Dye Garden Layout Guide: Ideas for Growing Your Own Dyestuff

Interested in Growing Your Own Dye Plants? Check Out Our Visual Guide to Dye Garden Layout Ideas, Plus Growing Tips for Specific Dye Plants.

Easy Calendula Seed Harvesting & Saving Tips

Here's how I collect seeds from my calendula plants each year, with easy tips for beginner seed savers and advanced info for plant breeding.

Get More Chives: Propagate by Division (Easy Step-by-Step Guide)

Divide and multiply your chives for bigger yields! Learn how to propagate this flavorful herb with my easy visual guide for beginners.

Saving Seeds from Marigold (Visual Guide)

Harvest marigold seeds with confidence - follow my visual guide to avoid common mistakes - be certain your seeds germinate next season!

How I Harvest Purple Coneflower Seeds: A Step-by-Step Guide

Discover how to easily harvest echinacea seeds from your garden to nurture your local ecosystem. Read on for simple tips and benefits.

Harvesting Fennel Seeds: Mistakes I Made and How I Perfected the Process

Here are my proven tips for harvesting fennel seeds, and unique ways to enjoy their flavors. Add to your kitchen's spice cabinet naturally!

Unexpected Colors: How I Transformed Lobster Mushrooms into a Textile Dye (Tutorial)

Join me in the sustainable art of Lobster Mushroom dyeing! Here's a step-by-step guide to vibrant colors through eco-friendly dye method.

A Visual Guide to Baldhip Rose: Native PNW Plant ID

Master Baldhip Rose ID and its key traits. Discover how this vital PNW rose enriches local biodiversity for wildlife and pollinators!

What to Plant After Tomatoes: Sustainable Strategies for a Thriving Garden

Explore my post-tomato planting tips for crop rotation, nutrient management, & regenerative practices for robust garden productivity.

Butternut Squash Growing Stages: A Visual Guide

See photos of the butternut squash stages of growth, with detailed pictures of seedlings, flowers, immature fruit and harvest-ready squash.

My Step-by-Step Guide to Grow Marigold from Seed (Germination & Flowering Tips)

While marigolds are easy to grow, I struggled with slugs and seed germination. Here's how I finally grew marigolds from seed to bloom.

A Visual Guide to Cluster Rose: Native PNW Plant ID

Learn to distinguish Cluster Rose from other PNW roses and explore its vital contributions to our local ecosystems and habitat restorations.

Fava Beans: The Dual Purpose Cover Crop I Grow to Boost My No-till Garden

Here’s how fava beans as a cover crop transform organic gardens to boost soil health, reduce erosion, and enhance sustainability.

How I Render Lard on the Stovetop: A Sustainable and Cost-Effective Guide

Learn to render lard on the stovetop – save money, reduce waste, & enjoy healthier cooking with my step-by-step guide and tips!

PNW Wild Blackberries vs Invasives: Visual Identification Guide

A visual guide to help you ID different types of wild blackberries in the PNW. Learn native vs invasive varieties for land stewardship.

How I Finally Managed the Slug Invasion in My Garden: Lessons Learned and What Actually Work

Struggling with Slugs in Your Garden? Here's What I Found to be the One Organic Method that Actually Works. But You're Not Going to Like it.

How I Harvest Year-Round Broccoli: My Methods for Continual Yields

My step-by-step guide to nearly year-long heirloom broccoli harvests and an extended growing season in my organic garden.

Easy Guide to Save Purple Sprouting Broccoli Seeds Adapted to Your Climate

A guide to help you get better winter survival and longer harvests with Purple Sprouting Broccoli through seed saving.

How I Prepare Fresh Fava Beans: A Guide to Nutritious Garden-Fresh Meals

Here's how I shell, peel, cook, & store fresh fava beans. Get easy recipes, flavor pairings, and my tips for simple meals that feature favas

What to Know About Planting Fava Beans in the Autumn to Overwinter

Discover the benefits, challenges, & key tips for fall planting fava beans. Learn from my experiences and avoid common mistakes!

