About Deanna Talerico
Deanna Talerico, also known as “DeannaCat” or @deannacat3, is the CEO and creator of Homestead and Chill. She is a garden educator with an MA in Environmental Studies, over 15 years of experience in organic gardening and food preservation, and 10 years experience raising backyard chickens.
Hi, I'm Deanna!
I’m the main person behind Homestead and Chill (it’s just my husband Aaron and I running things here). My goal is to help teach and inspire others to live more healthy, sustainable lives by sharing easy-to-follow, well-researched and experience-based gardening tips, recipes, and homesteading resources.
I am a passionate gardener, writer, crafter, and love to cook and fuel my body with organic homegrown food. I care deeply about the environment, clean toxin-free living, animals, and wildlife. I’m also a bit of a research nerd, have enjoyed photography since I was a little girl, and seem to have a natural knack for teaching. So, I started this website in 2019 to share those passions with the world!
You can learn more about my background, education, personal gardening journey, and other fun facts below, or learn more about Homestead and Chill here.
Thank you so much for stopping by!
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Fun Facts
- Aaron and I are happily child-free by choice.
- We currently have 5 cats, 4 mini donkeys, and a dozen chickens. I’ve been a crazy cat lady my whole life, hence the “DeannaCat” moniker.
- We live on the Central Coast of California in San Luis Obispo County. I’m originally from Santa Cruz CA (yes, I say “stoked” and “gnarly”) but also spent several years of my childhood in the greater Seattle area. Aaron is originally from Chico, where we met working at a natural food store together in college.
- I’ve had Type 1 Diabetes for over 22 years, and have been vegetarian for 17.
- We just started weighing and keeping track of how much food we grow, and we harvested 1,297 pounds of homegrown produce in 2023! And that’s only counting what made it inside.
- Beyond gardening, I love to read, do yoga, puzzles, play cribbage and board games (we love Wingspan), birdwatch, hike, and walk on the beach. I also love a good Netflix binge.
- Music is a HUGE part of our lives. It’s something Aaron and I bonded over right when we met, and going to concerts is still our main excuse for a “date night” now. See our playlists here.
My Gardening Journey
My mom had a garden while I was growing up, and while I don’t remember being particularly involved, I DO remember being enamored with the juicy homegrown melons, peaches, cherries and grapes! Fast forward to young adulthood: I started my very first garden in 2007. I was 21, had just lost my Dad to kidney cancer, and was struggling to find my path in college (more on that below). I grew just a couple tomato plants, zucchini, and honeydew melon, but the garden gave me a sense of purpose and hope! Aaron and I were dating at the time.
After college, we moved into a rental house and immediately asked the landlord if we could add a couple raised beds to the small backyard. Thankfully, they said yes… “as long as we returned it to same condition we found it”. So when we moved into our very first home the next year, we packed up the soil and bed frames and brought them with us! Lol.
In 2013, we bought our first home. During the house hunt, having a decent little yard and space for chickens was our top priority, even if that meant getting a smaller outdated home for our budget! We ended up with a 9000 square foot lot, and spent the next 8 years slowly DIY-ing and transforming every inch of it. We removed both the front and back lawns to put in raised garden beds, pollinator flowers, and fruit trees. We tucked a chicken coop, rainwater system and greenhouse in one side yard, and compost systems and tool sheds on the other. (You can see the before-and-after photos here.) There, we did and learned pretty much everything we’re doing at our larger property now, just on a smaller scale!
My Background & Education
You don’t need a degree related to gardening or agriculture to dig in, have fun, and be successful! However, my background certainly played a pivotal role in my journey to get here – both in gardening, and to start this business.
I graduated with my B.S. in Sustainability and Natural Resources from California State University, Chico in 2010. I spent 6 years in undergrad, bouncing around between nursing, physical therapy, and nutrition at first. I started to realize (and become increasingly frustrated with) the disconnect between traditional health sciences, natural health, and the environment. Then in 2007, I also lost my dad to kidney cancer. As a “daddy’s girl”, I was shattered. But it also changed the course of my life forever for the better. Sparked with a new healthy fear of toxins and passion for clean, natural living, I totally switched gears that year: I changed my major, started a job as a Sustainability Coordinator with the university, opened a farmer’s market booth to sell recycled crafts and art, and started my very first garden.
