Welcome to Willowbottom

Your Complete Guide to Modern Homesteading & Sustainable Living

Homesteading isn’t about having the perfect setup. It’s about using what you have, right where you are. Whether you’re growing a full garden, tending a few windowsill herbs, or just trying to live a little more sustainably, you belong here.

Ready To Start Your Garden?

Thinking about starting a garden but not sure where to begin? Or looking for a better way to plan and manage what you’re already growing? Wherever you are in the process, this is your space to learn, stay organized, and enjoy the experience of growing your own food.

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Building Great Garden Soil

Understanding Your Growing Zone

Organic Pest Control

Growing your own food starts with knowing where to begin. Our free guide gets you started, and it connects you to a whole library of resources to grow your knowledge right alongside your garden.

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  • Your growing zone shapes every decision you make in the garden, from what you plant to when you plant it to what you can realistically expect to survive winter. Most gardening resources gloss over this, which is why so many gardeners feel like they're doing everything right and still not getting results. Comment "ZONE' to find out which zone you live in and which plants grow best in your area.
  • You don’t need a homestead to start growing food. Most people are starting with a normal yard, a small garden bed, a fence line, a patio, or one corner of the property. That is enough. The goal is not to do everything at once. The goal is to start turning ordinary spaces into places that grow food, support pollinators, and make the yard more alive. That’s one of the reasons we built Garden by Willowbottom - to help people plan what to plant, where to put it, and how to build a more useful, living yard one step at a time. If you’ve wanted to grow food but feel overwhelmed, start with one small area and make a plan before you buy plants.
  • Super easy way to eat whole foods. Throw it in a dish and roast it in the oven. Couldn't be simpler. It's even better when the ingredients came from your own garden. If you don't know where to start, go check out our new app Garden by Willowbottom. Link in bio. #jerusalemartichoke #growyourownfood
  • Native to the Americas. Perennial. Has nothing to do with Jerusalem. Or artichokes. Grown around the world. Relied on for survival during war time and depression. The easiest thing you'll ever grow. You might need it one day, never know. Jerusalem Artichoke #thegoat #survivalcrop #survivalgarden
  • Our Granny Smith apple tree is in full bloom! Based on how many buds there are, we're hoping for a big harvest this year! Fun fact! Granny Smith apples are actually one of the oldest apple varieties still grown today. They were discovered in Australia in the 1860s by a woman named Maria Ann Smith, who found a seedling growing near her compost pile. This happy accident has been feeding people for over 150 years! Which variety of apple is your favorite?
  • We added "Grand Traverse" and "The Beast" hazelnuts to our food garden this week (which is our entire property 😁). If you are not growing hazelnuts yet, they deserve a spot on your list. Most people overlook them, but hazelnuts are one of the highest-value perennial crops you can plant. They come back every year, they start producing in two to three years, and once they are established they basically take care of themselves. For the calories, healthy fats, and protein they provide, nothing else in the garden comes close for the amount of effort they require. We specifically chose Grand Traverse and The Beast because they are bred to resist eastern filbert blight, which is what takes out most standard hazelnut plantings. They also cross-pollinate each other, so you plant one of each and you get full production from both. Better disease resistance, better yields, less heartbreak. If you are building out a permaculture garden or a food forest, perennial crops like these are what make it sustainable long-term. You plant them once and they feed you for decades. That is the kind of gardening I want to be doing more of.