How I Save Fava Bean Seeds for a Thriving, Sustainable Garden

Learn how I collect fava (broad) bean seeds to boost garden sustainability and self-sufficiency with this simple, step-by-step guide.

Easy Guide to Save Scabiosa Seeds: Personal Tips & Insights

Here's how I save seeds from scabiosa (pincushion) flower to grow next year! Learn best practices for improved germination and plant health.

Why you might not want to grow Bachelor’s Button

Here's how to manage planting cornflower responsibly so that these potentially invasive plants don't wreck havoc on your local ecosystem.

Dried Scabiosa (Starflower): How to grow and preserve this fun flower!

What to Know About Paper Moon Scabiosa - From Sowing Seeds to Best Practices for Harvesting for Dried Bouquets

My Step-by-Step Guide to Growing Purple Coneflower from Seed (Germination & Flowering Tips)

After years of trying, I finally grew echinacea from seed to bloom. Here's how I got this native perennial to thrive in my garden!

I Wish I Harvested Fennel Pollen Sooner! Easy Tips to Source This Flavor from Your Garden

Discover how to easily harvest fennel pollen and elevate your culinary dishes with this aromatic spice. Read on for simple tips and benefits

Where to find Sustainable Fabric for Botanical Dye Projects

A curated list of the best sources for sustainable fabrics for your botanical dye projects. Eco-friendly, organic, and ready to dye!

Key Things I Wish I Knew Before Getting My First Goat

Thinking about getting goats? Here are some unexpected things I wish I knew before I got mine. Avoid my mistakes and learn what to expect.

I’m always adding these herbs to my cut flower bouquets

Here are my favorite herbs to add to flower bouquets for a rustic feel. Enhance your arrangements with unique scents, colors, and textures.

Should You Get a Greenhouse for Your PNW Tomatoes? Insights from My Experience

Discover my personal findings growing tomatoes in the PNW. Compare greenhouse vs. garden methods for optimal tomato health and yield.

Don’t Buy More Basil – Here’s How I Propagate It from Cuttings

It's easy to make more basil plants from cuttings! Here are the easy steps I follow to multiply my basil harvest quickly - for free!

How I Harvest and Cure a Year's Worth of Onions Every Summer for Long-Term Storage

Learn how I harvest and cure onions every summer for a year-long supply in my pantry. Read on for a step-by-step guide to lasting freshness.

Crops I Plant After Onions for Continuous Harvests: What Always Works for Me

Just harvested onions? Here are the crops I plant after my onions for continual harvests. These easy picks will extend your growing season!

How I got my Black Hollyhocks to Bloom and Thrive: Tips and Tricks That Worked for Me

Black hollyhocks are stunners - but they can be tricky to grow. Here's how I got my hollyhocks to grow from seed - and finally bloom!

I tried black hollyhock dye 4 different ways: here’s how it turned out

I'll share my own experiments botanical dyeing with black hollyhocks using four different methods on cotton, with and without a mordent.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli: How I Finally Got Bigger Harvests After Frost, Pests, and Bolting

Success is possible with purple sprouting broccoli! Here's how I get thriving PSB, even through winter chills, pesky pests and heat waves!

How I Cure Potatoes So They Store For Months: My Tips for Best Results

Here's how I maximize the long-term storage potential of potatoes - best practices for harvesting, curing, and storing spuds for months!

Tips From My Successful Garlic Harvests: How I Harvest, Cure, and Store Garlic that Lasts

How I Harvest Over 100 Heads of Garlic Each Year and Make Them Last for Months – My Garlic Curing and Storage Tips for Self-Sufficiency

Chop and Drop Explained: Boost Your Garden's Health Naturally

Discover chop and drop: a sustainable gardening practice to boost soil health, retain moisture, and enrich your garden with natural mulch.

Best Disease-Resistant Nut Tree for Your PNW Garden

What nut trees tolerate both wet feet + drought? Check out the best disease-resistant varieties proven for the PNW for your.organic garden.

Top 10 Fruit Trees for Your PNW Garden: Thriving in Wet Winters and Dry Summers

What fruit trees do well with both wet feet and drought? We gathered data on the best disease-resistant varieties proven for the PNW.

