Hello everyone! I’m working on an exciting new project related to sustainable living and creative hobbies, and I’d love your input! Your feedback will help shape something meaningful (and hopefully inspiring!) for people who enjoy hands-on projects, eco-conscious living, or simply learning new skills.

It’s completely free to take part—just fill in this quick Google survey: https://forms.gle/XYeptbwkrk5hBdj36.

It takes only 5 minutes, and your answers will really make a difference. There is zero commitment and nothing to buy, I'm not selling anything either. I am purely doing research at this stage, and if you don't ever want to be contacted again, that's absolutely fine 👍

Thank you so much for helping me out—I truly appreciate your time and insight.

P.S. Admins, please feel free to remove this post if it isn’t suitable for the group.

HI all

TLDR: In maybe 1.5-2 yrs i wanna buy my own suburban home with space to homestead but feel overwhelmed on finding affordable home&land within reach to family (so asking for locale suggestions).

I currently am late 20's and living in NYC. I am planning to move out mid next year and my mother has a home in New Jersey where for some time I will move back in with her.

I helped her with some of the gardening last year (setting up some composting, raised beds, seedlings etc). I am starting to get more inspired by this lifestyle, especially after seeing what is possible (shoutout to the epic gardening/epic homesteading Youtube guy).

I want to use being at my mother's house as a good trial run to see if I can put in the work for suburban homesteading life and get more things off the ground there before seriously considering my own.

Some of the areas I was considering are nearby Yardley PA as it would give access into Philly/NYC and be able to drive to see family in new jersey - i have considered San Diego east county but even there the home prices seem absurdly high in comparison.

I moved into a new apartment, that had been freshly painted the day I looked at it. The place smelled like fresh paint and looked good. I signed a one-year lease and started to do a fresh clean the next day before moving in. Over the course of the next two days, I started to smell cigarettes, stronger and stronger, and the walls began to tinge a little yellow. While cleaning the baseboard heating system, I found cigarette butts inside. I begin scrubbing things a hell of a lot harder. By the third day the entire apartment reeked of cigarettes. On closer inspection, I could clearly see that the walls had not been washed before being painted. And after checking with the landlord, the previous tenant was indeed heavy indoor smoker. So now I have a year lease in an apartment where I feel the nicotine is trapped into the walls and the house stinks. To try my best to fix the situation, I washed the bedroom walls with a mixture of vinegar, Dawn dish soap, and hot water, and then applied a layer of primer paint. The bedrooms seem to smell fine so far, but I am still concerned about the popcorn ceilings. I am a single mother of, an elementary aged child. I am not a smoker. I am very concerned about having my child in this home and want to fix the situation as best as I can. Is there a better tactic to get the whole house done the way I did the bedrooms? And what do I do about the popcorn ceilings? How do I clean the bathroom vents? I scrubbed and vacuumed the base-board heaters- but is that enough? Please do not respond with any hopeless remarks. I need some good, old-fashioned “You can do this” advice.

Hi beautiful people

So, I have never gardened in my life (sad, I know). However, a genuine interest for has been growing for quite a while now. So far I had been giving out the excuse that I'd get to it when I eventually succeeded to buy land and have some space or a yard. Well, for too many reasons it seems this will never happen, so for the foreseable future it is just me and my small 1-bedroom apartment with no balcony and not a lot of sunlight to be honest (double sad, I know). So enough with the excuses and the waiting; I might as well get to it now whatever way I can with whatever resources and budget I have. Or at least that is what I thought.

As a total beginner I have some questions and worries, and do forgive me if some are really clueless, but I'd be really grateful if some of you could help me answering a few of them. Feel free to answer as many as you want, even if just one:

1) I live in a small town and there are markets on my street a five minutes walk away, which means I am not spending NYC levels of costs for produce and there is no commuting or delivery costs associated either. Just these businesses profit margins. Again, I am only a single person cooking every other day, no family. From watching YT videos on apartment gardening, I get that I need to buy a bunch of equipments (besides the obvious seeds, sprouts, soil etc) + expect an increase in electricity and water bills. So, my first question is: all things considered, when it comes to the idea of growing my own food in my conditions, would this even make financial sense?

