Our New Open Floor Plan

May 7, 2018

Design

...ared them a “death trap.” Then the good natured Will Wallus of the Weekend Homestead came on the podcast to gently defend open floor plans. Naturally, I’m spending this month making our house, gasp, more open. Let me explain. When I installed the floor in the living room in the aughts I discovered an opening that used to exist between our living room and what we use as our bedroom. Back in 1920 this house was a one bedroom with a kind of sitting r...

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Rats

Mr. Homegrown

November 30, 2006

Pests

...post). As far as rat prevention goes, it’s really important to harvest all fruits from the garden before they drop on the ground. Our rat problem this winter may be due, in part, from our laziness and failure to harvest the fruit of our prodigious fig tree in addition to the foundation work we’re having done (thanks again to those realtors we want to sick the rats on). Other deterrents include not leaving food around and getting rid of wood piles....

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Village Homes: A Model for Sustainable Suburbs

Mrs. Homegrown

February 21, 2014

Design, Garden Design, Permaculture, Urban Farming

6 Comments

...cted to the sewer system, it runs to swales between the houses, to nourish fruit trees. The resulting space is a lush park full of edibles, from exotic jujubee trees to grapes to almonds. Residents can stroll around in the abundant shade and pick fruit at will. Only the almond crop is off limits–the almond crop is harvested every year and sold to support the the gardening services for the entire development. There are also community garden space a...

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Tomato Review #1 Red Currant–The World’s Smallest Tomato

Mr. Homegrown

July 7, 2008

Gardening, Tomatoes, Vegetable Gardening

5 Comments

...sticated version of wild tomato plants originating in Mexico, and produces fruit measuring about one centimeter across. Red Currant is an indeterminate tomato, with a delicious, sweet taste. A malfunctioning drip line has has meant that our specimen probably did not get enough water, but nevertheless it has managed to produce fruit despite looking unhappy. If we had more than the paltry number we’ve produced, they’d make for a tasty addition to a...

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Vegetable Gardening With Dogs

Mr. Homegrown

August 23, 2008

Gardening, Tomatoes, Vegetable Gardening

9 Comments

...to is our favorite variety this year, producing large, flavorful and meaty fruit. Hopefully the Doberman will leave a few for us. [Update: an alert reader has pointed out that tomatoes are toxic to canines. The ASPCA says that the green parts are toxic, but others claim that both the ripe and unripe fruit are also a problem.] On the subject of tomatoes, here’s a very beautiful and useful website with pictures and descriptions of many heirloom toma...

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