Hexemaus Farms

Adventures in Homesteading

Category Archives: Resources

No, Really…I’m a Selfish Homesteader

Homesteaders are generally thought of as sharing, caring people who’d offer you the shirt off their back if you needed it more than them. It’s that same sharing attitude that prompts so many homesteaders to have blogs – so they can share what they know, things they learn, resources they find…with others who share their same interests, or who are just starting out.

I do that. I share what I learn…resources I find. But I do it for completely selfish reasons. The fact that someone else might benefit is really just a bonus.

To be honest? I post resources, books, web addresses, and other information for my own self gain.

No, I don’t earn any money from anything relative to the Hexemaus Farms blog. My self gain has no monetary benefit. My self gain is the result of brain overload. I have a severe (probably terminal) case of brain overload. I’m trying to cram so much stuff in there, there’s just no more room.

I’ll see something…a book, a tool, a website…and think “Oh! How cool! I need to remember/buy/read that!”

Five minutes later, I couldn’t tell you where I saw it, read it, heard it, or found it. I tell someone I just saw/read/heard about something really cool…then can’t for the LIFE OF ME remember the web address, book or magazine title, etc.

So I cheat. When I find something really cool I want to remember or find later, I write a blog post about it. That way, in a month or so, when I go back to find whatever it was, I can find it no matter where I am. Even if I’m not at home. So long as I have my laptop and WiFi, I can look up anything I’ve found.

When I want to show a friend that really cool quilting frame I talked about Monday? I don’t have to remember the company that makes it, or their web address, or how I found them. I can just tell her to go find it on my blog somewhere. I posted about it this week/last week/a few weeks ago.

When I’m trying to remember where I put that list of books I wanted to get for the homestead? I don’t have to find a piece of paper I absent-mindedly stuck in a book or a desk drawer somewhere. I can just come to the blog, because I wrote a post with the entire list.

I know…terrible, isn’t it? To admit I’m not writing these posts for monetary gain or some altruistic need to share with other homesteaders. I should be ashamed, right?

Not.

I’m just a selfish homesteader, bent on using my blog for personal gain so I don’t have to remember things or keep track of lists. How terrible. I know. :)

5 Best Gardening and Homesteading Resources

Somedays, I long for a little grandmotherly-type neighbor. Someone whose front porch I can sit on, in a comfy oversized wicker rocking chair, sippin’ fresh squeezed lemonade, as she extolls the virtues of early corn, Ball canning jar decorations, and oyster shell supplements for chickens. The kind of little grandma type that doesn’t mind spending a Saturday afternoon on the porch snappin’ beans and teaching you to can.

Unfortunately, my nearest neighbor is 8 acres away and works a day job in town somewhere or other. The only thing they grow is the planted pines in their back property – pines that were probably planted long before they bought their house.

My next closest neighbor, Charlie, could tell me in a heartbeat what’s been grown on my property for the last 20+ years, where all the deer stands are, and why I should really go get me one o’ ‘em Kabooter trak’ers they got up at Case fur zeeruh inrest. But canning and gardening guru he is not.

As a completely inept novice gardener and homesteader, I’m always looking for resources – unfortunately, not from my neighbor’s front porch…but the web. And Lord knows, there’s plenty of it.

When you’re just starting out, it can seem like there’s more information out there than you could ever digest and remember to put into practice. I actually started with a black thumb, myself…so I’ve had a huge learning curve. (It’s pretty bad when you’re gardening friends don’t even let you water the office plants for fear you’ll kill them.)

Luckily, there’s no shortage of resources out there for gardening beginners. Here are my absolute favorites. Feel fray ta join me in a glass o’ swayt tea while you check ‘em out.

National Gardening Association

When it comes to gardening for the beginner (and even as you gain more experience,) NGA is the place to go! They have newsletters for your local region, how-to videos about everything from starting seeds to dividing plants, and all sorts of gardening articles and information libraries. For parents and teachers, the NGA also has a special site just for young gardeners. You can find them at kidsgardening.org.

Seed Savers Exchange

There’s been some controversy over SSE and their use of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. However, I try to stay out of international debates and that sort of thing. I just want to find good heirloom seeds. I don’t particularly care for the fact that these folks commercially market seeds to retailers…but I have used their site for information on what seeds I want to find/grow. I like the concept of a seed swap and repository for heirloom seeds to preserve historic plants. However, you could do the same with a garden club or local co-op. If you want to learn more about heirloom seeds, Seed Savers Exchange is a good place to start.

By the way, if you have resources for grass roots heirloom seed exchanges, by all means – share them in the comments section below. I’d love to find a smaller, more hometown-ish resource for getting heirloom seeds. I love the historical preservation idea behind heirlooms.

