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Okay, calm down, friend! There is always a solution! Building a run onto the coop your friend is bringing isn't too hard. A friend of mine has a very small backyard and a short fence. She used a dog kennel as her main coop for her chickens. I'd recommend marking where exactly you can put...

I was reading another page (and an eHow page) that using river rock gravel helps keep chicken's away from your plants because they don't like walking on it. If you have a large enough space, using rocks instead of mulch could prevent them from going there in the first place. That being said...

Lots of mint, basil, and rosemary, along with a few others like cilantro and sage. Essentially, the most fragrant, obnoxious herbs will ward away rodents, particularly mint.

I've heard from others who use dried deer blood that it keeps all larger foragers away from gardens. Some people use it in their compost but others use it directly in their garden. I've heard it works, but I've never tried it myself. I've never really had a need to, to be honest. The dogs...

I didn't see this post earlier, but I thought I'd share my opinion again. The first couple years, you probably won't be saving much money. Buying organic seeds, getting your soil all nutritious and wonderful, purchasing all your produce while waiting to have a bountiful garden, all that can...

Mmmm! That sounds wonderful! I know there are apple orchards up in northern Texas, but where I am (right up against the Mexican border), you have to have really good soil or mix up your own. That's what I'll probably have to do if I want a bountiful tree. I'm trying to get some advice from...

I'm not likely to find any apple trees here in Texas (our soil is sometimes too clay-like for apple trees), but it's brilliant that you have access to free fruit! The closest pick-your-own orchard is about 6 hours away and their picking seasons don't align well with vacation days. I'm hoping...

A lot of what we read in books generally works only if you have the most ideal conditions. A couple acres of land, good soil, the time and energy to grow and harvest bunches of different items. It doesn't always work out for smaller homesteaders, so I understand where you are coming from...

I'll PM you.

I suppose the only problem would be that eventually, I will need to move out. I really want to enjoy the homestead before I have to get out of here. We have chickens now, but part of me is doubtful that both chickens and a garden will be maintained. That tends to be why I don't go on vacation...

Since I'm doing all my planning for the garden next year, I got Dad involved. He's better at laying things out and he is definitely a huge factor in all that I do. Plus, he was the one who really wanted the garden when we moved here 12 years ago. He even penned off an entire area just for...

Essentially, it's a perfect mixture of all your composting items that, over time, begin to heat up as they rot/turn-into-compost. This method also kills seeds from any weeds you use in your pile. The heating of the pile happens internal to as much as 140° F. As it runs through its cycle, it'll...

Maybe it's because of the heat around here. It's so hot here and the pile I've made is out in the open. It didn't get wet until two weeks ago when it rained. I've just watched the mixture of pine shavings, hay, manure and food scraps turn into a grainy looking soil. It helps that the chickens...

It looks like all this rain has done wonders for the soil! I am finally pulling out some weeds and they aren't fighting back! I'm going to need to get started on some proper compost (I want to test the soil, but I'm not sure how), but we'll see what Dad says when he gets home.

Well, you saw my coop. Every other week, I rake through the dirt and gather all the manure/bedding. It's raked out into the dead leaves we have underneath our oak trees and it just gathers there. It was too dry for awhile, but since it's been raining lately, it's been breaking up more. So...

This thread is so cool! Thanks, Newbie32, for showing me the light, haha! I'm only 21, but the dream has always been to have enough land to do the homesteading thing. I live with my parents now on a 1/2 acre, which is enough to do what we want. I'm already scheming for next year...