Leigh

When To Plant A Garden

August 27, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Have you ever wondered when to plant a garden? If you live and breathe based on your zones, you could also be in for a world of hurt. But there are a lot of nuances to planting a garden that may make you freeze up and think, I can’t start a garden right now. But you CAN start a garden right now, you just need some insights to do it “right”. So when do you plant a garden? Let’s talk about it.

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When To Plant A Garden

To start with there are several different zones, frost dates, and ole timers that all say something different. But how do you know which is right for you? If you are new to gardening and don’t really have any experience or are just new to your area and aren’t sure about your specific growing climate, I suggest using your frost dates. I’m going to walk you through my entire system and how and when I actually plant my spring, summer and fall gardens.

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Frost Dates

First thing first, you need to look up your frost dates. This is as simple as Googling “What are the frost dates for X city.” PS: X city is your city. Google may not be able to give you an answer for your specific zip code, so you may end up having to figure out your next closest city and use those frost dates. My first frost date is October 31st and my last frost is April 15th.

Next, grab a pocket calendar from your local dollar store or order one like this off Amazon. Put your dates in the calendar. You can use whatever calendar you have but it does need to be something that you are going to keep track of. We don’t want to put this much work into a planner to never touch it again….. Guilty.

Finally, you are going to count back from your first frost to your last frost. Google makes this really easy. Simply type “How many days from X date to X date.” Google will spit out the answer. You can also search for a week count that tells you how many weeks from this date to that date. I like to use days so that I can figure out how many days the plant needs vs how many day the plant will get.

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Tips For Frost Dates

Depending on what season you are in and your dates, there is usually something that you can plant year round. If you live far north or in extreme climates, you need to pay more attention to what you are planting and when, but for us that isn’t a problem.

Also, remember that just because your frost date is closing in, doesn’t mean that you can’t plant something. You may end up with plenty of time to plant extra plants. Or you may just need to take some precautions. If you wanted to plant some squash but you know you are going to be pushing close to your frost date, through a sheet or blanket over the plant at night time.

For example, I want to plant squash but I know I’m close to my frost date, I would look at my seed packet to see how many days to maturity. Summer squash usually takes 40-60 days. But the fruit doesn’t get to edible size until about 2-3 weeks later. So to make sure that I have plenty of days, I will assume that it will take 90 days from seed to table. That means that, for my first frost date of Oct 31st, I need to plant by August 2nd. But if I miss that date, and I plant summer squash on September first, I may have to protect that plant for a couple of weeks.

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Planting A Spring Garden

For us, a spring garden isn’t really “smart”. I do it anyways because come February I am begging to play in the dirt. The reason that a spring garden isn’t “smart” is because it tends to be a waste of time and seeds. Our springs in Georgia flip flop worse than a politician during election season. You will have an 80* day and a 25* night and the next day will be 40*. Then next day will be 80* again. You’ll have torrential downpours that turn to ice overnight. It’s insanity.

To plant my spring gardens, I check my calendar and see when my last frost is. Again, for me, it’s mid April. I know that come end of April to beginning of May, my summer gardens are going in so I don’t want to take up space in my gardens for things that aren’t going to be ready to go by then. Usually, I will start my spring stuff in January and put them in the greenhouse and plant in end of February to beginning of March. Usually, the weather has started to stabilize a bit and it’s not too crazy.

I don’t plant a ton of things because again, most of this stuff is going to bolt before I ever get a chance to harvest. This is almost exclusively for fresh eating and seed saving.

If you live in a climate similar to ours, where it goes from winter to summer in .388393 seconds, AND you have limited space, feel free to skip the spring garden.

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Planting A Summer Garden

Every gardener loves the summer garden…. at least at first. My summer gardens start in February when I start about 60% of my seeds. As the months go on, I start the rest of my seeds so that I have wave after wave of plants that will be going into the garden. Some things like melons, pumpkins, cucumbers, beans, etc can go in mid April. But there are some things that can’t go in until the threat of frost has completely past. This is stuff like tomatoes, peppers, okra, and other heat loving things.

As I stated above, I will start planting things mid April, pending the weather. This means that if I don’t have a 10 day stretch of non freezing nights, I don’t plant. If one night is less than 35*, I don’t plant. If I have one day that is less than 65*, I don’t plant. The 10 day stretch gets restarted until I have a whole stretch were the temps are at least above 35* and 65* respectively.

There are two really important things to remember when planting in the south. First, never rely on one set of crops if you are planning to put up your harvest. You will want to continue to succession sow until you have run out of days. The reason for this is because we have a ton of bugs here. Between the Japanese beetles and squash bugs, you will absolutely lose your harvest before you ever get the full bounty of that fruit.

The second most important thing to remember is that full sun in the south is not full sun anywhere else. Because we get more direct sun, you will absolutely scorch your garden if you are not careful. This means constant watering or even having to put up shade cloth. I talk more about the effects of full sun in the blog post above.

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Planting A Fall Garden

If I’m being really honest, this is my favorite garden. While I love most of the produce that comes out of the summer garden, the fall garden is hands down my favorite. I love kohlrabi, carrots, peas, cabbage, and broccoli. I love the fact that I am not going to have to worry as much about heat stroke. It’s an easier garden to tend and it’s not as fussy as the summer garden. That being said, it’s still a timing issue to get my plants in the ground.

Usually, I start my seeds for the fall garden mid August. I start them in the house where it’s cooler and then move them to the greenhouse after a few weeks. Once the temps drop to not Satan’s armpit, I will start planting. This is usually mid September.

Also, I will take down our cattle panels for the tomatoes, and use those to help create covers over the beds in case we get a light frost. Most brassicas and other cool loving crops can handle a light frost. In fact, carrots will taste better after a few frosts. But as we creep closer to December, we start getting pretty chilly nights that are closer to or at freezing.

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When To Plant A Garden

At the end of the day, you are going to have to look at your frost dates and experiment. We learned that planting in mid April is risky but not impossible, we just have to check the weather. We’ve learned that we can easily grow throughout winter, as long as we keep an eye on the weather and plant damage.

But that knowledge comes with experience for our area and our gardens. If you are new to the world of gardening, you will struggle. It’s just the reality. But paying attention to your frost dates and Googling “How many days till X date” or “How many days from X date to X date” will allow you to figure out how many days you plant needs to mature and produce a good harvest and how much time you actually have.

I hope this helps you figure out when to plant a garden and I hope that you look forward to your next planting season!

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Homestead Lessons: We Learn The Hard Way

August 24, 2024 by Leigh 7 Comments

Originally, this post was about the all the homestead lessons we learned the first year. But you never stop learning, especially when you homestead. So I wanted to go over all the homestead lessons we have picked up along the way. And the list keeps growing and growing.