You Grow Girl

Don’t have a lot of space to garden? Interested in container gardening? Need to know how to grow in a greenhouse? Check out You Grow Girl, a blog that’s been around since 2000, sharing gardening and growing advice for those limited on space or budget. Gayla Trail, the blog’s founder, offers up tips and resources from her years of juggling plants in tiny spaces on a tight budget. For example, she recently collected all her spring planting how-to posts from the past 11 years of blogging in one convenient post, just in time for spring. Check out her Spring Resources post to find some of the best of You Grow Girl.

Homegrown.org

Remember Farm Aid? You know…Neil Young, John Cougar Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, et al – they throw concerts to help small family farmers? Yeah…those folks. Well, they created a really cool community called Homegrown.org. It’s  a community of urban homestead owners (take THAT Dervaes – I used your TM with no attribution…you greedy little…nevermind) ANYWHO…this community is a bunch of urban homesteaders; rural homesteaders; backyard, hobby, and small family farmers who love to play in the dirt and grow stuff. There are member blogs, guest posts, and LOADS of information from other folks all over the country who share a love of all things ag.

Backyard Chickens.com

Want to know where to start with your own chickens? Curious how many hens you’ll need to get a dozen eggs a week? Thinking about starting your own coop, but don’t know how big to build the structure? All those questions and more are answered at backyardchickens.com. If they don’t already have an article about it, there’s always the forums where you can ask just about anything chicken related.

Northwest Edible Life

Okay, I know I said “5 Best” resources, but consider this one an added bonus – free if you read in the next 10 minutes. Operators are standing by.

Need to take a minute to just sit down and have a good giggle after a long day in the yard setting out plants? Wondering if you’re the only one who thinks cast iron skillets are as much kitchen décor as they are functional cookware or blunt object to ward off intruders? Well then…you’re in luck. Former professional chef turned stay-at-home mom, Erica Strauss will be a real treat for ya. Her blog, Northwest Edible Life, is a recent addition to my favorites list. However, I’ve quickly fallen in love with her take on life in the slow-grow lane. :)

So there you have ‘em folks. My favorite Internet front porches. Hope ya’ll enjoy ‘em!

Compost Bins, Egg Incubators, and Greenhouses

Living on a farmstead, you learn to do a lot of different things. Suddenly, things that normally would find their way to the curb have opportunities for a second life. Those big 55gal plastic feed barrels become compost tumblers. An old Igloo cooler becomes an egg incubator. Scrap windows and PVC pipe become materials for a greenhouse.

I’m lucky enough that I can take the things I learn around the farm and recycle them in other ways. Primarily, my writing work. As most of you know, I’m a freelance writer. I write for print publications, private clients, and I dabble with a few content companies. The writing I do for web content pays for farm and house renovations. As I’ve mentioned before, one of the sites to which I regularly contribute is Bright Hub.

Lately, I’ve spent more time writing about farm projects over on Bright Hub than I have here on the blog. It’s my way of recycling. I learn how to do something here on the farm, I write about it over on Bright Hub. Pretty cool!

I’ve written articles on Making Sling-Style Log Bags and how to distill water at home. Not to mention a few how-to’s like making an egg incubator from a cooler, building a simple compost tumber, even how to build an A-frame greenhouse from salvaged windows and doors.

I’ve even written some recipe articles, like how to make homemade starch dips for lace curtains. (People tell you to mix starch and water in a spray bottle, but my way eliminates the need to constantly shake the bottle to keep things mixed AND provides options for keeping antique lace from getting damaged by an iron.)

Want to know how much room you need for free range chickens? I’ve written an article on that, too. Not to mention several others.

Eventually, I’ll set up pages here on the blog for different design ideas, project how-to’s, and other homesteading and farmsteading information here on Hexemaus Farms. In the meantime, however, if you’re looking for a how-to on something specific, try searching the Green Living Channel over on Bright Hub.

Odds are, if I haven’t already written an article about it, one of the other writers probably has something about it. We have a little of everything, from environmentally friendly cleaning product reviews to green travel, from DIY projects to gardening advice, there’s something for everyone. The stuff I write about is already farm-tested too! I don’t generally write an article for Green Living unless it’s about something I’ve already done, built, learned how to do, or heavily researched for stuff here on the farm.

Articles and Info on Green Living

It’s no big secret that I write for a living in order to fund farm renovations (not to mention keeping the lights on and boys fed.) Most of the writing I do is ghostwriting for private clients. However, I also dabble in writing for the web. Well, dabble probably isn’t the right word. A lot of what I write appears on the web, with or without a byline.

Recently, I’ve started publishing articles for several content companies and information websites that have more to do with green living and homesteading. For example, I publish a regular column for Experts123 on homesteading. You can find those articles here.

