Okra — Not Just for the South
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #58 • July/August, 1999
No one is quite sure about how okra seeds came to this country. Okra is of African origin and the seeds could have...
Save Time and Energy with the Fenced Chicken Coop/Garden
By John Silveira
Issue #44 • March/April, 1997
My engineer father was not fond of wasting time or energy. He was always searching for a better, more efficient way to perform chores, especially chores that reoccurred...
Growing Strawberries
By Patrice Lewis
Issue #162 • November/December, 2016
As you read this, the wind may well be howling and the snow piling deep, and you're likely curled up next to the woodstove with a mug of...
Hügelkultur for the Homestead
By Rose Shelton
Issue #176 • April/May/June, 2019
Last spring, I finally completed a long-planned homestead project of constructing two hügelkultur beds. What is hügelkultur? It’s basically a method of recycling junk wood to make a...
Grow Garlic and Reap Health Benefits
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #98 • March/April, 2006
Garlic is one of our oldest herbs on record. Anyone can grow garlic without having to hover over it, hoping that it produces....
Meat For the Homestead
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
Meat is often the most expensive portion of our grocery bill, and it is getting more and more expensive every day. I've seen steaks "on sale" for more...
Build a Heated Germination Bed
By Charles Sanders
Issue #92 • March/April, 2005
Many of us who garden have learned the benefits of starting our own vegetable and flower plants. There are several benefits to having a spot to start your...
Garden Spaces for Small Places
By Dorothy Ainsworth
Issue #116 • March/April, 2009
When the world wearies and society ceases to satisfy, there is always the garden.
Minnie Aumonier
Yes, and if your budget is lean and you want something green, there's...
Three Raised Bed Designs
By Joe Mooney
Issue #150 • November/December, 2014
When it comes to gardening, almost anything can be used to create a raised bed. Tires, blocks, rocks, and scrap lumber are just a few of the most...
Grow Open-Pollinated Tomatoes
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #166 • July/August, 2017
Nearly all of us homesteaders grow tomatoes in our gardens. Tomatoes are hugely valuable as a homestead crop. After all, they give us a wide variety of products.
Many...
Build a Top-Bar Bee Hive
By Jereme Zimmerman
Issue #175 • January/February/March, 2019
My journey to becoming a beekeeper has been a long one, and I’m still not quite there yet. For the past five years or so, I have read...
How to become a backyard beekeeper
By Sheri Jones
If you’ve been intrigued by the idea of becoming a beekeeper but think you don’t have the space, resources, or knowledge, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised. Backyard beekeeping is a lot...
Nut Trees on Your Homestead
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #149 • September/October, 2014
While growing up in Detroit, we had no nut trees in our yard (though we did have seedlings before I left home). That didn't stop my parents, though....
Secure and Economical Livestock Feed
By Sherry Willis
Issue #145 • January/February, 2014
The recent droughts in the midwest have meant hard times for many livestock owners. Areas without irrigation saw parched earth without a scrap of green anywhere. Corn withered...
Build an Old-Fashioned Hotbed and Start Your Seeds in Style
By Roy Martin
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
A hotbed is a miniature greenhouse that is heated to protect new seedlings from cold. The hotbed differs from a cold frame in that it has an internal...
An Introduction to Small-Scale Home Hydroponics
By Ben Richards
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
As most people are already aware, hydroponics is the practice of growing plants without soil. This is done by using a water-based nutrient solution to deliver the necessary...