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Homestead Lessons:

The Animals

Goats are not entry level animals. Seriously, wait until you have good fencing, a good vet, and patience!

Goats eat WAY more than you think they do.

Goat math is a thing. I’m still confused how our numbers jumped from 2 to 7….. Now, we are hovering around 15.

Chickens are cool, roosters are not. I threaten George with the stock pot daily.

Learn how to butcher and process your own animals. But also give yourself grace because you don’t know how.

If you don’t have a solid plan for pigs, don’t even bother. They will destroy your gardens, pens, and sanity. Sure, sometimes they’re fine. But these are also not beginner animals.

Be prepared for a ton of clean up after processing those animals.

Chicken poop is slippery on concrete. Be careful when you start chasing chickens through your basement.

Animals will die. Yes, it’s hard. No, it doesn’t get any easier.

Building

Build it right the first time. I cannot tell you the amount of times we have had to rebuild fences.

But also understand that you will rebuild things. It’s inevitable.

Don’t let the husband borrow your tools. Ever. Seriously, don’t do it. This man has broken more tape measures….

You are way more capable than you think you are. So is your spouse.

Regardless if it’s going to take longer, get your kids involved with projects. They need to learn how to do this stuff too.

Budget for a project, and then double it. If you think it’s going to cost $400 to build a fence, make sure you’ve got at least $800 set aside.

Garden

Find a local farm stand. Even if you have a garden. It’s better to know where to get fresh produce if the garden fails…. or the chickens, goats or pigs wreck it.

Canning is addictive. Get more jars than you think you will ever need, then double it.

Enjoy the abundance, even when you are drowning in cucumbers.

Learn to start your own plants. It’s WAY cheaper.

Give your garden and yourself grace! You can’t know everything about every plant!

Keep a garden journal!

Buy the seeds…. yes, all of them.

Try new varieties. Even if you have ones you love, try different ones.

Plant the flowers. Yes, all of them.

Plant ALL the plants. Even if you think it’s too many. You would be surprised what can happen in a season…. Plus that’s extra for the animals.

Also, plant for your animals too. You may not have enough to sustain them, but any discount on my feed bill makes me happy.

Planning

Have a plan A, B, C, D and E. Maybe go ahead and plan for F, G and H too. Just to be safe.

Estimate how much firewood you will use, and then double it. Maybe triple if you live in a crazy weather state like Georgia.

Go ahead and stock up on the things you think you need. Not only is it cheaper in the long run, if you need to pull off your supply in an emergency, you will be glad you have it.

Patience is the biggest lesson you will learn.

An emergency fund is going to be your saving grace when you buy a house. But when you buy a homestead? You should probably triple the amount you think you’ll need.

You are going to blow through that emergency fund when your goats get sick, dog needs surgery, well pump goes out and water heater explodes all in one month.

Understand things are going to happen that are beyond your control. Roll with it. A good attitude will get you through it.

Start a blog to detail the antics and chaos of your life. In a year, you will look back and laugh.

Learn to say no. Especially to your husband when he says goats would be a great idea 2 months into owning your homestead.

You are living the life you always wanted in a way you never dreamed. You are blessed beyond measure.

A homestead is what you make it. It starts with HOME for a reason. Enjoy it.

Since buying our homestead, I have learned so much. These are just a few of the homestead lessons we have picked up along the way. I could write 100 more and still not be at the end of my list. But it has been worth every single penny, sleepless night, and fight. I would not trade my life for the world and all the money. Here’s to the next year on the homestead. May it be as entertaining and interesting as the last.

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Is 5 Acres Enough For A Homestead?

August 20, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

There has been a self sufficient movement over the last couple of years. More people are wanting to become self sustaining. They want to be able to grow their own food, raise livestock, and be less reliant on others. Personally, I am ecstatic. But how big of a property do you need? 100 acres? 50? At least 20, right? Is 5 acres enough for a homestead? The answer is yes.

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Is 5 Acres Enough For A Homestead

Technically, we have just over 8 acres. But 2 acres of that is a pond, and another 1.5-2 acres is a giant hill that we can’t do a lot with. So, we have 5 usable acres. We have 30ish chickens, 17 ish ducks, and 10 goats that all need a place to live. There is also the garden that needs to go somewhere. Not to mention all the small projects that need land, like the orchard, clothesline, and *fingers crossed* the pool. Or the larger projects like the shop, greenhouse, and granny pods? 5 acres is enough for a homestead.

What Are Your Goals?

Do you want to be totally self sufficient? Is this a hobby? Are you supplementing your income? Why do you want to homestead? What does a successful homestead look like to you? When you can answer those questions you can start crafting your goals. Our goals are: Have the homestead be self sustaining and self funding. Mortgage paid off in less than 15 years. Animals provide food and/ or income. Land produces 75% or more food and 100% of firewood. Yes, 5 acres can do that.

By having clear goals and expectations, it allows you to focus your energy on the things that matter.

The Plan

In another post about homesteading, I talked about what homesteading means and starting a homestead. You really need to figure out what it means for you and how you want to make this property work for you.

Before you even decide on a property, or if you already have a property, you need to plan what you want to do with it. Do you want goats? What about chickens? Are you going to try and squeeze a cow or pigs in? What does your property look like? Is it hilly or flat? Do you have access to plenty of water? Are you going to garden for fun or for purpose? These are just some of the questions that you need to answer before you get into the guts of building up your homestead.

If you want goats, do you already have browse for them? Is the fencing goat proof? How long would it take you to put up good fencing and install a good pasture? Do you already have a barn? Is there a predator problem? Do you want to milk them? Breed them? If you can answer these questions you can start to plan.

Before we get too far into this, I have a great course on the basics of goat care. I call it Goat Crash Course: Goat 101. In this course, I explain things like types of shelter, types of feeds and hays, basic assessments and so much more! Check it out!

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As a beginning homesteader, you are going to want chickens. At least every beginner that I have met does. But really think about how any eggs you eat. Jared usually eats 3 eggs a day but no one else really does. When we make breakfast for dinner, we normally go through about a dozen eggs. But what about expansion. Do you want to sell eggs? Do you want to sell chicks? Are you going to be a victim of chicken math? Are you going to raise meat birds?

What about raising larger livestock, do you want pigs or cows? With enough pasture land, you can have a cow on an acre. You could have several pigs as well. The key is knowing your space and maximizing it.

Get To Work On The Plan

Most people only need a 800 sq ft (or 200 sq ft per person) garden to feed their family of 4 for a year. That’s not really a ton of space when you are talking about having 5 acres. Since we can a ton and give it to family, we decided to triple that. Plus, tomato math is a thing. We also knew that we were going to put in an orchard and decided that strategically planting trees throughout the property would benefit us more than having trees in rows. This would help with shade and keep pests from demolishing the entire crop.