I’ve also started writing for Bright Hub’s Green Living channel. Given how my homesteading lifestyle & plans for a biodynamic farm incorporate many of the same principles of the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle) I thought I might share some of those articles with you guys.

Organic Food: Is it Really Healthier or Better for You?

Where to Find Cool and Trendy Recycled Furniture

Ways to Recycle File Folders

There will be lots more in the future, so be sure to check back often for updates. I’ll post links to my Green Living and Homesteading articles and columns here, but you can also find me on Experts123 or Bright Hub any time. (I’m also working on articles for Bright Hub’s Autism channel, for those interested in Autism-related information. Having a child on the Spectrum means I have a wealth of first hand experience there too.)

If you find these articles useful, don’t be afraid to share, tweet, like, or otherwise provide your feedback. Sure, I write for a living because it’s what I love to do, but I also try to write things that are truly useful and informative. So, if you have ideas, suggestions, or questions you’d like to see answered, feel free to post a comment, send me an email (sandi – at – hexemausfarms – dot – com) or comment on one of the above articles. I’m not hard to find. :)

My Green Career

Hexemaus Farms exists purely by a twist of fate. We did not actually set out to be farmers, much less organic farmers. But that’s sort of how life for this family goes. In that regard, we are the epitome of homesteaders…we take what is given to us and make the best use of it.

My career is very similar in that regard. Granted, there was more intent behind my choice to become a full time writer, but still…there was a lot of luck, good timing, and favorable winds involved. I never set out to have a green career. It just sort of worked out that way.

I write from home, which means no pollution or excess consumption of gas commuting to work every day.

I don’t need a fancy wardrobe, or pantyhose I have to replace after one or two wearings, nor do I eat lunch out a lot. (So not a lot of fast food wrappers, paper napkins, or cardboard drink holders used on my account.)

Most of my writing is written for the web. That means no paper & very little waste from my particular job.

None of it was a deliberate choice…with the exception of choosing to write full time. Just like our life here on the farm, it was not something we consciously set out to do. I sort of fell into my career the same way we sort of fell into becoming farmers. (For more on those stories, you can read the story of our farm here, as well as a little more information on my accidental green career choice over on my nonfiction writing blog, The Blue Inkwell.)

However, now that I have found myself deeply entrenched in an organic lifestyle, I’ve grown an interest in combining the two – writing and green living. In other words, I seem to be writing a lot about green living/organic topics lately. For example, I recently wrote an article for Sashay Magazine about traditional farming techniques.

In addition, I have taken on some content writing gigs that center around green living, like the Green Living Channel over at Bright Hub. You can read my first published article for Bright Hub, Organic Food: Is It Really Healthier or Better for You? but it won’t be the only one. Not to mention, I have a column soon to be published over at Experts123. I’ll post a link to those articles as soon as it goes live.

I love the fact that I can combine both of my passions…this farm, and my writing career. While I may have accidentally become an organic farmer, and I may have accidentally chosen a green career, I couldn’t be happier with where they both have brought me in life.

Starting a Hobby Farm

Starting a hobby farm can begin with something as simple as referencing your own personal experience. Traveling, family history, and even exploring seemingly unrelated hobby interests like weaving or basketry can yield the inspiration to start and run your own hobby farm.

Knowing about cultures and history can also help in guiding your vision. Tracy and David Toth are one couple whose Pennsylvania hobby farm experience was profoundly influenced by a trip out west to the Navajo Nation, where they learned first hand about Navajo-Churro sheep and how and how the Navajo people formed a cultural relationship to the farming of these hearty animals, using the strong and beautiful wool to weave the blankets and rugs the tribe is famous for.

But a successful hobby farm didn’t happen over night for the Toths. Only years later, when Tracy picked up a magazine featuring the Navajo-Churro sheep at a local tractor store in Pennsylvania, did all the inspiring images come flooding back. Between this personal experience, and her husband David’s practical ROI approach, the Toths chose to specialize in raising Navajo-Churros, forging what they feel is a personal connection to the centuries old Navajo tradition and sheep-raising culture.

Even the breeders who sold the Toths their first sheep could tell that they were on a mission motivated by their travels in the rugged Arizona environment and their experiences on the reservation.

Some people have farming in their family heritage and can look back over the generations to see what worked, what was part of their own cultural background. But new farmers and people without personal farming traditions should never be afraid to look to the success of other cultures for inspiration for starting their own small-scale farms.

Hobby farms come in many shapes and sizes, and each hobby farmer has his or her own unique perspective and experiences that led them to start-up. Homegrown on a Hobby Farm is a great website and resource for learning everything you need to know about starting your own hobby farm including raising sheep, chickens, and goats, beekeeping, hydroponic farming and growing your own tomatoes, organic food and how to cook it, canning and food preservation, and so much more! You can also read success stories that can provide inspiration and help you to crystallize your own vision.

