Whole house generators are expensive to install. They’re incredibly useful during a power outage, but does a whole house generator add value to your home when it comes time to sell? I’ve spoken to several real estate and generator experts to get their opinions. It turns out that the answer to our question is more …
Does a Whole House Generator Add Value to Your Home? (Experts Reveal the Truth) Read More »
The swale is a super helpful tool in your permaculture design toolbox. It looks great, provides a whole new area for permaculture and garden design, rehydrates your landscape, and revives your soil. The swale is the perfect irrigation setup and no-dig garden in one. Firstly though… A Permaculture Swale Is No Ordinary Swale Permaculture swales …
2 Cool Things You Can Do With the Permaculture Swale Read More »
Growing your own wheatgrass is one of the easiest and most productive ways to get vitamins and minerals into your diet. Not only is it incredibly good for you, but wheatgrass also looks great and you can grow it anywhere. Not all wheatgrass seeds are created equal, however, and not all seeds grow good wheatgrass. …
Do you have a dog that loves to dig holes in the garden? Some dogs are natural diggers and some aren’t, but why? I have 5 dogs, 3 of which love to dig. While they dig, the other 2 look at them like they’re crazy. They just don’t have that digging instinct. It’s similar to …
5 Ways to Stop Your Dog From Digging Up Your Garden Read More »
The Garden Tower system is a garden and worm farm in one. The great thing is that you feed the worms, who in turn feed your plants. It’s a little self-contained ecosystem that allows you to grow 50 plants in 4 square feet – you can fit this nearly anywhere. As you water your plants …
Are you looking for a way to turn your kitchen scraps into high-value garden food? Worm composting is a great way to do this. When you manage your worm farm correctly (and it’s not hard, I’ll show you how easy it is below!), it pretty much looks after itself, is clean, and doesn’t smell. You …
A Super Simple Worm Compost System for Your Kitchen Scraps Read More »
In summer, it gets really, really hot here. We can go inside the house or use aircon to cool down, but what about our animals? Chickens swelter in their coop, horses sweat in the paddock, and our dogs dig holes to try and find some relief. How do we make it more comfortable for our …
How to Keep Homestead Animals Cool in Summer Without Electricity Read More »
Do you have the skills to handle a medical emergency when doctors aren’t available, or the hospital is too far away? I’ve done a first aid course but these courses always assume you can call for medical assistance afterward. What if we can’t? We’ll need to handle it ourselves. We need to gain the skills …
How to Deal With a Medical Emergency When There Is No Doctor Read More »
Just like us, our dogs love a treat every now and then. We’ve just added 2 little puppies to our family, Mr. T and Spot the Dog. They’re, of course, the cutest thing ever, and I love their antics when there’s a treat to be had. They’re 10 weeks old now, weighing just over 26 …
3 DIY Dog Treats – Pupper Nutter Truffles, Good Boy Gravy, and Milkshake Read More »
Learn how to create an edible landscape for people, pollinators, and birds with Nancy Hayden from The Farm Between in Jeffersonville, VT. In this one-hour video, Nancy shares a bucket load of fantastic tips with us, from turning your lawns into pretty, functional orchards to deer control and alley cropping. She firmly believes we can …
Farming on the Wild Side – Edible Landscaping for People, Pollinators, and Birds Read More »
If you’re a master naturalist or just a budding one, the beauty of butterflies catches everyone’s eyes as they fly by. What do you do if you want to enjoy butterflies for more than just a fleeting glimpse? This is where knowing how to attract butterflies native to your area comes in handy. In addition to …
Attracting Butterflies to Your Garden – The Why and How Read More »
Whole house generators can really save your bacon (literally!) during a storm or power cut. I’ve told you our story of the three lost freezers of food before – a whole house generator, especially one with an automatic transfer system, would have saved those freezers of food storage. We’ll run through some things you need …
11+ Things You Need to Know About Whole House Generators (According to Experts) Read More »
A dehydrator is one of your most versatile kitchen appliances, as you’ll see in this list of the best dehydrator recipes! You can dehydrate pretty much anything, from fruits to vegetables, meat to mushrooms, even cheese and eggs. Food dehydrators come in all shapes and sizes and for all budgets. As with most things, you …
61+ Best Dehydrator Recipes for Jerky, Fruit, Vegetables, and More Read More »
If you’re like me, your garden produces an abundance of some vegetables and not enough of others. Zucchinis are growing particularly well this year and I wondered how to eat zucchini in different ways. I’m adding zucchini to lots of meals but as you’ll see, there are more ways to use zucchini than you ever …
How to Eat Zucchini in 87 Different Ways – Use Your Bountiful Zucchini Harvest Read More »
So, you’ve picked out your animals and they are happily on your homestead now, grazing and laying and doing their thing. What happens when the time comes to butcher the animals and turn them into meat? Homesteaders who have refrigeration might vacuum seal their cuts of meat and put them into the refrigerator or freezer …
Sick of the old dehydrated banana chips or beef jerky? Here are 49 different foods to dehydrate! From liver snacks for the dog to wine leather for you, sauerkraut salt & vinegar chips to rhubarb sour candy, we’ve collected them all. I really love pushing appliances to their limits and using them to their full …
Struggling to find funny chicken names? Let us help you out with this list of the 115 best cute and funny chicken names! From people’s names to chicken-themed twists on famous names, there are quite a few names to choose from. Once you’ve named your chicken, don’t miss our epic list of funny chicken coop …
115 Cute and Funny Chicken Names for Your Hens and Roosters Read More »
When you’re working and living on a homestead, it seems like all sunshine and roses from far away, but once you get into it, you realize there is a lot more to it than daydreams. And as it turns out, there is also a lot more information you’ll need to know than just how to …
25 Important Skills Every Homesteader Should Learn Read More »
