Okra — Not Just for the South
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #58 • July/August, 1999
No one is quite sure about how okra seeds came to this country. Okra is of African origin and the seeds could have...
Making Apple Cider with a Homemade Press
By Robert Van Putten
Issue #170 • March/April, 2018
Apples are an important food resource for us. Every year we store hundreds of pounds in our root cellar where they will keep for up to six...
Cheaper than Store-Bought Eggs
By Kristina Seleshanko
Issue #177 • July/August/September, 2019
Something we heard a lot when we first started raising chickens in the suburbs was, “For the cost of raising those birds, you could buy an awful lot...
Plant Your Trees in the Spring
By Tom Kovach
Issue #61 • January/February, 2000
Winter is a good time to plan your spring tree plantings, deciding what and where you want to plant. When spring arrives you'll be ready.
Spring is the best...
Grow Open-Pollinated Tomatoes
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #166 • July/August, 2017
Nearly all of us homesteaders grow tomatoes in our gardens. Tomatoes are hugely valuable as a homestead crop. After all, they give us a wide variety of products.
Many...
Jackie’s Garden Primer
By Jackie Clay
Issue #117 • May/June, 2009
The birds are singing. The sunshine makes the day feel soft and warm. The soil is mellow and damp. It makes us feel like being outdoors and doing...
The Home Citrus Orchard
By Anita Evangelista
Issue #81 • May/June, 2003
It may seem like an impossible dream if you live outside of southern Florida, California, or Texas, but you can grow a home "backyard" orchard of oranges, lemons,...
A Small Space Yields a Big Crop of Garlic
By Howard Tuckey
Issue #131 • September/October, 2011
In less than an hour last fall, I tilled up a 4x8 foot garden bed and planted 250 seed cloves of Chesnok and Russian Red garlic. I've been...
Gardening the Year ‘Round
By Alice B. Yeager
Website Exclusive • September, 2006
Normally, we gardeners tend to make plans to begin planting our gardens during early spring. We select vegetables such as garden peas, lettuce, mustard, radishes, onions, and...
How to become a backyard beekeeper
By Sheri Jones
If you’ve been intrigued by the idea of becoming a beekeeper but think you don’t have the space, resources, or knowledge, you’re about to be pleasantly surprised. Backyard beekeeping is a lot...
Grow Your Own Dishrags
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
Issue #85 • January/February, 2004
Some of us are thrifty beyond measure, even growing our own dishrags. None of those flimsy, store bought cotton things for us. Our...
Gardening for Treasure
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Gardening for treasure
By Alice B. Yeager
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By Alice B. Yeager
Tomatoes are a boon to mankind in health benefits.
It doesn't matter whether they are the large or small varieties.
Issue #93 • May/June, 2005
When we dig in...
Build Your Own Hoop House
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #171 • May/June, 2018
I’ve had my own garden for more than half a century, and I have learned a few things after all these years. One of the most valuable things...
Use Plastic to Get a Head Start on Corn in the Fall
By Mark and Lynn Klammer
Issue #41 • September/October, 1996
As spring approaches each year, we can hardly wait for the feel of warm earth between our fingers. And so, while most avid gardeners let Mother...
Use Old Newspapers to Make Your Starter Pots
By Darlene Polachic
Issue #49 • January/February, 1998
Why spend money buying plant starter packs when you can make all you need from old newspapers? The added benefit of these newspaper pots is that they can...
An Introduction to Small-Scale Home Hydroponics
By Ben Richards
Issue #154 • July/August, 2015
As most people are already aware, hydroponics is the practice of growing plants without soil. This is done by using a water-based nutrient solution to deliver the necessary...






























