A Basic Herb Wheel

With warmer weather it’s time to get those herbs that have been basket-bound all winter out into the fresh air!

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So how long before a child starts taking his/her first steps (at about 10 months to a year old) before you expect them to be in the Boston Marathon? Tomorrow?

If you think about it, that’s what we do to ourselves. We take huge leaps past some vital steps that are needed in homesteading. We think we need all the equipment, land, livestock and THEN we’re homesteading.

This is not the case. If we are taking ‘baby steps’ we’re still walking.  If we are doing a little of ‘this and that’ we are still homsteadING. Notice the ‘ing’ – it is a process.

Only if we give up on the process do we cease stepping in the homesteading direction.

Keep walking, taking baby steps and keep working out that dream of homesteading. Don’t be so hard on your self if you’re at least taking steps.

EnJOY the journey!

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. Living with a Homesteading Mindset in the country, the city and suburbs has been an adventure! 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. Listen to her Radio Show – Live or Archived at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/millersgrainhouse

Technorati Tags: baby steps, equipment, homesteading, land, livestock, tips

Tips for Urban Homesteading and Gardening
You can cut costs and save your dollars in the concrete jungle by adopting these practical strategies:

• Container gardening: Grow tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and squash in pots, miniature barrels or oblong containers. Use hanging baskets to grow zucchini and strawberries. You don’t need a large greenhouse or plenty of acreage for your own supply of organic vegetables. With proper planning, your balcony could hold quite a few plants.

• Rearing fowl: You can hatch chicks from fertilized eggs by using an electric skillet on low, some water to moisten the air and a soft towel to cushion the eggs. You can then keep the hens in your backyard for a daily supply of eggs. Most US states will allow urban dwellers to raise a maximum of six hens.

• Using heirloom seeds: Your local farmers market will probably have hybrid, pest resistant tomatoes and squash plants.  These are genetically modified plants that have been grafted to make them resistant to bugs, pests and drought.  However, the vegetable will be seedless – which means that you won’t be able to re-plant any.  I would strongly advise against any hybrid seeds!  Buy heirloom seeds instead for growing your vegetables.   Heirloom plants have retained their specific traits through open pollination and are suitably resistant to extremes in weather and bio-diseases.  You’ll have plenty of seeds for frequent re-planting!

Getting Suitable Supplies

For city gardening, you can make do with containers that can be comfortably accommodated within your apartment.  If you’re in the suburbs and have a nice backyard, then you can even erect a small 12×12 greenhouse to cultivate your plants.

Space constraints will dictate the variety and abundance of vegetables and greens that you can tend.  You can utilize coffee grounds as organic fertilizer and obtain soil from the market.  If you’re rearing chickens, the coops are best maintained in an airy space and cleaned regularly.

By embracing homesteading and gardening, you’ll take full advantage of spectacular reductions in your expenses and elevated levels of vigor, energy and vim.  Maximize your intake of organic leafy greens and vegetables, and augment your health exponentially!

Technorati Tags: container gardening, gardening, heirloom seeds, homesteading, stretch your dollar

Thanks to when our dog, Chewbacka [nicknamed 'Chewy'], was a puppy, a chewed up hose has been coiled in our shed for months, almost 2 years. I wouldn’t throw it away because I just knew there was something I could do with it, eventually.

Low and behold, the other day, while going to dig up some purple potatoes, I found that someone had left our pitch fork (of 15 years) out under some bushes last fall and to say it’s weathered now is an understatement:

But it’s still quite sturdy and, frankly we don’t want to buy something if we can already use what we have , so my wheels in the wheels in my head started turning and I grabbed the exacto-knife, scissors and some electrical tape:

With the scissors, I cut four equal pices of hose, then with the exacto-knife, I split them in the center: Look at that guilty culprit in the background….

I wrapped them around the weathered, rough handle of the pitch-fork by opening them up at the split:

Then wrapped it with electrical tape:

The gripes are cushioned and smooth. No splinters and less blisters now – time to get to work!

Now my husband jokes with me that there’s no room for being lazy and just working for 3 hours in the garden, with this ‘cush-handle’ I should be able to dig and pitch all day long! Oh my! What have I done??

Seriously though, reusing things that may have thought of as trash or something not worth the time to keep is one of the top tips to developing a good homestead. Of course it’s a money saver too!

By sharing these tips, I hope it inspires you to look outside the ordinary and challenge yourself to make the most of what you already have!

Best Blessings and Happy Homesteading!

Donna

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.

Technorati Tags: homestead, homesteading, recycle, reuse, save money, tips, trash

If you’ve not had the chance to see this video, I’d suggest you do so. Such a convenience food that we are consuming mass quantities of and it is so very simple to make it yourself:

Technorati Tags: home made, homesteading, simple, tips, video

When it’s not fun; when it’s difficult; when it looks like it is not working: persevere and push through. These circumstances don’t mean that we need to go out and get a new ‘item’ or ‘a better model’ or give up…they are an opportunity to grow and build character.

When it’s rained too much or not enough and the garden isn’t working, keep at it and push through. Make some tweaks and learn from mistakes. When you’ve not a clue how to get the hay cut and bailed because you’re new at this and don’t own a tractor. Keep pushing through. Find a neighbor who is willing to cut/bale it for you in exchange for a few bales of hay.

Don’t give up. Push through. The feeling of satisfaction you get when you plow on through a difficult situation to a positive outcome is ALWAYS a lot better than the feelings you get when you turn tail and run from one.

Hope you will enJOY the journey!

Best Blessings!
Donna Miller

Donna Miller is a work-from-home wife and mother. She delighted to share her trials and triumphs of learning to homestead anywhere. 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. She also writes for The Dollar Stretcher, in the Blog Entitled: The Homestead Mindset Anywhere

Technorati Tags: garden, hay, homestead, homesteading

If you’ve not been homesteading long or are just beginning, it may be tempting to go to your local farmer’s market and buy some of those nice, pest-resistant, hybrid plants that are supposedly easier to grow. After all, they are ‘made’ to be more user friendly right? Well, that depends.

They are often genetically modified plants (GMO) that have had artificial genes grafted into their make up to make them resist draught or blight or bugs. That’s why some tomatoes don’t really taste like a tomato.  Not only that, but by being hybrids, they are sterile or infertile for next year’s seeds. The plant you grow this year will not produce seeds for next year’s garden. You get to go spend money again on another hybrid seed.

Heirloom seeds will give you seeds to use each year from the crops they grow. Eat them this year, dry and save some for next year. Repeat. Now that’s money in the bank!

Take a look at this place that offers heirloom seeds with fast, free shipping:

Grow a Patriot Garden

Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, GMO, grocery savings, Growing Vegetables, heirloom seeds, homestead, homesteading, hybrid, Organic Gardening and Growing, save money, seeds, sterile, tips, tuesday's tip, vegetable garden