November 2020 on the Croft: Wrap Up
Hello! Even though the winter solstice isn’t until December 21st, November always feels like the true start of winter in Iowa. And I have to be honest, you’ll notice that I didn’t post much this month AND I’m a week late posting this and…
October 2020 on the Croft: Wrap Up
Hello! October is the very heart of Autumn and because I love this season, I have a soft spot for October. In Iowa, it starts with the peak of the bird migration as most birds flee south. It signals the end of the garden,…
Top Ten Ways to Make Your Homestead Friendly for Wildlife
While Still Having Land that Produces for You! I put this list together initially for an Extension program called Homegrown Lifestyle. It was a 12 week class for folks wanting to learn how to homestead. It appears to no longer exist which is depressing….
September 2020 on the Croft: Wrap Up
Hello! September is always an eventful month. It starts with a holiday here in the U.S. (labor day) which seems like it doubles as a last hurrah for summer. The days start getting noticeably shorter and the temperatures here in zone 5-Iowa can range…
How to Make Wildlife Friendly Backyard Landscapes, Part 1
When I’m not a bumbling, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants homesteader, I earn my living as a wildlife biologist (About Page). A big motivation for wanting some land of my own was to be a good nature steward. I want the wildlife to feel as welcome as I…
How To Start Living More Sustainably Today Without Spending a Dime
Living a life of less consumption and waste is not something that happens over night. Our society is not built to support a less consumptive way of life and often consuming less can cost a decent chunk of change which is frustrating (eg. installing…
Fall Gardening: Making the Most of the Growing Season
September 8, 2020 It’s September! Here in the the northern hemisphere that means basically it’s autumn. The Fall Equinox is just 2 weeks away (September 22nd), days are noticeably shortening and all the growing things are all starting to lose their luster. It’s past…
10 Gardening Tips For Being a Lazy Gardener
I’m a certified lazy gardener. Okay, that’s a lie because as far as I know there is no certification program for being lazy in the garden but if there was, I’d be top of the class. Or, you know, as top-of-the-class as a lazy…