THE HAZY HOMESTEAD

This site covers legal home cultivation for adults 21+.Legal home cultivation, adults 21+.

Gear we actually use

If it’s on this page, it’s on one of our Amazon lists. If it has a write-up, we’ve run it for a full season.

Last updated August 2026

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Soil mix

Every bag that goes into our container mix.

Brut cow compost, 10 qt

Pure composted manure, additive-free.

Doter sphagnum peat moss, 10 qt

Base organic matter for hand-mixed soil.

Wiggle Worm castings, 30 lb

Mild nitrogen and microbial amendment.

PVP coarse perlite, 120 qt

Bulk aeration for potting mix and seed starts.

Organic dolomite lime, 5 lb

Raises pH; adds calcium and magnesium.

Azomite trace minerals, 5 lb

Volcanic trace-mineral amendment.

FoxFarm Ocean Forest, 1.5 cu ft

Amended container mix with fish and crab meal.

Michigan Peat Garden Magic, 40 lb

Compost and topsoil blend for beds.

Pulverized garden limestone, 12 lb

Fine lime in a resealable pail.

Coast of Maine Wiscasset, 20 qt

OMRI-listed castings and compost blend.

FoxFarm Happy Frog, 12 qt

Lighter amended mix with soil microbes.

Worm Bliss castings, 8 qt

OMRI-listed earthworm castings.

Organic perlite, 20 qt

Mid-size bag for a few containers.

Horticultural perlite, 10 qt

Coarse 3–6 mm grade for houseplants.

FoxFarm Strawberry Fields, 1.5 cu ft

Fruiting and flowering container mix.

FoxFarm Ocean Forest, 4 × 12 qt

Seedling-friendly size, four bags.

FoxFarm Happy Frog, 2 cu ft, 2-pack

Bulk pair with mycorrhizae and humic acids.

Nutrients

The whole feed schedule, three bottles and a backup.

Alaska fish fertilizer 5-1-1

OMRI-listed liquid nitrogen feed.

FoxFarm liquid trio, quarts

Grow Big, Big Bloom and Tiger Bloom.

FoxFarm liquid trio, pints

The same trio in smaller bottles.

Harvest

Trim, dry, and cure — everything on the table in October.

Common Culture trim tray kit

13×20 two-part tray, 150-micron sift screen, scissors included.

Inspire black nitrile gloves

Disposable nitrile for sticky trim work.

91% isopropyl alcohol, 16 oz

Cleans resin off scissors and trays.

Grove Bags Terploc pouches

Cure-in-bag storage, 1 lb, 5-pack.

Ball 64 oz wide-mouth jars

Half-gallon cure jars with lids and bands, 5-pack.

Swiftlite black vinyl gloves

Latex-free, food-grade disposables.

Boveda 62% humidity packs

Two-way humidity control in cure jars. Size 4, 10-pack.

Why we use it

Set-and-forget humidity control that's saved us from both over-dry and moldy jars in years we tried to eyeball it with a hygrometer alone.

What we’d change

They're a recurring cost every season, not a one-time buy. Budget for replacements around week four of the cure.

Used since: 2023

Werewolves paracord

650 lb cord for hang-dry lines, 100–200 ft spools.

Straight-blade trim scissors

Two-inch stainless blades with a spare spring.

99% isopropyl alcohol, 32 oz

Pure IPA for resin cleanup.

VIVOSUN 2-in-1 trim tray

150-micron dry-sift screen plus two scissors.

64 oz wide-mouth mason jars

Half-gallon glass jars with airtight lids, 3-pack.

WELLIFE 32 oz mason jars

Quart wide-mouth jars, 12-pack.

Gifts for a gardener

Stuff we'd be happy to unwrap. Not all of it is in our shed.

VIPARSPECTRA 70 W grow light

Dimmable full-spectrum LED panel.

