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...
Vermicomposting — Raise Worms to Consume Waste, Amend Soil, and Earn Income
By Rebekah L. Cowell
Photos by Amanda Egdorf-Sand
Issue #124 • July/August, 2010
Vermicomposting takes composting to another level using Eisenia foetida (commonly known as red wiggler, brandling, or manure worms) to break down organic matter such...
Grow Open Pollinated Seeds for Self-Reliant Gardening
By Jackie Clay
Issue #56
In the past I've grown hybrid vegetables, mostly the varieties that have been developed to produce early yields. Because of this, I was able to grow things like sweet corn in...
Want More Fruit From Less Space? Espalier Your Trees!
By Rev. J.D. Hooker
Issue #79 • January/February, 2003
After originating in the semi-arid regions of the middle east, espaliering (is-'pal-yer-ing) became a commonly employed fruit tree growing method of the Greco-Roman world. Later, during the...
Growing and Using Bamboo on the Homestead
By Jereme Zimmerman
<!--
>!>!>!> Make content-2-col-left = 70% if activating this column
-->
Issue #161 • September/October, 2016
Bamboo: The very word evokes an image of groves of tall, leafy plants swaying gently through the air...
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...
Blueberry Cash Crop
By Ed Mashburn
Issue #130 • July/August, 2011
My almost two-year-old grandson loves blueberries. Put a bowl of those round blue jewels in front of him, and he's a happy little man. He's not alone. Many...
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 Composter
By Charles Sanders
Issue #170 • March/April, 2018
As with most of the other facets of homesteading, composting can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish to make it. One of the easiest ways...
Green or Yellow: Grow Your Best Bush Beans Ever
By Lisa LaFreniere
Issue #62 • March/April, 2000
Bush Beans, or snap beans as they're sometimes referred to, are a growing favorite among many gardeners, and with good reason. Beans are high in vitamins A, C...
How to Grow Great Carrots
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #153 • May/June, 2015
Carrots are an old-time homesteader favorite. They can be frozen, canned, dehydrated, or simply stored in a cool location.
They are nutritious, too, being a great source of beta...
Start a Self-Sufficiency Garden Even in a Cramped Apartment
By Nancy Wolcott
Issue #61 • January/February, 2000
You are sitting there in your recliner chair in your small city apartment desperately longing for the day when you can escape to the country and become a...
Plant Once Harvest for Years
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #140 • March/April, 2013
Year after year we start seeds, till the ground, plant, weed, harvest, then tear it all out at the end of the season. It's a lot of work,...
You Can Make Your Own Fertilizers
By Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges
Issue #44 • March/April, 1997
For some people, home gardening is an expensive pursuit, which seems a bit backward to us. At one time, people gardened because home-grown produce was...
Slug Zapper
By Joel Winters
Issue #142 • July/August, 2013
I live in a small clearing in a big forest. This is on the rainy side of the mountains in the Cascade foothills. Slugs are underfoot nearly year-round...
Flowers Brighten the Garden
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Website Exclusive • March, 2006
Along with raising food plants, I like to tuck in a few flowers both annuals and perennials. There's something about bright orange...































