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Image | How to Establish a Wildflower Meadow
How to Establish a Wildflower Meadow
by Phil Williams

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working to establish a wildflower meadow on the lower part of my property, zones 3 & 4. In time, trees may be added, but for now I would like the native meadow to provide habitat, diversity, nectar, pollen for my bees and the other pollinators, and beauty, all in a low maintenance package.
How to Establish a Wildflower Meadow
 by Phil Williams

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been working to establish a wildflower meadow on the lower part of my property, zones 3 & 4. In time, trees may be added, but for now I would like the native meadow to provide habitat, diversity, nectar, pollen for my bees and the other pollinators, and beauty, all in a low maintenance package.
Image | 8 Tips To Help Your Chickens Lay More Eggs
8 Tips To Help Your Chickens Lay More Eggs
by bgarrett

If you start to raise chickens to be more self-sufficient, you want them to be as productive as possible. But what if they aren’t laying as many eggs as you’d hoped?

The most common reasons that chickens aren’t laying eggs is because they are too young, too old, the hours of daylight are too short, it is molting or the feeding is not of sufficient nutritional value. You might not be able to affect those first points, but you can help contribute to a stress-free environment for your chickens while keeping them healthy and well.
8 Tips To Help Your Chickens Lay More Eggs
 by bgarrett

If you start to raise chickens to be more self-sufficient, you want them to be as productive as possible. But what if they aren’t laying as many eggs as you’d hoped?

The most common reasons that chickens aren’t laying eggs is because they are too young, too old, the hours of daylight are too short, it is molting or the feeding is not of sufficient nutritional value. You might not be able to affect those first points, but you can help contribute to a stress-free environment for your chickens while keeping them healthy and well.
Image | How to Make a Codling Moth Trap and Lure
How to Make a Codling Moth Trap and Lure
by Phil Williams

Last year, a lot of my apple crop and some of my pear crop were infested with codling moth larvae. Given that I don’t spray my trees, I needed to come up with an alternative for control, unless I wanted to grow apples for the moths. This season, I’ve sprayed kaolin clay, which is a tiny clay particle that you spray on to the leaves and the fruit. This acts as an irritant to the pests, causing them to move on. This has worked well so far, as we’ve already had our best cherry harvest yet, and the apples and pears still look pretty clean.
How to Make a Codling Moth Trap and Lure
 by Phil Williams

Last year, a lot of my apple crop and some of my pear crop were infested with codling moth larvae. Given that I don’t spray my trees, I needed to come up with an alternative for control, unless I wanted to grow apples for the moths. This season, I’ve sprayed kaolin clay, which is a tiny clay particle that you spray on to the leaves and the fruit. This acts as an irritant to the pests, causing them to move on. This has worked well so far, as we’ve already had our best cherry harvest yet, and the apples and pears still look pretty clean.
Image | Chicken Paddock Shift in Action
Chicken Paddock Shift in Action
by Phil Williams

I have a flock of chickens that graze the upper slopes of my property between swales. Their manure migrates into the swales, feeding the trees on the downslope berm. They are moved weekly along this two acre stretch of property. The chickens benefit from fresh ground, insects, and vegetation. They are healthier and consume less feed in the process. The only negative is the work involved in setting up and taking down the electronet fencing each week.
Chicken Paddock Shift in Action
 by Phil Williams

I have a flock of chickens that graze the upper slopes of my property between swales. Their manure migrates into the swales, feeding the trees on the downslope berm. They are moved weekly along this two acre stretch of property. The chickens benefit from fresh ground, insects, and vegetation. They are healthier and consume less feed in the process. The only negative is the work involved in setting up and taking down the electronet fencing each week.
Image | How to Start Your Seeds Indoors
How to Start Your Seeds Indoors
by bgarrett

It’s that time of year when you can start planning for your planting!

Many people are beginning to plant vegetables and flowers indoors in order to transplant them outdoors when the weather is warm enough. This helps you get a head start on your spring garden. Check out the advice below to see what things you can do to start your indoor seeds.
How to Start Your Seeds Indoors
 by bgarrett

It’s that time of year when you can start planning for your planting!

Many people are beginning to plant vegetables and flowers indoors in order to transplant them outdoors when the weather is warm enough. This helps you get a head start on your spring garden. Check out the advice below to see what things you can do to start your indoor seeds.
Image | #1 Tips For Building Log Homes
#1 Tips For Building Log Homes
by JW

Ever dreamed of building a sustainable and beautiful log home?   Want to have a small cabin in an off-grid homestead?  Below are the #1 tips and pieces of advice from 21 log cabin owners, builders and manufacturers for making your log cabin project a success! We really hope you find useful insights and knowledge to use and apply when building your log cabin home.
#1 Tips For Building Log Homes
 by JW

Ever dreamed of building a sustainable and beautiful log home?   Want to have a small cabin in an off-grid homestead?  Below are the #1 tips and pieces of advice from 21 log cabin owners, builders and manufacturers for making your log cabin project a success! We really hope you find useful insights and knowledge to use and apply when building your log cabin home.
Image | How to Build a Compost Tea Brewer and Brew Tea
How to Build a Compost Tea Brewer and Brew Tea
by Phil Williams

I had a free 55 gallon barrel that I decided to turn into a compost tea brewer. Compost tea is a great way to magnify your compost by breeding the beneficial microorganisms and spraying them on your plants. Plants sprayed with high quality compost tea will be healthier, less affected by pests, and produce better fruits and vegetables.
How to Build a Compost Tea Brewer and Brew Tea
 by Phil Williams

I had a free 55 gallon barrel that I decided to turn into a compost tea brewer. Compost tea is a great way to magnify your compost by breeding the beneficial microorganisms and spraying them on your plants. Plants sprayed with high quality compost tea will be healthier, less affected by pests, and produce better fruits and vegetables.
Image | How to Build a Survival Shelter
How to Build a Survival Shelter
by claytonk

When you need to find a site to build an emergency shelter, you need to consider a few key elements to ensure your survival. Whenever possible, use existing terrain for shelter – look for hills you can camp between, or caves and overhangs for protection from the elements.
How to Build a Survival Shelter
 by claytonk

When you need to find a site to build an emergency shelter, you need to consider a few key elements to ensure your survival. Whenever possible, use existing terrain for shelter – look for hills you can camp between, or caves and overhangs for protection from the elements.
Image | Mason Bees
Mason Bees
by Phil Williams

The mason bee namesake comes from their habit of sealing their nests with mud. They typically nest in hollow reeds or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects. The blue orchard mason bee and the hornfaced mason bee are the most common here in Central Pennsylvania, although there are many. Mason bees are excellent pollinators in the early spring when many fruit trees are blooming. They are more efficient pollinators than honeybees and they only travel up to 300 feet from their nests, so if you grow mason bees close to your food forest, they will be there.
Mason Bees
 by Phil Williams

The mason bee namesake comes from their habit of sealing their nests with mud. They typically nest in hollow reeds or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects. The blue orchard mason bee and the hornfaced mason bee are the most common here in Central Pennsylvania, although there are many. Mason bees are excellent pollinators in the early spring when many fruit trees are blooming. They are more efficient pollinators than honeybees and they only travel up to 300 feet from their nests, so if you grow mason bees close to your food forest, they will be there.
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I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the needs and sustainability of our family. We have six young children, our oldest just turned 12 and our youngest just turned 3 months old. I love the considerations that the article had above and thought I would add a few things that I have considered for our situation. My...
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