Every fall, the same thing happens in neighborhoods across the country. The leaves come down, the leaf blowers come out, and within a few weekends, every yard is raked clean and bagged up at the curb. It looks tidy. It feels productive, and it is, ecologically speaking, one of the more counterproductive things we do…
When we started paying more attention to what we were actually planting on our property, we realized how much of the conventional landscaping advice we had absorbed without questioning it. Certain plants looked nice in the nursery. They were available, affordable, and familiar. So we bought them. What we did not think much about at…
Modern homesteading is a lifestyle and a set of practices that combine traditional principles of self-sufficiency with contemporary technologies and sustainable living practices. While the term “homesteading” historically referred to the process of establishing a home on land obtained through the Homestead Acts, today’s modern homesteading is often characterized by individuals or families pursuing a…
When most people think of dandelions, they envision those pesky weeds that pop up in their yards, uninvited and unwelcome. But what if I told you that dandelions are not just ordinary garden nuisances? They are, in fact, an incredible and often underappreciated gift from nature, offering a wide array of benefits to both our…
Orchids have a reputation for being very difficult to take care of, when in fact they are really easy. They do need some work at first but don’t fuss over them. They are hearty plants. One misconception is that orchids need to be planted in soil or moss and that they need to be watered…