Skip to content
Goshen Exchange

The Knowledge Library

12 subjects and 71 plain, step-by-step guides, being written now for North Carolina Piedmont, USDA Zone 7b.

  1. Pick a subjectBees, honey and pollination
  2. Open a guideYour first hive
  3. Check the AlmanacOctober: check hive weight
A North Carolina farm in late October: rust and gold trees, pumpkins in a bed, frost on the shaded grass.

The Almanac

October 2026 · Zone 7bExamples

Sunrise about 7:13 to 7:39 Sunset about 7:05, getting earlier to 6:30 by month’s end

  • Poultry
  • Apiculture
  • Horticulture
  • Preservation
  • Energy
  • Water
  • Homestead Economics
  1. Sat3
    PoultryDeep-clean the coopBirds spend more time inside from here on, so start the cold months with clean bedding. About 2 hoursPoultry guides
  2. Mon5
    ApicultureMite check and treatThe bees that carry the hive through winter are being raised now, and mites hurt them most. About 30 minutes a hiveApiculture guides
  3. Tue6
    HorticultureSow cover cropsRoots hold empty beds together through winter rain and feed the soil for spring. About 1 hourHorticulture guides
  4. Mon12
    PreservationCure winter squashTwo warm, dry weeks harden the skin so squash keeps into spring. About 10 minutes, then waitPreservation guides
  5. Thu15
    HorticultureDig sweet potatoesVines die back at first frost, and cold soil starts to rot the roots. About half a dayHorticulture guides
    ApicultureNarrow hive entrancesA smaller door is easier to guard against robbing bees and mice. About 10 minutesApiculture guides
  6. Sat17
    EnergyStack and cover cordwoodWood has to be dry before the cold comes, not after. About an afternoonEnergy guides
  7. Tue20
    PoultryCoop light, or fewer eggsHens lay by day length. Add a timed light now or expect a slow winter. About 1 hourPoultry guides
    First frost likely from here on
  8. Thu22
    HorticulturePlant garlicCloves need a few weeks to root before the ground cools. About 1 hourHorticulture guides
  9. Sat24
    WaterDrain drip linesWater left in the lines splits them when it freezes. About 1 hourWater guides
  10. Mon26
    PreservationRoot cellar inventoryKnow what you stored and what's turning before you need it. About 1 hourPreservation guides
  11. Sat31
    EnergyTest the generatorThe first ice storm is a bad time to find out it won't start. About 20 minutesEnergy guides
    Homestead EconomicsClose the garden ledgerTally what the garden replaced at the store this year. About 1 hourHomestead Economics guides

These tasks are examples for the North Carolina Piedmont while the guides are written and checked. Other zones grow through the Forums.

Be here when the gate opens.

The first families on the list help shape the guides and the Trade Map, and keep founding-member pricing for as long as they stay.

No newsletter. One email when the doors open.