Nootka Rose Identification Made Easy: A PNW Nature Guide

Master Nootka Rose identification in the Pacific Northwest. Our guide covers key traits, habitats, and expert tips for precise recognition.

Choosing the Best Disease-Resistant Heirloom Tomatoes for Your PNW Garden

Discover the best disease-resistant heirloom tomatoes for your garden. Get a bountiful, sustainable harvest with tailored regional tips.

Avoid These 8 Common Greenhouse Tomato Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Discover 8 common greenhouse tomato mistakes + expert tips to fix them for healthy plants. Make the most of your greenhouse with our guide!

My 10 Day Plan for Tomato Propagation from Cuttings: Tips for Success

Save time + money - propagate tomatoes from cuttings! Discover step-by-step tips for tomato plant multiplication that only takes 10 days.

Gardening in the PNW? Here are Solutions to Your Tomato Leaf Issues

The cool damp weather of the PNW can harbor spotty, curling, or yellowing tomato leaves. Keep your garden thriving with our diagnostic guide

Managing Crop Rotation in a Greenhouse: Practical Solutions for Sustainable Gardening

An elegantly easy idea for greenhouse crop rotation to yield healthy plants. Discover sustainable solutions for your greenhouse soil!

Growing Fennel in a Regenerative Garden: Everything to Know for Fat Bulbs and Fancy Pollen

Grow fennel the right way with our regenerative gardening guide. Get tips for large bulbs, flavorful pollen, and sustainable practices.

Fall Garden Raised Bed Layout Plans (Regenerative Edition)

Fall garden plans + best practices to keep veggies coming all year long! Late summer planting guide for fall, winter, + spring harvests.

Your Visual Guide to Identify Elderberry Species in the Pacific Northwest

A Guide to Differences in PNW Elderberries: Native Red & Blue species, and Non-Native Black. ID tips for medicine, wildlife & land care.

Revitalize Your City Life: Exploring Urban Regenerative Gardening

Get inspired and learn how urban regenerative gardens create sustainable, lush green spaces that support biodiversity and improve city life.

Regenerative Gardening for Small Spaces and Container Gardens: Tips and Techniques

Discover how to practice regenerative gardening in small spaces + container gardens, improving soil health, biodiversity, and sustainability

Nurture Pollinators with Hedgerows: Elevating Bee-Friendly Habitats

Learn how a hedgerow attracts bees and butterflies in your backyard - go beyond pollinator patches with a year-round pollinator habitat!

How Hedgerows Capture Carbon: A Guide to Enhancing Sequestration

Learn about hedgerows for climate action—gain insights to create beneficial landscapes with our guide for eco-friendly gardeners + homes.

Cultivate Vibrant Hedgerows: A Sustainable Sanctuary for Nature, Humans, and Climate

Discover the ecological wonders of hedgerows - diverse plant ecosystems supporting wildlife, sequestering carbon, and enhancing soil health

A Botanical Dye Garden Guide: 150+ Herbs and Flowers that Provide Pigment

What plants can be turned into dyestuff? In our dye garden guide, you'll find a list of 150+ plants, sorted by color, culture, and type.

Hairy Vetch Cover Crop: A Starter Guide to Your Garden's BFF

Begin your journey with hairy vetch. Learn how it nurtures gardens and enriches soil naturally in our comprehensive cover crop introduction.

Unusual and Rare Herbs for Tea: Visual Guide of Ideas for Your Garden

Check out our visual guide to unique herbs to grow in your tea garden, along with growing and harvesting tips. Go beyond the ordinary!

The Regenerative Bookshelf: New and Upcoming Sustainable Gardening Books (2024 edition)

Get fresh inspo for your eco-friendly garden! These new books and anticipated pre-orders will make 2024 your green thumb + green living year

An Ode to Nettles: An eco-friendly native herb supports humans, gardens, and eco-systems

Don't call it a weed - greet nettles with gratitude! It supports humans and the health of of soil, livestock, and beneficial insects, too.

A Love Letter to Pacific Trillium, Northwest Native Wildflower

Pacific Trilliums are a native wildflower with lessons on living your best life. Learn the science and wonder of these PNW at-risk plants.

