Millennial Homesteading: Tips, Tricks, and Lists For Our Dystopian Future

By Sydney A Parr

A How-To on starting your own backyard homestead! Showing that sustainable living can be done with the average backyard and a little bit of know how. You provide the yard, I'll provide the know how, in this no nonsense guide to growing, preserving, and storing your own food. Formatted in lists, tips, and tricks there's no space for confusion and

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sydney Parr
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781088052068

Book preview

Pest Repelling Plants

Aphids- chives, cilantro, garlic, nasturtium, catnip, clover, coriander, eucalyptus, fennel, peppermint, spearmint

Asparagus beetle- basil

Cabbage moth- oregano, sage, radish

Caterpillars- dill

Carrot Rust Fly- chives, garlic, sage, basil, lettuce, rosemary

Cucumber beetle- nasturtium, radish

Japanese beetles- chives, chrysanthemum, garlic, catnip

Mosquitos- Basil, citronella, lavender, lemongrass, lemon balm, rosemary

Nematodes- marigold

Potato beetle- cilantro, catnip, coriander

Root maggot-garlic

Snails/slug- fennel

Spider mites- cilantro, dill, coriander

Squash bug- dill, peppermint, spearmint

Wasps- Russian sage

Whiteflies- garlic, nasturtium, basil, peppermint, thyme

Tip:

Aphid trap- put a yellow solo cup upside down on a stick in your garden and cover it with vaseline. The aphids are attracted by the color and will get stuck. You can then remove the cup along with the unwanted aphids.

Companion Planting

The reason for companion planting is to maintain a healthy ecosystem in the garden. I.e.-Heavy feeders like tomatoes shouldn’t be planted with other heavy feeders because it will deplete the soil of all nutrients. Some plants deposit a lot of nitrogen into the soil, like beans, and therefore can be planted next to tomatoes but not onions as the onions attract root maggots to the beans. Gardening is a balancing act with the payoff being fresh produce you can enjoy all year around.

Plant these together:

Asparagus- dill, coriander, parsley, marigold

Beans- celery, cucumbers

Beets- anything in the cabbage family

Broad beans- potatoes

Cabbage- celery, onion, dill, potato, rosemary

Calendula- kale, squash

Carrots- leaf lettuce, radish, onion, tomato

Corn- pumpkins, peas, beans, cucumbers, potatoes

Cucumber- nasturtium, corn, peas, radish, sunflowers

Lettuce- onion, strawberry, carrots, radishes, sunflowers

Onion- strawberry, beets, tomatoes, lettuce

Oregano- cabbage

Peas- carrots, cucumbers, corn, turnips, radishes

Radishes- salad greens, beets, carrots, spinach parsnips

Rosemary- cauliflower

Strawberry- lettuce, tomatoes

Tomatoes- carrots, onion, parsley, marigold 

Do not plant these together:

Beans-onion, garlic

Cabbage- strawberries, tomatoes

Caraway- Dill

Carrots- Dill

Corn- tomatoes

Cucumbers- potatoes, sage 

Onions- beans, peas

Peas- onions, garlic, leeks

Potatoes- pumpkins, tomatoes, squash

Radish- cabbage

Squash- potatoes

Tomatoes- cabbage, cauliflower, fennel, potatoes

Turnips- potatoes  

Plant Spacing

2 inches apart- carrots, cress, lentils, parsnips, snap peas, soybeans

4 inches apart- beets, garlic, pole beans, onion, turnips, spinach

6 inches apart- broad beans, chard, celery, kale, lettuce, mustard, peanut, rutabaga

12 inches apart- asparagus, collard greens, corn, cucumber, okra, potatoes

18 inches apart- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, fennel, sweet potatoes 

Tricks: 

For onions, use the length of your thumb as a foolproof guide.

Use a mix of cornstarch and water to create a gel, add your carrot seeds once cool for better spacing and nutrients.

Avoid planting more than 2 of any brassica (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) per square foot because they’ll get bigger than you think they will.

Tight on space, grow lettuce, corn, and herbs in pots for easy storage and to save on garden space.

Agricultural Hardiness Zones

Photo courtesy of USDA ARS

Zone 3-6: Temperatures range from -40F to 0F in the winter. Best for cold hardy crops and great zones to experiment with green houses.

Zone 7&8: Temperatures range from 0F to 20F in the winter. Be sure to cover