When it’s time to remove a tree

...ing two shrubs too close together, so now they’re crowding one another and making a sort of Frankenstein hedge, you have to correct it. Gardening has a huge learning curve. You’re going to make mistakes. It’s inevitable. You have to fix the problem. If the plant in question is thriving, full of rude health, not poorly placed but not fitting into your future plans, meditate on that. A thriving plant–the kind that doesn’t seem to need any care at al...

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Straw Bale Garden Part V: Growing Vegetables

...e resource intensive than growing in the ground or raised bed, straw bale gardening has a lot of advantages for the beginning gardener. Integrating fertilizers into a straw bale is a lot easier than making high quality compost and a lot faster. While not a long term strategy, I’m looking forward to trying straw bale gardening again. How is your straw bale garden doing?...

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Grist & Toll: An Urban Flour Mill

Southern California has its first flour mill in a hundred years: Grist & Toll. G &T will be milling grain grown by small farmers here in the Southwest. We’re on the verge of a grain revolution and small mills like Grist & Toll are leading the way. Dig Grist & Toll’s Austrian grain mill and sifter: Rumor has it that Santa is bringing me a mini version of this mill. Grist & Toll is open for special hours this holiday season: Friday December 13th 12...

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Denver and Los Angeles Experience Crowds Staring at Chicken Coops

...ts with the handy networking tool known as the internet. Above, the Denver Urban Homesteading meetup group. If you’re in the Denver area (where Mrs. Homegrown Evolution spent her formative years) get to know these fine folks at: http://www.meetup.com/Greater-Denver-Urban-Homesteaders/ LA Urban Homesteaders looking at a chicken coop. Photo by Elon Schoenholz In a strikingly similar photo, our urban livestock workshop that we hosted yesterday featur...

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