Foraging
How to Make Herbal Lip Balm: A Simple Beginner Recipe
Making herbal lip balm at home takes an afternoon and three things — oil, beeswax, and a tin. Here's the folk method I use, the ratio,…
Backyard Chickens
Best Chicken Waterers to Keep Your Flock Cool in Summer
The best chicken waterers for summer — the three I trust to keep cool, clean water in front of my flock when a Tennessee July turns…
Foraging
How to Make Your First Herbal Salve, Step by Step
A step-by-step guide to making your first herbal salve the old folk way — infusing the oil, the beeswax ratio I use, and how to store…
Gardening
Keep Container Plants Alive Through a Summer Heat Wave
A heat wave hits container plants hardest. Here's how I keep my balcony pots alive through a brutal week — when to water, how to shade,…
Backyard Chickens
How to Stop Your Hens From Eating Their Own Eggs
Egg-eating is a learned habit that spreads fast. Here's how I stopped it in my own flock — roll-away boxes, washable nest pads, dummy eggs, and…
Backyard Chickens
Predator-Proofing the Run: Why Chicken Wire Almost Cost Me My Flock
Chicken wire keeps chickens in, not predators out. Here's how I predator-proofed my run after a raccoon got in — hardware cloth, real latches, and a…
Backyard Chickens
Setting Up Your First Chick Brooder: My Day-One Checklist
My day-one chick brooder setup checklist from six years and a lot of mistakes — heat plate, thermometer, feeder, the right starter feed, and bedding that…
Backyard Chickens
The No-Waste Chicken Feeders I’ve Actually Used
Three no-waste chicken feeders I've actually run in my own coop — a port feeder, a treadle feeder, and a hanging feeder — with the honest…
Backyard Chickens
5 Signs Your Hens Are Overheating (and How to Cool Them Down Fast)
Tennessee summers are hard on a flock. Here are the five signs your hens are overheating — and the fast, practical ways I cool the girls…
Gardening
It’s Not Too Late: 7 Things to Plant in Late June (in Pots)
Late June is not too late to plant — even in pots on a balcony. Seven fast, forgiving things you can still start this week, no…