Fix It with This DIY Fabric Softener

Living with hard well water is...well, hard! Toilets with stained bowls and spots on dishes are just some issues hard water can bring, but another downside to living on a well is the yellowing whites and smelly laundry! Yuck!
What is a homesteader to do?! 

There are some amazing water softeners on the market that will remove minerals from your water supply. Although these are the best options, they are cost prohibitive, especially if you're looking to get a good one! And the harder the water, the more expensive they can get.  Farm husband and I will eventually go that route and when we do, I'll share all about it. But until then, lets talk about a quick and inexpensive fix that will help maintain white whites and remove the laundry funk smell from your clothes. 

Squirrels wreak havoc on urban gardens, burrowing into the soil in order to feast on tulip and crocus bulbs. To prevent squirrels from eating our garden, we plant daffodils nearby, which squirrels don’t care for, to deter them as well as sprinkle red pepper flakes on the surface to discourage them from digging. – Jim Guckert of Guerrilla Gardeners of Washington DC ​

I like to make or buy products that have cayenne pepper in them, or you can make homemade peppermint oil diffusers to bury in the soil. Most rodents and pests don’t like strong mint or pepper smells, and these natural remedies can work wonders. –  Bailey Van Tassel ​

Drip irrigation is one way to reduce the moisture these pests need to survive. Slugs and snails usually avoid plants with aromatic foliage or very stiff leaves, such as lavender, rosemary, and sage. Include herbs with a strong scent among your more susceptible plantings. Lastly, barriers can be effective. They don’t like to slide over copper so consider mesh copper screens or sheeting 8 inches wide to protect valuable plants. – Norfolk Extension Master Gardener  ​

Cabbage moths can really do a lot of damage to members of the brassica family, such as broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. To prevent animals from eating your garden, use an old toothbrush to gently remove the eggs and caterpillars from the underside of leaves. – Three Seeds Farm ​

If I see even one bunny in my neighborhood, the food tents come out. Picnic food tents on cabbage and squash or mesh bags for tomatoes and berries are quick ways to protect your harvest. – Nichollette Shorts, Broadway Gardener ​

Are Japanese beetles invading your garden? You can help control them without insecticides that could harm our pollinator friends. At dusk when the insects have settled in for the night, grab a bucket, add hot water, and a couple of drops of dish soap. Walk your gardens and brush the beetles off your plants into the bucket. – Midwest Garden Gal 
 
Originally published on Redfin.com ​

Wood kitchen tools add warmth and texture to your home. They also require some extra love and care to prolong their life and beauty. 

Keeping wood in good shape come down to two things: not letting moisture in and not letting moisture out! 

Nothing will ruin your butcher block counter tops faster than a small puddle of water gone unnoticed. Ignoring wood by never conditioning those spoons and spatulas leaves them dull, dry and brittle.

Conditioning puts moisture into the wood while creating a water resistant barrier. Neglected wood will be susceptible to water damage. 

Most commercial wood oils and conditioners contain petroleum by-products (I'm looking at you mineral oil). The World Health Organization considers highly refined mineral oil not to be suspected of causing cancer but "available information is not sufficient enough to classify them as harmless." 

I wanted a board butter that was made with ingredients I wouldn't mind my food touching, ya know, in case we "accidentally" ingested some.  Minimal, easy to find ingredients was a plus!

A base of beeswax and fractionated coconut oil(FCO) will not only be safe, but also moisturize and seal. Adding lemon and wild orange essential oils gives the butter antibacterial and antiviral properties. Not to mention it smells good too. ​

(Learn why I only use dōTERRA essential oils)

It's important to use fractionated coconut oil. In, FCO the long-chain fatty acids have been removed. This creates an odorless coconut oil that stays liquid at room temperature and won't go rancid. FCO is also known as medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. 

1. Use a double boiler to melt the beeswax into the coconut oil. In lieu of a fancy double boiler, use a small pot with simmering water and a metal bowl on top. This method gently heats and prevents scorching. 

2. Once everything has melted together, remove from heat. Allow to cool briefly before adding the essential oils. Just a minute will do it, you don't want it to solidify. 

**Side Note: Essential oils and heat do not mix. Slightly cooling the mixture will preserve the benefits and aroma.**

3. Pour your board butter into a glass jar and let solidify. Condition all the nude wood in your home with this easy board butter recipe! I like to apply it with bare hands. When you're done, your cutting boards and hands will look fabulous. 

Butcher blocks, pastry benches, wood spoons, spatulas, and cutting boards need a monthly application to extend their life and beauty! 

This board butter makes an excellent gift paired with a tea towel and wooden spoon! Use a vintage jar for an unexpected, homey touch. 

Three Seeds Farm will soon be carrying board butter in the mercantile. Check back soon! 

Is seed starting a frustrating experience? I would gather all my supplies, ripe with excitement for spring, only to be disappointed when my tiny seedling soon died. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong.

I had almost given up on the entire notion that I could start a garden indoors and therefore give myself a head start. After consulting a few garden friends, I was able to up my seed starting game and turns out I'm actually pretty good at it! As a zone 5 gardener, this was a major victory! 

After spinning my wheels for so long, I knew I had to share my seed set-up with everyone. There are a few key tools that made all the difference. If you've struggled starting seeds then keep reading...

Game Changer #1---> Heat!
Seeds need both heat and moisture to germinate. At temps too low, seeds will absorb the needed moisture but will not begin root growth. This temperature varies from plant to plant.

