Homesteading
Gardening
Most Popular Articles
Homestead Animals
Names Inspiration
Off the Grid
Cows
Landscaping
Vegetable Gardening
Polyculture Farming – What Is It and Why Is It Better Than Monoculture?
How Much Sun Do Tomatoes Need to Ripen? [No Splitting or Sunscald!]
17 Weird Vegetables and Fruits You Have to See to Believe
5 Scary Vegetables for Halloween You Can Grow at Home! [Growing Tips + Spooky Fall Decor]
20 Fruit Trees That Grow In Shade [They Will Surprise You!]
36 Fun and Creative Pumpkin Face Carving Ideas
Preparedness and Self-Sufficiency
Chickens
Do Raccoons Eat Chickens or Kill Them? [+ Coop Protection Tips!]
What Can Chickens Eat? Ultimate List of 134 Foods Hens Can and Can’t Eat!
How to Keep Chickens Warm In Winter Without Electricity
Raising Pheasants vs Chickens For Profit on Your Homestead
20 Chickens That Lay Colored Eggs! [Olive, Blue, and Pink Hen Eggs?!]
7 DIY Chick Brooder Designs [Homemade, Free, and Easy]
Beautiful Gardens
Lifestyle
Equipment
Vegetable Gardening
17 Weird Vegetables and Fruits You Have to See to Believe
Classic crops, such as tomatoes, lettuce, and potatoes, are classics for a reason. Still, if you want to add some unusual, weird, and exciting colors and flavors to your garden, you might…
How to Grow an Olive Tree and Make Olive Oil
Growing your own olives is a lot less difficult than most folks may think – and doing so will provide you with a sustainable stockpile of this highly versatile oil. We’ll go…
How to Create the Perfect Fruit Tree Guild Layout for Permaculture
Fruit tree guilds are a fabulous feature of many permaculture gardens. These guilds are essentially collections of plants that work together to improve the health and productivity of the tree at their…
Why Are My Cucumbers White and Are They Safe to Eat?
If you’re new to growing cucumbers, it can be a big worry when they don’t turn out as expected! You may be wondering: Why are my cucumbers white and are they still…
How to Make a Wooden Decoy Bird to Protect Your Garden
When my husband started whittling away in his workshop for hours on end, I got a little worried. Surely there were more pressing things to be doing than carving wooden birds? That…
What to Plant In June [USA Planting Guide]
When you are determining what to plant in June, it is important to take a range of environmental factors – including your USDA planting zone – into account. Depending on where you…
How to Create the Perfect Fruit Tree Guild Layout for Permaculture
Fruit tree guilds are a fabulous feature of many permaculture gardens. These guilds are essentially…
Tools and Equipment
9 Best Buck Knife for EDC, Hunting and Survival [Buck Knives Review 2020]
Choosing the best Buck knife for everyday carry can get overwhelming really fast. Buck knives…
Best Electric Hedge Trimmer Under 50 Bucks [2021 Corded Trimmer Review]
Hedge trimmers are the perfect tool for the perfect hedge. Whether you prefer a neat-as-a-pin…
10 Best Axe for Splitting Wood [Axes Worth Your Money In 2022]
Splitting rounds for firewood is hard work. Your best splitting axe should be sharp, wieldy,…
Raising Goats
10 DIY Goat Shelter Plans + Tips for Building the Best Goat Shelter
Raising goats is a no-frills proposition. It can also be a lot of fun, and it is absolutely a lot of work. You must worry about clean water, feed, a pen, and…
How I Turned an Old Barn into a Chicken and Goat Palace for $200
For years my husband, Brad, and I idly dreamed about moving to the country. We wanted the space and the quiet for us, and our very active dogs. A year ago, we…
10 DIY Goat Milking Stand Ideas You Can Easily Make Yourself
We dewormed our entire herd of 13 goats a couple of days ago, and I still can’t move my arms without wincing! Trying to catch these fleet-footed creatures is exhausting and holding…
What is a Wether Goat and 10 Reasons Why You’ll Want One
So, what is a wether goat? A wether goat is a buck or buckling that has been castrated or, to put it bluntly, had its testicles removed. While it may sound like…
Best Swiss Army Knife for Survival, EDC, and Camping
Picking the best Swiss army knife for survival, EDC, and camping has become more challenging…
Outdoor Cooking & The Homestead Kitchen
300000 BTU Propane Burner – Biggest & Baddest High Pressure Burners
It’s hard to find a high pressure propane burner with a decent BTU output, which…
