A frequent question I get from newbies to a more self sufficient lifestyle...is what exactly is a homestead? What does it mean to be a homesteader? If you google this question you will come up with many different answers. For me the most simplistic way to describe what I mean when I refer to homesteading, having a homestead, and being a homesteader is this... What is Urban Homesteading? A homestead is a productive home, a home that brings value. To be a homesteader is to work within or around … [Read more...]
Garden Tasks for March
Spring is almost here. Let's get busy! March Garden Chores: Dig runner bean and celery trenches and fill with manure, kitchen waste, and garden waste Spread compost/manure on garden beds Mulch fruit trees Feed fruit trees (organic blood, fish, bone, and seaweed mixture) Protect apricots, cherries, peaches, and nectarines from frost if they begin to blossom Use a winter wash on fruit trees to control insect pests and fungal diseases Plant bare root fruit trees and bushes Plant … [Read more...]
Ways to Channel Our ‘Inner Lorax’ at Home
So have you seen The Lorax yet? If so, then you know that it is fodder for lots of conversations within your family about environmentalism and how to put into practice Lessons With The Lorax. The movie is phenomenal and fun but the subject matter is serious and there is no time like the present to work together as a family to do your part and speak for the trees, and the air, and the waterways, and all things Mother Earth. The Lorax movie just brings us a fun way to launch into it with renewed … [Read more...]
Eco Friendly Fall Clean-Up
With Fall comes the lovely colors, the cooler weather, and a whole bunch of clean up. Already our small neighborhood is buzzing with the sounds of maintenance guys cleaning up the leaves with leaf blowers, riding mowers with leaf baskets attached, and leaf shredders. Typically our family does not hire anyone to do this annual clean up, we do it ourselves, but boy is it overwhelming. We have the biggest yard in the area I think...over 2 acres and about 75 trees. The amount of leaves is horrendous … [Read more...]
The Eco-Friendly Soap that Grows on Trees!
We all want our clothes to be clean and fresh right? But at what price? Ironically the detergents that many people use to "clean" their clothes are actually leaving your clothes in worse condition than before you threw them in the wash. This is because conventional laundry detergents are full of toxic chemicals and these chemicals leave a residue on your clothing that may be absorbed by your skin or may evaporate into the air for you to breathe in. Some of the concerns in your laundry … [Read more...]
Recent Comments