Pioneering Today

Learn how to care for fruit trees in fall & winter, including how to determine your pruning based on YOUR climate (this was fascinating!). Know what to do in fall and what you need to do in winter to ensure the vitality of your fruit trees and how to keep disease down. Go to https://melissaknorris.com/242 for 10% off coupon code from Raintree Nurseries. Want step-by-step tutorials and lessons on growing and preserving your own food seasonally? Doors to the Pioneering Today Academy are only open for a short time https://melissaknorris.com/PTA

Evaluating where we're spending our time, especially when we feel overwhelmed, is extremely important for anyone, but especially homesteaders. Not only do I share tips on how to evaluate activities when you don't have enough time but also what you need to know about the podcast moving forward (and no worries, it's not the last episode but it is the last Wednesday episode for the time being). To dive deeper with me check out the Pioneering Today Academy here while we're still open for new members https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Tips on how to declutter and organize your home. A homestead has more moving parts than most homes and without systems in place, it can quickly become a jumbled mess. Today TracyLynn gives tips on how to start with room resets and creating systems that work based on your habits and triggers for an organized home so you can get more done with less stress. Resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/240

Learn where to buy whole grains in bulk, my favorite sources, and which grains I buy in bulk. I'll dive into how I use each of those grains in my baking and cooking to help you create a well-stocked pantry. Grab resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/239 including recipes and guides for grinding your own flour at home and picking the best wheat berries for your family's needs.  

Small space vegetable gardening is doable and Kevin Espiritu from Epic Gardening shares how he grows a TON of food in a small urban environment and how these tips will help you grow more no matter how much or little space you have. Plus, he walks me through growing herbs indoors with hydroponics during the winter months! Get the links & resources https://melissaknorris.com/238 hurry and snag your spot on the waitlist https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy

Not blessed with great gardening soil? No worries, these 3 easy tips on how to improve soil for gardening will help you out, especially if you have clay, compacted, hard, or sandy soil. We have good soil and I still use these tips every year in the garden. Links & resources at https://melissaknorris.com/237 Get on the waitlist for the Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist for special exclusive videos and resources

Using herbs medicinally isn't something I was raised with, but over the years, I turn to my natural medicine cabinet first but one needs to understand how to brew a medicinal cup of tea differently than just a regular cup of tea. Learn choosing the correct herb, medicinal herb sourcing, how to brew your tea medicinally & growing your own. Resources & links https://melissaknorris.com/236 Get on the waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Picking the best location for a vegetable garden, herbs, or fruit trees depends on your growing climate and land. I walk you through the steps I take when putting in any new plants, beds, or moving ones that haven't been thriving so you can choose the best position for your garden with the 4 basic microclimates every yard has and how to identify microzones easily in the winter months. Resources at https://melissaknorris.com/235 Get the Family Garden Plan for step-by-step planning, growing and harvesting a year's worth of food http://familygardenplan.com 

Breeding chickens naturally using selective breeding for eggs and chicks, either to build up your own flock or to create a homestead income from your chickens. What you need to know about heritage breeds, picking a breeder, where to get started with your flock, and how to create your breeding plan, either for your own flock or business, with best tips for pricing, shipping and more! Get links here https://melissaknorris.com/234 The Pioneering Today Academy only opens for new members a few times a year, get on the waitlist for exclusive goodies https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist 

Crop rotation is one of the easiest ways to make a big difference in your garden's health and decreasing disease, but people often get confused on how to implement it. I walk you through the 4 main vegetable families so you can easily use crop rotation either yearly or seasonal, based on your garden space and crops. Resources for today's episode https://melissaknorris.com/234 Get on the waitlist for the Pioneering Today Academy https://melissaknorris.com/waitlist

Learn how to get started with no till gardening (including the pro's to this method) with Jo Lamp'l. Why you should consider no till gardening methods for healthier soil, including less weeds, and easy tips to transition existing beds to this method. Plus, excellent tips on growing tomatoes in containers successfully including some fun new varieties and how to use these tips for other container plants. Resources and links https://melissaknorris.com/232 Your step-by-step tutorial to raising a year's worth of food The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com 

I share how we plan our homestead year based on what we need to produce from the homestead and how that works into the calendar year. How we evaluate what and how much to raise for meat and adding in or adjusting infrastructure to make sure that happens, including how we phase things when budget and time is an issue. Links and resources at https://melissaknorris.com/231 my step-by-step plan and guide for raising a year's worth of vegetables & fruit in The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com

Just how many fruit and berry plants do you need to grow a year's worth per person in your family? I break down how many fruit and berry plants we have per person, how to choose which options are best for you based on your climate and space, and average yield amounts. Get the chart and info in the blog post at https://melisskanorris.com/230 and snag your copy + bonuses of The Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com to grow a year's worth of food for you family

The exact list of heirloom varieties I grow in our garden each year. These are my tried and true must-have every year. I also share how much of each variety I plant to take us through an entire year. Get The Family Garden Plan for all the resources and charts to help you grow a year's worth of food here http://familygardenplan.com/ for the written list visit the blog post at https://melissaknorris.com/229

Find out where I buy heirloom seeds and why you should be using some heirloom seeds in your garden if you're not. I also break down the difference in heirloom, hybrid and what GMO means for backyard gardeners as I still see a lot of WRONG info on what GMO seeds actually are. Grab my favorite sources and get your garden planning going with me! Resources & links at https://melissaknorris.com/28 Grow your best garden ever this year with less work and higher yield with the Family Garden Plan http://familygardenplan.com