Maintaining a no-till garden is simple, but it is not without work. You replace the tilling and digging with mulching and covering the garden soil. A covered soil does not have to be tilled. It stays soft and becomes better the longer it is maintained. We cover the question of to-till or ...
Permaculture
Planting a Shelterbelt
On an open prairie property, planting a shelterbelt is (almost) a must. Even though I really love to be able to see miles and miles, the wind is serious. Letting the wind just blow is an option, but it brings a second challenge with it, it does blow the snow cover away. Without a snow cover, the ...
Permaculture Design Project
The Permaculture Design Project was my final project for the permaculture design course. I finished it in the spring of last year and got my Permaculture Design Certificate. Summer was busy realizing the design, and as promised we are finely sharing it here on the blog. My goal is to share ...
Growing Legumes as Companion Plants
Companion plants are plants that have benefits for each other. They are better together than alone. As a gardener, you might have heard about the so-called nitrogen "fixing" plants. Now, that might sound very theoretical and only something for permaculturists. Growing legumes as nitrogen-fixing ...
Varieties of Berries for Zone 3 Garden
Berries are the best fruit cold climate gardeners can grow, the category of produce where we can shine. Here we share the varieties of berries that we grow in our zone 3 garden and some care and propagation tips. Growing berries in a permaculture cold climate garden. Why grow berries Of all ...
Microclimates in a Northern Garden
If you garden in a cold climate, a microclimate can make all the difference between no frost or frost damage, and ripe or green tomatoes in your garden. A few degrees colder or warmer can have a huge impact on what we can grow and how well the garden is producing. So let's take a closer look into ...
DIY Contour Map
When designing a permaculture property, the topography of the land is one of the first things you want to know. Depending on where you live you might have great resources available to find that. However, if those resources are not available, a DIY contour map might be an option. Here we share our ...
Our New Land to Build a Permaculture Property
Have you been wondering why November started so mild in our part of the world and continued beautiful? We bought some land and needed to fence it in before the ground freezes. There you have the real reason ;). The fence went up on November 14th and the weather changed overnight. Okay, that at least ...
Permaculture Design Course
Big news here at NorthernHomestead, I'm (Anna) taking the Permaculture Design Course, Starting on November 18, 2021. The Permaculture Design Course is the international standard for permaculture certification. It is an online course, so I get to go to classes without leaving the comfort of my home. ...
Growing Fruit Trees in Cold Climate Part 1
We love fruit. Juicy, sweet, delicious fruit. Growing up in Central Asia, fruit was a big part of our diet. My (Anna) father moved our family to that area to grow fruit. With hot, dry summers, the fruit was our best crop. Growing fruit trees in a cold climate is a bit of a different story. We are ...
