There is no doubt that climate plays a major role in the plans of everyone on the homesteading path. In regions with harsh winters, homesteaders must contend with frozen soil and limited growing seasons, while in more arid climates, water scarcity and heat become critical concerns. The success of any homesteader is strongly tied to their ability to adapt and innovate in response to the unique climatic conditions of their location.

Today I welcome Dani Welton who, along wih her husband and 5 kids, homestead on the outskirts of Phoenix, AZ. They seem to have maximized on their strengths and overcome the challenges of raising livestock in the hot, dry Sonoran Desert. Since 2015, they have tried a lot of things and currently have a focus on cattle, having both a small dairy and beef herd on their three and a half acres.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* How her family got their start on their homestead 9 years ago and all the things they’ve tried over the years.

* What drove them to get started with homesteading and some of the early challenges they had to overcome

* The division of labor on their property and the importance of having their kids involved in process of raising food

* What resources she leaned on in the early days before there was an abundance of online options for learning

* Her passion for dairy cows and how they rotationally graze their cattle

* How they made things work with what they’ve had along the way and slowly improved systems over time

* The different ways she uses milk and makes dairy products on her homestead

* Dani shares a ‘happy accident’ that ended up being a family favorite cheese recipe

* She shares the details of her Home Dairy Recipes E-Book

BUY DANI'S HOME DAIRY RECIPES E-BOOK:

https://msha.ke/daniwelton

CONNECT WITH DANI ON INSTAGRAM:

https://www.instagram.com/dani.welton/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure

As we begin to wrap up our second growing season here on our homestead this fall, we’re grateful for the food we’re producing and the progress that we’re making. Our property came pretty much “turn-key” for what we were planning to do here, but there is one thing we do wish was already here that wasn’t….and that’s fruit trees. We’ve tossed around plans and ideas from the outset, but never got around to planting fruit for one reason or another. They’re definitely a long term commitment and, while we know it takes quite a while to get a harvest, we didn’t want to make any big mistakes from being too hasty.

In today’s episode, I get to pick the brain of someone who has been hasty, made lots of mistakes and is now able to teach people like me how to start off on the right track when planting an orchard. Her name is Susan Poizner of OrchardPeople.com who, over 14 years ago got an idea to plant a community orchard in a neglected park in her neighborhood. That decision started her on a journey which, today, finds her using her knowledge and experience as an author, educator, radio host and podcaster.

TOPICS DISCUSSED:

* Susan’s experience establishing a community garden in a neighborhood park

* I ask her if I made a mistake by not planting fruit trees right away on our property

* The problems with buying what’s available at the ‘big box stores’ and the importance of selecting the proper trees for your specific needs and conditions

* The mistakes that she made when se was in the earl stages of her orchard journey

* The pros and cons of raising dwarf fruit trees and how semi-dwarf threes are often preferable as long as you have enough space

* The importance of planning for proper pollination

* The proper methods for planting bare root trees and how to avoid the most common mistakes

* Susan shares her advice for growing fruit trees fast, with minimal effort, as covered in her book “Growing Fruit Trees Fast”

* Common signs of fruit trees that are struggling

* The many resources available for learning at her website, including a blog, podcast, books and online courses

VISIT SUSAN'S WEBSITE:

https://orchardpeople.com/

BUY SUSAN'S BOOK 'GROWING FRUIT TREES FAST':

https://a.co/d/eAy15Qg

SUSAN'S ONLINE COURSES:

https://learn.orchardpeople.com/

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://plansandprovisions.com/azure

It is the first Friday of November so that means it's time for a little update on everything that's been going on around our homestead.

SHOP AT AZURE STANDARD:

https://www.plansandprovisions.com/azure