One of the projects I am the most excited about is my giant hugelkulturs. This is also one of the projects that will take the longest to complete, if it is ever complete. I want to build a hugelkultur bed all the way around my lot. Almost like a fence, …

Now that I have figured out that I do not have good soil, I have to start getting ready for next year.  I have picked out a few places where I would really like to put garden beds.  If I can get the raised beds layed out, I can start …

I always need another garden bed, but my goal this year is to work really hard on getting enough production from the garden that I can put away a decent amount of food. In the past, I have done some pickling, canning, and fermenting, but no large amount of food …

While drinking my coffee one morning, I realized that my tiny house was overrun by seedlings! To top it off, they weren’t getting enough sun. I had no choice, really, but I didn’t have the funding for a greenhouse. I did some scrounging and found and old roll of plastic …

After the kids helped me plant all the seeds in the seed pots and watched them grow, they continued to be excited about helping in the garden.  The idea of giving children tender transplants to put in the ground can make people nervous (myself included), but if they actually want …

The snow has taken forever to melt.  We can’t start digging as soon as I had hoped.  That’s ok though.  I have a lot of other things I can do to keep busy.  I’ll be building some small things like a rainwater system.  I am planting tons of seeds and …

Think about two different eco systems: a forest and a meadow. The forest is full of larger trees an d larger animals, while the meadow is full of smaller plants and animals. The two habitats provide very different needs for the different animals. Now think about where the meadow meets …

Slow Down!….is permaculture principle number 9.  Everything going on in the world seems to have to be so big and so fast.  I moved out of town to slow down, why not apply that to my homestead building? My biggest example of small and slow solutions are my hugelkultur beds.  …

The next permaculture principle is produce no waste.  No wasting things can be anything from recycling to being efficient and not wasting time.  Much of the “waste” we produce can be used for other things with just a little creativity. One of the most obvious sources of waste is simply …

While the landscape is not quite part of the house, there are many features outside, around the house that will improve our day to day life and the house itself.  From the outdoor kitchen and kitchen garden to the garden pond, all the elements including make a more functional home. …