Hello friend!
As a sixth generation Oregon homesteader, I have a fascination with watching things grow and getting my hands dirty. My homestead is a tenth of an acre plot in Portland, Oregon, where I blissfully live with my husband, daughter Juniper, three chickens and four ducks.
Launched in 2007, HipChickDigs is an online community with content about homesteading, edible landscape design, and sustainable living. My book Modern Homestead was published in 2011, covering everything you ever wanted to know about growing your own produce, keeping urban livestock and preserving the harvest.
The goal of my writing is to share stories about the life of a modern homesteader, in all its triumphs and failures. We can celebrate together the first seedlings and collecting that first egg from our backyard flocks. I rely on the advice of my homesteading grandparents and friends to get me through the head scratching moments, which I will be sure to pass along.
Email me at hipchickdigs@gmail.com with questions or comments. Let’s learn from my mistakes together and share knowledge to make our homesteading lives richer. Now go get those hands dirty!
-Renee
Design
I have a masters in landscape architecture degree and work as a landscape designer in the Portland area. My design specialties include edible gardens, native plantings, wildlife-attracting landscapes and outdoor spaces for gathering, refuge and retreat. I partner with local contractors to install the designs and would be happy to chat more about working with you. Check out my online portfolio to see some samples of my work.
Shop
The most important thing you need to build your own modern homestead is motivation. That said, there are a few tools and supplies we find useful to have on our homestead. You can check out my Amazon aStore to find all kinds of helpful products including gardening gear, homesteading books, food preservation equipment and natural baby care supplies. If you buy something from the store, our family gets a small kickback.
Partnership
Occasionally I partner with a company to review a product or service. I am transparent with my readers about my experience (for better or worse) and clearly denote whether I received anything in exchange for writing about it. The product or service must match the following criteria:
- be extremely relevant to my readers
- replace a real cost to my family
- be from a company that matches my values
If this sounds like it might be a good fit for your business, get in touch with me at hipchickdigs@gmail.com to chat more.
Your “newspaper seed pots lik is broken, what happened?
Hopefully it’s working now!
Have you ever written a book? If not, would you ever consider it?
I’m a book editor with Fulcrum Publishing/Speck Press. I came across your site when doing some research on modern approaches to gardening (I actually Googled “Hip Gardening”). I’d welcome the chance to talk with you more, if you’re interested.
Best,
Susan Hill Newton
susan@speckpress.com
http://www.speckpress.com
http://www.fulcrumbooks.com
I really like the urban gardening that you have been doing for the past few years. If more people treated a small section of their yards like you, they would get to experience fresh, local food. Living on a farm I can appreciate fresh food and I applaud you for setting an example to others!!!
I enjoy your blog. In some very unique way I found solace in your discussion on chickens. We just introduced our children to harvesting our broilers and I found it helpful to read a similar viewpoint. We have the luxury of property (65 acres near Spokane) but your blogs have given us some great ideas on how to maximize the results from our work–thanks!
I love your blog. I’m horrible at gardening, but you provide detailed information that could help someone as clueless as myself.
I am working on an engagement process for the Lents EcoDistrict over the next year. I would love to talk with you more about your project. -Jalene
I am glad Ifound your pages.
Hi Renee,
I work for Garden Partners in Portland, OR and we are developing an urban farm concept (see website for concept drawing: http://www.gardenpartners.org ) for seniors, veterans and at-risk youth. I would love to talk to you about what we are doing and see if there is some way we can collaborate.
Congratulations on your book by the way. I just found you, so unfortunately missed your book signing yesterday at Powell’s.
I’d love to talk to you if you have time and interest.
Thanks,
Gretchen Fogelstrom
Executive Director
Garden Partners
http://www.gardenpartners.org
http://www.crowdrise.com/gardenpartners2011
Twitter: @GardenPtners
Just wanted to say that I read your book from cover-to-cover, and it’s wonderful! You have some wonderful ideas. My family has about a quarter acre in North Columbus (OH), and we started a more intensive garden plan to be more self-sufficient. I can’t wait to try out several of your ideas – and I may even make some of my own cleaners and beauty supplies. Anyway, I thought you should know that you have inspired somebody across the country and that your book is a true gem!