We decided that we wanted to up our egg production for sales as well as reducing our need for chicken at the store. Then we bought more chickens and all of them are dual purpose birds, meaning that they are both egg layers and meat birds. We are also looking into selling any extra chicks.

Then we bought ducks…. Initially, I bought 10 meat ducks and 10 egg ducks. After our losses, I’m pretty sure I now have a total of 17 pet ducks. I’m not sure if I can butcher these guys. The way I see it though, I have 10 production meat ducks and those guys can lay and hatch our meat ducks…. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Our goats are for milking and breeding. Goats are a long term investment. If we can keep them alive and healthy, and all our does produce milk and good kids, we are looking at making about $9,000-11,000/ year. Not counting vet, feed, fencing, etc. That’s also not counting cheese, butter, soap or lotion sales.

Stick To Your Plan

We went off plan by getting the goats. They are no where near returning their investment. But they are so damn cute that we let it slide. Unfortunately, we had to put pigs on the back burner because of it. Same with meat rabbits. Homesteading on 5 acres or less is totally doable, but I will say it again and again. Set your goals, prioritize them, and get your plan in motion.

I would love to hear how you are homesteading or planning to homestead your property.

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Pros And Cons Of Disbudding Goats

August 17, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

There is a ton of information about disbudding goats and everyone has an opinion. I’m a big fan of laying out the information and letting you make the decision that is best for you. There are a ton of pros and cons of disbudding goats. There’s also a ton for leaving the horns intact. At the end of the day, it’s your homestead, your rules.

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What Is Disbudding

Disbudding is simply removing the horn buds of a goat kid. There are several ways to do this but the two main ones are a disbudding iron and disbudding paste.

Disbudding Iron

The iron works pretty similarly to a branding iron and cauterizes around the horn buds. This stops growth and seals off the area to help prevent infection. By doing this it kills the horn producing cells and prevents new horn growth. The procedure will generally look like this: shave the area around the buds, place the kid in a disbudding box, while holding their head/ears apply the iron and rock back and forth for 5 seconds. Scrape the cap away and apply blue-kote to the area. Bucks will generally require another application called a figure 8.

Disbudding Paste

Disbudding paste is a caustic substance that slowly burns away at the horn and down to the skull. It will then destroy the horn creating cells. This can take 6 or more hours depending on the goat, horns, and more.

The general procedure looks something like clean the area and dry. Using gloves, apply paste to horns and place duct tape over the area. Monitor kid and be careful of letting him around other animals/ livestock. They could get this paste on them which could burn the other animal.

After 6 hours, check the site. If the tape comes off easily, wipe off left over paste and allow to dry completely before going back to mom. The biggest draw back is how the paste works. If you get this extremely caustic substance on you, you will have a chemical burn. Period. If this stuff gets on momma it will burn her, too.

With either process you can have scurs which is when not all the cells were killed and the goat grows a horn anyways. Most of the time it’s just a tiny piece of horn. Sometimes it continues to grow and can cause issues.

Pros And Cons Of Disbudding Goats

Like I said above, I’m not going to tell you one way or another which camp you should stay in. If you want to keep your goats horns intact, by all means. If you want to disbud, you could do that, too. Despite what both camps say, there is absolutely no right or wrong here.

Pros of Disbudding

Less chances of injury to self, humans, or other goats. I recently got a goat horn to the mouth while attempting to get Bella onto the milking stand. I thought she knocked out a tooth. Instead, I walked away with a good size bruise on my top lip. Bella’s horns are also the reason why we only got one doeling from Champ instead of three.

Bella rammed, flipped, and rolled Champ while she was pregnant. Champ ended up going into labor the next day and the first and third babies where not in the proper position. After talking with another breeder and the vet, they also believe that is why the kids died.

I’ve also heard stories of breaking horns off with fighting, mating, and just general goat antics. When the horn gets broken off, a lot of times it will open into the sinus cavity. This invites all sorts of bacteria into the cavity which is really, really close to the brain.

Less chance of them getting their horns hung into fencing, trees, and other impossible things that goats shouldn’t get into but do anyways. Listen, goats try to off themselves daily. If you think I’m joking, ask any goat owner the amount of times they’ve had to rescue their goat from something stupid. When you add horns into the mix, it is just easier for them to die.

Bella has gotten her horns hung up in the hay bag/net thing so many times, she has finally figured out how to get herself out. It took her two days to figure out how to get her head in and out of the fencing. But if a coyote was around when she actually got stuck in fencing, she would have been a sitting duck… well goat.

If you are looking to show your goats, they have to be disbudded.

Cons of Disbudding

Bella is the easiest goat to catch because she has a collar AND handles. But like a bicycle, those handles will hurt when jammed into your face.

Goat horns are awesome looking. As a matter of fact, I have a goat skull on my wish list and it wouldn’t look nearly as cool without the horns.

Another big con is that the horns protect from predators. Well, that and they have to have enough attitude to use those horns against a predator…. Which Bella does.

The disbudding can cause rejection. While this doesn’t happen a lot, it can happen. When Finn and Bash were disbudded, Oakley rejected Finn and we had to take care of him for several days before she finally took him back. The burning of the horns and hair can cause rejection because the baby no longer smells like her kid.

It’s traumatic for the baby and for the humans. The reality is that you are taking a hot iron and pressing it into the skull of that baby. One slip and that baby can die. One jerk and you have 3rd degree burns. Not to mention screaming kid. It’s hard to handle.

Lastly and probably the most important, disbudded goats don’t cool down as well as horned goats. The horns have blood vessels that help keep the goats cool in the summer. We live in Georgia where it is hot and humid 7 months out of the year. I fill waterers several times a day because they go through it.

We Disbudded…. Until We Didn’t Anymore

When we got into goats, we drank the kool aide when it came to disbudding. It’s safer. It doesn’t hurt them. It’s fine.

But I really struggled with watching my babies in that box, panicking and screaming. Before I made the decision to “let them” keep their horns, I really paid attention to Bella. The arguments of horns getting stuck, while valid, hasn’t been a problem. The argument about safety? Yes, I’ve been popped by a goat horn…. a lot. It hurts, but not enough to relive the disbudding box.

The risk of serious injury or death from disbudded babies is a real thing. The shock of it can kill a goat kid. If you go too deep, you can puncture the skull.

The reality is that we aren’t going to be showing our goats. They are for milk, pets, and a way to make an income. That’s it. Plus I really like the way horned goats look.

