Tag Archives: prepping

Mapping Out Your Vegetable Garden

Mapping out your vegetable garden so you have a plan on paper once planting time arrives is a key component to a successful growing season. So is detailed note taking. I have a sketch of every garden I’ve ever planted, … Continue reading

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Mulches and Mulching

We’ve used mulches on our gardens from day one. Mulching is a key component to a happy garden in our opinion. There are a number of benefits to mulching. Let’s delve deeper into mulches and mulching. Benefits of Mulching It … Continue reading

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Dry Beans – A Homesteader’s Staple

Dry beans, a homesteader’s staple should be in everyone’s larder whether they are a homesteader, prepper, city dweller or rural resident. As long as they are properly stored in a cool, dry location, they keep indefinitely without the need for … Continue reading

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Vertical Grow Tower

It’s good to be back after a long hiatus. The new book manuscript and pictures are in the publisher’s hands and we can now focus on our normal routine. As you know, we’ve been gardening for a long time. Not … Continue reading

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Fall 2018 Nova Scotia Off Grid Homestead Building Update

So!… Some might surmise we spent summer swimming, snorkeling; surely somewhat slouched semi-supine sipping sweet seven eleven slurpees by the seashore. Seriously? No way! We have been maxed out since we last wrote. Where do I even begin? Let’s give … Continue reading

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Wiring Our ICF Off-Grid Home

The first thing I have to say is please don’t attempt to do any wiring of any kind unless you understand electricity and the proper way to install electrical boxes and circuits. I don’t want to hear about any shiny … Continue reading

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The Real Dirt on Garden Soil

Gardens with the vegetables and fruits they provide are an integral part of our self-sufficiency plan. We derive a great deal of satisfaction in providing the majority of our fruits and vegetables. In order to get the best results, we … Continue reading

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Spring 2018 Update On Our Off Grid Homestead

It’s been quite some time since we gave everybody an update on our progress or lack thereof. Let me give you the spring 2018 update on our off grid homestead. We made it through the winter in the tent just … Continue reading

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Forest Fires and How We Survived Them – Part 2

Imagine if you will, being outdoors and hearing a chugging sound in the distance and realizing that chugging is not a choo choo train coming. When you run down to the lake’s shoreline, four miles in the distance, you fix … Continue reading

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Forest Fires and How We Survived Them – Part 1

You never want to look out your window or step outdoors and see a column of black/gray smoke rising from the nearby forest. That happened several times to us when we lived out in the Saskatchewan wilderness. Those experiences give … Continue reading

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Christmas Update on Our Nova Scotia Homestead

With the approach of Christmas and Holidays, I figured I’d give everybody a quick update and then resume normal posts after the first of the year. Here’s our Christmas update on our Nova Scotia homestead. We made a valiant effort … Continue reading

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Let’s Talk ICF For Our New Off-Grid Home – Part 1

There are any number of construction materials and methods a person can use to build their new home. The traditional method is stick frame using conventional framing lumber. That’s the method we chose for our last 2 off-grid homes. As … Continue reading

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Campfire Cooking

Living in a wall tent as a temporary residence presents many challenges, one of which is meal preparation. Yet anyone who thinks camp meals are limited to burgers and hot dogs is in for a surprise. The possibilities are endless, … Continue reading

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Is a foundation really that important?

Is a foundation really that important? The answer to the question is yes! As far as I’m concerned, it’s the most important part of a building to ensure its long term survival. If the foundation crumbles, shifts or isn’t square … Continue reading

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Mid-Summer Homestead Update.

We wanted to take a little time to show you what we have accomplished since our last update. We’ve made some real progress. I especially, am results driven and things don’t always look like they’re progressing fast enough. But when … Continue reading

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Squeeze a House into a Tent

Most of us live in some form of traditional home complete with the typical layout. We probably have a living room, dining room, bathroom, kitchen and utility area. Unless a person is a tiny home enthusiast, most homes are of … Continue reading

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Wall Tent, Our Temporary Home

Have you ever heard of a wall tent? You may be familiar with backpacking and family camping tents put out by various companies but there is another breed of tent used by hunters as well as the mineral and oil … Continue reading

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Digging Our Water Well On Our New Off-grid Homestead

Gather round and let me tell you a story about magic. And water. Hard to believe they can be associated. I’m going to give you all the details on digging our water well on our new off-grid homestead. And a … Continue reading

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Our Off-Grid Refrigeration and Battery Choices

I have a more comprehensive update post coming in the next few days regarding how things are progressing on the new homestead but for now I wanted to pass on some preliminary info that others might find of use. As … Continue reading

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The Indoor Outhouse

In my last post, The Homestead Outhouse, I alluded to the fact that there is an indoor version as well. Composting toilet manufacturers probably wouldn’t be too keen on my characterization, but an outdoors outhouse is essentially a chamber that … Continue reading

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