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
Garrett Crouch
I’m not much for words but your story touched me and I am so grateful the world has people like you in it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and skills with us! You are awesome!
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Thank you so much for the kind words Garrett, we appreciate your support!
Candice
I love your story so much!! Thank you so much for sharing!! I feel like the beginnings of your journey are where I currently am now. I’m 31 and am just barely getting into seriously planning a homestead. Just got our first chicks and am making plans for our garden this spring. So thank you so much for sharing your passion and helping me feel more motivated! I’m looking forward to reading more of your blog to help me along❤️
Nancy A Bartlett
Hello I grew my turmeric for the first year following these directions. The rhizomes are not very big probably half the size of what is posted here. Any suggestions for next year?
I’m thinking I planted them too close together, any other suggestions?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Nancy, rhizome spacing can have something to do with a smaller harvest, also be sure your soil stays fairly moist throughout the growing cycle (not too dry but not too wet either) and we typically fertilize the turmeric once a month with slow release organic amendments. Our turmeric harvest this year is going to be fairly small compared to past years and I am sure it is because our watering schedule wasn’t on par with previous years. You can usually tell how well the rhizomes are doing by how large and lush the greens are that are above the soil. Hope that helps and hopefully next years harvest is bigger and better!
Joseph
Hello , My name is Joseph < 78 yrs ,an avid gardener , growing vegies since was 6 yrs , live in ttexas ,hot humid this year was disasterous desiese 100 plus every day 3 months, I do French intensive method of farming grow in 3 ft by 18 ft boxes on the ground no bottom , I grow 90% heirloom from seed , My peppers are from a great source chiliplants.com. shipped to me ,live in a motor home on a 3000 sq ft lot with my Dalmation Barlee Rose , she loves string beans , my seed comes from BakersCreekSeedco. and Victory seed , live on a river and lake so fishing is a must as well then cooking canning ,Prayer, wine eating great food , I only use email , dont do all that other stuff , grew fo nurseries and a French reaturant in the 90s to raise monies for my daughters school and sports dance volleyball n soccer , I was a Mr. MOM n Dad, thank you for reading this note. happy to get to know yall , maybe share some tips on gardening fishing cooking , " PeaceBeWithYou "
Stacy
Joseph, What interesting information about growing. I have never heard about the French intensive method so will definitely look into that. I love Baker Creek but have never heard of chiliplants.com. Thanks for that.
Ingram Heather
Joseph, you sound lovely. Just like my Dad and what he did when I was a kid.
I loved reading your note. Thanks for posting
Rasp
Thank you SO much for your monarch insights, tips, ideas, phtos(!!!) , and details! Just released 3 very healthy monarchs 2females, 1male and hoping they have a smooth voyage to the southern sun! 3 more are waiting to emerge later this week. Without your blog I would have missed some really inspiring moments. Thanks so much for you being you!
Dana Temchin
I just watched your video on YouTube about building raised bed boxes. I do not have redwood/cedar availability where I live. Can you suggest another wood? You mentioned a non toxic food grade sealant that you used in your boxes. How can I find out more about that? Would you use that sealant with all types of wood?
Thanks, Dana
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Dana, check out our articles on Choosing the Best Materials for Raised Garden Beds, the Birdies garden beds we have linked may be a good option for you. Also, our article on 7 Ways To Make Wood Garden Beds Last: Nontoxic Sealer & More includes the non toxic sealer in one of the seven ways. I don’t know what wood types are available to you but it is best to go with types that are most rot/pest resistant. Hope that helps and good luck!
Diana Robertson
Question;
Can the fermented nettle leaves after straining the tea be put in the worm bin?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Diana, yes you can although be cautious if the nettle contained any seeds as you may bet quite a few nettle sprouting in your worm bin afterwards. Hope that helps and good luck!
John L
Not sure where you are located but in the southern regions, “black soldier flies” are an amazing resource. They even break down meat scraps and fat which are bad for earthworms BUT their excrement is digestible to earthworms, SO it is a win/win situation. Black soldier fly eggs are available online. Even though that they can not survive in colder climates they can be reintroduced each spring. It may be possible to overwinter the eggs or larva in an enviornment above freeezing and below 70 dgreees F. One especially attractent is “deer corn”. I live in north Florida and bring them back each spring with “deer corn” so they can survive the occasional freeze.
