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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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  • Something really special has been happening out front lately. The Clouded Sulphur butterflies have found the garden, and they are absolutely working the coreopsis. If you've ever watched one up close, you know how deliberate they are. They are not just wandering from bloom to bloom randomly. They are actively foraging, and coreopsis is one of the best nectar sources you can plant for them because of how energy-dense the flowers are. What makes this setup so rewarding though is that the red clover and baptisia are planted right alongside the coreopsis. Clouded Sulphurs are in the Pieridae family, and their caterpillars feed exclusively on plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Both red clover and baptisia qualify. So what looks like a simple planting combination from the road is actually a complete habitat. Adults nectaring on the coreopsis, and right next to it, everything their caterpillars need to eat once the eggs hatch. Butterfly gardening done right is not about attracting adults. It's about closing the loop so the whole lifecycle can happen in one place. Seeing a healthy population of Clouded Sulphurs here in Northwest Ohio also tells you something about the health of the space itself. Butterflies are incredibly sensitive to pesticide use, soil disturbance, and habitat fragmentation. Their presence is essentially a report card. And right now, this garden is passing. Beyond that, they are doing real ecological work. As generalist pollinators, they are moving pollen across the native wildflowers and contributing to the broader food web as a food source for songbirds, dragonflies, and frogs. Every piece of this connects. Do you have a variety of butterflies in your garden? What's your favorite?
  • A branch broke off our honeyberry and we figured... why not try to propagate it? We've never grown honeyberries before, so we have no idea if this will even work. We went for it anyway!
  • Most gardeners are out here doing way too much work. I absolutely LOVE when the coreopsis starts to bloom in the garden! Notice how not even half of the flowers are open yet? And every year it drops some seed so I get a few more plants than I had the year before... Easily one of my favorite natives. I'll do a video soon when it's got even more blooms so you can get a better look. What native plants are you growing that basically take care of themselves? I want to know what's thriving in YOUR garden right now. If you aren't sure what to plant, let me know that too! I can help. Stay wild, my friends. 🌼 What native plants are thriving in your garden right now?
  • We just got our honeyberry bushes today and we're about to get them in the ground. These shrubs are seriously underrated in the edible garden, and I think a lot of people are sleeping on them. A full video is coming soon with everything you need to know. If you've never grown honeyberry before, follow so you don't miss it. Do you grow honey berries or would you like to? Let me know in the comments. honeyberry, honeyberry bush, edible garden, edible landscaping, native fruit, backyard homestead, grow your own food, fruit garden, homestead garden
  • Sound on! Is there anything better than watching the bees in your garden?! bees, pollinator garden, sage, willowbottom, medicinal herbs, sustainable gardening, regenerate garden
  • Not every non-native plant is a problem. Common sage is one of those. It's naturalized, meaning it coexists without pushing out natives or disrupting the ecosystem around it. The leaves are soft and slightly fuzzy, and the smell alone is reason enough to grow it. It's perennial in zone 6, the pollinators love it when it blooms, and it adds a savory flavor to any dish! Do you grow it? What are your favorite recipes? Be sure to check out the Sage plant profile page on our app Garden by Willowbottom. Link in bio common sage, growing sage, herb garden, naturalized plants, invasive vs naturalized, pollinator garden, medicinal herbs, homestead garden, kitchen herbs, sustainable gardening