The Time-Traveler's Guide to Regenerative Agriculture: A Thorough History

Dive in to the history of regenerative farming in a timeline that reveals how past wisdom fuels today's sustainable farm + garden movement.

Daikon Radish: The Ultimate Transformer that Builds Soil Health

Got heavy clay, compacted soil, or need organic matter? Daikon is a powerful cover crop to build soil health naturally in no-till gardens.

Eco-Friendly Sustainable Garden Action Plan: Your Guide to Regenerative Garden Design

Discover how regenerative garden design can transform your outdoor space into a sustainable, climate-positive oasis. Free Workbook Included!

A Regenerative Gardener’s Calendar: A Year-Round Plan for Sustainable Success

Your seasonal gardening guide: Master sustainable garden tasks year-round with our regenerative gardening tips for eco-friendly growth!

Squash Spectrum: The Ultimate Gardener's Guide to Different Types of Squash

A squash variety database list of different types of squash so you can decide the kinds of winter and summer squash to grow in your garden.

From Folktales to Forests: The Hawthorn Tree's Role in Myth, Culture, and Ecological Balance

Discover the hawthorn tree's role in myth and ecology, and learn how this tree offers nourishment to humans, wildlife, and habitat alike.

Pacific Northwest Wild Rose Visual Identification Guide

A definitive visual guide to identify wild roses in the PNW - learn if it's a native or invasive rose species for land stewardship.

Snowberry Guide: The All-Season Wildlife Attractant with White Berries

Explore the eco-friendly snowberry plant—ideal for wildlife habitats, highly adaptable, with white berries that persist into winter

Can Plants Help Clean Up Oil Spills? Nature’s Role in Environmental Remediation

Discover plants that have the power to clean up oil spills and petroleum contamination - these plants offer hope for soil and water health.

How Plants Purify Air and Water: The Power of Ecological Sustainability

Plants that purify air and water are key players in pollution clean-up, and offer hope as a nature-based solution to air + water filtration.

Scarification Secrets: The Essential List of Seeds That Need Special Care to Sprout

Discover which seeds need scarification to germinate, plus get expert tips for successful tips to scarify seeds in this full guide.

Attract Hummingbird Moths: Essential Plants & Garden Guide

Learn to attract White-Lined Sphinx, Hummingbird Moths, and more with top plants and organic tips for a vibrant garden

Shine On: The Ultimate Guide to Flower and Herb Seeds that Need Light to Germinate

Got a Light? Discover which seeds need light to sprout. Check our list of light-dependent herb and flower seeds to boost germination.

Strawberry Garden Guide: 10 Proven Methods for Your Best Harvest Yet

I grow enough strawberries to preserve 50 jars of jam each year. Here are my tried and true growing tips for ample strawberry harvests.

A Visual Guide to Swallowtail Butterflies: Tips for Identification

Learn how to identify common Swallowtail Butterfly species, based on your area and their distinguishing features + characteristics.

Solve Seedling Troubles: Expert Tips for Indoor Seed Starting Success

I grow one acre's worth of vegetables from seed. Here are my tips to prevent problems with seed starting before they become an issue.

Visual Guide to Self-Sowing Plants: Grow a Self-Sustaining Garden

Discover a vibrant garden that grows itself! Explore our visual guide to the best self-seeding plants for a lush, low-maintenance haven.

Perennial Power: Grow Sustainable Garden with Our Extensive Crop Database

Find the ideal perennial food crops for your garden with filters for zones, harvest schedules, growth requirements, and longevity.

The Powers of Soil Bacteria: Boost Garden Vitality and Capture Carbon

Unlock soil health & fight climate change with soil bacteria. Learn how these invisible heroes aid in carbon capture and plant health.

Cleavers (Galium aparine): Discover the Unexpected Perks of This Versatile Weed

You may see Cleavers as a weed to get rid of, but it plays a big ecological role, and has been a part of human culture for millennia.

Self-heal: Full Guide to Identify and Grow this Native Purple Wildflower

Prunella vulgaris is an important native wildflower with many ecological and medicinal properties. Learn how to ID and grow it in your yard!