Before I knew what “soldier flies” were, I saw a site some time ago that was complaining about the problem with “soldier fiies”. He was taking 4 inch PVC about 12″ to16″ in length and splitting in half lengthwise and put the two halves around his plants, holding it together with heavy rubber bands and putting his compost in the pipes for the earthworms but said that his compost was getting invaded with the soldier flies, so he put screening on the top to keep out the soldier flies, which would have been a win/win situation if left alone but little known to him and me at the time, I didn’t have the info or experience to reply then. Now I can’t find the link so I hope he has discovered the benefit of soldier flies.
Cheryl S.
Hi Deanna, I love your website. The information you share is amazing. I’ve read about growing cannabis for years and have done a few indoor grows to mixed success. I feel like all the years I read about cannabis from so many other outlets can’t compare at all to the amazing amount of detailed information you give. I will be following your method to a T for my first outdoor grown in spring. I’m really excited to try the no dig method for containers. I had no idea that was a thing and recently stumbled on the subreddit just for that. I have one question: for the amendments (kelp meal, neem meal, etc) do you add them in the same amounts for following years to each existing soil in the grow bags?
Thank you.
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Cheryl, thank you so much for the kind words and we are grateful for your support! I will usually re amend the grow bags a month or so before a plant will end up in the container and it is not the same as the original amount. I will usually go on the lighter side of things compared to some recommendations, in a 25 gallon grow bag, I will usually re amend with roughly 1/2 cup each of the original amendments (kelp, neem, alfalfa, crab, gypsum, and oyster shell flour, while no extra rock dust is needed). And then use monthly top dressings or weekly/bi-weekly botanical teas throughout the plants cycle. Hope that helps and have fun growing!
Cheryl S.
Hi Aaron, thank you for the response! That makes sense to replenish prior to planting. I will make note of that. When you say to add monthly top dressings, would that also be with more of the same amendments or is that with the mulch of the various herbs and flowers you recommend in your article?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Cheryl, monthly top dressings are more or less the same amendments. We typically just use alfalfa meal and kelp meal while the plants are in the vegetative stage and use neem meal and kelp meal once the plant is in flower. We will usually top dress malted barley powder every week or two as well. Hope that helps and have fun growing!
Jenifer Barr
I am a daddy’s girl too :). I loved the info on tomatos and will be referring back to your info you are really down to earth and there was so much that you do that I found an interest in and your laid back way of explaining things made it easy to understand and pulled me in to wanting to know you more. I so appreciate your knowledge and love for earth. Love garden food and thank you so much. For the answers on questions I had. Stay well & blessings always , Jenifer
Elizabeth Raptis
Hello, I made your calendula salve last year and I’m getting flowers ready now to make a whole bunch more! I want to put a flower into the salve like your article showed, to make it pretty. Do you use a fresh or dried flower for that? And do you pour the melted salve over the flower or place the flower after pouring the salve into the container?
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Elizabeth, definitely use dried flowers to garnish your salve and I would add the petals after the salve has been poured into the containers but before it solidifies. If the petals don’t as readily float on top while the salve is still liquid, you may have to let it harden more before garnishing them. Hope that helps and enjoy your calendula salve.
Paul Sparke
Hi Deanna and Aaron, I am a 71 year old with some arthritis niggles and would like to try CBD oil for pain relief and for sleep, night can be the time you feel the aches most.
I read your article on making CBD oil and purchased auto flowering Sweet CBD Hemp seeds from Herbies seeds, illegal for us in New Zealand with our antiquated laws, thankfully they arrived. The first planting died from to much water and fertiliser so I have read the second was planted to late in the season, was doing well but as the days shortened it gave one little bud and then died.
Our spring begins in September with the warmer weather late October, longest day December 22, 14 – 15 hours of sunlight.
I will have to grow in a large pot or paint pail, my question am I better to use sunlight or artificial led lighting, trying to be green fingered.
Best regards
Paul
Aaron (Mr. DeannaCat)
Hi Paul, have you checked out our How To Grow Cannabis Organically: Seeds, Soil, Containers & Care as well as the other cannabis grow related articles we have? Growing indoors is an option and it gives you the chance to grow whenever you want but there are a few more things to consider with that option. It sounds like you did fine growing outdoors, you just started a tad too late. Autoflowering plants also typically don’t get very big and the amount of flower they produce can vary by plant. You are better off starting a few seeds at a time in case something happens to one of them and if all goes smoothly, you will just have more CBD rich flowers at your disposal. Hope that helps and have fun growing.