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- Turn Over a New Leaf This Fall 🍂 + How to Never Lose Sight of Your Goals!
Turn Over a New Leaf This Fall 🍂 + How to Never Lose Sight of Your Goals!
Also, do you think there’s an agenda behind promoting lab-grown meat to phase out traditional animal farming?
Cedie Omaña
September 24, 2024
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The Earth is what we all have in common."
— Wendell Berry
HOMESTEAD TIP OF THE DAY
Toss those summer leftovers like grass clippings and veggie scraps into your compost pile to cook up some rich soil for next spring.
Do you think there’s an agenda behind promoting lab-grown meat to phase out traditional animal farming? |
IN TODAY'S EDITION
Homestead Tip 🌱
Poll Results From Last Sunday 📊
All Things Homestead: Fall Landscaping Tips 🍂
Personal Development: Staying Focused on Long-Term Goals 🤩
Today's Top Picks 🛍️
Let’s Keep It Reel 🤣
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
Get Your Guide to Edible & Medicinal Plants This Fall!
Ever wonder if that wild berry or plant you stumbled upon is safe to eat or has health benefits? "The Forager’s Guide to Wild Foods" is here to show you how!
Learn which plants are tasty and which could be toxic, how to harvest them safely, and even how to whip up some delicious wild food recipes. Plus, it covers medicinal uses, so you can turn nature’s bounty into natural remedies.
Hurry, grab your copy today! We only have a few left, and they’re going fast.
POLL RESULTS FROM LAST SUNDAY
Do you believe the promotion of energy-efficient homes is meant to discourage people from going fully off-grid?
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, they want to keep people tied to the grid.
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ It’s possible, but I’m unsure.
🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ I’m undecided, but it seems possible.
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No, energy-efficient homes are just a way to save power.
via @beehiiv polls
Feel free to participate in fun polls in our next newsletters! 😉
ALL THINGS HOMESTEAD
Fall Landscaping Tips 🍂
Fall is the perfect time to get your landscape ready for winter and set yourself up for a beautiful spring. A little effort now can protect your plants and make sure everything bounces back healthy when the weather warms up.
1. Clean Up Garden Beds
Tidy Up
Remove dead plants and debris from your garden beds. This helps prevent pests and diseases from overwintering in your soil. Pull up annuals and trim back perennials that need it, but leave healthy plants to help protect the soil.Why It Matters:
A clean garden bed reduces pest problems and keeps your plants healthier for the next season.
2. Add Mulch
Insulate Your Plants
Mulch is your garden’s best friend in fall. A thick layer of mulch around your plants helps protect their roots from freezing and keeps moisture in the soil. Use organic mulch like shredded leaves, straw, or wood chips for extra nutrients.Why It Works:
Mulch keeps your soil warm and prevents erosion during winter.
3. Plant Fall Bulbs for Spring
Get Ahead of Spring
Plant bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and crocuses now so they can take advantage of winter’s cold, which helps them bloom in spring. It’s an easy way to get a head start on your spring garden.Why It Matters:
Planting bulbs in fall guarantees bright, beautiful flowers when spring arrives.
4. Rake and Compost Leaves
Don’t Leave Leaves
Leaving too many leaves on your lawn can block sunlight and create mold. Rake them up and either compost them or use them as mulch in your garden. You can also mulch leaves with your lawnmower, which helps feed the grass naturally.Why It Helps:
Using leaves as mulch or compost adds organic material to your garden, improving soil health.
5. Prune Trees and Shrubs
Trim Back
Prune dead or damaged branches from trees and shrubs to prevent them from breaking during winter storms. However, don’t prune spring-blooming shrubs like lilacs, as you could cut off next year’s flowers.Why It Works:
Pruning reduces damage during snow and ice storms, keeping your plants in better shape.
6. Prep Your Lawn
Feed the Lawn
Apply a slow-release fall fertilizer to give your lawn the nutrients it needs to stay healthy through winter. Consider aerating your lawn to help water and nutrients reach deeper into the soil.Why It Matters:
Fall feeding sets your lawn up for success in the spring, leading to a thicker, healthier lawn.
7. Protect Delicate Plants
Cover Up
For plants that don’t handle the cold well, cover them with burlap or frost cloth for extra insulation. Move sensitive potted plants indoors before frost sets in.Why It’s Important:
A little protection can keep your delicate plants alive through cold snaps.
By cleaning up beds, mulching, planting bulbs, and protecting your trees and plants, you’re setting your homestead up for a healthy winter and a blooming spring. Get those garden gloves on—it’s time to prep!
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Staying Focused on Long-Term Goals 🤩
Staying focused on long-term goals can be tough, especially with so many distractions around.
Dorie Clark’s book The Long Game: How to Be a Long-Term Thinker in a Short-Term World offers practical tips to help you stay on track. Here are some simple ways to stick to your goals and keep moving forward.
Break It Down
When faced with a big goal, it can feel overwhelming. The trick is to break it into smaller, more manageable tasks. For instance, if you’re starting a homestead, don’t think about the entire project at once. Focus on one thing at a time, like building your chicken coop or setting up the garden. Each small win will build your confidence and make the bigger goal seem less intimidating.
Set Milestones
Having long-term goals is great, but without milestones, it's hard to see progress. Divide your big goal into smaller timeframes with specific targets. For example, if it’s a year-long project, aim for three-month or six-month check-ins. Hitting these milestones gives you a sense of accomplishment and keeps your energy up as you move forward.
Create a Routine
Routines are powerful when it comes to reaching long-term goals. By adding regular time into your schedule for working on your goals, even if it’s just 15 minutes a day, you’ll see progress over time. This helps you avoid decision fatigue about when to work and keeps you consistent, which is key to staying on track.
Remember Your "Why"
Whenever you feel your motivation slipping, remind yourself why you started in the first place. Whether it’s to become more self-sufficient or to improve your health, reconnecting with your “why” can reignite your drive. Keeping your purpose front and center helps you push through when things get tough.
Limit Distractions
We all know how easy it is to get distracted by our phones, social media, or even everyday tasks. To stay focused, create boundaries around your time. Set aside specific periods when you can work uninterrupted, and turn off notifications to help minimize distractions. This will make it easier to concentrate and make real progress.
Review Your Progress
Regularly checking in on your progress is essential. Set aside time each week or month to evaluate how you’re doing. Are you on track? Do you need to make adjustments? These check-ins keep you accountable and allow you to tweak your approach when necessary, helping you stay flexible as you work toward your long-term goals.
THE STEADY HOME’S GIGGLE CHAMBER
What did one autumn leaf say to another?
"I’m falling for you!"
TODAY'S TOP PICKS
LET’S KEEP IT REEL!
I've put together some fantastic farm videos that are sure to make you laugh. Take a look and enjoy the fun!
When your dog and baby tree decide to switch spots:
@afvofficial Winnie pup-rooted that plant 🐾 #afv #dog #funnyvideos #pets #yard #fail
When your husband catches you with the tape measure again:
@samanthaxoxxx Every single time 😂🌿 . . . . . . . . . #gardenhumor #gardensoftiktok #humortiktok #fyp #funnyreels
When TikTok takes over your life (and your cow’s too):
@you1stlondon Too funny to forget 🤣 #fyp #cow
ENGAGE WITH US
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