It's April already and we are well and truly into spring in the north and autumn in the south. For those looking to plant, have your extremes eased up enough to start getting the new season's crops in the ground or are you still having some late snowfall or heatwaves? In South Australia we have another warm week coming up, but hopefully not too extreme for the seeds I have sown.

Things happening in the community.

@pennsif has been updating lists over at @altlife. A few more homeschoolers have been added and a few more homesteaders and preppers here. The alternative lifestyles directory has also been updated.

Sadly @freedompoint and @freetowrite have moved on from the Global Homesteading Collective to another project, which you can find out more about here. The GHS Collective discord and community is still active, however, and in the capable hands of @steemcafe. What I love about this great community is that it's never the end and goodbye, because there are always others stepping up to keep projects going in one way or another. The original homesteaders online may no longer be around, but it sprouted so many new branches that the community remains connected and other projects take us forward.

@naturalmedicine has a new challenge up with a chance to win Steem for exploring plant medicines. This week the herbs to explore are mullein, ginseng and alder, or you can choose a plant of your own to write about this time. If you want to read more great posts on natural medicines then have a look at what the curators found this week.

Big news from @eco-alex is that the @ecotrain is swinging (or is that chugging?) back into full action. They are taking on new passengers, so if you think you'd like to join the journey, see if you can hop aboard! Full details are in the post.

Last, but not least, is the latest update on what's been going on at the @homesteaderscoop website, which you can read all about here.

Welcoming Newcomers

@nateonsteemit has, as always, been busy promoting the newcomers and redfish in the homesteading and natural living community. I hope you can find time to visit the post on all the people being supported and see some of the articles they are posting.

Some highlights of the week

Urban gardening is my situation, so I couldn't go past @gregorypatrick's tips for urban gardeners coming into spring. Not something I can apply where I live, but urban gardening should surely be encouraged everywhere!

@digitaldan is adding a first aid for the home. Find out why he feels this is important here.

@wildhomesteading is at it again, drawing me in with lots of great information on lupines now. He makes a compelling argument on why we should grow them.

@steemflow brings us a quick Indian recipe with paneer. Drool all about it here.

Thank you for stopping by. This week's newsletter was brought to you by @minismallholding.

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