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...
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...
Companion Planting
By Beverly Mettot
Issue #81 • May/June, 2003
Companion planting is nothing new, and yet in recent years it has made an extraordinary comeback, not only in fooling those pesky pests who thrive on fruits and...
No Worrying About Fire Blight with Orient and Kieffer Pears
By Alice B. Yeager
Issue #52 • July/August, 1998
Everyone likes a good success story, and if I were called upon to name the most successful tree in our small orchard I'd have to say it's...
Fruit Trees
<!--
Fruit trees
By Alice B. Yeager
Photos by James O. Yeager
-->By Alice B. Yeager
Fall winds down with the ripening of a Japanese
persimmon known as the Fuyugaki variety.
Issue #104 • March/April, 2007
There's not one of us who...
Gardening in the Desert Using Only Rainwater
By Joe Mooney
Issue #147 • May/June, 2014
I've always found the use of seasonal rains by native peoples very fascinating. From the diversion of floodwaters in earthen berms to irrigation via "aquaduct," it seemed incredible...
Garden Seeds — A Great Winter Pastime
By Jackie Clay
Issue #67 • January/February, 2001
Start your garden this year while the snow is still on the ground. I start all of my own plants from seeds. One of my favorite winter pastimes...
You Can Make Your Own Fertilizers
By Christopher and Dolores Lynn Nyerges
Issue #44 • March/April, 1997
For some people, home gardening is an expensive pursuit, which seems a bit backward to us. At one time, people gardened because home-grown produce was...
Use Non-Hybrid Seeds and Save Big Bucks in This Year’s Garden
By Jackie Clay
Issue #51 • May/June, 1998
Every person who is striving for self-reliance should, and most do, plant a garden from which to raise a good portion of their own food. But how many...
Gardening Tips and Tricks
By Charles Sanders
Issue #99 • May/June, 2006
Gardeners are an ingenious lot. Trial and error, time, study, observation, and experience all help us to come up with ideas that result in better gardens, more produce,...
Growing Potatoes in Straw
By Habeeb Salloum
Issue #100 • July/August, 2006
Virtually unknown to people in other parts of the world, the inhabitants in the Northern European countries have for hundreds of years grown potatoes above ground in straw...
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,...
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...
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...
Meat For the Homestead
By Jackie Clay-Atkinson
Issue #137 • September/October, 2012
Meat is often the most expensive portion of our grocery bill, and it is getting more and more expensive every day. I've seen steaks "on sale" for more...






