Pros And Cons Of Disbudding Goats

At the end of the day, you have to make the right decision for you and your herd. There is no right or wrong answer here. I do think that disbudding paste is more dangerous than a disbudding iron but again the choice is yours. All I ask is that you make the decision based on facts. There are a ton of pros and cons to both sides and you have to live with those choices. The 104 Homestead has this to say when it comes to disbudding.

But please, please remember that these are YOUR animals and YOU are their shepherd. You have to make the decisions you feel best for your herd. I won’t disbud my goats, but I have made that decision based on facts and experience. I hope you do the same.

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Homestead Daily Schedule

August 13, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

On our homestead, this looks a little different than most. Due to our work schedules, one of us is gone 48 of 72 hours. Sometimes more. However, the goats still need to be milked, fed and let out. Chickens and ducks still need feed, water, and be let out. Dogs are also hungry and need to go to the bathroom. And all the other chores need to be done. So regardless of who is home, the daily schedule looks pretty much the same.

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What Is Our Homestead Daily Schedule?

As I mentioned above, our days are set up on a 3 day rotation. On the first day, I go to work and Jared is the responsible party until he goes to work the next day. Day 2 is when I come home and handle my portion of the homestead chores. On day 3 we are both home and try to squeak out as much time together as possible.

Day 1 Daily Schedule

This is my work day, so Jared is home with the boys. He usually gets up with me and we drink coffee and hang out for a few minutes before I head to work. Sometimes, he will tell me about what he has planned for the day. But more often then not, I don’t really care per say. The way I see it, he is a grown ass man and knows what he needs to do for the day. Unless there is something pressing, I don’t worry too much about what he’s doing.

That being said, most of the time he is working on whatever project we are doing. In the summer, it’s usually firewood. In the winter, it’s usually household projects. Spring is reserved for garden projects and fall is for yard clean up.

He also makes sure that the boys are doing their school work and the house doesn’t burn down.

Day 2 Daily Schedule

This is the day that he goes to work and I am coming home. Normally, I get home a little later in the morning. After getting myself cleaned up and my stuff put away, I get the boys started on their school work and I start working on whatever inside projects need to be handled. Sometimes this is blog or household work. Other times this could be getting seeds together and planted. It really depends on what the season is.

But I can tell you that the day after a 24 hour shift is left really loose. I have run calls all night and come home with a pile of chores that HAVE to get done and it’s awful. Instead, we give ourselves and each other grace when it comes to the day after shift. We just don’t put a lot of stuff on ourselves.

That being said, the goats still need to be checked and fed. Chickens and ducks still need to be fed and let out. The garden still needs to be harvested, planted or maintained. But we don’t stress about getting the to do list done.

Day 3 Daily Schedule

For me, the day starts around 8am. Blu gets her morning meds and mom needs coffee. The first set of dogs are let out and showers start. I will usually start a load of laundry and work on it throughout the day.

If I have goats in milk, my day starts a little earlier so that I can get them milked before they are screaming for their food and to be let out. I also do a quick glance at the herd to make sure everyone is healthy and happy.

After I get the goats done, I am in the garden first thing to beat the heat. I try to get things harvested before the heat of the day really hits. I will also try to get the first batches of preservation going. Whether it’s dehydrating tomatoes or squash or getting a canner filled. Depending on the season, I may be planting more in the garden.

I will also start the boys on their homeschool stuff for the day. As the day heats up, I scramble into the house to keep from overheating (y’all the Georgia heat is no joke!). I will work on the blog or general household tasks until it cools down enough to be able to go back outside.

Then it’s dinner time. After dinner, the boys take care of their chores. I finish up laundry and head to bed, where I read for about 4 hours.

Homesteading Daily Schedule With Kids

One of the biggest issues that I see new homesteaders, and hell even parents, making is that they don’t give their kids chores. You will overwhelm yourself and your partner if you do not let those kids earn their keep. We have a pay to play rule which means that if you want to play video games, watch TV or do what YOU want to do, you have to “pay” for that by doing your chores, school work, etc. So make sure that your kiddos are helping.

After everyone is done and animals are fed, we start working on school work, this is usually around 930-10. Jared and I have different views on this. Usually I let them unschool and Jared is more structured. Unschooling is when the child directs what they would like to learn about. I feel like this gives them the opportunity to learn about the things that interest them and helps them learn better. Jared prefers to help them with “normal” school work.

Neither way is wrong and the boys seem to enjoy having the flexibility. Win Win.

We get them involved with various aspects of homesteading to not only teach them how to do things that are necessary for survival if the SHTF but also because this is invaluable information. And this still counts as their schooling since they are learning things like how to follow the instructions on how to put together a metal shed. Or how much firewood makes a cord and then measuring the stack that they’ve made. They also get crash courses in animal husbandry if an animal gets sick and needs medications. They’ve also been a huge help in the garden and ask a ton of great questions. Most that I don’t have an answer to, so we ask google a lot of questions.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

One of the things that I see a lot of new homesteaders do, especially those of us that work off farm, is that they feel like they have to do ALL the things, RIGHT NOW! That can’t be further from the truth. In fact, the opposite is more true; you have time. I talk about homesteading goals and preparation here, but the short version is figure out where you want to be, and take small actionable steps to get there.

Homesteading, while hard work, should NOT be so stressful that you don’t want or can’t do it. You don’t have to get everything done right now! Take a breath and give yourself kindness and grace to make at a reasonable pace. You don’t need to burn yourself out within the first year.

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What Is A Fall Garden

August 10, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

A fall garden is exactly what it sounds like, a garden that you grow in the fall. For those of us with extremely hot summers and no spring to speak of, fall is when we grow our cold/cool weather crops. Our winters aren’t as harsh so we can feasibly grow throughout the winter if we take some extra precautions. If you are looking to grow a fall garden, keep reading!

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What Is A Fall Garden?

Here in Georgia, our spring is not really spring. It’s a constant fluctuation between summer and winter… Most likely all four season in one day. From March until about mid May, we are struggling to figure out how to dress. Jeans, sweatshirt and boots in the morning, then tank tops and shorts in the afternoon, and back to winter clothes in evening/ night. It’s ridiculous. But in the fall, it is a mostly gradual decline in temperatures.

That means that we can actually get a cool weather garden in and will continue to produce, even into winter.

What To Plant In A Fall Garden

All cool weather things get planted in a fall garden. Brassicas like cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts are great for fall gardens because you are less likely to have them bolt before they are ready.

Next are your root vegetables. These are things like carrots, radishes, turnips, beets, rutabagas and kohlrabi are fantastic in the fall garden. Not only do they grow well, but they taste better after a few frosty nights. I also like to plant leeks in the fall because they are hardy enough to handle the temps but they also taste a lot better too.

Finally, everything else. This includes greens like lettuce, kale, spinach, etc. Then you’ve got peas and some green bean varieties.

