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Most erosion problems on a small Texas homestead can be solved with vegetation. The cases that require engineered structures are the cases where…
The Natural Resources Conservation Service maintains a numbered library of Conservation Practice Standards — CPSs — that describe, in unambiguous…
Every parcel of land in the continental United States has been mapped, classified, and described by the National Cooperative Soil Survey. The work…
Liberty Hyde Bailey wrote Manual of Gardening in 1910 and revised it through several editions, the last in 1919. He was the dean of American…
The USDA Farmers' Bulletin series ran from 1889 to the 1980s, producing more than two thousand short, focused pamphlets aimed at working farmers.…
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Basic beekeeping establishes hives and harvests honey. Advanced beekeeping aims for hive growth, sustainability, genetic improvement, and integrated…
Target Pests/Diseases: Preventive/systemic disease suppression via soil and foliar microbial populations
This directory contains public-domain and freely-distributable extension service PDFs integrated into the agriculture supplement knowledge base.
All field guides, pest profiles, spray recipe cards, and SVG diagrams in this supplement are original authored content — Steadwise intellectual…
Scientific Name: Multiple species (e.g., Aphis gossypii, Myzus persicae, Acyrthosiphon pisum)
Target Pests/Diseases: Powdery mildew (preventive), black spot, early blight, and other fungal infections
On a 60-acre homestead in Fannin County, North Texas, your greatest asset is not a pesticide but an ecosystem. Beneficial insects and…
Common Species: Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)
Target Pests/Diseases: Apple scab, powdery mildew, early blight (tomato), late blight (potato), bacterial spot, shot hole, and other fungal/bacterial…
Target Pests/Diseases: Caterpillars of all stages (armyworm, cabbage looper, codling moth, tent caterpillar, hornworm)
Scientific Name: Trichoplusia ni (Cabbage Looper) and Pieris rapae (Imported Cabbageworm)
Companion planting is the practice of growing two or more plant species in close proximity to provide mutual benefits—pest suppression, improved…
Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT) is a liquid extract of finished compost, brewed with continuous forced aeration to multiply beneficial aerobic…
Hot composting uses microbial activity to generate heat (130-160°F), which kills weed seeds, pathogens, and insect larvae. The finished product is…
Corn earworm larvae are the most destructive stage. Newly hatched larvae are tiny and white, growing to 1.5 inches long. Mature larvae exhibit highly…
Location: Fannin County, North Texas (USDA Zone 8a)
Scientific Names: Spotted (Diabrotica undecimpunctata), Striped (Acalymma vittatum)
Target Pests/Diseases: Overwintering insect eggs (scale, mites, aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs) and fungal spores on bare branches
Scientific Name: Sylvilagus floridanus
Target Pests/Diseases: Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta)
Scientific Name: Multiple species (e.g., Altica spp., Phyllotreta spp., Epitrix spp.)
A food forest mimics the structure of a natural forest, with multiple layers each serving specific functions.
Never consume a wild plant unless you are completely certain of identification. Many plants have toxic look-alikes. When in doubt, do not eat it.…
Causal Agents: Multiple fungal species (see specific diseases below)
Before designing beds, evaluate the site:
Target Pests/Diseases: Aphids, beetles, caterpillars, deer, rabbits, squirrels, and other browsing animals
- Grow: Winter wheat planted October, harvested June.
Scientific Name: Multiple species (e.g., Melanoplus spp., Acrididae family)
All hunting in Texas must comply with state regulations enforced by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
Target Pests/Diseases: Soft-bodied insects (aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, psyllids, scale crawlers, spider mites)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a systematic approach to pest control that uses multiple strategies in order of least intervention and least…
Target Pests/Diseases: Powdery mildew (preventive and early-stage), some viral infections
Target Pests/Diseases: Soil health amendment; feeds beneficial microbes and improves nutrient availability
Target Pests/Diseases: Aphids, whiteflies, mealybugs, spider mites, powdery mildew, fungal infections
Scientific Name: Dasypus novemcinctus
Tillage breaks soil aggregates—clumps of sand, silt, and clay particles held together by fungal hyphae and organic glues. These aggregates create…
Fungal and bacterial diseases are the silent killers of the homestead garden. Unlike insect damage, which is obvious and often tolerable, diseases…
Weeds are inevitable on 60 acres. Without herbicide options, successful homesteading in North Texas comes down to understanding what actually…
What it is: Oil extracted from neem tree (Azadirachta indica) seeds, native to India. Cold-pressed neem oil retains azadirachtin, the active…
North Texas soil presents a unique challenge: alkaline clay (pH 7.5–8.2) with low organic matter and poor drainage. Store-bought fertilizers work but…
Scientific Names: Pecan weevil (Curculio caryae), Pecan scab (Venturia effusa)
All illustrative images in this domain are original works generated for Steadwise
Scientific Name: Solenopsis invicta
Scientific Name: Meloidogyne spp. (Multiple species including M. incognita, M. arenaria, M. hapla)
A cold frame is a bottomless box with a transparent lid, set over garden soil. Sunlight enters through the lid, heats the soil and air inside, and…
Soil is an ecosystem layered from the largest visible organisms down to bacteria so small you'd need an electron microscope to see them. Every layer…
Before improving soil, test it to understand baseline conditions.
Scientific Name: Tetranychus urticae (Two-Spotted Spider Mite)
Scientific Name: Melittia cucurbitae
Scientific Name: Halyomorpha halys (Brown Marmorated Stink Bug) and native species (e.g., Euschistus spp., Podisus maculiventris)
Average last spring frost: April 15 (conservative planning: May 1).
Scientific Name: Phymatotrichopsis omnivora (formerly Phymatotrichum omnivorum)
Gardening in North Texas means contending with a specific set of pests shaped by our hot, often-dry summers, alkaline clay soils, and year-round…
Scientific Name: Manduca quinquemaculata
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All items pre-1929 USDA federal publications, public domain.
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Vinegar-based herbicide is one of the most popular and most misunderstood organic weed control tools available to the homesteader. The gap between…
Target Pests/Diseases: Annual broadleaf and grass weeds (contact herbicide; non-selective)
Scientific Name: Odocoileus virginianus
Scientific Name: Bemisia tabaci (silverleaf whitefly) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (greenhouse whitefly)
All items pre-1929 publication, US PD by age, retrieved from archive.org as non-dark items.
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