Growing Trees More Naturally In the Presence of Deer
Hungry deer are a present reality for many gardeners. In the past decades deer populations have skyrocketed as predators and wild habitats have declined. Deer frequent rural gardens and suburban gardens. Deer are increasingly present in many city limits, especially near wildland-urban interfaces. And it seems like they are hungry and ready to eat the…
Planting Trees for the Love of it
I looked up to my mentors and elders who plant trees. Fruit trees, nut trees, medicine trees, native trees, trees for beauty. Every tree I met became a new acquaintance and some became good friends. For over a decade I’ve been enamored with planting and tending trees. Over that time my mentors and elders inspired…
My Top 5 Homesteading Failures
I’m finding it rewarding to reflect on the past 7 years of homesteading and see how far I’ve come — I’ve accomplished so much re-connection to food, plants and my own heart. A good portion of this lifestyle is trial and error because I was not brought up homesteading. And a lot of things I…
I am an Imperfect, Impure Gardener
Our culture is well steeped in the pursuit of perfect. I was once unaware of perfectionism happening all around me but today I can’t stop seeing the influence of perfect on myself and my fellow humans. Less than three short years into my gardening journey I learned of this alternative way of gardening and living…
Our Family’s Experience Growing and Selling Seeds
Last month our family finished wrapping up our 6th season of growing and selling seeds from our homestead gardens. Now in early February as the growing daylight length becomes more noticeable and the fruit tree’s buds are swelling, we are slowly entering a new season of growing seeds. Our little family seed enterprise currently offers…
Breaking Free from the 9-to-5 Condition and Designing a Life with Joy
Eight years ago I found myself volunteering at a permaculture homestead in the forest. I traded my labor for room, board, experience and knowledge. I had originally planned a journey to volunteer at several homesteads and farms for six months. I must have needed more time immersing and learning because the journey evolved into over…
A Gift to Myself: Personal Reflections on Being Human
This winter I’m enjoying spending time reflecting on my human journey, which is fully entwined with my homesteading journey. I’ve written that “homesteading” is the most useful word I’ve found to describe our lifestyle and the culture we want to contribute to. But I could just as easily say: I’m doing “life” with an emphasis…
Claim Your Power to Support Small-Scale, Bio-Regional Seed Growers
Are your garden seeds grown in a small-scale farm with regenerative practices or in a massive monoculture? Are your garden seeds grown locally to your bio-region or far, far away in another time zone, even another continent? Supporting small-scale and local seed is important for the health of our gardens, our environment, our local economies…
Seed Saving: My Top 5 Insights
As a gardener saving seeds is a favorite seasonal ritual—Saving seeds helps me deepen my connection with plants, the garden and myself. Saving seeds is one of the most important, meaningful and special human practices. Saving seeds naturally helps me learn to produce more and consume less, which in turn helps me heal my relationship…
What is Homestead Culture?
Home: The dwelling, place, village or region where one lives.Stead: Standing firm in a place.Culture: To tend, care or cultivate land or crops. Homestead Culture means to tend to gardens in the place where we live while thinking multi-generationally. We are literally putting down long term roots and co-creating with the natural world around our…
Growing Corn Nourishes My Heart
I have practiced growing flint, flour and dent corn for 6 seasons now. After harvest the corn is brought inside and hung up, laid on screens or carefully placed in boxes to dry and cure. From winter through summer I look forward to finding time to cook a batch of cornbread or corn pancakes using…
How Our Hearts Fell Into Working with Seeds
Its fall season and our family has been collecting seeds this season for several months now. We have worked with seeds for enough seasons now that it has become easy and natural to fall into the rhythmic nature of seed harvesting. When we were just getting started homesteading, Ann and I spent some dreamy time…