2) Related: given my living conditions is a self-sufficient vegetable garden realistic and doable? (no balcony, windows but not a whole lot of sunlight [especially in the kitchen]) In other words: going beyond the issue of financial sense, can I actually make this happen if I want it (while also not transforming it in a full time job with unreasonable investments), i.e. could I actually feed myself and enrich my cooking/nutrition to a real degree with it?

3. The most open-ended question: if the previous two questions get a "yes" then may I ask how to go about this plan and where to begin and things to consider? Admitedly an unexperienced guy in the subject, but any and all advice on how to start and what to consider for a 1-person small apartment year-round vegetable garden is very much appreciated and welcome.

Thank you for reading and thank you very much for any advice you could extend. Have a great day

PS: not sure how relevant this is for the post, but I live in northern coastal Portugal, in case specific geographical factors (sunlight hours, seasons profile, typical air temperature, humidty etc) must be taken into account for proper advice.

I currently have a side business of installing and repairing ponds. I have a backyard pond myself, I love growing food, and have professional chef experience. I also enjoy open fire cooking.

I’m thinking about making a course and private community in the very niche niche for functional ecosystem backyards. Ecosystem ponds and water features, perrenial food gardens, cooking with home grown food, and entertaining the family and friends in this specific type of backyard environment.

The course(s) would cover DIY pond building and maintenance, water features, edible and water gardening, along with when it’s time to seek professional help. Culinary tips, recipes, demos. Garden demos, info on urban permaculture principles and things like that.

The community would host virtual events and activities, challenges and contests, q&a and expert guests and more. Possibly even in world meetups.

The group engagement would be gamified, earning points and rewards for reaching levels. Maybe Merch, journals, cookbooks, or personalized coaching or garden layouts for rewards.

What do you think? Would a community like me this appeal to urban homesteaders? Do you know of a group that already covers this trifecta of info?

I have this drain at the bottom of a stairwell for a basement apartment. A few years ago it was dug out pretty deep and filled with rocks. However it still just doesn't drain well. Is there anything I can do to help it drain better? I'm afraid of the basement flooding every time it drains.

Title asks the question, here’s a little background…

Back during The Plague, I’d been renting a house in the suburbs that had a random patch of wheat shoot out of the side of the house. Seeing this as a boon, I began to cultivate it and grow my supply of wheat seed to the point where I now have a decent surplus every harvest… but what to do?

I know it’s “easy enough” to grind it up and use it as a general flour, but I’m looking for other ways to use/enjoy my crop. What’d y’all think?

Hello everyone,

I am interested in growing my own garlic. I am not able to plant it in the ground due to a tiny backyard and a dog that will dig up anything I plant (she’s really a good dog, we got her when I was very young and unfortunately did not train her well. We have learned our lesson and will be more responsible with future dogs). I have a large pot though, and would like to try growing garlic in a pot.

Are there any differences in how you would plant and take care of garlic in a pot vs the ground? Anything I need to keep in mind when doing this? Thanks in advance!

I do a combo of urban homesteading, van/rv life, and living off the land.

Anyone else with this lifestyle?

Has anyone had any experience with raising quail?

Specifically I’m looking at adding quail to my homestead. I already have a large garden and two large (docile) German Shepards. (I own my house). I have read the local ordinances and don’t see anything that explicitly prohibits raising quail. I’ve searched online for anyone who has posted anything about raising quail in my area of Illinois and have come up with nothing saying I can’t have them.

My question is has anyone had a similar experience? I’m thinking as long as my animals aren’t overly obvious, loud or smelly and my neighbors are cool with them that I should have no problems.

I have some cherries I left in their glass container too long. They’re still perfectly ripe, but are now giving that “fermentation has begun” tingle that makes eating them as a snack not as enjoyable.

What would you do with them?

I live on a 1/2 acre and I have 8 fruit trees and a garden that is 45'x25'. Every year, I prune my fruit trees and rip out my plants. The bigger fruit tree branches are used for smoking meats, but the smaller branches are taken to the local transfer station. In addition, I have my garden surrounded by a chain link fence. On that chain link fence, I have passionflower vines growing over the entire fence line.

I am looking to buy a wood chipper so that I can chip my branches, limbs, and other various items straight into my compost pile. I have been looking online and every review says "the 3" wood chipper will only handle 2" branches if dried and there are no knots" and "don't put smaller twigs in it or it will jam up."