Heather Stone is a blogger and social media specialist for PostRanger.com.

Article Source: Heather L. Stone

Heather L. Stone - EzineArticles Expert Author

All I Want for Christmas…

…is NOT my two front teeth ’cause I already have those. However, what I do want is stuff I could really sink my choppers into…nameably BOOKS.

I have a huge wish list of books I want to get for farm-related, homesteading-related, please-don’t-let-me-accidentally-kill-the-chickens-related topics. See, I don’t have all those handed-down-from-generation-to-generation farm insights and kitchen how-to’s. I grew up in suburban America with two working parents. Home-cooked meant you used the microwave at your own house.

Today, my farming education comes in the form of blogs, phone calls to the county extension office, talking to neighbors, participating in online forums, and A LOT of reading. If you want to learn just about anything…there’s sure to be a book, a blog, and a forum devoted to it. Being a writer, I have a fondness for choosing the book option.

Here’s what’s on the list for the time being – in no particular order. I’ll probably add to the list as I go. (Yeah, “probably” as if there were ever any question about whether I’d buy more books about more stuff.)

Biodynamic Gardening: For Health & Taste

The Encyclopedia of Country Living

The Profitable Hobby Farm

The Vegetable Gardener’s Book of Building Projects

How to Build Small Barns & Outbuildings

The Beginner’s Guide to Preserving Food at Home

Back to Basics: Traditional Kitchen Wisdom (Back to Basics (Reader’s Digest))

Serving Up the Harvest

The Farm to Table Cookbook

Well-Preserved

Gardeners and Poultry Keepers Guide

The Self Sufficient-ish Bible: An Eco-living Guide for the 21st Century

Storey’s Guide to Raising Horses: 2nd Edition

Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, 3rd Edition

Storey’s Guide to Raising Dairy Goats: Breeds, Care, Dairying

The Field Guide to Chickens

Farming with Horses (Country Workshop)

The Chicken Health Handbook

The Garden Primer: Second Edition

Garden Wisdom and Know-How

Country Wisdom & Know-How

That’s the short list. There are actually several more books I’ve seen that I’d like to get…but I’m not quite ready for them just yet. These, however, all relate to what we’re learning and doing right now…or will be doing before spring.

We won’t even talk about total cost of my little list of wish books. Given that they average between $15-25 and there are 21 books on the list at the moment? Well, you do the math. All I can say is the folks at Barnes & Nobles ain’t goin’ bankrupt on MY account. :)

(By the way…just so I don’t get those pesky little suits from the FCC crawling up my rear…those links up there? They’re my Amazon affiliate links. Technically, if you click the link & make a purchase, I get a kick back. But truth be told? I’m not looking for a kick back. Those links are more for my own too-lazy-to-keep-looking-them-up-when-I’m-ready-to-buy-them personality. Now, when I’m ready to get a few books, I can just work my way down the list. If you want to do the same? Well, they are there for your convenience as well. :) )

Sundays in My World

Traditionally, Sunday is a day of rest, right?

Not around here. I can assure you of that! The weekends are farm-intensive around this house. During the week, I’m busy writing. The weekends are my only time to work on farm-related stuff.

However, all work and no play…

Sundays are the closest thing to a day off around here. Sundays are my day to research and learn. That might mean reading the latest issue of Mother Earth News, Grit, The New Pioneer, or whatever farming/rural living/homesteading publication I’ve stumbled on during the week. Or it might mean hanging out somewhere outside, tinkering and playing with a new idea with one of the boys.

This week’s Sunday research project? Finding a creative way to use some of the leftover pine logs from the land clearing and incorporate them into some form of a chicken coop design. At the moment, I’m thinking a standard 2×4 frame, with split pine logs for siding. They’ll have to be painted/sealed somehow so they don’t rot, and of course there’s ventilation to think about, not to mention nesting boxes, and a host of other details to work out, but I’m sure we can find a way to reuse some of this timber to build a coop.

I’ve ordered an assorted straight run of day old chicks to be delivered later this month. That will give me 60 days to get a coop built for them with a decent size run. (From what I’ve read, it takes about 60 days for their feathers to come in so they don’t need a light to keep them warm.) Given that we’ve had a few nights dip into the 50′s over the last couple of weeks, I don’t think we’ll be able to maintain their body temp outside.

So, Sundays in my world are kind of a day off, kind of not. It’s just a more relaxed work day around here. One more cup of coffee before I get started. A little slower pace. A little less labor-intensive. It’s the closest thing to a day of rest you’re liable to get on a farm.