Will We Keep Keeping Chickens?

...operations. There’s a lot of negatives for keeping chickens in our small, urban backyard. We have lead and zinc in the soil, so many predators that the hens have to live in what I call “chicken Guantanamo,” and a small irregular piece of property that makes using a chicken tractor impossible. While I built a generous run for our four hens, I really wish that they could wander more freely, but that’s just not possible where we live. Another big ch...

Read…

Coffee Grounds in the Garden

...ctions and feed earthworms. Authored by Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, Extension Urban Horticulturist and Associate Professor, this peer-reviewed pamphlet also provides a set of suggestions for using coffee grounds in the garden: Coffee grounds should be composted before used as a soil amendment but can be used fresh as a mulch. Fresh grounds are phytotoxic, so keep them away from direct contact with roots. Coffee grounds will not necessarily make your...

Read…

Saturday Tweets: 12 Hours in an Ikea, Bike Helmets, How to Fix Drywall and Much More

...elmet debate: 'You don’t make it safe by forcing cyclists to dress for urban warfare' https://t.co/TVjtv9SdrK — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 21, 2017 Behind Lucky Peach’s Closing, Colliding Visions https://t.co/jU5RJ7rsMm — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 22, 2017 Fix a Hole in Drywall https://t.co/qxcZfgBxbk — Root Simple (@rootsimple) March 23, 2017 Turkey splits up fight between roosters https://t.co/xPqOPqRgMU — Root Simple (@rootsi...

Read…

Saturday Tweets: Starlings, Chipmunks and Maple Syrup Season Lessons

...com/RvU0ax5Cii — Lyanda Lynn Haupt (@LyandaHaupt) May 12, 2017 Caught raiding birdseed, chipmunk yields haul https://t.co/QUatfa977T — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 12, 2017 Ghost Lanes: Angled “Scarchitecture” Reveals Historic Urban Roads https://t.co/Bbr8h3AbHp — Root Simple (@rootsimple) May 8, 2017 What I Did Wrong This Maple Syrup Season #DIY #homesteading https://t.co/OnXcnVpcbp pic.twitter.com/Ji1xdC6fsD — Eric Rochow (@GardenForkTV) May 12...

Read…