GenAcres Homestead

Early Spring Garden Chores Although the term “early spring” for me in Zone 6 Ohio may not be the same time as the “early spring” for your garden zone, for this article, early spring means that time of year when winter seems to be coming to an end and intermittent freezes and thaws are happening in the garden. The first signs of Spring!

15 Reasons for Veggie Garden Failures I personally don't believe there are people with “green thumbs.” Successful gardening of any type takes good planning and dedication to follow through. Your plants are like children; they need what they need when they need it and not when you have time to do it.  

Monetizing Your Homestead to Market Success by Lance Cody-Valdez You’ve got a homestead you can be proud of and have plenty of homemade products that you know people would be willing to buy, ranging from soap to cheese to woodcrafts and more. The only problem is getting your products out on the open market! If you’re looking to monetize your hobby farm, look no further—this guide from The Homestead Village Blog will break down everything you need to know about monetizing your farm’s products from start to finish. Establish Your Business Planning to sell goods means planning to operate a business. It’s important to consider forming your business as an LLC—it reduces your personal liability and provides tax advantages. While this can be costly using the services of an attorney, you can save on cost, time, and paperwork by using a formation service online. Each state has different requirements, so be sure to check them before going forward. Create a Brand Firstly, you need a brand that

  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.