Expanding Your Home Outdoors Homesteading requires creativity and ingenuity. In the depths of winter, I often find myself dreaming of days and evenings enjoyed outside. On our homestead, we have discovered opportunities to expand our living spaces by creating private areas outdoors as well as creatively using outbuildings. Wintertime is the perfect time to plan […]

After buying a piece of neglected land in Downeast Maine, two homesteaders call upon their knowledge to forge a cherished retreat. Putting Our Homesteading Skills to the Test Homesteaders are often familiar with Helen and Scott Nearing. Although their legacy began in decades past, their ideals are still very relevant, albeit most of us do […]

When we decided to start a business the biggest obstacle was coming up with the startup money. We found a few easy ways to save the needed money without digging into our household budget. These small changes made a big financial opportunity for us and may help you with saving too.   Cellular Service This […]

Help Your Chickens Thrive This Winter Most breeds of chickens are hardy animals. Just like songbirds, they have feathers and a voracious appetite to help keep them warm when the temperatures drop. On our homestead, we choose to raise breeds that are hardy, good layers, and good mothers. Two breeds that we found represent these […]

Healthy Chickens=Healthy Profits Healthy chickens result from careful planning. Your happy hens will lay eggs regularly which you can turn around and sell for profit. Following are the practices we implement in our flock to encourage optimal health in order to produce the most amount of eggs. Ways to save money It can be easy […]

“Is anyone going to show up?” “Do we have enough insurance?” “Will we lose the farm?” At 9:01 p.m., the night before an opening, these and similar questions creep into my mind. These are the “What if’s” that can kill a beautiful dream. Of course at 9:01 a.m. the process repeats. –BUILD IT RIGHT, THEY […]

Guest post by Charlie Baulm Farming: Rich soil, bright sunshine, and … addiction recovery? Strange as it may sound at first, people are farming to help them recover from alcohol and drug abuse. When you learn “why,” their reasons make a lot of sense. Whether it be to build a sense of community as in […]

If you garden, you can start your own plants like tomatoes or peppers, or you can purchase them elsewhere. While it is obvious that a packet of seeds costs less than a flat of already-started plants, there are a number of other reasons to start your own transplants. If you are only familiar with what […]

I’m very fortunate to live on a beautiful property that has been farmed continuously since just after the Revolutionary War. We tend 50 acres and have a barn that dates to 1894 as well as numerous outbuildings. For those trying to homestead on just a few acres (or less!), this may seem like plenty of […]

I’m getting excited for spring, as we’re about to start hatching season here at Pleasant Valley Farm! Each spring, the poultry help to provide a boost to our income at a time when there are plenty of expenses on the farm. And while I’ve been making a modest income for quite a few years now, […]