Welcome to The Homesteading RD's Blog!

Here you'll find my most most recent blog posts. Explore everything from companion planting and vertical gardening to raising meat birds and water glassing eggs. Don't miss my farm-to-table recipes!
A fully ripe butternut squash laying in the garden, top down view
Grow Your Own Food

When to Harvest Butternut Squash

Your butternut squash is growing and looking great, but how do you know when it’s ready to harvest? Many first-time gardeners mistakenly pick their butternut squash too early (or too late!) and end up disappointed. Oh no! Picking butternut squash at the exact right time will ensure that they not only taste great but that

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A bottle of freshly made fermented hot sauce held over a wooden cutting board with peppers in the background
Farm-to-Table Recipes

Homemade Fermented Hot Sauce – EASY and Delicious!

If you’re a hot sauce fanatic like me, then you HAVE to try making your own fermented hot sauce! It’s seriously super easy and downright delicious. You’ll never be able to go back to that boring store-bought stuff again! My fermented hot sauce recipe is versatile and easy to make. I provide the formula and

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A grey broody hen with chicks right in front of her. Inside a brooder.
Raise Chickens

Broody Hen Management – A Beginner’s Guide

As much as I enjoy hatching chicks from my own incubator, nothing compares to the joy of watching a broody hen hatch out her own clutch of chicks. My hens typically get a better hatch rate than I do anyway (sometimes 100%!) and then I don’t have to fuss with humidity and heat settings, either.

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Green onions and kale growing in a shady raised bed
Grow Your Own Food

15 Vegetables (and Herbs) That Grow in Shade

Just because you have a shady yard doesn’t mean that you can’t grow your own food! There are actually quite a few vegetables and herbs that not only survive but THRIVE in a shady location. There’s hope for you! I get it, when I started gardening, I thought I could only place my garden in

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5 eggs in a nesting box, except one egg has been broken open
Raise Chickens

How to Keep Your Chickens From Eating Their Eggs

Nothing is more frustrating than coming out to the coop to gather eggs, only to face a messy nest with empty eggshells. Argh! To add insult to injury, once hens figure out just how tasty their eggs are, it can be very challenging (if not nearly impossible) to stop.  So, what should you do if

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Chickens pecking at the ground in front of an automatic chicken coop door
Raise Chickens

The 5 BEST Automatic Chicken Coop Doors in 2024

It can be overwhelming to try to figure out the best automatic chicken coop door for you and your flock, but it doesn’t have to be! I’ve taken the guesswork out of it by doing the research for you. Having the right coop door can make a world of difference in terms of convenience, safety,

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