Homesteading Starter Kits:
Many people have never had the opportunity to garden — they either don’t have time or they “wouldn’t even know where to begin.” Homesteading Starter Kits make getting started or improving your garden simple, practical, and fun.
Each kit includes:
- heirloom and native seeds which come with seeds for their companion plants (plants which require similar care, plants which help other plants when grown next to each other);
- instructions for the most highly efficient gardening technique we could find.
List of Kits:
- The 3 Sisters Kit – perhaps the most well-known of companion planting techniques. Includes corn, beans, and squash.
- “Great For Raised Beds” Kit – these kits include seeds for plants that like to grow deep roots straight down, often preferring well-draining soil, such as green, purple, and white asparagus, rainbow carrots, and other.
- “Full Sunlight, Low Water” Kit – some plants will die if you feed them too much water, while preferring full sunlight. Save water and grow tasty food! Kits include eggplants, okra, sunflowers, and peppers, as well as informative instructions with step-by-step photographs.
- “Summer Leafy Greens” Kit – a wide variety of tasty greens that grow together very well, as they require take similar care.
- “Cold Frame Winter Greens” Kit – cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, and other cruciferous and winter greens grow exceptionally well simply by putting them into a cold frame.
More kits will be developed soon, and we plan to continue to research and build better kits over time. For now, you can download the following PDF wherein we display all our kits. Kits should be ready to order by May 1, 2018. We’re currently ordering the seeds and finishing up their production!
Download the PDF: Homesteading Starter Kits
Also see:
Highly-Efficient Homesteading Skills
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The Below Section is In-the-Making:
Plant Out: April-May Harvest: April-June
February-May:
“The Double Planter Technique”
for Potatoes & Yams:
– or –
Broad Beans aka Fava Beans:
Sow broad bean seeds 1 inch deep and 4 to 5 inches apart. Space rows 18 to 30 inches apart. Thin seedlings to stand 8 to 10 inches apart. In short season regions, start broad beans indoors in peat pots and set them into the garden shortly after the last frost in spring.[3]
Amazing Gardening Technique! “Fava Bean Tunnel”:
Harvest: May-October
March-July:
Beet Root:
All you need to do is cut the tops & bottoms off of the beets before you cook them. Note: Cook the beets- not the tops & bottoms you cut off. Then place the tops & bottoms in a small dish of water and wait for them to sprout up- which usually takes only a few days. In a week or so, your beet greens will really start to grow. Just keep watering them- & that’s it! They don’t need much sun, but you do need to keep the dish filled with water. You can eat the greens that sprout up, or use them as decoration.[4]
Beet Greens Sprouting After a Few Days:
1 Week:
2 Weeks:
3 Weeks:
Harvest: June-October
February-April:
Celeriac:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: April-May Harvest: October-December
February-May:
Celery:
Plant Out: March-June Harvest: July-November
Amazing Gardening Technique! “Re-Growing Celery”:
February-April:
Cucumber:
Plant Out: March-May Harvest: April-July
Cucumbers are frost-sensitive. Plant after last frost date in your area. Plant in location with full sun. Provide lots of water. Use a trellis to grow cucumber plant vertically.[5]
Amazing Gardening Technique from “Pinterest Challenge“! “Cucumber Teepees”:
March-July:
Endive:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: May-August Harvest: July-October
April-June:
French Beans:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: May-June Harvest: May-October
March-May:
Leek:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: April-May Harvest: July-November
March-April:
Melon:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: April-June Harvest: July-September
June-September:
Mustard:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Harvest: July-October
February-April:
Onion:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Harvest: August-October
February-July:
Parsley:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Harvest: June-September
March-Jun:
Peas:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Harvest: June-September
March-April:
Peppers:
Peppers are a tender, warm-season crop. They resist most pests.
- Start seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last spring frost date.
- The temperature must be at least 70 degrees F for seed germination, so keep them in a warm area for the best and fastest results.
- Start pepper seeds three to a pot, and thin out the weakest seedling. Let the remaining two pepper plants spend their entire lives together as one plant. The leaves of two plants help protect peppers against sunscald, and the yield is often twice as good as two segregated plants.
- Begin to harden off plants about 10 days before transplanting.
- A week before transplanting, introduce fertilizer or aged compost in your garden soil.
- After the danger of frost has passed, transplant seedlings outdoors, 18 to 24 inches apart (but keep paired plants close to touching.)
- Soil should be at least 65 degrees F, peppers will not survive transplanting at temps any colder. Northern gardeners can warm up the soil by covering it with black plastic.
- Put two or three match sticks in the hole with each plant, along with about a teaspoon of fertilizer. They give the plants a bit of sulfur, which they like.
Care
- Soil should be well-drained, but maintain adequate moisture either with mulch or plastic covering.
- Water one to two inches per week, but remember peppers are extremely heat sensitive. If you live in a warm or desert climate, watering everyday may be necessary.
- Fertilize after the first fruit set.
- Weed carefully around plants.
- If necessary, support plants with cages or stakes to prevent bending. Try commercially available cone-shaped wire tomato cages. They may not be ideal for tomatoes, but they are just the thing for peppers.
- For larger fruit, spray the plants with a solution of one tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon of water, once when it begins to bloom, and once ten days later.
