My dad and I always followed the time-honored tradition of planting peas on Saint Patrick’s Day, marking the unofficial beginning of spring and of the gardening season. Historically, our tradition was immediately followed by 3-4 weeks of frustrated impatience, waiting…
Gardening Doesn’t Have to be Expensive (18 Tips)
The recent barrage of TikTok shop ads for beginner gardening tools – grow lights, raised beds, you name it – is overwhelming. While these items have value, the aggressive marketing preys on the prevalent concerns surrounding food insecurity and inflation,…
My Gardening Philosophy: Prioritize the Microherd
The same thing happens every year: we have one rogue 45 degree day, the sun comes out, the snow begins to melt, the air smells like mud, and I get the overwhelming urge to order 98 seed packets from every…
Buying a Farm: Process Update 4 (The Stress Has Subsided!)
This Month in the Process of Buying a Farm I won’t bury the lede: my contract to buy the farm is fully executed! As of the previous update in late January, the inspections had been completed with the exception of…
My Simple Sourdough Routine: Bread, Pancakes & No Waste
My mom loved bread; she once told me that the happy place in her mind was the center of a warm loaf of bread. In one of my favorite pictures of her, she has a warm dinner roll pressed against…
5 Months from the Homestead Dream: 5 Tasks to Complete
The closing date for my dream farm is just under 5 months away – it’s a perfect 10 acre blank slate that will allow me to build the homestead dream I’ve been working towards since I was a kid. While…
13 Useful Ideas for My Homestead from Self-Reliance Magazine (2023 Issues)
For the past couple of years, I’ve had Self-Reliance magazine delivered to my apartment mailbox every quarter. Flipping through the articles in my third floor city(ish) apartment, I couldn’t help but feel far-removed from ever putting these ideas for my…
Designing An Orchard for a (Semi) Self Sufficient Homestead
In approximately 4.5 months, I will close on my new 10 acre farm, and the race will be on to get as much done as possible before summer comes to an end. I’m excited to hit the ground running, but…
Customizing a Coat for an Ungrateful Goat
I think the most important part of being a homesteader is adopting the homesteading mindset – the ‘do it yourself’, problem-solver, make-use-of-what-you-have approach to life. After all, that’s self-sufficiency, isn’t it? Relying on yourself before you rely on corporations? Meet…
Buying a Farm: Process Update 3
Earlier this week, we got our second significant accumulation of snow – a welcome contrast from last winter, when it felt like it didn’t snow at all. The seller sent along beautiful photos of the farm in the snow. While…
Books for the Future Homesteader: Stay Motivated with 6 Great Reads
It was the summer before my junior year. Being 15 years old is a formative and tenuous experience in and of itself, but to add insult to injury, my mom had just been diagnosed with small cell lung cancer. I…
Buying a Farm: Process Update 2
Last weekend, I was riding horses with a friend at my family’s farm. From the saddle, I looked out over the farm with my future home and farm in the background. I couldn’t help but think about how surreal it…