Annie’s Annuals and Perennials

July 10, 2013

Garden Design, Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

...edibles. It’s first time I’ve ever seen Oca (Oxalis tuberosa) outside of a book. I had to keep a tight grip on my credit card to prevent myself from buying plants I had no way of getting home on my bike. The good news is that Annie’s does mail order. And she’s got a bunch of tutorial videos covering topics such as container planting and plant combinations. As we begin version 4.0 of our back yard garden, I have a feeling we’ll be ordering plants f...

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Planetwalker John Francis

Mrs. Homegrown

July 24, 2013

Thoughtstylings

6 Comments

...g out. The man is wise, and he speaks from his heart. Bonus: You can watch him talk at TED. And find out what’s in his backpack. And he’s got a book, Planetwalker: 22 Years of Walking. 17 Years of Silence....

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What is Killing the Bees?

Mr. Homegrown

August 5, 2013

Animals, Bees

29 Comments

...climates. Feed hives high fructose corn syrup. Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s new book Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder warns about what happens when we prop up and interfere with complex systems like beehives or the economy. When we don’t allow failure (such as trying to prevent mites with chemicals) we set ourselves up for bigger disasters down the road. It’s very convenient to be able to point the finger at the pesticides farmers use. But j...

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Filter Fail: How to Cure Internet Addiction

Mr. Homegrown

August 9, 2013

Thoughtstylings

21 Comments

...I prefer the phrase “filter fail” that Douglas Rushkoff introduces in his book Present Shock: When Everything Happens Now (Rushokoff borrows this idea from the writer Clay Shirky). The problem is not that there’s too much information out there. The problem is that we’ve failed to screen out what is irrelevant. It happens to me everyday and I’m not alone. This year, according to the research firm eMarketer, internet use will surpass TV viewing. Th...

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More DIY Furniture: Grid Beam and Open Structures

Mr. Homegrown

October 26, 2023

Design

2 Comments

...: Grid Beam and Open Structures. Grid Beam, pioneered by Ken Isaacs in his book How to Build Your Own Living Structures, relies on either wood or metal with a regular series of holes drilled to accept bolts. Grid Beam is modular and you can use the method to make chairs, tables, beds and rooms. Pieces can be taken apart, reused and reconfigured. If you want to try it you’ll definitely want a drill press and a jig to make the holes uniform and squa...

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