Category: Homestead 101
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How To Make Blue Spruce More Blue: Here’s How
Blue Spruce owners may be shocked when their Blue Spruce doesn’t turn out as blue as they wanted it to be. The Blue Spruce is a beautiful tree that is an excellent addition to a garden. The blue tint on their needles is something greatly sought after. To make blue spruces “bluer,” plant them in […]
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Growing Aloe in the Backyard: How Easy Is It?
It wouldn’t be wrong to think that growing aloe isn’t easy – these plants are susceptible to the soil, water, and temperatures. Therefore, many gardeners ask the question of just how easy or difficult it is to grow aloe. Aloe can grow in a yard (or backyard) if the soil composition and temperatures are right. […]
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Compost VS Humus: Which Is Ideal for Your Backyard?
Keeping your soil fertile is important no matter what plants you’re growing. Because of this, compost and humus are often incorporated to improve the soil. Since we’re not all agricultural experts, many people wonder what’s the difference between compost and humus and which is better. Compost and humus are very similar, as humus is just […]
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How to Turn a Concrete Yard Into a Garden: Here’s How
If there is a big patch of concrete in the yard and we want to turn it into a garden, we have good news – it’s possible. What should we do with a big concrete yard? To turn concrete into a garden, follow these steps: If building garden beds, the process is the same aside […]
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What Is the Best Fertilizer for Blue Spruce Trees?
The Blue Spruce (Picea Pungens) is a coniferous evergreen with a striking blue/gray tint and is one of the most popular garden trees in the USA. They are beautiful and make good privacy screens and windbreakers. So, which fertilizer should we use to keep them healthy? The best fertilizer for blue spruce trees is a […]
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Chicken Sexer: Everything You Wanted to Know about the Job
Welcome to the world of a chicken sexer! We’ll break down everything there is to know about chicken sexing. Most people have a tough time believing that chicken sexing is a real job or pays well. We need to answer quite a few questions, so let’s get started. A chicken sexer is a person who […]
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Do You Need a Four Wheel Drive Tractor?
If you’re just getting into owning agricultural land, there’s a lot to think about — and then a lot to buy, too! One question that people have is what kind of tractor you need for a farm. We’ve all seen toy tractors on TV, but once you get into buying one there’s a lot to […]
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Chainsaws Can Start Fires. Here’s How To Stay Safe!
Since their invention in the nineteenth century, chainsaws have revolutionized the way that we cut through wood. They are extremely powerful cutting tools, which take a huge amount of effort out of forestry-based work. As chainsaws are serious power tools, they also are dangerous pieces of equipment in inexperienced hands. They can cause harm in […]
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The 3 Real Reasons Beekeeper Suits are White
Beekeeper suits are almost always exclusively white. At first, I wasn’t sure why such a fashion statement was being made. So I had to ask my beekeeper sister-in-law and neighbors: why, of all colors, are beekeeper suits white? In general, beekeepers wear white to make it easier to see bees on them, so that bees […]
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Do Electric Fences Keep Coyotes Out?
Before we brought in any animals to our backyard homestead, predators were one of our main concerns. We talked about coyotes, neighborhood dogs, raccoons, and more. And one of the big questions we wondered was this: do electric fences keep coyotes out? As a general rule, electric fences keep coyotes out, provided they are installed […]
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Can a Hand Saw Cut Plywood?
When I’m building something “quick,” it never fails – I need to cut some plywood after I’ve put the power tools away. The first few times, I sighed before lugging the circular saw or table saw back out. But then I thought of something far more portable – and still out with my tools. Can […]
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Can a Garden Hose Handle HOT Water?
Growing up in Arizona, I learned quickly that everything gets to be “too hot!” quite quickly. And now that my own kids are learning the joys of gardening, they’re learning a few of the lessons I had to learn as a child. One of the things they’re learning is the answer to this age-old question: […]