Urban homesteading on a regular lot in the suburbs of Atlanta. Six years of backyard chickens — started with seventeen, down to three, and there’s a story behind every one. A garden I’m trying to get better at, cheese made with the wrong acid, and more sourdough starters killed than I can count. The canner is still in the box. It’s never too late to learn. Not a tutorial, and not a farm.
Years ago going out to my home garden after heavy rainfall, I noticed the bottoms of some of my green tomatoes had brown spots at the very bottom and I wondered what caused this? Through my years of experience and…
When working in the garden on a typical warm sunny morning and trimming dead leaves off your tomato plant nothing is more frustrating than accidentally knocking off a big beautiful green tomato before its ready to be picked. Fortunately, there…
When walking out to your garden after heavy rain it can be frustrating to see some of your growing tomatoes split and cracking. It can happen at any stage of a tomato’s development whether they are ripe or green. Through…
I enjoy growing tomatoes and walking out to your vegetable garden in the morning and seeing tomato blossoms on the ground is never a welcome sight. This makes you ask the question “Why are my tomato flowers falling off?” Don’t…
Serrano peppers are wonderful. They add so much fresh flavor to salads, sauces, pasta, tacos, and even pizza toppings. Because serrano peppers are a regularly used ingredient in our diet, they are a great pepper to grow in your vegetable…
Planting time in your vegetable garden is a great time of year, but after pulling weeds and watching your tomato plants grow, it can be disappointing when some of the leaves on your tomato plants start to turn yellow. Through…
My husband and I have been starting pepper seeds indoors for years. We have grown also sorts of peppers, including cayenne peppers, jalapeños, Carolina reapers, bell peppers, ghost peppers, and Trinidad scorpion peppers to name a few. To do this…
Chickens are usually fed commercial feed which typically contains sufficient levels of all vitamins and minerals required by chickens. However, chickens are very efficient at foraging and finding food. Dandelions can be a good source of minerals and vitamins for chickens. Plus…
Keeping backyard chickens as part of a homestead has increased in popularity over recent years. There are many factors to consider when keeping chickens, from what they eat to where they sleep. An important aspect is chicken roosts, but what…
Over 43% of American households now grow food at home, and a significant portion starts those plants from seeds indoors. While comprehensive data specifically on seedling starting practices remains limited, recent surveys reveal that growing plants from seeds has become…
