Tips to Homesteading

Posts Tagged ‘homesteading’

The art of perseverance is often looked at with some type of nostalgia. History tells us stories of people during times such as the founding of the country, the Great Depression, the prisoners in camps and war zones that persevered through trial with diligence, with hope in the face of despair. These are not the stories of the movies or history alone, but need to be the story of everyone who embarks on a homesteading lifestyle. For that matter, these are the stories of our current economic times.

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

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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

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When learning to homestead, or even dreaming about homesteading, I would have loved to have someone help me SEE things that I could do. Alas, growing up in suburbia many skills needed by a homesteader (or a home maker for that matter) were not passed down to me. They were perceived as not needed.

Now, as times get tougher, young women are marrying and starting families and lives that require some skills that just got lost on many of the 80’s crowd (*that would be us, your parent’s age*) and many people my age are just now realizing we need some long lost skills no one taught US!

Join me as I hope to mentor and share visually and verbally what I have learned (often the hard way) and would love to share with you to help speed up your learning curve and avoid some of the pitfalls I’ve had!

I’d love to share. Please come see me : http://www.youtube.com/user/thewheatguy

Technorati Tags: families, home, home making, homestead, homesteading, mentor, skills, suburbia

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