I am so blessed to have a hubby that not only takes an interest in my herb garden, but he has so much knowledge in the topic of cultivating and managing soil. Because of his continual commitment to that goal, my garden is flourishing. 4 years ago we used the entire area as a parking […]
permaculture
Energy Efficiency with a Power Meter
Move toward more energy efficiency using a power meter In this video I cover two main points that are helpful toward energy efficiency using a power meter: 1. A power meter helps determine which appliances draw power all the time regardless of use. For example, most tvs draw power 24/7/365. Unplug these appliances when not […]
Culinary and Medicinal Garden Snowpocalypse!
Snow-Covered Herb Garden In the foreground is our culinary and medicinal garden. In the background is the food forest on terrace. We are excited about adding many different medicinal herbs this year to our established garden: yarrow, chaste tree, calendula and plantain just to name a few. In the food forest we will adding more […]
Cold Frames for Self-Sufficiency
Utilizing cold frames to get an early start and extend the season is one of easiest and most reliable ways to get a jump on the growing season. Have you ever listened to people talk about building high tunnels and greenhouses? They often are mired in cumbersome grant programs with costs in the thousands […]
Podcast Episode 125 – Blake Akers – Agritrue
On today’s program we interview Blake Akers, one of the partners, designers and promoters of Agritrue, which is a private alternative food Certification to USDA Organic Certification. Blake explains what Agritrue is and what it is trying to accomplish. Agritrue is a community policed, beyond organic food certification and labeling program. He talks about the […]
Podcast 113 – 5 Types of Animal Forage
In today’s podcast, Monica and I talk about 5 plants to grow for animal forage. Two main reasons to grow animal forage are to reduce reliance on the feed store (which saves you money) and it produces healthier animals. 1. White Dutch Clover – Trifolium repens – This is an easy plant to begin with. […]
Saving money & time
As we entered this year we re-evaluated our farm plan and priority list from last year. We had to make one adjustment because we (meaning Monica) wanted to add a medicinal and culinary guild to our front yard which is almost completed. We set out a budget, proposed time line, and a materials list. Because […]
Podcast Episode 111 – Permaculture Herbs and Guilds
In today’s podcast Monica and I discuss our Medicinal Guild Project as well as our thoughts on Permaculture and the Modern Medical Industry. We encourage everyone to join our TPH community membership for valuable and exclusive content that includes a regular VLOG, courses, PDF downloads, member forum and more. Join Here. Permaculture is a methodology […]
Planning Earthworks
When you have a homestead, the work is never really done. We run our homestead using permaculture principles which requires earth works. Different times of year and different weather allow us to see how everything is functioning. This year we finally had the opportunity to evaluate the work we did last year, particularly regarding water. […]
Water Analysis VLOG
In this VLOG I walk around the property and conduct some water analysis. I love to walk in the rain and watch how and where the water flows. You can learn a lot by thoughtfully observing water on your land in order to tell how to best utilize it as a resource. Water is life […]
