Chickens, Livestock, Homesteading & Gardening

Creating & Building Root Cellars for Year Round Storage

Creating and Building Root Cellars – We have done some research though, and to answer your questions, we’ll share what we’ve learned. In some climates, root vegetables can winter in place in the garden, well-mulched before the first freeze. If frozen ground prevents harvest, the vegetables will usually be edible in the spring as long as they haven’t been devoured or damaged by rodents. But for storage of other produce, root cellars can be a … Read more

Do You Need a Livestock Guardian Animal? Here’s What to Consider

Livestock Guardian Animal – Before we moved to our rural property, we knew we would need some help protecting our future livestock from the local coyotes, black bears, and cougars. Here’s what we learned when deciding if we needed a livestock guardian animal. We knew that smaller mammals and rodents would also be an issue around poultry. Therefore, we started to search for ways to keep our animals safe. We were surprised to discover a … Read more

Backyard Homestead with Carleen Madigan

Backyard Homestead – A lot of the time, when people are beginning with their homestead, it’s difficult to know which direction to go in. One thing that’s usually pretty helpful is if you can get one good book that covers a variety of subjects in enough depth for you to give it an experimental try. The Backyard Homestead, edited by Carleen Madigan, is one of those books. But not only is it a book, but … Read more

How I Built My DIY Hydroponic System and Hydroponic Garden

How I Built My DIY Hydroponic System & Hydroponic Garden

DIY Hydroponic System – We did not have any garden space or soil for planting in our yard. But that didn’t let that stop us from starting a vegetable garden. Here’s how we went about building a hydroponic garden. How to Build a DIY Hydroponic Garden If you haven’t considered setting up a DIY Hydroponic Garden you’re really missing out. These gardens are the wave of the future, and just about anyone can set them … Read more

Starting a Garden Where Soil Poor

It’s natural to wonder if it’s worth your time and money starting a garden where soil poor. But the good news is, there are ways to do this. Sometimes you can improve the soil that’s there. If it’s beyond an easy fix, you can plant in raised beds you’ve filled with good soil. What is poor soil? It’s when you have soil that consists of rocks, sand, or heavy clay… or dust or dirt without … Read more

How to Be a Livestock Guardian Dog

Livestock Guardian Dog – Even though I am a very busy dog, after a bit of negotiation with myself I agreed to do it and so…here is my DIY how-to! Now where should I start. HMMMMMM. First off, you all need to know that I have a job. Literally. I get paid in many different ways, like kibble and belly rubs, but my job on the homestead is a very important one. How to be … Read more

Interview Jill Winger of “Your Custom Homestead”

One question many of our Rural Living Today readers have in common is “Where do I start?” We’ve been addressing that question in several different ways, and today we have a great addition to our tool kits.

Jill Winger of The Prairie Homestead has written an excellent book called Your Custom Homestead. Jill describes it as a “How to Organize Your Thoughts, Dreams, and Ideas to Turn Them into a Unique Homestead” book.

We knew our RLT readers would love that!

Guide to Grain Storage in Buckets and Mylar Bags

There’s a lot to know about storing grain in buckets. But the great thing is, once you learn how, it’s easy to do. Our hacks will make it even easier! Q#1: How do you go about storing grain in buckets? Q#2: Do you have to do anything to keep air out? A: We have two short answers and one long answer for that! Grain Storage in Buckets Grains can be poured directly into sanitized buckets with … Read more

The Backyard Cow: Guide to Keeping a Productive Family Cow

We’ve had beef cattle before, but until I read this book, I didn’t see any way I could ever keep a milk cow.

Not enough space, not enough time, not enough knowledge. But author Sue Weaver has changed my mind.

I now know that a cow does not take a lot of space or time. And with this book at my side, I’d have just about all the knowledge I’d need.

Country Gardens Are Not Just for Vegetables

Country gardens are not just for vegetables. There’s so much more you can do. Planting country flower gardens is often an easier and prettier option. Just in time for our first snowfall, I got our vegetable patch put to bed for the winter. As I was working, I realized that in spite of the colorful veggies and herbs, I had really missed having a flower bed. Along with food production, beautiful scenery is an important … Read more

Restoring an Old Abandoned Rural Backyard

This is about restoring an old abandoned rural backyard. Several months ago, we had to relocate due to a job. In this economy, you often don’t have a choice. The job we relocated for was a blessing but it took us several months to find the right home. The one we found is incredible. It’s out at the end of a rural backyard road, and it has about twenty fruit trees, a grape arbor, blackberries, … Read more