Straw Bale Gardens

...Killer Compost). Despite this risk, we’re going to go ahead and grow some food in bales anyway and see what happens. We’ll also be testing our straw. So, off we go into another gardening adventure/research pit! So have any of you tried, or are considering trying, straw bale gardening? How did it work? Some resources on the topic: strawbalegardens.com–the website of Joel Karsten, profiled in Tortorello’s article and the author of a book and a down...

Read…

Saturday Linkages: Beer Caps n’ Plants

...boing.net/2013/04/02/lecture-on-stone-wall-building.html … Plants! Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land http://j.mp/12r218m Transmitted light photos of houseplants: http://plantsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2013/04/exceptionally-pretty-pictures.htmlntsarethestrangestpeople.blogspot.com/2013/04/except… … grounded design by Thomas Rainer: Noel Kingsbury: The Ghost in the Machine http://landscapeofmeaning.blogspot.com/2013/04/noel-kingsbury-gho...

Read…

Chicken Nipple Waterering Systems

...old on Amazon here (I have not tested it). Ideally all the parts should be food grade as I’m not a fan of PVC. Of course the zinc in the galvanized waterer is probably not so great either, so it’s probably another case of not letting perfection be the enemy of the good. Living in Los Angeles all my life I’m no expert on what to do with poultry nipple waterers when it freezes. I imagine it has to be drained and put away for the winter but please ch...

Read…

Rain- The Best Gift of All

Homegrown Neighbor here: It is Christmastime, I am stuffed full of food and my house is brimming with yet more stuff. I have enjoyed the holidays, but I’m even more excited about the rain we have had and that there is perhaps more in the forecast. When it comes to what really counts, well, rain is pretty high up there. The past few years have been extremely dry here in the West. The year before last we literally had 3 inches of rain in L.A. So ra...

Read…