For instance, beets can germinate in soil temps as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit and therefore can usually be planted in early spring directly in your garden bed. Melons, cucumbers, and peppers require soil temps no lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit. In order to get a decent harvest of these crops in Colorado, I need to start these indoors before my outdoor soil temps even come close to that.

Using a seedling heat mat germinated more seeds AND at the same time. Having seedlings that germinate together is very helpful when it comes time to transplant. Seeds also germinated in a much shorter timeframe. I have two of these seed mats in my rotation as I begin starting seedlings in January and each month thereafter until May, when I can direct sow the rest of my crop. 

Roots grow more vigorously under the heat mat, giving my plant starts a better chance of survival. Nutrients and water are taken into the plant more readily when the soil temps are correct. 

The seedling heat mat also allowed me to put young seedlings in a colder area of the house, like my basement, without worrying about them. Of course, I have to supplement a light source too, which brings me to my next point...

Game Changer #2---> Light!
Most seeds do not require light to germinate, and actually can be inhibited by too much light. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule too so check with your seed packet to be sure. Once a seed sprouts, it will need 12-14 hours of light a day for proper growth. 

Without light, seedlings will grow very leggy and weak and eventually die. To get adequate light, you can place your seedling in a south facing window. In my past experiences though, this was not enough light to keep my plants from getting leggy as they reached for the sun. 

To help with this, I grabbed a few plant lights from my local Walmart, garden store and Amazon. It is important to place the light as close to the plants as possible without touching them. This will encourage stout growth and stronger plants. Move the trays around every few days to get equal light all around your plant and raise the light as needed. 

Game Changer #3---> Water!
​Watering is very important when starting seeds. Turns out there is a right and wrong way to do it! My main problem in the past had to do with consistency. I would over water my baby seedlings, then realizing my mistake, I would not water them. The pots would get bone dry and then I would over water again.

Boy oh boy! What a mess! Mold and fungus would show up, weakening my plants. Then the final blow was a lack of water. 

The best way to water is from the bottom. This encourages healthy root growth. In order to do this, your seeds will need to have access to the water from below. So a peat pellet or pot with holes on the bottom works best. I like to collect yogurt and sour cream containers and drill holes in the bottom. The containers that cherry tomatoes come in work well too.

Pour water into the tray, avoiding the plants themselves. The pots will soak up the water and the plants will have ample amounts of water. I will allow the soil to dry up a bit before watering again. Once a week you can add fertilizer to your water, such as fish emulsion to established seedlings. 

Game Changer #4 ---> Soil!
Quick and easy peat pellets make seed starting a snap. I have used them in the past with success and still use them from time to time. My main gripe is that they require me to be less self-sufficient. 

If for some reason, everyone starts gardening this spring, maybe due to food shortage concerns. **Cough Cough** Well then, I may be in a pickle. So diversity is the spice of life.

Last year I used coconut coir, which is a sustainable by-product from coconuts. This worked great! This year I will be mixing up my own easy DIY potting mix using coconut coir, vermiculite and compost. 

But to be truly self sufficient, a little soil from the yard and some fully-composted manure or chicken litter will also do the trick. The down-side here is the possibility of weed seeds also germinating.

I find soil to be personal preference and there are many recipes out there to make your own. The main concern here is not to over-fertilize young plants which will "burn" them and then...game over. Ask me how I know. ;) 

After taking a fresh look at these four very important parts of seed starting, I have been able to start many seeds indoors, including rosemary and lavender which I failed miserably at previously. I hope that you will have the confidence to start your own garden from seed this year. The process saves me lots of money as well as being very rewarding.

What tips or tricks can you share about your seed starting process? 

Three Seeds Farm carries a small variety of non-GMO, chemical free seeds. Check them out and support a small family farm! 

There are so many options in the world of potting soil; seed starting mix, extended release fertilizer blend, veggie garden mix...the list goes on! I have found a simple recipe that works well in a pot indoors or to start my seeds in the spring. This recipe is not only easy, but it will same some money too (and what homesteader isn't thrifty??). 

You will find many recipes online for seed starting mix or potting soil. My version contains just three sustainable ingredients. 

Coconut Coir: This will be the bulk of your mix. Coconut coir is a by-product of the coconut processing industry. I avoided using peat moss, which is not a sustainable choice since much of it is mined from peat bogs that damages its delicate environment.

These ground up coconut husks make a great choice for planting as they hold water and drain very well. I have used coconut coir all by itself to transplant tender seedlings and had great success. They come in dense bricks that you soak with about 1-2 quarts of water to hydrate and break a part. 

Perlite/Vermiculite: These ingredients can be interchanged depending on what you have on hand. Both help to aerate the soil and hold water, with the perlite doing a tad bit better at aerating. For this particular mix, I don't notice a difference but if your compost seems to be extra dense then maybe you would want to use perlite. 

Compost: Where would we be without compost?! This ingredient adds nutrients to your mix, giving those seedlings a great start. If you keep a compost pile then you likely have this available for free. Just be certain it is well composted so you don't accidentally burn your plants. 

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts Coconut Coir
• 1 quart perlite/vermiculite
• 1 quart compost

Instructions:

1. The day before I rehydrate a brick of coconut coir using 1-2 quarts of water. You want to be able to easily crumble it in your hands. One brick comes to approximately 3 quarts when fully hydrated. 
2. In a large container, combine all three ingredients and mix with your hands. You will end up with a beautiful, rich mix that works well anywhere you would use the store bought stuff!

Now grab some seeds and get your garden growing! What is your favorite potting mix?