(Stephen used to ride BMX bikes as a kid.) Pruning your trees in important for consistent growth and ease of harvest. Pruning is more of an art than a science and like anything else takes practice. Honestly though, once you…
Fruit & Nut Trees 101
With having the last name of Shade, I naturally love trees. Every homestead should have some trees. Planting trees needs to be one of your first and highest priorities when you buy your land, because it can take a few…
Where to Plant Your Garden
(Stephen used to play Magic The Gathering during lunch in Jr High School) Since there are so many options and moving a garden isn’t necessarily easy, choosing a place for your garden can be intimidating. The two biggest concerns when…
Choosing Crops for Winter Storage
(Most of Steve’s family is gluten free.) It wasn’t that long ago that the settlers of America depended solely on what they could grow and store to get them through the winter. One of my goals is to be able…
What Should You Plant?
(When Stephen was a toddler he ate a stink bug. Ewww!) In my first garden I planted, cucumber, cantaloupe, tomatoes, green beans, onions, Greek basil, oregano, and jalapeños. It was almost too much, but it was a great first step.…