Barrina 4 ft T8 lights, 6-pack

42 W full-spectrum strips for shelf setups.

Ahopegarden 60-pod tower

32 L hydroponic tower with LED grow light.

VIVOSUN 108-site hydro system

Three-layer PVC pipe system with pump and timer.

Ahopegarden 10-pod garden

Countertop pod garden with LED.

Ahopegarden 12-pod garden

Countertop pods with an LCD control panel.

AeroGarden Harvest Lite

Six-pod countertop garden, cream.

HANDLANDY utility gloves

Touchscreen work gloves for yard jobs.

HANDLANDY leather gloves, women's

Breathable leather with touchscreen fingertips.

OIZEN cowhide gloves

Thorn-proof leather for roses and brambles.

Wells Lamont HydraHyde gloves

Water-resistant leather hybrid, women's.

Ainiv floral garden gloves

Non-slip coated gloves, women's.

Fiskars 28-inch bypass loppers

1.5-inch cut capacity for woody stems.

COOLJOB coated gloves, 6 pairs

Rubber-coated pairs you can afford to lose.

Fiskars Xact hand rake

Ergonomic handle, heavy-duty tines.

Fiskars Ergo cultivator

Digging, aerating and weeding hand tool.

Fiskars 7-in-1 garden scissors

Take-apart multi-shears with sheath.

Fiskars 3-piece tool set

Trowel, transplanter and cultivator.

Fiskars 6-piece vegetable set

Essentials set with garden shears.

XLUX soil moisture meter

Battery-free probe for indoor and outdoor pots.

Japanese weeding sickle

Very sharp full-size blade for quick work.

Pruning shears, 4-pack

Stainless snips plus gloves starter bundle.

Fiskars micro-tip snips

7-inch loop-handle snips for intricate cuts.

WORKPRO aluminum tool set

Four hand tools with a storage box.

Fiskars Ergo trowel

Heavy-duty digging and planting trowel.

Grenebo 12-piece tool set

Heavy-duty set with a carry bag.

Garden tool set, 3-pack

Aluminum shovel, trowel and hand rake.

Fiskars steel garden knife

Multi-purpose weed puller and utility blade.

Fiskars Ergo hand weeder

Levers out weeds with the root attached.

YAMRON 4-in-1 soil meter

Moisture, pH, temperature and light in one probe.

Garden Weasel potting scoop

Oversized scoop for filling pots fast.

CHRYZTAL stainless tool set

Heavy-duty set with a storage tote.

Fiskars bypass pruning shears

5/8-inch cut, the classic orange handles.

Fiskars 3-piece hand tools

Trowel, transplanter and cultivator set.

Kynup garden tool set

Aluminum tools with a storage bag.

Grenebo tool set with handbag

Gift-ready heavy-duty hand tools.

CHAPIN 2-gallon watering can

Indoor-outdoor can with a wide mouth.

Captain Jack's neem oil, 1 gal

Ready-to-use fungicide, insecticide and miticide.

PVP coarse perlite, 120 qt

Bulk aeration for potting mix and seed starts.

JERIA 15-gallon grow bags

12-pack fabric pots with reinforced handles.

JNYONG peat pots, 60-pack

3-inch biodegradable nursery pots.

ZeeDix peat pellets, 100-pack

30 mm expanding seed-starter pods.

Starting out vs upgrading

Soil

Budget pick

A bag of Happy Frog straight from the store, no amendments.

What we run

Our own blend — the Soil mix list above is the complete recipe.

Skip this

Buying every amendment at once. Start with soil, castings, and perlite.

Feeding

Budget pick

Alaska fish 5-1-1 on its own through veg.

What we run

The FoxFarm trio on the label schedule, backed off at the first sign of burn.

Skip this

Single-purpose boosters until the basic schedule is dialed in.

Trim & cure

Budget pick

One pair of straight-blade snips and a few 64 oz jars.

What we run

A trim tray with a sift screen, and a Boveda 62 in every jar.

Skip this

Electric trimmers — at homegrow scale they cost more than they save.