Suburban Sodbuster

01/07/2025

In 2024, I shipped orders from the Sodbuster Shop on my website to 26 states; this doesn't count the sales made in person or at homestead expos and festivals. I appreciate everyone who ordered from Suburban Sodbuster last year. If you are a customer and were satisfied with your purchase, would you please leave a product review on the website? And if you weren't satisfied, please contact me via the website; I'd like the opportunity to improve my products and/or service. Thank you for a great year - here's to an even better 2025!

01/06/2025

I'm looking forward to having a booth at The Homestead Festival!

Welcome to the 4th annual The Homestead Festival. It just keeps getting bigger and better each year. All tickets are non-refundable. All purchases are final. General Admission: All tickets include access to:- Speakers- Learn from the best as 25+ of the most knowledgeable in the industry speak - Demo...

12/31/2024

This is an excellent video about Varroa resistance. It provides an in-depth explanation of hygienic uncapping/recapping behavior and explains why grooming behavior may not be as beneficial as initially thought.

Steve is a member of the “Path to Varroa-resistance in the UK” team, led by Emeritus Professor Stephen Martin. They launched the education and science websi...

12/30/2024

If you are currently a patron, I appreciate your support. If you're not yet a patron, I would appreciate your backing and would love to welcome you to the community.

Get more from Suburban Sodbuster on Patreon

12/16/2024

Rebuilding the greenhouse is a project that's taken much longer than planned, but this weekend I reached the major milestone of installing the door and trim around it. The trim is eastern red cedar, milled for me by my friend, Jason Kreke. The door is an old exterior door from our house that's been in the garage for years. Soon I'll be moving and organizing my garden supplies from the garage into this space - just in time for spring seed starting.

12/05/2024

Mark your calendar for February 21-22, 2025, and buy your tickets for the Homesteaders of Iowa conference in Ottumwa, Iowa. If you are within traveling distance of Ottumwa this promises to be a great event to learn and refine your skills for independent/sustainable living. I'll be speaking at the event, and I hope to see you there!

🎤 An opportunity you can’t afford to miss! 🌟 Experience great speakers live as they inspire, motivate, and challenge you with insights that can transform your life.

📅 Date: February 21 - 22, 2025
📍 Location: Bridge View Conference Center, Ottumwa, IA
⏳ Tickets are selling fast—secure yours now!

Be part of the conversation that could change everything.
Website: www.homesteadersofiowa.com
Buy Tickets: https://app.promotix.com/events/details/HOI-Expo-2025-tickets
’tMissThis

11/20/2024

WHO DO I THINK I AM??

This year I saved seeds from my two rows of okra plants, but apparently I don't know when to quit. So far I have about 2/3 of a pint of extracted seeds, plenty for a small okra farm, with over half of my harvested (seed) pods remaining. Who else has a tendency to overdo everything?

11/17/2024

I may be a "Sodbuster" but I still have a soft spot for the cowboys and ranchers in my family. "Cowboys Can Dance", available on Amazon now, is the second in Karlee Schrunk's "Cowkids" series. Find her books on Amazon for your own "cowkids".

Direct link:

Have you ever wondered what it's like to dance on a horse? Cowboys Can Dance combines a love of ballet and ranching in one! Tag along with the cowkids as they dance on the ranch!

11/15/2024

Due to recent, historic rainfall we experienced flash flooding all around our area. After the event I got word that some of my hives were affected by flood waters. I hadn't dealt with this issue before, but recorded this video as I evaluated the situation and executed a hive recovery.

Due to recent, historic rainfall we experienced flash flooding all around our area. After the event I got word that some of my hives were affected by flood ...

11/14/2024

to 2015 when I was literally busting sod to expand our garden. Good-bye grass, hello raised beds!

11/07/2024

Earlier this week we had historic rainfall over two days: Monday set a record for one-day rain in November then Tuesday broke that record. Along with this rain was widespread flash flooding. Yesterday I got a message to let me know that my hives at a host property were impacted.

This photo is of one of four hives at the location. This one sits slightly higher than two others, but you can see the water line high on the side of this hive. All of these hives are strapped to cinder blocks and this one, although flooded, was not moved. Another hive, on slightly lower ground, was carried about 40 feet away.

This morning I went to check on the hives and complete whatever rescue and recovery is possible. Video of that effort will be edited and posted on YouTube soon.

11/06/2024

Memories of this year's Ozarks Homesteading Expo. If you're interested in becoming more self-sufficient, learning about or becoming better at raising your own food, and/or learning about traditional skills such as animal processing, food preservation or foraging, make plans for next year's Expo on September 5-6, 2025.

11/02/2024

This year, due to dumb negligence on my part, my initial jalapeno starts all died. So I bought more seed in June, started plants again, and thanks to warm fall weather I'm now harvesting fresh peppers in late October/early November. This is a sample; the bushes are bursting with more.

I was wondering if late season peppers would taste different; I thought (for no particular reason) they might be milder. But this morning I chopped one into my breakfast omelet and, with a warmth from my sinuses to my belly, I can tell you it exceeded my heat expectations. This was, seriously, more on level with what I'd expect from a habanero. I'm sure it has more to do with the seed than the season, but more experimentation may be in order.