I just bought your book because, hey why not! I thought it was so cool you had blog and someone contacted you about a book and you ended up doing it. I’m a writer myself (although screenwriter). Plus, I’d love to advance my urban gardening (I had a moderately successful inagural effort in the gardening, but my pear wine/cider is looking great. Best.
Hi Renee ~ so nice to find your blog. It is right up my alley.
I discovered you while looking up information on the cost of a 1/4 cow…grass fed. I think that post you wrote was 2008…but it was helpful. We’ve just discovered a local farm who is about to harvest their herd and I can hardly wait to get my hands on some of that meat. We already eat only organic beef (all meat, in fact)…but not sure it’s all grass-fed.
Your life looks lovely and I look forward to reading me. We are homesteaders too…well we try. If only our city by-law would allow for chickens. Sigh.
Cheers,
Debbie
Hi Renee,
I came across your book on the “New Releases” shelf at the library of the Center for Urban Horticulture in Seattle recently, and loved it. Very nicely done!
Do you do winter gardening? I’m a Seattle author working on a new book, Cool-Season Gardening, and looking for people around the maritime Northwest who grow food all year. I’d like to see innovative techniques, quirky cloches, and hot cold frames.
I’ll be in Portland speaking at the Yard, Garden & Patio Show in a couple of weeks (my topic: Your Best Tomato Year Yet, 2/17 @ 2 p.m.) and am planning some garden tours to get input on cool-weather growing. Want to meet?
Organically,
Bill
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bill Thorness
Author, “Edible Heirlooms: Heritage Vegetables for the Maritime Garden”
I like your blog. I’m just starting a blog about “small living” called Hip Diggs. Its about small houses. Keep up you good work.
I am so glad I found your website! We just bought an old house in the middle of town and I was bummed that I couldn’t do chickens or a garden, but now I see that it’s still possible! Great work, very inspiring!
Hello,
I live here in Portland and came across your posts on Runner ducks. I have been trying to find someone with experience keeping them as well as chickens. If you have a moment I wanted to ask your advice…
Do you let the ducks into your yard during the rainy season? If so, do they tear it up? Are they a lot messier than chickens…require more cleaning?
Are they as friendly as chickens? I have 3 children who would love them, but not sure if the ducks will want to be held or want to interact with the children when they are full grown (the ducks that is:). Thank you for your time.
Tara, I will email you as well. Yes, we let the ducks free-range often and they are far less destructive than chickens since they do not have claws. They prefer protein, so they go for the bugs rather than our veggies. Their poop is bigger and they get their run messier from splashing in the water. They require a bigger coop/run area than chickens and we clean it once a week. Although we raised them from ducklings, they are more skittish around us than the chickens. Hope that’s helpful!
Hi,
I have just started my first garden (15 days ago). My husband and I are so excited to see the seeds grow into little plants. I have just finished reading your book and enjoyed how personal it reads. I feel like I can do everything shared on the pages. Thanks, Renee, for making gardening not-so scary.
Grateful.
Do you have any updates on your herb spiral?
No, but thanks for letting me know you would be interested in an herb spiral update. I will post one later this week!
I love your book and your attitude.I also became a modern homesteader when I moved from Brooklyn to NJ 3 years ago. Your book was a present from my daughter when she witnessed my happiness with my first harvest.Having build a nice vegetable patch both in the front and back yard, I also want to use an unused driveway (pavement). Any advise you have would be greatly appreciated.Cannot remove pavement at this point.
thank you
ilse
Hi I just came across your blog today and really would like to subscribe via email but the button doesn’t work, it takes you to a blank screen. Please let me know when it’s fixed. Thanks!
Leslie, the email button is for people who want to contact me directly. There is an RSS feed button if you wanted to subscribe to the posts on the site. If that is confusing for you though, I suggest using a website like FeedMyInbox which is a free service offering a simple way to subscribe to new posts from different blogs. Hope that helps!