My plan is to spend at most $700 on a wood chipper, but they don't seem to work in that price range. Any recommendations? Should I rent one every year from a big box store? Again, I want to chip/mulch this:

• 2" (3" max) DRIED branches
• smaller branches
• yard waste
• vines

Any help is much appreciated. Thank you.

Location: North Dallas, TX area

We're on an 8th of an acre (much of that taken up by our home). We have a long narrow strip on the southwest side of our home, and I was thinking it would be nice to have a mix of edible perennial vines and harvestables that don't require a ton of space to get a yield. We don't have a fence, so we'd need it to be containable/non-invasive. We're in Delaware, Zone7B. Any thoughts? Thank you. 😊

I have my garden all planned for 2025. What is the cheapest way to build and fill beds?

Hey fellow gardening enthusiasts!

I’m considering diving into the world of home smart gardens and would love to hear your experiences and opinions. Specifically, I’m looking at options like Click and Grow, Gardyn, Lettuce Grow, Aerogarden, Rise Gardens, and others.

For those who have used these systems, I’d love to know:

• How do they compare in terms of price and value for money?

• What kind of yields can I expect?

• How easy are they to use and maintain?

• Any standout features or drawbacks?

• Your overall satisfaction and whether you would recommend them.

Your insights will be super helpful as I’m thinking about buying multiple systems. Feel free to share any opinions, tips, or personal stories. Thanks in advance for your help!

Happy gardening! 🌱🌿

I’m in the process of transforming my backyard into a garden and replacing invasive plants with native ones, and I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed by the sheer number of invasives I have to deal with…

I have Lilly of the Valley now spreading into my lawn and garden beds on the opposite side of the yard, common periwinkle, forget-me-nots, wood avens, yellow archangels, and the worst of all, chokecherry trees, which are technically native, but they grow and take over like an invasive plant and are just EVERYWHERE!

If have any tips for getting rid our chokecherry (chemical-free) please let me know, it’s giving me so much anxiety.

I use to have dog strangling vine growing last year, but I ripped apart part of my lawn to get every root and it hasn’t grown back.

It’s like everytime I turn around, there is another invasive plant growing, it’s so disheartening. Anyone have a similar experience?

Looking to chicken wire a section of my backyard off, noticed that fencepost drivers are ridiculously expensive. Any cheaper option than $25 bucks to drive 5-10 4 ft fence posts?

What plants can I grow easily indoors that are edible? Should I get a hydroponic garden or not? Thanks for the help! :-)

I have a house in suburbia, about a 1/4th acre, but maybe half of that is yard. The front is facing east so gets decent sun, the back is 90% shaded.

The only thing I can think of that are allowed where I'm living are rabbits, chickens, quail, and bees.

But the issue is, I'm looking to be more self sufficient, but if it costs me more money, then I can't do it. It has to be cheaper.

Any ideas on how to perhaps feed some of these animals for cheap and maybe save some money and have a touch of self sufficiency?

What supplies do I need. I want to learn gardening and sewing. I would like to do container growing but I don't know what fruit and vegetables will be happy there. I don't have a balcony. Are there other skills I could learn. I'm only allowed my cat so now livestock. I've heard of minuture fruit trees . Can raspberries be grown in a container

Hello everybody! I'm a graduate student at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, currently embarking on an exciting journey for my capstone research project. My focus? The pros and cons of indoor and outdoor gardening in URBAN locations, and I could really use your wisdom and experiences! Topics include hydroponics, urban farming, indoor VS outdoor gardening, and grocery store independence.

ALL QUESTIONS ARE IN THIS GOOGLE FORM (https://forms.gle/Lb24G2MBE4rN8ZCRA) SO FEEL FREE TO TYPE YOUR INSIGHTS THERE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for considering sharing your story! Your input can greatly influence the direction and outcomes of home gardening practices.

As homesteader especially as urban peps what the most troubling thing you face? Lets discuss and if some one has a solution they will contribute..

I'll start

If I want to go 100% organic what are the best homemade nutritions (fertilizer) and pesticides I can make easy?

How do I stop stray cats from digging up my plants?

I’m planting from seed, start them indoors, and plant outside when it grows couple leaves so they are still very small.

Should I wait until plants are bigger?

What deterrents should I use?

If I need to fence in plants with chicken wire, how high do I need to make it? Do I need to cover the top? How long does the chicken wire need to stay up? (Personally I just don’t like how it looks so I’d rather not use it