Welcome to the resources page for the December edition of Weekend Homesteader!  Feel free to leave comments on this page to let me know what you loved or hated about the ebook, or to share your experiences with others.  I hope you'll also take a minute to write a review on Amazon so that more readers will consider giving our ebook a try.


Plant a fruit tree
Extension Service --- Visit your state's extension service website for variety recommendations and information on local disease and pest problems.

Nurseries.  There are hundreds of nurseries out there, and I can only speak for the few I've used.  In my immediate area (southwest Virginia), Urban Homestead has a diverse array of heirloom apples that they'll sell to you in person or through the mail.  I've also had good luck ordering plants from Hidden Springs Nursery (another small operation nearby) and Grandpa's Orchard (I know nothing about them, but the peaches I ordered had amazing roots.)

Weekend Homesteader: May.  Read more about how and why to make kill mulches.

Weekend Homesteader: July.  Find out why the mulch you use for your vegetable garden isn't the right mulch for your fruit trees.

Forest gardening.  You can mimic a natural ecosystem by including smaller plants amid your fruit trees.  Just be sure to understand limiting factors before you get too excited.


Stay warm without electricity
If you decide to go beyond the Weekend Homesteader level and install a wood stove, here is some useful information:

• Choosing an efficient wood stove
• Smallest wood stoves
• Wood stove in a mobile home
• Disadvantages of exterior wood furnaces
• Ceiling support kit components
  

Essential tools
Telescoping multi-ladder --- This ladder serves the function of both a stepladder and extension ladder.

Trake --- This combination trowel and miniature rake is the only tool the established no-till gardener really needs.

Pressure canner --- This pressure canner costs $200, but doesn't need rings, so it should last for your lifetime and beyond without requiring spare parts.

Chopper 1 --- This inventive twist on a regular maul includes spring-loaded levers that make firewood splitting a breeze.


Turning trash into treasures
Freecycle --- Freecycle is "a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns."  Other organizations that follow the same model include: ReUseIt Network, Full Circles (Canada), and Freegle (UK).  Recycling Group Finder allows you to type in your zipcode and find freecycling groups near you while Trashnothing turns those pesky emails from multiple freecycling groups into an easily browsable website.

Craigslist --- Craigslist is like an online yard sale or free classified ad for your local area.

Weekend Homesteader: October --- Learn where to find the highest quality, free sources of compost and mulch for your garden.

Want more in-depth information? Browse through our books.

Or explore more posts by date or by subject.

About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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