Next, I went on to pursue a MA in Environmental Studies at Brown University. Living on the East Coast for a couple years was a really neat life experience! We were living in an apartment in Providence, Rhode Island when I first read Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” and I was like THIS is what I want. To eat with the seasons, to raise backyard chickens, to trade in the excess for the cherished essentials, to keep it local… Even though we didn’t have a garden at the time, we started stocking up on fresh produce from the farmer’s market and practicing different preserving methods. And, we formulated a goal for the future.
Reader Favorites
Starting Homestead and Chill
After grad school, we moved back to California and I got a job as an Environmental Health Specialist with the county. I started out as a restaurant “health inspector” (oof, the stories I could share!) and quickly worked my way up to Senior specialist in the water systems and land use programs. Parts of that gig were fun and rewarding, but as the years went by and older folks retired, they piled more work on my desk rather than filling replacement positions. I was out in the field less and less, and could feel the burnout creeping in fast. I needed an exit strategy.
By 2018, I’d already been really active on Instagram for over 5 years. Sharing gardening tips, DIY projects, and backyard chicken shenanigans online had become my outlet from the grind of my job – especially since I didn’t have many “real life” friends with similar shared interests. Then a good friend gave me a hard shake and was like: “Helllloooo Deanna, you should start a blog!” At that time, I honestly had no idea how a blog could generate income – let alone become both our full-time jobs!
So with zero website experience, I started building this site in late 2018 and launched with just handful of articles in January 2019. The next few years were arguably the most intense and difficult of my life, but also some of the most rewarding! Between my “real job” and the blog, I worked like a crazy person, pulling 12-15 hour days 7 days a week for over 2.5 years. As the site grew, Aaron came on to help with more and more tasks too. Finally by the summer of 2021, we were able to both go full-time with Homestead and Chill! We were also able to move to our new larger homestead at that time. Now, we’re busy as ever and still work 7 days a week (ha!) but at least it’s for something we both love and take great pride in.
All in all, we are totally honored (and a bit mind-blown) that this little “side gig” of a website has evolved into what it is today – and that wouldn’t be possible without YOU, our valued readers and subscriber community. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being here and tuning in! Keep on growing. ✌️
Made with homegrown and certified organic ingredients, we offer a variety of natural skincare products including nourishing face oil, calendula and lavender salve, natural insect repellent, herbal bath salts and more! Browse our shop here.
173 Comments
Wendy Crossley
Hello Deanna,
I found you on Pinterest. When I read Brown University and Providence, I knew I was reading the right post! I live in Rhode Island.
My question to you is, the walkways in your beautiful garden, (pictured above), do you have plastic or something under, what appears to be, crushed stone ? I have tried so many things around my raised beds, in the walkways , and Some how, I always have weeds coming up in the paths.
What are your recommendations?
Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Wendy, check out our How to Kill or Remove Grass (& Grow Food Not Lawns!) and How to Build a Raised Garden Bed: Step-by-Step Guide articles for a more in depth look on how we managed to keep most weeds out of the garden and pathways. Essentially we removed the grass/weeds (aka crabgrass) and laid down commercial grade weed fabric which was then topped with 3/8 inch green rock. Hope that helps and feel free to ask any other questions you may have, thanks for reading and good luck!