The Role of Soil Microorganisms in a Sustainable and Thriving Garden

Regenerative practices all focus on one thing: tending to the soil microbiome. Learn how microbes work together with plants to store carbon.

The Role of Regenerative Agriculture in Carbon Sequestration

Learn about regenerative agriculture & carbon sequestration with the help of memes. Then, apply these sustainable practices to your own yard

Pass on Peat: Why we need a better solution for bagged soil

Discover the critical role peatlands play in climate change and why sustainable gardeners need to advocate for peat-free soil alternatives.

Garden to Vase: The Ultimate Guide to Dried Flower Gardening

Check out our complete idea list of low-input regenerative blooms for organic gardens that dry to make vibrant year-round arrangements.

Cultivate Climate Resilience: A Home Gardener's Guide to Regenerative Techniques

Transform your garden into a bastion against climate change with home-based regenerative strategies. Cultivate resilience sustainably.

Maximize Your Harvest, Minimize Costs: A Garden Plan to Bolster Your Food Secu

Grow these essentail crops to save the most money - put check out my cost-saving garden strategy and tips on how to grow a garden for less.

A Visual Guide to Nasturtiums & Their Benefits for Organic Gardens

Discover the regenerative power of Nasturtiums in organic gardens. Learn to grow this edible, pest-repelling plant for a thriving ecosystem.

Create a Swallowtail Butterfly Haven: State-Specific Food + Nectar Plants

Grow Swallowtail Butterfly host + nectar plants for a vibrant garden habitat! Discover regional varieties & ID tips for these butterflies.

Top 125+ Cold-Hardy Edibles: Ultimate Database of Zone 1-3 Hardy Plants

You can have a thriving edible garden in zones 3, 2, and even 1! Check out our list of edible crops that are hardy for short seasons.

Shade-Loving Edibles: A Database of 81 Food Crops to Grow in Low-Light Gardens

What veggies fruit, and herbs can you grow in the shade? Learn best practices + get full list of crops to grow in low-light gardens.

A Visual Guide to Top Drought-Tolerant Flowers for Low-Water Gardens

Drought conditions? Not a problem for these beautiful blooms. Grow a dry garden with low-water flowers that will thrive in dry climates.

Drought-Proof Herb Planting List: 25 Herbs to Grow for Dry Gardening

Drought-resistant herbs for water-wise gardening. For culinary or medicinal use, dry climate herbs thrive in low-input regenerative gardens.

Fava Bean Growing Guide: Enhancing Soil & Garden Health Naturally

Fava beans are a regenerative gardener's best friend: learn how to grow broad beans for their sustainable and nutritious benefits.

Top 100 Goat Names for Your Herd: Unique Name Ideas for Does, Bucks, and Wethers

Graze Through Our Top 100 Goat Names and Themes! Creative Ideas for Buck Names, What to Call your Does, and Good Names for Wethers.

Regenerative vs Organic Farming: What’s the Difference?

Learn how regenerative and organic agriculture share the same sustainable goals, but with some key distinctions.

I Raise Goats: Here’s the difference between Nigerian Dwarfs and Nubian Goats

Which goat breed is best for your homestead? I'll share my experience with both the Nigerian Dwarf and Nubian breeds so you can decide.

The Wonders of Phacelia: Cover Crop Benefits Guide for Gardeners

Explore the incredible benefits and uses of Phacelia as a top cover crop. Learn how it supports soil health, attracts pollinators, and more!

Drought-Resistant Vegetable Garden: 23 Best Varieties for Low-Water Gardening

Grow a lush garden despite the dry spell with our top drought-resistant veggies. Save water and enjoy fresh produce with dry gardening.

eco friendly homestead

a deliriously better world through nature-based solutions to climate change:

*Disclaimer: While I strive for accuracy, I'm human and so there may be errors. This blog is for educational purposes only and you assume any and all risk associated with plant ID, foraging, and consuming plants. I'm not a professional, so don't take any information as professional advice. You understand that any errors can cause serious illness, injury or death. Before working with a plant in any way, consult a local guide who understands both ID and proper preparation. Be smart, friend!