The popularity of keeping backyard chickens keeps growing. But getting started with chickens can be a daunting process. There are so many choices to make and mistakes to avoid! Of course, there are hundreds of amazing online resources about keeping backyard chickens—ranging from YouTube channels to Facebook groups. But it’s hard to sift through so much information and so many opinions. (Not to mention all the social media drama). When it comes to starting the new hobby of getting, raising and keeping backyard chickens, you just can’t go wrong with a few carefully chosen guidebooks. So, here is our list of the best books on keeping backyard chickens (in no particular order). If you want to buy any of the books, just click on the book cover and the link will take you directly to the book on Amazon. (Home Garden and Homestead is an Amazon affiliate, and we receive a small commission. Thank you!) Keeping Backyard Chickens: Getting to Know Your Birds These two books give a … [Read more...] about The Best Books on Keeping Backyard Chickens
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Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
The best roses are truly the superstars of garden flowers. They are revered all over the world for their beauty. As a lifelong gardener, it was difficult for me to select the 10 best roses to grow in a backyard garden. Many great roses didn’t make the cut. (Such is the downside of creating a Top 10 list!) All of the roses on my best roses list have edible petals. In fact, these roses have delicious edible petals. That’s one of the reasons they made this list of Top 10 Roses. (Just cut off the white part at the base of the petals, which can be bitter.) If you would like more information—including six recipes that use edible rose petals—read Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers. A word about growing roses All roses need full sun, preferably at least 6 hours of sun per day. Roses prefer to grow in moist, rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Rose bushes also like to be mulched with a 3-inch-deep layer of organic mulch. Roses like to be watered deeply but infrequently—perhaps … [Read more...] about Best Roses for Backyard Gardens