Amy
Hello! I really enjoyed reading your story and all the informational articles I read were really easy and common sense stuff! I am 51 and my husband and I love gardening, our 5 cats and chickens, whose numbers vary as I seem to be a chicken lady who takes in others’ overstock. We live in MN, the cold is really terrible and we dream of living in a warmer climate but that is not important, we make it work for now. My whole problem is that I want to get back to the healthy busy upbeat life that came so easy only a decade ago. I grew up like you in a lot of ways. I was blessed to have a mom who was VERY health savvy. We also had NO sugary foods, pops, junk in general.. we had to have a “green” with every supper, which sometimes meant a hunk of lettuce but it was green. As I reached mid 40’s, I just started doing less and less. As you age, as you probably hear, injuries, aches and pains, energy issues, even the need for reading glasses, I mean really – all of it is bullshit, true, but bullshit annoying! We need to do MORE, we have to eat LESS, better food, more activity, more reading, more trying. We are unhealthy, lazy pains these days…So, I relish in your life, I want to read more, I want to do more and I love your yard, the flowers, all of it is inspiring. I stumbled here to read about my cabbage worms and while a lovely shade of green, are my gardening war year after year. So, lastly, we LOVE sauerkraut and grow a lot of cabbage to make it. I have failed some years, as using a safer soap affected the fermentation process. for the past 2 seasons, I use a netting product, pain in the butt, mainly because it is expensive, and I had holes pop up, idk I did a bad job. So, I have to make a choice. Either buy the whole thing, wires, good stuff. OR, I can find a product that can be applied that does NOT affect the cabbage, ie, affect the sugars and bacteria we need to make yummy sauerkraut? Last year was the best so far, but like I said a lot of work. If you had your perfect organic solution, would it be the netting? I will stick around here, I love your site. Thanks so much for the great story, you wrote it all so well! I am inspired to get back to healthy, lose a few pounds, it is time!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Amy, thanks for sharing your story. With many things, the biggest step is the first one, just get started and things will unfold from there! We have found that Using Hoops and Row Covers for Garden Pest Control, Shade & Frost Protection really works best for cabbage worms and birds. Occasionally a cabbage white butterfly will still get inside but they should be far less prevalent. Hope that helps and thanks for reading!
Clare Rees
Hi DeannaCat and Mr DeannaCat, you two are amazing. I am hooked on your website, as soon as I read it I felt so inspired to really go for it on my property. I live near a jarrah Forrest in Perth, Western Australia. I’m a psychology professor and I’ve decided to retire early (50) next year to live a more simple and natural life. I’ve had some serious health issues so it’s a no-brainer to break away from the rat-race.
We have one acre to work with, so plenty of space to create. We have 4 chickens, 2 British short-hair fur babies and 4 koi fish ☺️ Luckily when we bought this property it already had mature trees (avocado, macadamia, naval orange, grapefruit, plum, apple). I’m so excited to fully immerse myself into homesteading and chilling. I’ve been gardening while listening to your playlists. I love the fact that the information you provide is so well written and researched – I have learnt so much. I just planted a bunch of lavender so I can look forward to harvesting it and making (hopefully) a salve.
Thank you thank you thank you. You have really inspired me and improved my mood 👍👍
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Clare! It sounds like you have a wonderful property to enjoy and expand upon and we look forward to hearing what you are up to once you’re fully immersed. Good for you and the best of luck, keep us updated and thank you for being a part of this community.
Melissa Muhs
I just want to thank you for doing this blog. I am so glad I found you! I’m a SAHM former professional geologist in the mid-west and have 3 bouncing boys. With a desire to raise my children to make ecologically sound choices and be a voice for our future I’ve been becoming more and more interested in transitioning to a lifestyle with a lower carbon footprint but it’s a process and I’m still learning. I also have Hashimoto’s and have had to make many lifestyle changes. You’re experience and insights are inspiring me. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I just made my first gluten free crackers with the discard from my GF sourdough. Once upon a time I was really into wheat baking science but had been intimidated to learn GF baking. I still have my “lab book.” LOL
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
That’s great to hear Melissa, we’re glad you found us and are happy to have you as a part of the community.
Debbi Friedlander
I just found your website while searching for making CBD/THC infused balm. What a gift you have given us, DeannaCat! Such simple, clear directions and explanations are what I most appreciate, as well as the beautiful photos and well organized pages on so many subjects. I immediately sent a link to my sister in Oregon and a friend in Germany who just finished writing a book about her communication with her chickens. I am an avid gardener and this year, 2020, meant that I had a wonderful reason to spend more time in it. I was especially grateful since my 6 year old granddaughter was quarantining with me. I feel very blessed and lucky to have had the opportunity to revel in the experience of changing seasons in such beautiful surroundings. Thank you for the inspiration and advice on how to keep it all going. Keep up your wonderful work. Your spirit shines through.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Debbi, it really means the world to us! Thanks for being a part of the community.