Pests/Diseases
- Aphids
- Flea Beetles
- Cucumber Mosaic Virus
- Blossom End Rot appears as a soft, sunken area which turns darker in color.
- Pollination can be reduced in temperatures below 60F and above 90F.
- Too much nitrogen will reduce fruit from setting.
Harvest/Storage
- Harvest as soon as peppers reach desired size.
- The longer bell peppers stay on the plant, the more sweet they become and the greater their Vitamin C content.
- Use a sharp knife or scissors to cut peppers clean off the plant for the least damage.
- Peppers can be refrigerated in plastic bags for up to 10 days after harvesting.
- Bell peppers can be dried, and we would recommend a conventional oven for the task. Wash, core, and seed the peppers. Cut into one-half-inch strips. Steam for about ten minutes, then spread on a baking sheet. Dry in the oven at 140 degrees F (or the lowest possible temperature) until brittle, stirring occasionally and switching tray positions. When the peppers are cool, put them in bags or storage containers.[7]
Plant Out: April-June Harvest: June-October
An Amazing Highly-Efficient Way to Plant Peppers:
Article: A Genius Way to Grow Peppers & Tomatoes in Buckets (Self-Watering)
March-April:
Squash:
This section is incomplete; please scroll down as we’ve got other sections completed below. Until this page is complete, we’re updating it frequently, so please check back within 24 hours.
Plant Out: May-June Harvest: June-September
December-January:
Strawberries:
Harvest: May-September
Amazing Gardening Technique! “Hanging Strawberries”:
Dainty, tasty alpine strawberries are the best choice for planting in a small container, like a window box or hanging basket.
To make your ‘hanging strawberry ceiling”, simply plant them inside a series of rain gutters:
The plants will need lifting out of the pot and dividing every three or four years.
November-March:
Tomatoes:
Plant Out: February-May Harvest: August-October
Amazing Gardening Technique! “Super Simple Way to Plant Tomatoes”:
Article: “Hay Bale Gardening”:
Why Raised Bed Gardens?
Article: Rooftop Gardening (Caution! Read This Before Trying to Build One!):
Video: Maximizing Water & Space Efficiency- “Bottle Towers”
Brief Intermission:
& now, a wonderful “forgotten” song that is all about gardening by John Denver from The Muppet Show; this video is being used under Fair Use:
Everything Below this is still being organized into the above section. Thank you for your patience– although we’re fast typers so it won’t take very long!
“Companion Planting” (which plants grow best next to which plants?)
Early Springtime:
Yams & Potatoes:
Step I: Place the potatoes/yams into a jar, partially submerging the root in water, as shown:
Step II: Purchase two potting plants which fit into one another, & cut the majority of each “side” of one of the potting plants as shown in order to make for “very easy harvesting” which does not jeopardize the safety of the plant itself:
Other Notes: Potatoes do not do well when the temperatures climb into the 90s. They may actually keel over and die when the temperature gets to 95 degrees. If a late planting or a late season variety runs into that hot weather while the tubers are in the early bulking stage you may get a very low yield.
Video: How to Make an Efficient Battery Using a Partially-Cooked Potato:
Video: Click Here To Watch Another Fantastic Video With Instructions on How To Make An Effective Potato Battery
“The 3 Sisters”, Corn, Beans, & Squash
Click to Enlarge (amazing technique):
Heirloom Corn Seeds:
Soaproot Seeds:
Here’s one video of survival & ethnobotany expert Richard Lonewolf from “The Forgotten Abundance of America’s Wildlands“:
Purchase nettle seeds here now:
Richard Lonewolf on the many uses of the drought-tolerant Soaproot, which likes to grow on hillsides:
Basil:
1. Choose 10cm/4-inch stems and using a sharp blade (not scissors) cut just below a leaf node – the part on the stem where new leaves/stems sprout.
2. Strip any leaves from 3/4 of the stem then place in a glass of water and leave in a very bright but not too hot place until roots start to form on the stem making sure to change the water every couple of days.
3. Once the roots are around 5cm/2-inches long, pot up individual stems into pots at least 10cm/4-inches wide, filled with potting compost. Water in and then place in direct sunlight. It recommended that the plant gets at least six hours of bright, direct sunlight each day.[2]
Plant These to Attract Bees:
Begin Your Planning by Planting What’s Simple:
Article: “Pastor Plants ‘Garden of Eden’ for The Homeless”:
Below is a list of foods often available in markets that are native to the west (the Americas):
potatoes
chocolate
pumpkin
cassava
green beans
kidney beans
cranberries
pecans
okra
pineapple
corn
Avocados
passion fruit
zucchini
maple syrup
vanilla
47 types of berries
bell & red peppers
paprika
tomatoes
peanuts
cashews
sweet potatoes
passion fruit
lima beans
sunflower seeds
walnuts
popcorn
spirulina (blue-green algae)
One example of a native food that is commonly available in bulk sections (use your own bag please) is Long Grain Native WIld Rice! Instead of brown or white rice, try native rice as an alternative! Very yummy & nutritious!
Rainbow popcorn is a must-have for campers, as it is a very efficient food & travels extremely well. A little handful of packweight provides a large bowl of food with a very healthy balance of starch, fiber, & protein:
Wild Willpower would like to give a heartfelt & genuine THANK YOU to everyone who helped put together the below information so we could make this webpage possible!
