Three tomato seed packets with all the text folded out of sight. In front of each packet is a shallow dish with seeds spread in it.

What’s Actually in Your Seed Packet: Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO Seeds Explained

Stand in front of a seed display long enough and the labels start to blur together. Heirloom. Open-pollinated. Hybrid. Non-GMO. … More

The Good Neighbors: A Beginner’s Guide to Companion Planting

Gardens, it turns out, have a social life. The way we tend to picture a vegetable garden: tidy rows, one … More

Cold Frames, Hot Beds & Milk Jugs: Season Extension for Gardeners Who Refuse to Quit

If you garden in northern Vermont — or anywhere else that gets serious winter — you already know the particular … More

The Ground Beneath Everything: A Gardener’s Year in Soil

Every experienced gardener will tell you the same thing, eventually. You ask them about their tomatoes and they talk about … More

weathered green wood with daisies and the text "Hello Spring, Time to clean"

Spring Cleaning the Homestead Way: More Than Just Sparkle and Shine

Ah, spring. That magical time when the mud finally starts drying up, the chickens remember how to lay eggs, and … More

Written like a note, Flowers are for more than being pretty" with pressed flowers beside the note.

Seasonal Homesteading: Planning the Year Before the Year Plans You

Every January, the seed catalogs arrive and homesteaders everywhere get a little dangerous. You know the feeling. It’s cold outside, … More

Starting Seeds Indoors: Tips for a Strong Start

Have you ever stood in the seed aisle in February, dreaming of summer tomatoes and zucchini the size of your … More

Cover image of Rachel Roy's book: How to Begin Homesteading: Start Small, Succeed, Expand! with photos of a beautiful lake, handsome German shepherd, fresh eggs and a quart of pickled carrots.

A Year-Round Homestead Tasks Checklist (So You Don’t Have to Do Everything at Once)

One of the fastest ways to feel overwhelmed on the homestead is to believe that everything needs to be done … More

A plate of salad with chunks of fried chicken.

Permission to “Cheat”

  Permission to “Cheat” (or: Why Bagged Salad Is Saving My Sanity Right Now) Let’s just get this out of … More

Bringing Green to the Gloom: Inside Winter Gardening

The days are shorter, the light is weaker, and the weather seems to have decided that gray is the new … More