More on Hops in Containers

May 2, 2009

...as low as 9 feet below ground. I’m on my 2nd year of hops, cascade in nice soil, and brewers gold in what ever was in the ground. The brewers gold did better last year growing 18 feet and providing summer shade to a south facing window. The cascades only went 8 feet. I followed the same watering and feeding (never) for both. This year my cascades are doing better, they are about 18 inches high so far. The brewers gold only 2 inches. This is in San...

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DIY Project: Reconnect with Nature

Mrs. Homegrown

June 10, 2013

Miscellaneous

26 Comments

...the ground if your body allows it, to be in direct bodily contact with the soil, leaves, sand, rock. Actually, it’s even better sometimes to lay back on the ground so your whole spine is against the earth–as long as you don’t fall asleep! It’s also nice to lean against a tree. If you’ll be uncomfortable, though, bring a folding chair. 4) You’re going to sit for at least a half hour. A half hour is a good place to start. Longer sits are really nice...

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019 Garden Nerd Christy Wilhelmi

Mr. Homegrown

October 1, 2014

Gardening, Podcasts, Vegetable Gardening

3 Comments

...vons Double digging vs. no-till A documentary about Ruth Stout Breaking up soil with permaculture method The power of mulch Square foot gardening Peat moss vs. coir Growing carbon and compost crops Heavy metals Phytoremediation with milk thistle and chicory What to fill a raised bed with How to deal with shade Integrating livestock: chickens and bees What to do with Peruvian pepper trees (Schinus molle) Attracting pollinators You can also connect...

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Hens in the Orchard for Pest Control

Mr. Homegrown

July 25, 2013

Animals, Chickens, Fruit Trees, Gardening, Pests

3 Comments

...m.com, sent along a great pest control tip in response to our thrip post–chickens, of course! Chickens and orchards go together like gin and tonic. The hens take care of pests, clean up rotten fruit, add nitrogen to the soil and the canopy of the orchard protects the hens from hawks and heat. Plus you get eggs and meat. Permaculture in action. The 1920s era photo you see above comes from one of Terry’s posts, Chickens in Orchards....

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Free Egg Testing for California Backyard Chicken Keepers

Mr. Homegrown

April 9, 2018

Animals, Chickens

4 Comments

...irds for various contaminants such as Pb, PCBs, and PBDEs. I know that our soil has lead in it and have always been curious to see if our chickens are passing any of this lead into their eggs. I sent off eggs for testing last Friday and will report back on the test results. The New York Times reported on the issue of contaminants in eggs from backyard flocks back in 2012. If you’re a California resident and would like to send in some eggs for test...

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