Raising chickens is a wonderful thing to do. Chickens make wonderful pets for the kids, they lay lovely fresh eggs every day (or most days, anyway), they’re gentle creatures, and they’re natural predators for the garden pests you don’t want. Raising chickens isn’t hard, nor is it expensive. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. You …
Raising Chickens 101 – Building the Best Chicken Coop Read More »
Tallow vs lard vs suet… All fats, but which fat comes from which animal, and what do we use it for? This is a complete overview of the differences between tallow and lard and why they’re useful. I’ve included a table of contents below so you can skip straight to a section of interest if …
Tallow vs Lard (and a Bit of Schmaltz and Suet) What Are They and How to Use Them Read More »
Thinking of raising chickens or ducks on your homestead? Whenever the need or want arises for fresh eggs and meat, chickens are always the front-runner. They’re common, easy to find, inexpensive, and they do their job extremely well. What if I told you that ducks also fill that niche extremely well, though? I’ve put together …
Chickens vs Ducks – Raising Chickens or Ducks on the Homestead? Read More »
Here’s one of the best giveaways for container vegetable growers! Garden Tower Project is giving away 12 of their Garden Tower 2 vertical container gardening systems. The Garden Tower 2 is valued at $359 (on special at the time of writing, RRP $489). A pretty awesome price to win! Let me introduce you to the …
Win a Garden Tower 2! Garden Tower Project’s Grow Your Own Spring Giveaway Read More »
This article is part of a series about attracting wildlife. I did an interview with Women’s Health Magazine on tips to attract wildlife to your backyard, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and bees in particular. The article will be published in the magazine in the future, but I wanted to share my tips with you here. This …
How to Attract Bees to Your Backyard – Attracting Wildlife Read More »
Here’s an interview I did recently with Women’s Health Magazine about how to attract wildlife to your backyard, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and bees in particular. Some of my quotes will be in the magazine itself, but I wanted to publish the full article for you to read here. This was the first question: How to …
How to Attract Squirrels to Your Backyard – Attracting Wildlife Read More »
This article is part of a series about attracting wildlife. I did an interview with Women’s Health Magazine on tips to attract wildlife to your backyard, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and bees in particular. The article will be published in the magazine in the future, but I wanted to share my tips with you here. This …
How to Attract Frogs to Your Backyard – Attracting Wildlife Read More »
This article is part of a series about attracting wildlife. I did an interview with Women’s Health Magazine on tips to attract wildlife to your backyard, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and bees in particular. The article will be published in the magazine in the future, but I wanted to share my tips with you here. This …
I have 10 gorgeous chickens, no roosters. I’ve been searching for the perfect name for the chicken coop for months so I’ve compiled this ultimate list of 105 (Edit: it’s now 108 thanks to you all!) names for chicken coops! Paint these on your chicken coop sign or straight on the coop. These names are …
108 Funny Chicken Coop Names for Hen-Only Coops + Sign Ideas! Read More »
Let’s dive into the pros and cons of raising ducks in your backyard! Are backyard ducks right for you? Raising Ducks in Your Backyard Those of us living on homesteads, whether they’re in the country or urban areas, have many things to consider when starting out. From fruits to vegetables to farm animals, there are …
Bootstrap Farmer is well-known across the US for its propagation supplies, seed trays, and hoop house/greenhouse kits. The greenhouse kits can be put up in one weekend and are well-priced, allowing you to build a professional-grade vegetable house or greenhouse yourself. Up to now, you would bend your own poles with a pole bender, using …
Bootstrap Farmer’s New DIY Pre-Bent Steel Hoop House Kit (All Metal Greenhouse) Read More »
We’ll look into plants that repel fleas AND are safe for pets! Plus, they’ll smell great in your garden. We’ll also include a couple of ways to repel fleas that are not plants – diatomaceous earth and electronic flea combs. For those of us who enjoy bringing our pets with us when we go outside, …
14 Plants That Repel Fleas and How to Use Them (Safe for Pets) Read More »
Although they used to grow grapes without a trellis in the old days (and probably still do in many vineyards and gardens), I really prefer my grapes on a grape vine trellis (also know as a grape arbor), especially when they’re getting started. Grape vines can ramble a bit, so without a trellis to train …
15 Sturdy Grape Vine Trellis Design Ideas for Your Backyard Arbor Read More »
I realised today that I really need a gardening apron. I never wanted an apron for gardening, thinking it was just a little too “grandma” or I didn’t want to seem like I couldn’t handle getting dirty or something like that. But you know what, it’s actually not great getting mud on your clothes when …
Best Gardening Apron With Pockets for Harvesting & Tools 2020 Read More »
You may be wondering why I’ve dedicated an entire guide to something as simple as a bee and how to become a beekeeper in your backyard. I’ve talked about my love of multitasking animals here before, and honey bees are some of the best around. Obviously, they’ll provide you with the liquid gold we know …
How To Become a Beekeeper in Your Backyard Total Guide Read More »
Should you use slow feeders for horses? Finding the best way to feed a horse is, and always will be, a heated topic in the industry. There are countless philosophies, and products to go with them, that claim to be the healthiest way to feed your horse. The most common ideology tends to be offering …
There are some Dandelion look alikes to look out for when you’re foraging for Dandelion. For example, there’s Wild Lettuce, Hawkbit, and several Cat’s Ears species. It’s really important to know you’re foraging for the right plants, and to know what’s the difference between Dandelion and Wild Lettuce. Let’s compare Wild Lettuce vs Dandelion! Dandelion …
Wild Lettuce vs Dandelion – What’s the Difference between Dandelions and Wild Lettuce? Read More »
All rights reserved © 2020 Outdoor Happens – Disclaimer: As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.