Should you water your garden every day? The short answer is probably not. In this episode, we’re breaking down one of the most common gardening questions and helping you understand how to water your garden for healthier plants, deeper roots, and better harvests.

You’ll learn:
• How often most gardens actually need water
• Why daily watering can weaken plants
• The difference between deep watering and shallow watering
• The best time of day to water
• How soil type changes your watering schedule
• Signs you may be overwatering or underwatering
• How mulch and healthy soil reduce watering needs naturally

Whether you garden in raised beds, containers, or a large in-ground garden, these simple principles will help you stop guessing and start watering with confidence.

Read the full article here: https://homesteadingfamily.com/best-time-to-water-garden/

Thanks to Farmhouse Teas for sponsoring this podcast! Be sure to check out all our Homesteading Family favorites, including the Persnickety Peach Chai for your summer iced tea! If you want to give it a try, Farmhouse Teas is offering 10% off your order with the code HSPODCAST. It’s a one-time use discount and good for one per customer, so be sure to use it wisely: https://homesteadingfamily.com/FHTeas-Favorites

Time Stamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - Chit Chat
5:00 - Farmhouse Teas
6:52 - Main Topic

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop

You know that every month, we send out a physical magazine to over 10,000 subscribers? Each issue has seasonal recipes, fresh inspiration for your kitchen, practical homesteading tips, and traditional wisdom from seasoned homesteaders. This magazine equips you to thrive on your homestead, whether you’re in the city, a suburban neighborhood, or on 40 acres. Subscribe today for just $9 a month.

How do we preserve family, community, and truth in a culture that seems to be moving faster and faster away from them?

In this episode of Everyday Homesteading, I sat down with my friend Rory Groves for a thoughtful conversation about modern culture, technology, family economy, and what many families are sensing right now: that something important has been lost.

Using the republished book Henry and the Great Society as a starting point, we talked about how modernization changed family life, community, work, and even the way we think about self-sufficiency. We also discussed why history matters and how looking backward can help us move forward with more intentionality.

This conversation touches on:

• Family economy and durable living
• The tension between independence and community
• Why intentionality matters more than ever
• Building culture for future generations
• Encouragement for families trying to live differently in uncertain times

I really appreciated Rory’s perspective and his heart for helping families think deeply about what it means to build a life that lasts.

Links Mentioned:
- Grab your copy of Henry and the Great Society here: https://homeward.press
- Find Rory's book, Durable Trades here: https://www.thegrovestead.com/product/durable-trades/
- Learn more about the Gather and Grow events here: https://gatherandgrow.us

🌿 Today’s episode is sponsored by Homestead Kitchen Magazine: Homestead Kitchen Magazine is our ad-free monthly print magazine filled with trusted recipes, seasonal living inspiration, gardening, herbalism, preserving, and practical homestead skills from experienced teachers and contributors. Carolyn also shares a monthly faith-centered reflection from the heart of the homestead. Grab your subscription here: 👉 https://homesteadingfamily.com/podcast-magazine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

A few highlights you don't want to miss are our FREEBIES!!

Healthy Healing at Home – Learn how to confidently use herbal medicine in your home with this FREE 4 video workshop: https://homesteadingfamily.com/HHHyt

Your Best Loaf – A Free 4 video workshop teaching you how to make great bread at home, every time, regardless of the recipe you are using: https://homesteadingfamily.com/free-bread-workshop

You know that every month, we send out a physical magazine to over 10,000 subscribers? Each issue has seasonal recipes, fresh inspiration for your kitchen, practical homesteading tips, and traditional wisdom from seasoned homesteaders. This magazine equips you to thrive on your homestead, whether you’re in the city, a suburban neighborhood, or on 40 acres. Subscribe today for just $9 a month.

After years of pushing hard on our homestead, we reached a point where we had to ask a tough question: Is everything we’re doing actually sustainable?

Last year, we intentionally slowed down. Not completely, but enough to take a step back and evaluate what was working and what wasn’t.

And what we learned changed how we’re approaching this year in a big way.

In this episode, we’re sharing the real-life changes we’re making on our homestead. The projects we’re moving forward with, the systems we’re simplifying, and a few things we’re choosing to let go of entirely.

Because here’s the truth most people don’t talk about... You don’t have to do everything to build a successful homestead.

🌱 In This Episode

• Why we took a slower year and what it revealed
• The homestead projects we’re focusing on in 2026
• What we’re scaling back and why it matters
• How our homestead is shifting into a multi-generational model
• The systems that were adding too much pressure
• What we’re doing differently this time around

🧭 Topics We Cover

• Simplifying dairy production
• Stepping away from pig breeding
• Turning over the main garden to the next generation
• Expanding the beef program
• Starting a family egg business
• Rebuilding the house exterior
• Resetting the orchard for long-term success

🧭 Mentioned in This Video
- Learn how much to plant for a year’s worth of food: https://homesteadingfamily.com/how-to-grow-a-years-worth-of-food/
- Raising backyard chickens: https://homesteadingfamily.com/raising-backyard-egg-laying-chickens/
- Stocking your pantry the right way: https://homesteadingfamily.com/prepping-your-pantry-for-winter/
- Planting fruit trees: https://homesteadingfamily.com/growing-perennials-on-the-homestead/
- Thanks to Azure Standard for sponsoring this podcast. For first-time customers, use coupon code "HOMESTEADINGFAMILY15" for 15% off your first order of $100 or more: https://homesteadingfamily.com/main-azure-standard-b

⏱️ Timestamps

0:00 - Introduction
1:22 - Azure Standard
5:29 - 2026 Projects

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORE ABOUT US!

WELCOME! We're so glad you're here! We are Josh and Carolyn Thomas. Together with our eleven children, we are The Homesteading Family where we’re living a self-sustainable life in beautiful North Idaho. Let us welcome you and show you a bit about us here: http://bit.ly/HFWelcomeVideo

Grow, Preserve & Thrive with us!
Visit us on our blog: https://www.homesteadingfamily.com
Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/homesteadingfamily
Instagram: https://instagram.com/homesteadingfamily
Rumble: https://rumble.com/HomesteadingFamily

You know that every month, we send out a physical magazine to over 10,000 subscribers? Each issue has seasonal recipes, fresh inspiration for your kitchen, practical homesteading tips, and traditional wisdom from seasoned homesteaders. This magazine equips you to thrive on your homestead, whether you’re in the city, a suburban neighborhood, or on 40 acres. Subscribe today for just $9 a month.