Tips to Homesteading

Archive for January, 2010

Winter is in full swing!

As winter marches on and on and temperatures drop deep this season, we hope to keep the tips coming to keep your homestead humming!

Around the Home – Check Foundations:
Rake away all debris and edible vegetation from the foundation of your home.
Seal up entry points to keep small animals from crawling under the house.
Tuck-point or seal foundation cracks. Mice can slip through space as thin as a dime.
Inspect sill plates for dry rot or pest infestation.
Secure crawlspace entrances.

Around the Garden – Time to Mulch:
Apply winter mulch to perennials where winter temperatures generally fall below minus 10 degrees F.
Simply lay lightweight cover of organic mulch, such as shredded autumn leaves, pine needles or straw, over beds to protect plants from winter’s extremes.
Avoid more compact mulches and whole leaves (which can mat), since they can suffocate plants. This leaves slimy ground and is not a good cover.

For the Animals – Extra Comfort:
Lay down extra bedding so that animals can rest in warmth and comfort.
Straw, tree bark or wood shavings provide a soft surface to sleep on as well as additional insulation.
Don’t use rugs or rags–they can absorb liquids and freeze. Those are not comfortable when wet!

So….now that you’ve braved the weather to check around the homestead…go grab some hot cocoa and snuggle by that fireplace! Take care of yourself too!

Best Blessings!
The Millers

Donna Miller is an author, teacher and entrepreneur. Her favorite roles are that of wife and mother to three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Chemical Free and Organic Grains, Grain Mills, Bread Machines, Grain buckets, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

Technorati Tags: animals, garden, home, homestead, house, mulch, vegetation, warm, winter

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The animals need tending, the fence is down and it is a high of 18 degrees today! What is a homesteader to do?

Stay warm.

Sound’s stupid or simple as far as advice goes, but the tip is just to not ignore the need to stay warm.

Tips on HOW to stay warm are….

• Wear layers! Lots of layers!
• Double up the socks. If you don’t have water proof shoes wear grocery bags between sock layers.
• Cover your head and neck. Hats and scarves are a must!
• Good weather-proof gloves are important. These are worth the investment.
• Timing is everything. Go out mid-day if possible and in dry weather if possible to tend to outdoor chores.
• Go in short stints rather than long haul.
• Learn the signs of frost bite.
• Rest. Working in the cold weather can really take a lot out of you physically, so rest.

Now, don’t ignore the most important ‘tool’ you have on the homestead – YOU!

Until next time – Best Blessings!

The Millers

Donna Miller is an author, teacher and entrepreneur. Her favorite roles are that of wife and mother to three home-school graduates. The Millers own and operate Millers Grain House which offers Organic and Chemical-free Whole Grains, Bosch Mixers, the NutriMill, instructional tutorials, recipes and more.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!