Lady Urine, Water Conservation and Halfway Humanure

...ly has so much pee. My contributions would be useful. Plus, this method of gardening is undeniably water hungry. I feel like we should partially offset this expenditure by conserving water as much as we can. One simple way to save water is to stop flushing the toilet so much. And if all our pee went outside, it would not only save water, but it also would add water and nitrogen to the soil. Win-win. Now, I imagine our more feisty readers will ask,...

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Our New Straw Bale Garden–Part I

...and zinc contamination and a backyard that is up 30 steps–make straw bale gardening a promising solution. Bales and fertilizer are easier to carry up the stairs than bulk soil. It will be cheaper than buying soil. No lead and zinc. I was also inspired by this attractive straw bale garden in Arizona. It will be a garden that changes over time. I like the idea of watching the bales turn into compost and their gradual replacement with more permanent...

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Saturday Linkages: Hiding Spots, Bedbugs and Rodents of Unusual Size

...a Leafy Folk Remedy Stopped Bedbugs in Their Tracks http://nyti.ms/12H9HDI Gardening All About Gabions : Cheap Retaining and Other Garden Features http://shar.es/JHCQS New killer compost problem–Imprelis: http://ow.ly/1UWcBj How to protect plants from frost: http://ow.ly/1UMWLG Farmers tackle pests with colas: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3977351.stm … Rodents of Unusual Size – a documentary about 20-lb rats in Louisiana – Boing Boing htt...

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Saturday Linkages: Of Granola and Turlets

...ike-flat-tire-repair-kit-insi.html … Building a bottle tower for container gardening: http://youtu.be/-uDbjZ9roEQ A just plain cool garden design blog: http://jeffreygardens.blogspot.com Do Everything Wrong And Still Bake Good Bread http://huff.to/UHEpMm Bad News Department Citrus industry using insecticide deadly to bees: sulfoxaflor has surfaced again http://shar.es/YTAP7 CISPA is back: worst Internet law since SOPA needs you to fight it! – Boin...

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Picture Sunday: Images of Detroit

...which has fallen on hard times, but is being revitalized, largely through gardening. She and her boyfriend, Michael, are growing a large garden on several vacant lots, and are looking to buy a house near their garden at auction. Land in Brightmoor is inexpensive. (One of the lots she gardens on cost $210.) She also says that there’s a 170 acre forest at the edge of her neighborhood, which makes it feel more like the country than the city. Looking...

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