Section

Homesteading

Growing more of what you need

From your first raised bed to a self-sufficient household. Practical guides for gardens, chickens, food preservation and small-scale animal husbandry.

Rows of mature apple trees in a small orchard in late summer light, grass alleys between the rows, a wooden ladder against a trunk and crates of red apples ready for harvest.

Homesteading

Planting a Small Orchard: Rootstocks, Spacing and the First Five Years

Fruit trees are a decade-long decision made in a single afternoon. A working guide to rootstock choice, site and spacing, planting technique, training systems, pest management and what a small orchard actually earns.

September 1, 2026 · 12 min read

A farmer inspecting a large round hay bale inside a timber barn, stacked square bales of green hay along the walls and sunlight streaming through the open barn door.

Homesteading

Making and Storing Quality Hay: Cutting Timing, Moisture and Loss

Most hay loses a third of its feed value between the field and the feeder. A practical guide to cutting at the right growth stage, drying and conditioning, safe baling moisture, barn fire risk and storage losses worth real money.

September 1, 2026 · 12 min read

A small flock of white-faced sheep grazing a lush green paddock behind portable electric netting on a smallholding, with rolling pasture and a weathered wooden fence line in late afternoon sunlight.

Homesteading

Raising Sheep on Small Acreage: Grazing, Parasites and Lambing

Sheep fit small farms better than any other ruminant, but parasites end more flocks than predators ever will. A working guide to stocking rates, rotational grazing, FAMACHA-based worm control, lambing and the real numbers on 20 ewes.

August 5, 2026 · 14 min read

A beekeeper in a white veil lifting a honeycomb frame from a Langstroth hive in a wildflower meadow at golden hour.

Homesteading

Beekeeping on the Small Farm: A Complete First-Season Guide

Hive costs, siting, package versus nuc, the inspection calendar, varroa management and honest first-year honey expectations — a working grower's guide to your first season of beekeeping.

August 3, 2026 · 8 min read

A large mound of soil and wood used in a hugelkultur garden bed.

Homesteading

Hugelkultur: Raised Beds That Feed Themselves

Learn the secrets of Hugelkultur, a permaculture technique for building self-fertilizing, water-retaining raised beds using buried wood.

July 19, 2026 · 7 min read

Sow with piglets in a wooden farrowing hut on a lush green pasture.

Homesteading

Farrowing Hogs on Pasture: A Practical Guide for Smallholders

A comprehensive guide to farrowing hogs on pasture, covering breed selection, hut design, nutrition, and predator protection for small-scale farmers.

July 19, 2026 · 7 min read

A row of tall galvanized-steel rainwater harvesting tanks connected by pipes beside a red metal-roofed barn, with lush green grass, chickens foraging in the foreground and a bright blue sky with scattered clouds overhead.

Homesteading

Rainwater Harvesting on the Homestead: Systems, Sizing and What It Actually Saves

A working guide to catchment, storage, filtration and delivery for homestead-scale rainwater harvesting — what the systems cost, what they save, and the mistakes that turn a $6,000 setup into a green swamp.

July 18, 2026 · 12 min read

A small backyard flock of healthy laying hens scratching near a secure wooden coop with nest boxes, clean bedding, feeder, waterer, and morning sunlight.

Homesteading

Backyard Chickens for Eggs: A Practical Starter Guide

Learn how to raise backyard chickens for eggs with practical advice on breeds, coop design, feed, daily routines, health, and winter care.

July 18, 2026 · 13 min read

Pasture-raised chickens gathered inside a mobile coop on green pasture at golden hour, with the sun setting behind them.

Homesteading

Pasture-Raised Poultry: The Economics of a 200-Bird Flock

A transparent enterprise budget for a 200-bird pastured broiler operation — feed, infrastructure, labor, processing, sales and the actual take-home margin per bird.

July 13, 2026 · 12 min read

A small homestead with chickens roaming near a raised vegetable garden and a wooden greenhouse in warm afternoon light.

Homesteading

Starting a Backyard Homestead: The Realistic First Year

A grounded, non-romantic guide to your first year of homesteading — what actually works on a quarter-acre, in what order, and where new homesteaders most often burn out.

July 5, 2026 · 9 min read