GenAcres Homestead

  Affordable Seed Starting  Setup Okay. $908 for a four-shelf "plant growth cart"? Saw it on Amazon. Yes, it has the lights attached, it's conveniently on rollers, and it's ready to use. But $908? After spending way too long searching for a seed starting setup that wouldn't completely break the bank, I decided that it was worth the time to put one together myself, and I'm really glad I did.

  Why Birds Aren't Using Your Birdbath It’s been said that birdbaths attract more birds than bird feeders do. I believe that may be true as I know plenty of people who have several feeders but no birdbaths in their yard and they are wondering where their bird visitors are. If you have a birdbath that is open for business but no feathery customers are visiting, you may find the reason below.

This article presumes that you are familiar with the basics of making projects with hypertufa. If you aren’t familiar with the process, or just need a refresher, go to our Hypertufa 101 article with step by step hypertufa-making instructions, by clicking here. I have made several hypertufa projects and by far my favorite mold for making planters is wicker baskets. They can readily be found for a few bucks at second-hand shops so I don’t worry that they will be destroyed by the process. When you firmly push the hypertufa mix into the wicker basket’s cracks and crevices, the final look has a basket imprint which I find hard to match by any other method.     Types of Wicker Baskets The thickness and strength of the wicker basket is important. Baskets that are thicker with a tighter weave will give you the deepest imprint on the final project but will be more difficult to de-mold later. Recipe for Wicker Basket Planters The common mix recipe of one part

Making Seed Tapes  I used to think making seed tapes was a waste of time and I didn’t understand why gardeners would spend time making them. That was until I was at my wit’s end trying to thin out carrot seeds that I had direct sown. I find it nearly impossible to get the spacing right on those tiny seeds. So I tried the seed tape thing and made enough of them to fill a four by eight foot raised garden bed. The result?  The carrots germinated with just the right spacing – NO THINNING!  I was sold.

Don't Cut Corners in your Veggie Garden! You Can Be Frugal and Successful! There are a lot of ways to cut corners in the garden to save money. Buying garden supplies such as containers, watering cans, etc from a second-hand store is one way. Building your own raised garden beds or trellises is another.

   Feeding Bread to Wild Birds Generally, bread is not safe to feed birds on a regular basis, and the general category of “bread” for this article includes any bread-like product including buns, bagels, crackers, chips, etc.  

Zebra Finch Choosing the Best Birdbath We all prefer birdbaths that add beauty and whimsy to our yards, but the birds themselves may be looking for something else, things that were designed for them in mind.