L & N Farms
Grow more of your own food.
L & N Farms is a curated general store for the backyard food grower — raised beds, seed starting, chickens, compost, preserving, and the tools that take the beating. We read the guides, compare the specs, and gather what gardeners actually recommend — then hand you the short list.
Start here
The departments
Six shelves, one question answered on each: what should I buy?
Grow
Raised-Bed Gardening
Why this shelf: the highest-return square footage in home food growing — the bed, the soil mix, and the honest picks, each with its cons.
Browse Raised-Bed Gardening →Grow
Seeds & Seed Starting
Why this shelf: the cheapest part of the garden and the easiest to overthink — fewer varieties, right timing, real light.
Browse Seeds & Seed Starting →Raise
Backyard Chickens
Why this shelf: predator-proof housing, real feed, clean water — the boring basics done right, gadgets deferred to year two.
Browse Backyard Chickens →Feed
Composting & Soil
Why this shelf: compost is free fertility if you’re patient — bins and tumblers matched to how much waste you actually make.
Browse Composting & Soil →Keep
Canning & Preserving
Why this shelf: water-bath for high-acid foods, pressure for everything else — know which one you need before you buy.
Browse Canning & Preserving →Equip
Homestead Tools & Gear
Why this shelf: buy once where it matters, save where it doesn’t — and know the difference before you spend.
Browse Homestead Tools & Gear →The first-year homestead path
One journey, six departments. If you’re starting from a patch of lawn, walk it in this order.
- Feed the soil first — start a compost pile on day one; it needs months, your plants will need it later.
- Build one bed — the honest starter kit is everything for a first 4×8 and nothing you don’t need.
- Start seeds right — a few varieties, real light, and timing that matches your frost dates.
- Add chickens when the coop is ready — see the contrarian’s checklist before you buy a single chick.
- Preserve the surplus — the right canner before the tomatoes bury you.
- Equip for year two — tools that take the beating, bought once.
The L & N Farms standard
- Curated with a point of view. Every pick earns its place — no filler, no pay-to-play, ever.
- Research, not vibes. We read the guides, compare the specs, and gather what gardeners actually recommend.
- Cons included. Everything has trade-offs; our picks list them instead of hiding them.
- Affiliate links clearly marked. Some links earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure.
Good to know
Does L & N Farms sell anything directly?
No. We’re a curated recommendations site, not a store — when you find something worth buying, you check out with the retailer who sells it. We link out; we never take your payment.
How do you decide what to recommend?
We read the growing guides, compare the specs, and gather what experienced gardeners actually recommend. Nobody can pay for a spot — featured or not, the standard is the same.
Do you grow food yourselves?
We’re researchers and curators, not a working farm — our picks come from guides, spec comparisons, and gardener feedback, not from personal harvests. That’s also why every pick lists its cons: we have no harvest photos to hide behind.
Where do I start if I’ve never gardened?
The Honest Raised-Bed Starter Kit is written exactly for you: one bed, the soil, the tools, and the three things the garden industry hopes you’ll buy anyway (so you don’t).