Gardening, livestock management, home renovation, and crafts for productive, efficient and beautiful homestead
Take a macabre walk through the poison garden in your own backyard. Tour the toxic flora of some of the most common garden plants and wild weeds and explore these toxic herbs’ less virtuous attributes. They say “the poison is…
Fill your cottage garden landscape with these showy annuals that double as herbal medicine. Medicinal and gorgeous, start these cottage garden annuals now to get the most bang for your buck, while treating your mind, body, and soul. The illustrations…
Have you ever eagerly planted seeds, but your results were less than stellar? Nothing came up? New starts died? Young plants were straggly and weak? Don’t dismiss your efforts as having a brown thumb — use these tips for understanding…
A supremely useful herb for the home apothecary, learn how to grow lady’s mantle for beautiful foliage and soft blooms in the garden. Use these alchemilla growing tips to grow the perennial favorite of herbalists and gardeners alike! In that…
Use these edible & medicinal host plants to create thriving butterfly garden and visual feast for the naturalist’s eye. Gardening with plants that attract butterflies and host butterfly larvae are excellent way to craft a thriving pollinator community in your…
Perhaps one of the most medicinally valuable succulents, aloe vera plants are easy to grow and thrive on neglect. Learn how to grow, harvest and preserve fresh aloe vera gel for minor burns and wounds! Aloe vera was probably one…
Are you looking to make your home and garden naturally bugs and pest free? Try these plants that repel bugs and other pests (such as mice, rats and even rabbits), while creating a beautiful, non-toxic landscape. All winter we wait….
Learn how to grow and forage Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) — one of nature’s most useful medicinal plants! Not only are the roots of the Oregon state flower prized for their therapeutic potential, but the tart, tannic berries are edible too! Rarely…
We often think of herbs for their culinary & medicinal values. But through nutrient accumulation and phyto-remediation, here are nine herbs to improve your soil! I have been long prodded to write a post on medicinal herbs to improve your…
Oats are an exceptional medicinal and nutritive herb that herbalist employ to calm frayed nerves and debilitated conditions. It is also an easy herb to grow, forage and harvest for a great supply of medicine and yummy foods like cookies,…
I am an herbalist, farmer, cook, and forager. I get my hands dirty and am not afraid to do things the "hard way". Sharing my Nitty Gritty Life with you! Read More
Devon