Allison Hebler
I too have had pancreas issues, I have half of a pancreas due to a cyst life became very challenging. Ten plus years I figured out how to balance food. Any way I have always been a gardener and recently I am trying my hand at hydroponics and I am getting a greenhouse this week, so my question is how to keep the greenhouse warm in the winter? Love the look of your front yard. Sincerly Allison
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hello Allison, I am glad you have been able to find what works best for you and congratulations on overcoming a difficult circumstance. Check out our article on A Beginner’s Guide to Using a Hobby Greenhouse, you should be able to find a couple suggestions there. Let us know if you have any other questions and thanks for reading!
Tom
I love your website. I recieve your news letter. But I hate the video advertising that come up over top of article’s while I’m reading. I hate any auto play advertising. I know large colorful websites are expensive. And knowledge has a value and should be rewarded. But the advertising should not waste bandwidth, or use a large portion of the pages data. Up here in canada our data is amongst the most expensive in the world. Other then that, please keep up the good work.
Tom
DeannaCat
Hi Tom, You can simply close the ads with the X box as they appear. We do need them… they pay our bills. Thanks for tuning in!
Caitlin
So happy to have found your page! I prepped your butternut squash recipe last night! Can’t wait to share it this afternoon. Keep up the amazing work!!
DeannaCat
Hi Caitlin – Thanks so much for saying hi! Ironically we’re making butternut squash soup today! Hope you love it, and thanks again!
Diane K. Mattison-Nottage
I really appreciate how your blog is organized and written. Sorry, 31 years as an English teacher makes me appreciate good writing! (-; I find your articles highly informative and interesting and they provide practical, doable ideas and solutions. I have a raised bed vegetable/flower garden here in good old Willamette Valley, Oregon (FYI slug central!! Filbert (Hazelnut) shells work to deter the slimy little buggers) and am working to expand what I grow in the space that I have. Thanks for the article on tomato cages and trellises, it was very helpful. I’ll definitely be following along and catching up on some of your other articles. Thanks!!!
Howard Treadwell
Thank you
Kay Hollon
I just read about you and losing your Daddy made me cry! I was always a Daddy’s girl, also and I lost mine when he was 88 and it about killed me and I felt like I just wanted to go with him, too. We were that close and I still miss him and always will! My best buddy and we done everything together on our farm. Even killed hogs for a meat source. We had chickens and cattle, also.
We HAVE to go on living OUR life’s, though and our Daddy’s would want us to do exactly what we are doing and BE HAPPY! 😍❤️😘
DeannaCat
Awww, hi Kay. Thank you for taking the time to reach out. I am sorry about your Daddy too. Sounds like he was able to lead a long, fun, and love-filled life! Hold on to those precious memories… Thanks again for saying hi! Wishing you nothing but the best!
Sarah Hacholski
I am so glad I wandered on Pinterest the other day and found your site. The most intimidating thing for me to start the process of “homesteading” or living a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle is “where do I begin?” Your articles and the timeline you shared about your experience makes this less intimidating for me. I’m really excited to start this journey, albeit slowly, with the resources and knowledge that you so clearly write about. Your photos are the best part!!!!! Thank you for your positive and non-judgmental approach to spreading this valuable expertise!!!!!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much Sarah, we’re glad you are finding the site so informative and thanks for being here!
Marla Lobotzke
You are my new go-to for the good feels! I’m in my 50s but I’ve been gardening just a few years, having never learned or had space before, and I’m gradually becoming interested in other homesteading practices. I really appreciate your clear and friendly advice, and your attitude of non-judgement. I started a worm farm 2 weeks ago because I stumbled on your beginners video! Anyway, from one California Girl/Chico Grad to another, thanks for all you’re doing, you’re inspiring more people than you know. (Most, like me, benefit but don’t know what to write lol)
DeannaCat
Hey Marla! Thanks for stopping to say hi! I really appreciate your feedback and kind words, so the feeling is mutual. Enjoy your new worm friends, and budding homesteading adventures. There is always something new to learn. Speaking of – Go Chico!