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When To Start A Fall Garden

This is really going to depend on your climate and what you are looking to plant. For our first frost dates (Oct 31 to Nov 15), we will plug in “how many days till (date)” into Google to see how many days we have.

For example, if we are wanting to start our seeds on August 15th, I would type into Google “How many days from August 15 2024 to November 15 2024?” Google spits out the answer of 92 days. Then I can start figuring out how many days each vegetable needs to get to harvest size. I put those dates and vegetables in my calendar.

If you don’t want to deal with all that, seedtime.com is a great way to put in what you want to grow, your frost dates and it will give you all the information you need.

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Starting To Rotate Out The Summer Garden

One of the hardest things to figure out is how in the world you are going to start taking down old plants and putting in your fall garden. It’s hard to cut down old plants to put in your winter garden. But it still needs to be done, especially if you have limited space.

I have a few guidelines for taking down plants that may help you. First is figuring out if the plant is healthy. If not, it’s got to go. Second, have I harvested all I need from that plant. When you are drowning in tomatoes, squash, cucumbers and put up all you need for winter, go ahead and pull the plant. Third, is what I am planting going to be “better” than what I’ve already got.

That last one is a little harder to figure out. You’ve got to make the decision on whether or not planting a cabbage plant is worth pulling tomatoes. Well, if you have put up all the tomatoes you need, or are over eating fresh tomatoes, then yea, pulling the tomato plant would be worth it. While tomatoes may be good right now, cabbage will be better in 60-120 days. So you’ve got to weigh what you have now vs what you will need in a few months.

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When To Start Seeds/ Plants

One of the biggest issues you are going to have as a fall gardener is finding plants. Your best bet is to order seeds now (in July/ August) for fall starts. It is not likely that your local big box store is going to have many, if any, transplants come September.

For my climate and frost dates, I usually start my seeds around August 15th. This gives them plenty of time to get first leaves and grow a bit before I put them in the ground. Usually, mid to end September is fall garden planting for us so that gives those seeds about 6 weeks to really get going.

Also, really think about what you are purchasing if you manage to find a store that is selling plant starts. You can purchase a head of cabbage from the store for around $3. But a plant start is going to be around $5 for the plant. That doesn’t even make financial sense. Especially when you can purchase a pack of cabbage seeds for $3-4 and get about 30 or more plants.

If you are looking for a great way to keep track of your gardens for years to come, check out our Digital Garden Journal. It’s a digital spreadsheet that helps you manage not only your seedlings but also your seed inventories, soil testing, orchard, harvests and so much more.

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When To Plant A Fall Garden

Planting a fall garden is going to rely heavily on your climate and garden. For us, seedlings started plants in August is a no no. They will bolt before they ever really get going. Or they will stunt because it’s still so hot. But I can direct seed after August 15th and by the time those plants germinate and start really going, we will cool down.

Just like in the summer garden, we have to watch the weather to make sure that we aren’t jumping the gun. It is a gamble to plant too early and risk everything dying because of the heat. A started plant won’t go in the ground until we are regularly under 80*, preferably under 75*. Shade cloths are a great way to help with this.

For us, this generally looks like starting seeds in August and planting mid to end September.

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Precautions For A Fall Garden

Precautions can look very different for everyone and even different for different parts of your garden. Some of the precautions we take is making sure to start seeds indoors until they have sprouted. Then we put them in a shady, cool area in the greenhouse. This sucks because the whole purpose of the greenhouse is to keep plants safe from Blu and Fenrir. But if it’s too hot, they won’t germinate. So into the house they come until it’s safe to put them outside.

Another precaution we take is watching the weather like a hawk. We look at 10 and 30 day forecasts to help make the best judgements on when to direct sow and when to transplant. Now, we live in Georgia so the weather is unpredictable, till it’s not. We know that summer is hot and winter is cold. But spring and fall are the wild cards. We could have a 90* day in November or a snow storm on March 1st.

If you did mess up your dates, or the weather didn’t cooperate, and you end up with super hot days, or freezing temps, don’t fret. At least not yet. You can mulch to help keep the ground cool and water plentiful. You can also water more often to help keep plants healthy. Another option is putting up shade cloth. This will help make sure that the plants don’t get scorched by the heat.

If it’s supposed to freeze or frost, and you have some plants that are a little too tender for that, you can throw sheets or blankets over the plants to help insulate them. I’ve used gallon jugs filled with water and set them between plants with a blanket over them to help keep them freezing. It works well for nights were we are going to get under freezing. But it’s not foolproof and you may still end up with damage.

I hope this helps!

Fall is the best time to garden because you have the ability to actually enjoy the garden without dying of heatstroke, getting eaten alive by bugs, or worrying about scorching your garden. So don’t forget about the fall garden!

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Can Homesteading Save Money

August 6, 2024 by Leigh 2 Comments

We can answer this right now, no. Homesteading will not save you money. In fact, homesteading will cost you money. A lot of money. In the first year we were on our homestead we exhausted our emergency fund four separate times. Can homesteading save money? No. Not at first. But in the long run, it will absolutely save you money. Just maybe not in the ways your expecting. Be sure to read to the end for the “pay offs” I’m talking about.

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Why Should You Homestead Then?

Homesteading is not necessarily about saving money. Sure, there are somethings that we have saved a ton of money on like eggs, milk, and chicken.

We no longer buy eggs because our chickens have solved that problem. We don’t have to buy chicken at the grocery store because we butcher our own. We don’t buy milk from the store unless we run out. But when you look at the $100/month we have saved by how much we have spent? We are solidly in the red.

Spend More To Make More?

Because the farm is an LLC, which I highly recommend you do, we are able to write off a lot for taxes. That being said, our first year’s return was eye opening. We spent over $3,000 in vet bills and another $5,000 on feed. That was only in six months. The following year we doubled that. That doesn’t include the well pump that went out, or the water heater. Or all the fencing and structures for the goats and chickens.

But homesteading is not about saving money. It’s about living off the land, having livestock, learning new skills, and being self sufficient. Of course homesteading means different things for different people.

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Homesteading Is A Long Game When It Comes To Saving Money

What I have found is that homesteading is a long term goal and commitment. You are probably not going to save money your first or your second year. If you are starting your homestead from the ground up, you will probably not see a positive until year five. But it really depends on your goals. If you want your homestead completely self sufficient but you are starting from scratch, it will take time. If you came into a property that has fencing, a barn, and garden. You are probably already ahead of the game.

Why Homesteading Doesn’t Save Money?

The reality is that you are going to spend money at first. Rarely, though it does happen, are you going to stumble onto a property that is absolutely perfect for you. You are going to have to spend money to make that property the way you want it.

