mulch along the way. Things are...
View ArticleTop 7 Mistakes To Avoid When Harvesting Rain Water
Harvesting rain water should be a priority for any serious prepper or gardener. Did you ever go on a long hike, then find yourself parched with thirst? The need for water catches up with you quickly....
View ArticleUsing Plastic in the Garden
Photo credit Wikimedia Commons. You know, I’ve never liked plastic. It has some excellent uses, sure – but still, I like to avoid most stuff that takes roughly a bazillion years to break down. When I...
View ArticleHow To Choose The Right Ax
Photo credit Andy Carter. I received an e-mail recently from a relative interested in finding a good ax. He was less than pleased with the selection at Tractor Supply and other local chain hardware...
View ArticleEasy Gardening Solutions for Lazy Gardeners
“Girl in Hammock” (detail). Winslow Homer. Sometimes I wonder: does a person’s garden follow his personality? Is the love of weeds, praise of borderline chaos and embracing of wild animals simply an...
View ArticleTearing it up with a Ridging Hoe
For the survival-minded homesteader – or for those who simply wish to live a simpler existence – good hand tools are important. When you don’t have a tractor or when gas gets too expensive (or...
View ArticleGardening Tasks for Fall
The air is crisp and the leaves are hanging tenuously on the branches. Even the weeds are starting to fade as the chill of fall sends its first tentative tendrils through the air to caress away the...
View Article14 Tough Gardening Questions Answered!
Have you asked any of these tough gardening questions? Q: Why won’t my bell peppers grow well? A: Bell peppers? Seriously? I basically gave up on those stupid things a long time ago. So has John...
View ArticleA Multitool For Your Bugout Bag: A Leatherman Wave Review
A tight package hides a pile of tools. When I was a kid I thought Swiss Army knives were the coolest thing ever. One of my friends had one. It contained everything from a screwdriver to a saw to a can...
View ArticleProblems with Raised Beds
Most modern gardening books embrace the raised bed as if it were the greatest invention since the Scots created peat-flavored alcohol. Raised beds are the modern way to garden. The good way. The BEST...
View ArticleFive Good Survival Knives
I’ve liked knives ever since I was a kid. I’m not a knife collector, per se, or a true knife aficionado. I don’t have expensive blades in cases, swords on the walls or a subscription to Blade Magazine....
View ArticleMake A Solitary Bee House (That Also Attracts GOOD Wasps!)
So you’ve planted an orchard. Or a food forest. Or a garden. You may have added irrigation, planned in some nice cover crops or perhaps picked up a metric donkeyload of mulch along the way. Things are...
View ArticleTilling By Hand With a Grub Hoe
A few weeks ago, I discovered a “new” favorite tool. I put “new” in quotation marks because the tool I discovered (rediscovered?) is in fact quite old. It pre-dates tillers, gasoline and the Industrial...
View ArticleBuild Your Own Bad-To-the-Bone Cedar Garden Trellis
John from www.growingyourgreens.com built a pretty sweet trellis for pumpkin growing… and shows you how he did it in this video: I’ve been blessed with a big yard so growing vertically isn’t as...
View ArticleExtend Your Gardening Season With a Cold Frame
Do you live someplace cold and wish you could still eat homegrown vegetables when it’s snowing outside? I’m lucky enough to live in Florida now, but I remember being miserable when the winter took away...
View ArticleBuild Your Own Wicking Garden Bed
A few weeks back I harvested a nice crop of yacon from a friend’s “wicking” garden bed. For those of you who are tired of watering, building a few self-watering beds like his wouldn’t be a bad idea....
View ArticleSeedballs: Easy, Fun and A Great Way To Add Plant Diversity
Today I’m going to share a little bit on an exciting and fun way to easily add plant diversity to your property (or neighborhood). They’re called “seed balls.” I’ve done a couple of minor articles on...
View ArticleYou Could Learn a Lot From a Hippie
Original photo by Shawn Smith (CC license) Remember the initial mass rebellion against the banking system that launched the Tea Party? At early events, you’d see everything from “End the Fed” signs to...
View ArticleA Nice “Seed Ball” Mini-Documentary
When I was interviewing Sean Law about his run-in with code enforcement, we talked a little bit about “seed balls.” I have to confess: I’ve never made any. But I have started searching out methods and...
View ArticleIs Tilling Evil?
Tilling is demonized for a variety of reasons – but is it truly evil? If not… in what circumstances is it appropriate? Emotions run high when tilling is mentioned. On the one side you’ll find the...
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