Search Results for: label/uses for used tires/page/10/2010/06/the-urban-homestead

947 results

Root Simple’s New CritterCam

Avatar photo
Animals
8 Comments
...a for the application I intend. Thanks Max!] My plan is to use it for some urban, backyard citizen science. Specifically I want to figure out a few things: What mammals are visiting the backyard? What paths do they take through the yard? What kinds of birds are visiting the bird bath? Have my skunk proofing efforts worked? What’s the most active time in the night for mammalian activity? How many cats are visiting and what time do they come through...

Read…

Coffee Grounds in the Garden

Avatar photo
Composting, Gardening, Pests, Vegetable Gardening, Vermiculture
10 Comments
...ng 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 soil more acidic. Don’t use coffee grounds where you are starting seeds. Despite rumors, coffee grounds do not repel pests. Let coffee grounds cool before adding to compost bin so you don’t k...

Read…

Grab and Go

Avatar photo
Preparedness
...eight backpacking tent. This ain’t about paranoia – while our grab and go bags contain modern tools, we appreciate the ancient, and almost lost art of travel by foot. Remember kids, back in the days before SUVs people used to walk long distances without the benefit of convenience stores and fast food joints. Stay tuned for a detailed explanation of each of the Ten Essential Systems and some adaptations for urban situations....

Read…

Homegrown Revolution at the Alt-Car Expo

Avatar photo
Bikes
...o haul cargo. We can easily pack just as many groceries on this bike as we used to in the Sentra. The chief objection that we hear is that cycling is not safe. We used to use this excuse not so long ago before we hopped back on our bikes. We respond by saying no it isn’t safe, but neither is any other mode of travel. Cycling is definitely what Socrates would call, “the considered life”–it demands your full attention. But there are ways to minimize...

Read…

Mistakes we have made . . .

Avatar photo
Animals, Chickens, Permaculture, Thoughtstylings
13 Comments
...t is too prodigious, and that’s the kind of problem you can hope for as an urban homesteader. 3. Newspaper seed pots Those newspaper seed starting pots we linked to earlier this year . . . well, there seems to be a problem with them. I think the newspaper is wicking the water away from the soil. While in Houston recently, I took a class from a master gardener in plant propagation and we used regular plastic pots, a thin layer of vermiculite over t...

Read…