I preach the importance of setting goals and figuring out your WHY. But probably the most important thing is to define what your vision of a successful homestead is. This is no different. When you are trying to set up your homestead, you want to make sure that you aren’t wasting money on things that don’t matter in the long run.

While you may not see a big financial gain, you will see the “pay off” in other areas.

When Does Homesteading “Pay Off”?

For us, homesteading started to pay off within the first year. But it’s probably not the way you’re thinking. When we bought our property, we defined, very quickly, what a successful homestead meant, and then wrote down our year one, five and ten year goals. That’s when we started to see the “pay off.”

Chickens Doing Double Duty

The pay off was a significant decrease in fleas and ticks. This was because the chickens free ranged and took care of those bugs. That meant that Jared and Jaxson weren’t being eaten alive. This made them happier and more likely to be outside.

The chickens also helped break up the compacted soil in the garden spaces. They ate the grubs and bugs that could destroy the next years crops. They’re manure became compost for the next years garden.

Their eggs are SO much better than anything you can get from the store. Bright orange yolks mean very healthy and happy chickens. But it also means that egg is packed with nutrients.

Another great thing about chickens is that we can incubate the eggs because we have a rooster. That means that technically, we never have to buy another batch of chickens. Which of course means that we will buy more chickens because… chicken math is a thing.

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Goats Earning Their Keep

Initially, we bought the goats to be long term lawn mowers. But after falling in love with these creatures, we started breeding and milking them. Their pay off has been a little slower because they are expensive creatures to maintain. But I realized very quickly that I could tolerate their milk.

Their pay off is in my health. For the first time in years, I am able to consume milk with pain. While I am not lactose intolerant, I do have issues with gut health. Their milk has helped ease that pain and has increased the good bacteria in my gut. Not to mention, I know exactly what is in their feed, hay, treats, etc.

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The Garden Producing

Gardening is probably the biggest way that we save money on the homestead. But again, not at first and not in the way you are probably thinking. Our big garden is getting a face lift in 2024 and that means a TON of money is getting dumped into it.

Like the budget for it is about $10,000 and includes the orchard, chicken runs, fencing, the gazebo and more. That’s okay, though. Because the amount of money it saves us isn’t about the weekly or monthly dollars saved at the grocery store.

It’s about the health benefits of the garden.

We do not spray our gardens with ANYTHING. There are no pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers used…. at all. It’s grown in soil that comes from our neighbors horse manure and our own animals bedding. Neither one of us deworm or use chemicals our animals unless absolutely necessary.

That means that our food from the garden is literally the healthiest thing we can consume on the planet. This pays off HUGE because we are filling our plates with food that is so nutrient dense, that it helps ward off sickness, disease and other issues that are common for people who eat the standard American diet.

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No, homesteading probably won’t save you money

But what homesteading will do is shorten your supply train. Homesteading will reduce your need on the grocery store. It will make you healthier, even if it’s only because you are more active. There are so many other pay offs when it comes to homesteading that it’s okay that it doesn’t save you a ton of money at first.

It will pay off in the end.

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What Is Full Sun

August 3, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Recently, I saw a meme on social media that had a cartoon picture of a garden where the plants were wilted and either steaming or smoking and the sun was shining bright. The caption read, “Full Sun doesn’t mean full sun in Georgia.” and man, that couldn’t have been more accurate. But it got me thinking about all the new gardeners out there that have no idea what the difference is between full sun, partial sun, and shade AND how it relates to their own climate. So today we are going to go over what is full sun but also what it means if you live in a HOT place.

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What IS Full Sun

Full sun is an area that receives direct sun for at least six hours. But there is so much more to it than that. Just because a plant label or seed packet says it requires full sun doesn’t mean that you need to plant it in the brightest part of your garden or yard. There’s also partial sun and shade labels. But the most important part of those labels isn’t necessarily full sun, partial sun or shade, it’s YOUR climate in relation to those labels.

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All Full Sun Is Not The Same

I’m pretty sure that those plant labels are for people that live in climates that don’t feel like Satan’s armpit during the summer. I feel like they are probably for people that live in climates that have all four seasons. Not those of us who live in the south. Because full sun in Pennsylvania is not the same as full sun in Georgia or Texas. To be honest, Texas full sun and Georgia full sun are totally different.

To give you an example, we planted 4 4x20ft beds with tomatoes. One of those beds is in full direct sun for about 8 hours. Those plants are scorched and the beds require more water than any of the others. Another bed is about 15 ft away, and only a 8ft section receives full sun, the rest is shaded for most of the day. That 8ft section is totally scorched. But the plants that are right next to those scorched plants in the shade? Growing beautifully.

Why? Because in the south, we get a lot more direct sun because of angle of the Earth in relation to the sun. We may not get the same amount of sun, but we do get more of a direct hit. There’s whole science behind it, but in the end the important thing to know is that our summers are hotter because our section of the planet is angled towards the sun.

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Understanding Full Sun

No matter where you live, you could be dealing with scorched plants if you aren’t paying attention to your labels. I once put a Boston Fern in my greenhouse and forgot about it. Needless to say, I no longer have a Boston Fern.

But one of the biggest misconceptions about full sun is that you need 6 hours of direct sun… in a row. This is not the case. In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Unless otherwise noted on those labels, ambient sunlight is more than sufficient for many plants. And 2 hours in the morning and then another 4 in the evening is perfectly fine for most full sun plants, if you live in a really hot place.

Off the top of my head, the only plants that I know can handle full sun would be peppers, okra, and corn. Beyond that, if you don’t give other plants some sort of shade they will scorch.

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Creating Shade

Creating shade is a necessary evil for a lot of us. We are lucky that we have a ton of trees in and around our gardens. This allows for most of our beds to be in shade or ambient sunlight. But those few beds that are in full sun? We have to create shade for them.

Shade cloths are a great way to reduce the amount of sun your plants are getting. They come in a variety of different sizes and strengths. This shade cloth is 40% and great for things that require “full sun” but you live in an oven. You can get other percentages up to 90% depending on what you are dealing with. I recommend 90% for things that are sun fragile like beans, some squashes, flowers, and the like. But any shade will be better than none.

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Why Watering Doesn’t Always Help

For most plants, animals and people, it doesn’t matter how much water you give them, too much sun is too much sun. So while you may think “It’s fine, I’ll just water extra”, remember that it may not be enough. We water those super sunny beds every other day or every day if necessary and they still wilt and die.

Also, pay attention to your rain cycles to know how often to water your plants and when to water your plants. In Georgia, we cannot water our plants in the morning because they will scorch. Specifically for us, we can’t water overnight because we will get mildew, rot, or other fungus. Really the only time we can safely water is in the evening when the sun is starting to go down but it’s still warm.

