Cactus Thief Strikes Again

April 24, 2014

...cactus thief with free flats of baby cacti. The latter strategy could even lead to the first ever Root Simple Upworthy style clickbait headline, “Thief Steals Cactus and the Thorny Response Will Have You in Tears.” Stoic philosopher Epictetus set me straight on what I should really do. He says, “Stop admiring your clothes and you are not angry at the man who steals them . . . our losses and our pains have to do only with the things we posses.” (Di...

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Mulch Volcanoes: Another Bad Gardening Idea

Mr. Homegrown

May 2, 2014

Gardening

11 Comments

...It’s thought that the lack of air circulation at the base of the tree can lead to disease problems and you don’t want roots to grow up into the mulch so close to the trunk. When applying mulch you should keep it a few inches away from the base of a tree. Artist Herbert Bayer’s EarthMound, 1955. Image: GardenHistoryGirl. How strange gardening practices, such as mulch volcanoes, get started is really interesting to me. Mulch volcanoes remind me of...

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The Mystery of the Zero-Irrigation Squash

Mrs. Homegrown

August 22, 2014

Food, Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

20 Comments

...r types, though, so I don’t think the appeal is universal. However, it may lead to hints of how to grow squash crops here successfully with little water. 3) Cheating. I do wonder if Mr. Squash stretched his roots under the nearest raised bed (about 2 feet/.5 meter away) and siphoned off some of the water. Certainly if I’d planted a seedling that far from the bed, and told it “Okay, you’re on your own. Just get what you need from that bed over yond...

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Compost Piles on Fire!

Mr. Homegrown

October 2, 2014

Composting, Gardening

8 Comments

...sting facilities that covers this common problem. So what situation(s) can lead to a fire? Here’s what can happen with a low moisture, large pile with little air exchange, combined with water getting into the pile in a place where there is enough air to support biological activity and chemical oxidation, but not enough to cool the pile. An old, dry compost pile, or a pile of overs screened out of the finished product, is a case in point. Water see...

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The Biochar Solution

Mr. Homegrown

November 25, 2014

Gardening

9 Comments

...robial life Bind heavy metals (this is a big selling point for me with our lead and zinc contaminated soil) U of W suggests purchasing biochar rather than trying to make it yourself. According to the authors its not easy to achieve proper pyrolysis at home. And they caution that biochar can cause problems for acid loving plants and worms. I’m interviewing a biochar expert for our podcast today. Look for that episode in two weeks. Have you used bio...

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