Search Results for: label/lead/page/5/2011/04/making-it

619 results

Mulch Volcanoes: Another Bad Gardening Idea

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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

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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!

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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

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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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