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Understanding Your Climate

If you live in an area that gets hot, I suggest very highly, that you carefully consider your garden placement. You do not need to put your garden in the sunniest spot in the garden if you live in an area where you don’t get a ton of rain, clouds, or it feels like Satan’s armpit from May to September.

Instead, pay attention to what your weather looks like. For example, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and other super hot places, garden in the winter because it is just too hot to grow anything in the summer.

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What Is Full Sun For You

At the end of the day, full sun is not the same for everyone. The angle of the Earth, the direction of the sun, and your specific location all matter in determining if your plants, on YOUR property, will get too much or too little sun.

So if you haven’t set up your gardens yet, I would recommend putting one of these outdoor thermometers and set it to where you want your gardens. See how hot it actually gets and figure out if that is too much or too little heat in that area.

But the reality is that it may be easier to get a couple of plants and put them in that area. If they scorch, wilt or don’t do well, that may be too much sun for that area. It’s not a deal breaker to put a garden there, but you need to be ready to install shade cloths or consider planting trees around that area.

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What to Plant in Your Vegetable Garden

July 30, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

If you are new to gardening or homesteading, and you’ve been breaking your brain trying to figure out what to plant in your vegetable garden, allow me to help you! The main things I look at when planning a garden is what do I want to eat, how much space do I have, and leave room for experimenting.

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What To Plant In Your Gardens

Through the years, various gardens and designs, I have figured out a few things about gardening. The first is to always give more space to fruits and vegetables that you know you like. Next, is to figure out how much space I am willing to give to the stuff I like, but also the things I want to try. Finally, what do I want to try and grow.

I found Southern Dreams Homestead to have a great article for beginners and their gardens. They have a ton of great information and it’s really helpful if you don’t know what you’re doing. Learning and Yearning also has a great article about getting started with organic gardening.

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What fruits and vegetables do you like?

This is a very serious question that people usually get tripped up on. I despise raw tomatoes. I do not want it anywhere near my hamburger or salad. BUT I absolutely love salsa, ketchup, BBQ sauce, and more. That means I should probably not plant a ton of slicing tomatoes and plant more sauce or paste tomatoes. While, yes, Jared loves to eat raw tomatoes, he is the only one. So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to plant an entire row of slicers just for him.

To figure out what to plant in your garden, I would sit down and really think about all the fruits and vegetables you like to eat. Then, I would think about all the cooked versions of those foods you like. Do you like pasta sauce? That’s tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, basil, oregano, etc. If you have the space in your garden to grow those things. Then do it!

Another thing to consider is your animals. If you have chickens or goats, you can absolutely grow extra squash for them. As you are figuring out what to plant, also think about all the things you can grow to help off set your feed bills.

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How Much to Plant?

Again this one is pretty simple, it comes down to space and what you like. Going back to my tomato example, out of the four of us, Jared is the only one that likes raw tomatoes. I’m not going to take up an entire row of space for slicers. But what I will do is plant a couple slicers and grape tomatoes so that he has something to snack on. The majority of my tomato space will be taken up with beefsteak or slicers.

But how much to plant? This is a varying formula that takes time to dial in. The best way to do this is to figure out how much each plant should produce and then figure out how much you need. As you grow, you will adjust how much you eat/ use but to start figure out how much you think you’ll eat and how much each plant should grow. Below is a how to become a victim of tomato math.

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What is tomato math?

Well, it’s the same as chicken and goat math. If I need two eggs a day for breakfast, I need at least ten chickens. That is chicken math. No, it doesn’t make any sense which is the point. Goat math is a little different because you start with two and then end up with nine and I’m still not really sure how that happened.

Tomato math is simply thinking that 25 plants is not nearly enough to sustain my family’s tomato needs and you end up with 150 plants and a ton of tomatoes. Not to mention trying to figure out what your going to do with 1,2000+ pounds of tomatoes.

The best way to figure out how much you need to plant is simple.

Figure out what the average yield for the type of plant: tomatoes are 8-10# per plant, peas are about 30 plants per person, potatoes are 5-10# per plant and so on. Then figure out how many pounds you need. I know we will go through about 100# per person for potatoes per year for cubed, shredded, whole, and fries. So I need 400#.

Then divide the number of pounds the plant yields to the number pounds you need;

Potatoes- 400/5=80 potato plants.

If you don’t know how many pounds you need, estimate and write down what you planted. When you harvest, write down the weight. Keep an eye on how much you are using and when it’s gone, figure up how many days until your next harvest. This is where garden journals are absolutely necessary!

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Experimenting With Your Garden

A lot of times, people only grow what they will eat. And that’s great if you are limited on space. But you are missing out on whole other varieties! I did a podcast about trying different varieties here. We didn’t know that we liked cabbage until we had it, same with broccoli, winter squash, radishes, etc.

Don’t be afraid to give some space to other plants in your garden. If you don’t like them, I’m sure your chickens will love them.

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Try not to get overwhelmed

I know that is way easier said than done. At the end of the day, even planting one tomato plant is better than doing nothing at all. So don’t sweat it, just get out there and start digging in the dirt and enjoy the wonder of growing your own food.

If you decide to start seeds instead of buying plants, which I highly recommend, The Homesteading RD has a great guide for starting pepper plants. Since my own pepper starts didn’t do so well, I will be using some of these tips next year.

You can start big or small, it’s totally up to you. What you need to remember is that just by planting something you are doing something to decrease your dependency on the grocery store. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t harvest thousands of pounds of food. The reality is that you tried.

If your garden doesn’t produce a ton like you wanted it to, try again. I found these articles helpful for fall planting or just helping your soil through fall. Though Georgia doesn’t have much of a fall, more of a HOT, not so hot, freezing, hot…. you get the picture.

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Other Helpful Tips and Tricks

Over at Vintage Homestead, you can figure out how to take a soil samples. This is great for figuring out if you need extra nitrogen, fertilizer, or other materials added to your garden. Once you’ve taken your samples and have your results you can head over to Learning and Yearning to figure out how to add materials to your soil naturally.

If you’re anything like me and you want to know which plants like rhubarb and help them, head over to The Homesteading RD to take a look at what they have to say.

I am guilty of wanting to mulch everything in the garden and Learning and Yearning has a great article on how to avoid those pitfalls that comes with it.

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Building Your Own First Aid Kit

July 27, 2024 by Leigh Leave a Comment

Personally, I would look into building your own first aid kit because you can put everything that you want/ need in it. However, it’s going to get really expensive, really quick. The reason why first aid kits can be bought so cheap is because these companies buy the supplies in bulk and then build the kit. However, if you build your own, you get to build it specifically for your family and homestead.