25 Smokin’ Hot Smokehouse Ideas [DIY Plans You Can Use for Free!]
Smokehouse ideas and designs! Fancy making your bacon or smoking your salmon catch? If that…
How Long Do Farm Fresh Eggs Last and How to Store Your Egg Bounty
There is nothing better than having a consistent supply of fresh eggs from your very…
Projects & DIY
How to Build Stone Stoves and Outdoor Survival Ovens
Tripods and a kettle on an open campfire sound like a great way of outdoor cooking, but a stone stove or outdoor survival oven is a much better way to go. Gusts…
17 Goat Toys Ideas to DIY, Upcycle, and Buy [With Super Cute Videos!]
You have probably seen dozens of videos by now of goats bouncing around, climbing, and generally being silly. Naturally playful, goats make delightful companions – but they need fun and exercise –…
How to Hang Christmas Lights Outside Without Nails [the Easy Way]
The Holiday season is our favorite part of the year – and Christmas lights are one of the best ways to help everyone celebrate! We want to help you show off a…
My Simple Outdoor DIY Brick Pizza Oven for Delicious Pizza at Home
I freely admit it. I have always been a big fan of pizza. I have loved eating pizza since I was a kid, but one thing always made me wonder. How simple…
Making Log Benches: 10 Free Plans and Ideas to Build Your Own
Building homemade log benches is an excellent use of any old logs you have lying…
Chickens
How to Keep Chickens Out of My Yard [9 Ways to Stop a Ruined Garden!]
Have your neighbor’s chickens claimed your yard as their own? Or, maybe your flock always wanders beyond their coop, and you want them to leave your yard? Either way, you want those…
How to Keep Chickens Warm In Winter Without Electricity
After a surprisingly mild October, temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere are now plummeting, and it’s time to start thinking about how to keep your chickens warm in winter, ideally without electricity. To…
Do Chickens Eat Ticks or Will Ticks Eat Your Chickens?
It’s impossible to have a homestead without a healthy population of bugs and other critters. While some of these bring untold benefits to your veggie garden, others bring nothing but trouble. Ticks…
What Time of Day Do Chickens Lay Eggs? [and the Best Time to Collect ‘m!]
Most chickens lay their eggs in the first few hours of daylight. But it makes you wonder… Could they lay eggs at any time of the day? Exactly what time of day…
Off Grid Living
Living Off the Land 101 – Homesteading Tips, Off-Grid, and More!
Living off the land – sounds idyllic, doesn’t it?! Spending your days working away on your own piece of paradise, making enough to pay the bills – it is something that many…
How to Keep Chickens and Outdoor Animals Cool In Summer Without Electricity [9 Ways!]
In summer, it gets really, really hot here. We can go inside the house or use air conditioning to cool down, but what about our animals? Chickens swelter in their coop, horses…
Cheapest Way to Live – Top Tips for Frugal Homesteads!
As the cost of living increases, many people are looking for ways to live more cheaply. Frugal living is a lifestyle choice for some people. For others, it is essential for survival….
The Ultimate Checklist for Living Off the Grid [+ 20 Self-Reliance Tips!]
Ask anyone living off the grid – the path to self-reliance is about skills development, perseverance, and savvy planning. Moving away from the conveniences of urban living is both challenging and risky! A checklist for…
Hey, thanks for visiting Outdoor Happens! We’re a team of outdoorsy people, bringing you the best in self-sufficient living, gardening, homesteading (have you read our “Practical Homesteading Skills” article? It has 58 great homesteading skills you can start learning today!), farming, raising animals, tools and equipment, in-depth reviews, cooking, and just awesome outdoor living in your own backyard.
We live the homestead life ourselves – it’s not easy but if we stick together we can help each other. That’s our aim. We’ve scoured the earth for the most versatile group of homesteading writers. They are all amazing at many things, but most have a passion they’re an expert at and that’s what they’ll share with you in their articles.
Me? I’m your permaculture, survival garden, and edible plants chick. My husband’s your fix-anything mechanical guide, as well a whizz with irrigation systems, compost, soil tests, and fertilizer. We have Djordje the Knife Guy, Mike the Jovial Griller, and Nicky Goat Girl (she’s an expert at other farm animals too!).
Want to know more about us? Have a read of our About page, and we always appreciate your feedback – leave us a comment or send an email. Any specific equipment you’d like us to review, or topics you’d like to read about?