Adobe in Action Interior and Exterior Plastering Online Course Begins on Monday, Sept. 1st

August 26, 2014

...r (straw) preparation and chopping techniques sifting & preparing & mixing soil and aggregates for earthen plasters wheat paste production for strengthening mud plasters casein production for lime paints natural exterior earthen plaster stabilization techniques (lime, cactus juice) hand application techniques of earthen plasters (base coats, patching) hawk & trowel application of earthen and lime plasters (leveling and finish coats) basic earthen...

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De-Cluttering the Garden

Mr. Homegrown

February 12, 2015

Domesticus, Gardening, Tidying up

8 Comments

...roblem with clutter in our garden comes in the form of empty pots, bags of soil and amendments with no home, gloves housing spiders, tools leaning here, there and everywhere, never where you need them. Our climate alone allows us to (mostly) get away with this behavior. Elsewhere it would all rust or rot if left out like this. I know it’s not the KonMari way to add storage space or devices to deal with clutter, but this is more like having a car w...

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An Ancient Quince Recipe

Mr. Homegrown

September 26, 2014

Food, Food Preservation, Fruit Trees, Gardening

16 Comments

The Karp’s Sweet quince in our front yard, despite struggling in terrible soil, has finally started producing. This year we got about three pounds. Some of the fruit gets sunburned (note to self–put up some shade cloth next year!). But I’ve been able to cut out the browned part. Each year the question comes up as to what to do with the fruit. You can eat Karp’s Sweet quince raw, but the texture is still quince-like, which is to say somewhat gritt...

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027 Michael Wittman on Biochar

Mr. Homegrown

December 3, 2014

Podcasts

3 Comments

...it made? Can you make it at home? Biochar and heavy metals How it improves soil texture History of biochar Biochar and pH How to use biochar Using biochar in compost to reduce pH How commercial biochar is made The Biochar Journal Biochar in animal husbandry The Biochar Revolution Blue Sky Biochar Facebook Page I mention an article from the Washington State University, Biochar: A Home Gardener’s Primer And thanks to Root Simple Podcast listener Max...

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Camping on Halloween Night

Mrs. Homegrown

November 11, 2014

Miscellaneous, Nature Awareness

18 Comments

...remade. The rain had carved deep channels and rivulets in the hard-packed soil. The scrubby, hard-bitten plants eking out their living on the granite slopes shimmered in the morning light, free of dust for the first time in months, revealing their true and gentle colors. I heard water and ran to the stream bed. The day before it had been dry, now it ran with water. I knew it was a temporary flow, but the sight of running water after a long dry su...

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