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

Hello! I am interested in learning how to can fruits and veggies I’m growing. Does anyone have any tips? Thank you in advance ❤️

We are looking at buying a new construction house with a couple of acres in an area that largely used to be cotton farming. We don’t have a specific house in mind yet, so there’s no specific soil to test, but one of our goals in moving out of the city is to have a large garden, fruit trees, chickens, etc. I’m concerned about the impact of fertilizers & herbicides used in cotton farming. I’ve heard there is a risk of heavy metals like arsenic in the soil after cotton farming. Does anyone have any resources or experience in raising food on land formerly used for growing cotton?