Straw Bale Gardens

March 25, 2013

Tasha Via’s straw bale garden. Michael Tortorello (who profiled us when Making It came out) is one of my favorite writers covering the home ec/gardening subjects we discuss on this blog. He had an article last week in the New York Times, “Grasping at Straw” on straw bale gardening. We’ve very tempted to give the practice a try in our backyard. Why? We have lead and zinc contaminated soil so growing veggies in the ground is questionable. We live o...

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Compost and Pharmaceuticals

Mr. Homegrown

May 2, 2013

Composting, Gardening, Humanure, Straw Bale Gardening

17 Comments

...concentrated animal operation facilities. But we’ve got a lot of hormones making their way into the environment due to agriculture, according to a study done by Temple University, Animal manures (poultry manure and cow manure) contribute to a significant load of estrogen hormones in the natural environment. Conclusions Clearly we may have some big societal problems caused by the overuse of pharmaceuticals and waste generated by industrial livesto...

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Federico Tbn’s Self Irrigating Pots

Mr. Homegrown

May 3, 2013

Gardening, Self Watering Containers

12 Comments

...full of cat grass. Kitty looks happy. I’ve used SIPs for years and they are a great tool for landless gardeners. Federico has taken the SIP a step further by making them beautiful. You can see more of Federico’s projects and art at eeio.blogspot.com....

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It’s Calendula Season!

Mrs. Homegrown

May 8, 2013

Body Care, Domesticus, Gardening, Herbal Medicine, Herbs

17 Comments

...a whole series of posts on it: Why not plant some Calendula Harvesting and drying Calendula How to make a Calendula oil infusion Making Salves, Lip Balms & etc....

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Why are the pockets on women’s clothing so lame?

Mrs. Homegrown

May 20, 2013

Domesticus, How-to, Thoughtstylings

35 Comments

...’t want pockets because they will bulk up the sleek lines of our fashions, making us look chunky through the hips. And it is true that form-fitting clothing does not leave room for bulky pockets. There are indeed occasions and outfits that call for a handbag. For instance, I am happy to carry a clutch when I shimmy into my black latex sheath for a special night in the dungeon, believe you me. But what about jeans with fake back pockets and front p...

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