Homesteading Skills

BDN File Photo Accessing your own water via a well is sometimes necessary, sometimes preferred. But creating a well is not as easy as digging until you locate water and then installing a pump. Here’s what you should know before you…
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When you live off the grid, planning is essential to keep your family safe and secure. Here's how to prepare for emergencies when you live off the grid. BDN File Photo Living off the grid can be a great experience for homesteaders…
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You have the chickens, so what's next? Goats! Goats need less land and feed than other livestock and can serve many purposes on a homestead. But what are their needs? Photo by Kathi Rodgers A guest post by Kathi Rodgers of Oak…
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A soaker hose that trickles water onto the bales of straw. | Photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik There are creative ways to recycle and reuse water, but as with most issues of sustainability, the best option is to simply use less. “There’s…
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A garden slug. | Photo by Jeffrey Hahn Emerging at night to feast on a wide variety of plants, slugs are a slimy pest that can do a lot of damage to a garden. Vegetables, ornamentals, flowers -- nothing is safe from slugs, which chew on…
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Full of personality and requiring less infrastructure than chickens, keeping waterfowl can help your homestead by guarding, keeping bugs at bay and more. Photo by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen A guest post by Kirsten Lie-Nielsen of Hostile…
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Karen Ramsey works with the flowering annuals in one of her greenhouses at Ledgewood Gardens in Orrington, which she opened 31 years ago. | Photo by Linda Coan O'Kresik Especially if you live in a cold area, the natural limitations of…
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Aphids | Photo by Jeffrey Hahn In the popular children’s book “The Grouchy Ladybug” by Eric Carle, the tale begins with two ladybugs arguing over a plant covered with aphids. They both want to eat the tiny, green insects, but one…
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Many homesteaders want to live more intentionally and save money. Often, though, homesteaders misjudge how much it costs to start homesteading or get so excited by various projects that they wind up spending more than they intend. …
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Plants irrigated using greywater. | Photo by Laura Allen Your homestead may be beautifully landscaped for spring, but odds are, you are using a fair amount of water to keep it that way. If you want to be more sustainable with your water…
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Photo by John Holyoke Loving the outdoors, wanting to put some food on the table and maybe spending some quality time with friends. These are just some of the reasons people get started with bird hunting. Upland birds are game birds…
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Good waste reduction practices will help you manage how much trash you generate — and be more mindful of your buying habits. A guest post by Shelle Wells of Rockin W Homestead One of the biggest problems…
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