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.

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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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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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  • I was in the middle of filming a video when this little guy completely distracted me. I mean… look at him! Fun fact: inchworms are actually caterpillars! They're the larvae of geometer moths. They get their name from the way they move, because they sort of “inch” their way along by pulling their back end toward their front. So obviously, the video had to wait for a bit... Which is completely fine! There is SO much happening in a garden if you slow down enough to notice it. Anyone else get ridiculously excited when you find little creatures like this? inchworm, inchworm caterpillar, inchworms, geometer moth caterpillar, inchworm facts, caterpillar facts, caterpillars in the garden, garden wildlife, garden insects
  • Before you cut those echinacea seed heads down for the season, take a look at who’s still using them. These dried seed heads might look like they need to be removed, but they can still be an important source of food for birds like goldfinches. Goldfinches are especially fond of seeds from plants like echinacea, and leaving those seed heads standing gives them a chance to forage naturally right in the garden. This is one of the biggest reasons I don't clean up my gardens in the fall, because so much of what we consider “dead” or “finished” is still serving a purpose. The flowers have faded, but the seeds are feeding birds. The hollow stems may still provide places for insects to shelter. Fallen leaves become habitat and eventually return nutrients to the soil. The garden doesn't stop being useful just because it stops looking tidy. Sometimes the best thing we can do for the life in our gardens is simply leave it alone. So before you cut everything back this fall, take a second look, because you might have a whole little ecosystem still depending on it. Leave the stems. Leave the seed heads. Let the garden keep working. gardening tips, fall garden cleanup, don't clean up your garden, gardening for wildlife, wildlife garden, garden for birds, bird friendly garden, backyard birds
  • Maybe we've been grading our gardens on the wrong thing. A garden can look beautifully "clean" in November and still be doing very little for wildlife. Or it can look a little messy, with seed heads standing, stems left intact, and leaves covering the soil, while supporting insects, birds, soil life, and next year's growth. And when spring arrives, we don't have to undo all of that in one weekend. Instead, let spring be a gradual transition. Wait until plants are actually beginning to grow. Work through the garden over several weeks. Leave some stems standing. Move leaves rather than hauling them away. You won't get the timing perfect, and that's okay. Because maybe the better question isn't "Does my garden look finished?" Maybe it's: "What's alive in it?" This is Part 8, the final part of my Don't Clean Up Your Garden series. If this series has you looking at your garden a little differently, Garden by Willowbottom is where you can keep going. It's a place to plan, journal, track what's happening in your garden, and actually pay attention to the changes happening throughout the seasons. Your garden has a lot to tell you. Garden by Willowbottom helps you keep track of it. Link in bio. DontCleanUpYourGarden, GardenByWillowbottom, WildlifeGarden, NativePlants, GardeningForWildlife, EcologicalGardening, GardenJournal, GardenPlanning, PollinatorGarden
  • Okay, but what actually SHOULD come out of the garden? "Don't clean up your garden" doesn't mean absolutely everything stays. Diseased plant material can sometimes spread problems into the next growing season, so heavily diseased foliage may need to be removed. And of course invasive plants should go as well! Ecological gardening isn't about never touching your garden. It's about being intentional about what you remove, what you leave, and why. This is Part 7 of my Don't Clean Up Your Garden series. Follow for Part 8, where we're bringing everything together. DontCleanUpYourGarden, FallGarden, WildlifeGarden, NativePlants, GardeningForWildlife, EcologicalGardening, GardenTips, InvasivePlants, PlantDisease, PollinatorGarden
  • A lot happens in a garden that we never see. This is a monarch caterpillar from our own garden. A monarch lays a tiny egg on a milkweed leaf. A caterpillar hatches, eats, grows, disappears into a chrysalis… and eventually emerges as a butterfly. And that’s just one story. The stems, leaves, flowers, soil, and even the “messy” parts of a garden can become food, shelter, nesting material, or a place to raise the next generation. Once you start looking for these stories, you begin to realize just how much life can be happening right outside your door. Who else calls your garden home? monarch butterfly, monarch caterpillar, monarch caterpillar eating, monarch caterpillar feeding, monarch butterfly life cycle, monarch life cycle, monarch caterpillar growth
  • Wild doesn't have to mean neglected. One of the biggest concerns people have about leaving a garden a little messier for wildlife is what the neighbors will think, and that's a fair consideration. Ecological gardening doesn't mean letting your entire property become an overgrown jungle. You can have defined garden beds, paths and edges, and intentional groupings of native plants while still creating valuable habitat. A garden can look cared for and support wildlife. You don't have to choose between the two. Wild doesn't have to mean neglected. This is Part 6 of my Don't Clean Up Your Garden series. Follow for Part 7, where we're talking about what to do when it's finally time to cut things back. DontCleanUpYourGarden, EcologicalGardening, WildlifeGarden, NativePlants, GardeningForWildlife, NativePlantGarden, WildlifeHabitat, pollinatorgardening, SustainableGardening, GardenDesign