Have you have ever grown any kind of Brassica crop? Did you encounter a gaudy black and orange bug that is shaped like a stink bug on your broccoli or cauliflower plants? If so, this was the Harlequin bug, and it is a major pest of Brassica crops in the southern United States. It is…
Tips To Help You Successfully Hatch Goose Eggs
A few weeks ago, we wrote an article about geese, and how every homestead that has extra grass should consider them. We noted that they can be a low maintenance, inexpensive source of meat. What we didn’t mention in that article was that purchasing goslings is very expensive. They can range from $30-100 or more…
Help! Something Is Eating My Broccoli. Its Cabbage Worms
You planted out these beautiful broccoli plants, and seemingly almost overnight one day the plants are almost completely gone. The leaves have been stripped back to just the stems. What happened? What do you do? Your plants were likely eaten by cabbage worms. Now saying cabbage worms is a bit inaccurate. These caterpillars feed on…
The Perfect Alternative Heat Source For Brooding Chicks
If you have ever raised chicks or ducklings, then you know that for the first several weeks after they hatch, they require heat. Because they are unable to regulate their body temperature, it is necessary to provide them with an area that has very warm temperatures to keep them from dying of hypothermia. The traditional…
How To Improve Your Garden By Knowing Your Soil pH
Do you have a plant that looks nutrient deficient regardless of how much fertilizer you apply? Are your plant’s leaves yellow with green veins? Is the new growth growing in almost white? If so, you likely have a soil pH problem. Nutrient levels, drainage, soil texture, and light exposure probably get more attention than soil…
Milking Sheep 101: How To Set Yourself Up For Success
Are you interested in learning to milk a sheep? Then you’ve come to the right place. The technique for milking sheep, or any other animal for that matter is quite simple. Anyone can learn to be proficient at it with a little bit of practice. The actual process of milking a sheep just takes a…
How To Prune Grapevines From Planting To Maturity
If you are interested in getting quality fruit, it is important to learn how to properly prune grapevines. If you do not prune your vines, you will not get a good fruit crop. Without pruning, there will be too much vigorous leafy growth, and few poor-quality fruits. Now, if you are standing in front of…
Dairy Sheep: A Remarkable Triple Purpose Animal
Did you know that you can milk sheep? Dairy sheep produce a wonderful rich creamy milk that is naturally homogenized, easy to digest and packed full of protein and nutrients. They are triple purpose animals that can provide your family with milk, meat and fiber. When we purchased our original Katahdin Sheep the breeder mentioned…
How To Rejuvenation Prune Overgrown Shrubs
In a previous blog post on pruning Hydrangea paniculata, we mentioned that if a deciduous shrub has been sheared or otherwise pruned inappropriately for many years it can become an eyesore that does not bloom well. We briefly alluded to the topic of rejuvenation pruning as a solution to this problem, and that is what…
Incorporating Geese Into Your Homestead
Have you considered raising geese on your homestead? Probably not. Geese don’t get much attention and when they do get attention, it’s almost always negative. Geese are usually villainized because of a bad experience with their foul tempered Canada cousin. However, don’t write off domestic geese because they might be some of the most useful,…
