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5 Minute Rainwater Collection System - Super Simple!
So the city water completely sucks. I am grateful for it, but water is so important and the city doesn't cut it. So when it started to rain today, I made a simple rainwater collection system in less than five minutes! Check it out. Your health is your number one asset. You are 75% water and you need high qualtiy water.…
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Bury 55 gal barrel for food storage or storage of lithium battery.
I finally stopped talking about it, and I did it… I put underground a 55 gal barrel, and I added a wifi temp monitor so I can now get good data of what the temps are in the barrel. My hope is I can store grain in vacuum sealed food saver bags in this for long term storage. My main concerns is moisture, so I will be…
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Using a solo stove + a cookie sheet with sand + a cast iron pan to make bread..
I have found a way to use a solo type stove with cooking pizza. I use a 20 inch cast iron pan, and underneath that I put 2 - 3 inches of sand in a pan. The sand diffuses the heat on the cast iron pan, I was able to cook this up in 40 min . The bread turned out awesome with that smoked flavor. I now have put in some peppers…
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Woodcarving, anyone?
I'm not a woodcarver, but I admire well-executed wood carvings. I ran across this interesting video channel focused on woodcarving. https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=doug+linker Do we have any woodcavers on TGN?
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Coolest plant tag ever! Easy to make - and from recycled cans
If you are like me, you are absolutely certain you will remember that plants name as you are putting it in the ground. And then two weeks later. Or it might even be the next day.... Uh, what was that again? A friend, Joe Jarvis who is a writer for Sovereign Man, came by the other day with some gift trees. And oh yes, I…
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What to use for wood treatment?
What do you all use to naturally treat your wood you use for your projects? I just treated a bought observation hive as it will be sitting outside some time in all weather. I used linseed oil for this as it is natural and not harmful to the bees.
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Ideas for Cinder Blocks
Some ideas if you have cinder blocks around that you don't know what to do with.
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The Difference Between Mold and Mildew
So, living in the tropics I am getting very familiar with how everything likes to grow. Including mold and mildew. I didn't realize there was a difference between the two until I stumbled across this well written article on the Grainger website. BTW, Grainger is a great source for all kinds o things my local hardware store…
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DIY sprouter lid
Thought I'd share this idea as it's working out really well for me. I wanted some additional sprouting lids for my mason jars and when I checked the price I found a way to make my own. I went to the craft store and got plastic needlepoint canvas in two different sizes. I used the metal lid as a pattern and cut out…
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Chicken Cage project(s)
Hello all, new here! We are on our second chicken cage; size is about 12 feet square and 10 feet high, all covered with the wire that is less than 1" squares (maybe 1/2" squares). We have squirrels that can get into chicken wire and eat the eggs, we have badgers that bury under and we have chicken hawks that attack from on…
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Re-soling shoes - it was easy!
I walk a LOT. My feet are my transportation. Asphalt, concrete, and other rough surfaces are everywhere. I go through sandals pretty quickly. This one pair from Crocs are so comfortable and all the upper parts are still super functional. I couldn't bear to throw them out when the inevitable hole to the concrete eventually…
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Need ideas for repurposing a huge chest freezer
I have a 12’ beast that is in remarkably good shape but no longer functions. We already have a freezer worm farm and an urban worm farm in the basement so I need other ideas please.
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Weekend projects
This would be great for those long weekends.
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Bird baths
With spring finally getting here in the northern hemisphere, how about bird baths to brighten up the yard. Really love the dishware collage one. The glass lid used for the hanging one is kind of cool, too.
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Tire swings
Thought this article would be a good one to post since we have several members with newer homesteads. School will soon be out and kids will need something to do.
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Portable field sink
Cool article out of Mother Earth News. Great to have in several instances. Outdoor meat processing, regular outdoor usage or if you've maybe got your kitchen torn out.
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Refitting a pre-built shed to house
Found this article and am throwing it out here for information purposes. Will add next section(s) when they are available.
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Tea light slow cooker
Another one of those "prep" articles that seem to pop out at me. Using tea lights, a small fan, stock pot and a box.
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Horse drawn sled
Another article that popped up as I was browsing through Mother Earth News. Immediately brought @LaurieLovesLearning to mind. Got me thinking as I have moved Cigar to a new boarding facility. The stalls are huge as it was once a Clydesdale breeding farm. Now just boarding riding horses. But, they do have a Belgian. And the…
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Rocking chair crib
What a cool Christmas present to make for parents with new baby.
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New greenhouse and garden
The new green house is finished. This one is 10 x 20. Here are a few pictures of our pallet greenhouse. We filled it pretty quick. Ended up giving away about 25 tomato plants, and a dozen or so each broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage with a few others in smaller quantities that I just did not have time or room for. The…
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Another rainwater collection idea
Boy, this has a lot of graphics and info in it.
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Infrared heating what is your experience?
I am very much climate change conscious and I want to make our living as nature friendly as possible. So far our house is heated with oil. We also have two tile stoves heated by wood. The house is well insulated and the windows are changed and we have double and triple glazing windows. We are looking for more nature…
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Recycled material furniture
Ideas for those odd scraps (especially since material costs are through the roof).
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Underground or Earth-bermed Construction
I thought this might be a good discussion for many people here on TGN. My husband and I are looking for property to build on. Our current home, although very much loved, is becoming a bit much for upkeep for us as we age. Too big, too many stairs, too much wood needed to heat, etc., etc. We are considering underground or…
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Check out this article on Air Wells - great idea for homesteads!
Air wells are old technology that collects water for drinking from the air! Here is an article from on old magazine... actually, several great article in this one.
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Masonry Heaters.....Winter is coming
These I view as a type of Rocket mass heater, which we've talked about before. But, some of these are pretty cool. "In a well-insulated home, a masonry heater will use 1/3rd (or much) less wood, than a home heated with an old-fashioned metal woodstove. A well-designed masonry heater can easily outperform almost all…
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Need to Relax? 17 hammock plans
With "Heck" week (aka Annual Physical Inventory) over, and this year was really bad; I need to relax. Here's 17 hammock plans that just might be helpful.
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Solawrap attaching/ installing
Hello :) We have built a wooden structure for our greenhouse and now we want to install solawrap over it - how should we attach it? Can we staple it to the wood? Thank you!
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Repurposing A Piano
We got a new to us, free 1900 Heintzman to replace our slightly newer old piano. The old one had cracks forming in the soundboard & was at a place where it no longer made sense to keep it hanging on. Instead of moving the whole (retired) thing out at once, we decided to dismantle it instead. We have been trying to figure…