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Building Your Own First Aid Kit

But one of the things I’ve found is that most commercial first aid kits aren’t enough. They aren’t bad at all, especially for a civilian/ non medical person. In fact, I would go so far as to say that commercial first aid kits are actually great, for those that don’t have a clue what to put in one. Or they don’t want the hassle of building their own. But commercial kits just don’t have enough stuff. There aren’t nearly enough gloves, medicines, tape, etc for most situations. Or if there’s enough of those things, there isn’t enough.

I talked here about the best first aid kits for homesteaders, and I stand by that post 100%. But if you are looking to build a more robust first aid kit, then keep reading! PS: this post is affiliate link heavy. If you would like to learn more about our affiliate links, click here.

This blog post is going to be laid out by type of first aid kit. For example, the first section would be for a car, tractor, UTV style kit and what I would put in it.

Please remember, this is coming from a paramedic, not a physician and is not meant to be medical advise.

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Building Small First Aid Kits

Small bags like this are absolutely fantastic for small places like your car, tractor, or UTV. You can cram a fair amount of things in this, but remember this is for small injuries or until you can get to a bigger bag or supply. We aren’t trying to stuff an entire first aid kit into this little bag.

For a small bag, I would keep things like band aids, 5 or so antiseptic wipes like these, 5 or so triple antibiotic packets, 1 or 2 compressed gauze like these, a pair of scissors, a CPR face shield, an emergency blanket and small packets of pain medicines like these. I would consider putting gloves in this bag, but you need to make sure they fit you.

A couple boxes of nitrile gloves will set you back about $8/ box but it’s worth it to make sure that you don’t have gloves that fit. Gloves that are practically sliding off your hands or break when you put them on because they are too small.

If you are of an age where you are at an increased risk for heart attack, I would recommend getting some aspirin packs as well but talk to your physician.

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Building Your Own First Aid Kit: The Big Bag

This is a decent sized medium bag for building your own first aid kit. You can fit a lot in these bags and you don’t need to have a huge bag to do so. This bag could also fit in your car, truck or other every day ride. It can easily fit in a close, tractor compartment or even strapped to a UTV.

As with the small bag above, you are going put 5 or so antiseptic wipes like these, 5 or so triple antibiotic packets, 1 or 2 compressed gauze like these, a pair of scissors, a CPR face shield, a couple emergency blankets and small packets of pain medicines like these. If you have more space, or you think you could use it, put the entire box of these things into the bag. You don’t have to, but make sure that you have plenty.

You are also going to put in a couple tourniquets. While you may not think you need one, remember, the average response time for an ambulance to get to you is 8 minutes. If you live out in the country, it’s probably closer to 20 minutes. You can bleed out from your leg in less than 4 minutes. Get a tourniquet.

Bandaging and supplies are going to take up the majority of the bag, which is why it’s got it’s own section.

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Bandaging Needs It’s Own Section

I was going to try and cram bandaging into each section but there is a lot of stuff to know and use when it comes to bandaging. So to try and stuff it into a few sentences wouldn’t work. Bandaging is not just for cuts but also for broken bones, head wounds, etc. So there are a lot of small pieces to make sure that you’ve got in your first aid kit.

Now, most commercial kits will send you like 4 4×4 gauze in packaging. Let me tell you that when I’ve got a patient who is bleeding, the last thing I’m trying to do is rip open packaging. You want to get what’s called a loaf. It’s a ton of 4×4 non sterile dressings. You’ll want to get some of those sterile gauze sure, but I prefer my loafs. Then you’re going to want some sort of wrap. I like these the best, but the elastic wraps are great too. Don’t forget tape!

Then, you need stuff for splinting. I like these universal splints because you can splint just about anything with them. If money is an issue, you don’t have to have splints. You can absolutely make them from just about anything as long as it fits to the injury and is doesn’t bend. So a stick, wooden spoon, T-post, you get the point. Just make sure that you secure it well so that it doesn’t move.

Pressure bandages are great for wounds that require pressure to stop the bleeding but you are a little busy with other things, like driving the tractor out of the pasture.

Now, combine or abdominal pads are fantastic for injuries. But don’t feel like you HAVE to get them. In fact, if you apply a couple 4x4s and a pressure bandage, you really don’t need abdominal pads. But they do have their place and I like them. These pads are great for big wounds that you are struggling to get the bleeding to stop.

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Miscellaneous Items For A First Aid Kit

I would get some form of eye wash. You do not have to get anything that is marked specifically for emergency use. Realistically, eye was is just saline. So get that. You can also use this for a wound wash as well. If you get a deep cut, this would help get all that nasty out from inside it.

Anti-choking device… Yes, I know we don’t want to think about it, but the reality is that if you have humans who eat, someone is going to choke one day. Unfortunately, most people either can’t or don’t know how to do abdominal thrusts to clear an airway. Or if you can’t get the leverage to do effective abdominal thrusts, you can’t clear the airway. Having a device similar to what is linked could literally save your or your family’s life.

CPR Masks– For same reason above, get one. The ones that I linked have a mount piece so you don’t have to get that mouth to mouth with Uncle Jim Bob. Now, the AHA is no longer recommending rescue breaths. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t or shouldn’t do it. And honestly, bystander CPR is literally the #1 reason that a lot of people walk out of the hospital after cardiac arrest. Because remember, the national average to get an ambulance is 7-8 minutes. After 6 minutes with no oxygen, you are brain dead.

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What You DON’T Need In A Kit

There are a ton of kits out there that have a lot of things that you will probably never use. Things like quick clot, benzoin swabs, cold packs, and more. You are literally wasting your money.

You don’t need suturing material for your first aid kit. You don’t need tongue depressors.

Tons of different style of band aids aren’t necessary either. You can literally use 4×4’s and pads until you can clean up the wound at home or get sutures at the emergency room.

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Take Aways For Building Your Own First Aid Kit

First and foremost, take the time to learn how to use the various supplies that you are purchasing. This goes for a commercial kit or one that you’ve build. Know what you are getting and how to use them.

Make sure to have multiple kits. I would have a first aid kit of some sort in every vehicle, UTV/ tractor, etc and then a fully stocked kit or go bag in the house. If we are going to be dangerous things like chain sawing, building, or anything that requires sharp tools, I would take a go bag with me. Mainly because your first aid kit does you no good in the house.

Remember, when it comes to first aid kits, you aren’t necessarily trying to fix the injury or illness right there. You are simply trying to stabilize it until you get help.

The only one that I can think of off the top of my head that you are trying to fix is when someone’s heart stops. That we need to fix right now. If you would like more information about how to do bystander CPR, check out Project Adam and watch the videos linked.

Also, remember to restock your bags after use. If you haven’t used them, I would make sure to go through and check them every 6 months or so. For us, it’s spring and fall.

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