Mulch, mulch, mulch!
...around. More than a decade down the road, it is in tatters and shreds and is absolutely miserable to remove. So, learn from our mistakes, and… Love Your Mulch!...
Search Results for: label/mistakes/2010/06/the-urban-homestead
491 results
Composting: Nothing is Wasted
...how nourishment can come out of loss, how new experience rises out of past mistakes. We see also the great cycle of life. Everything changes, but nothing is lost. What can compost not accept? What can it not forgive? Simply put, keeping a compost pile is good is as good for your soul as it is for your soil. Waste Not If you can’t keep a compost pile, agitate to make your city adopt more comprehensive “green waste” policies. Many cities have dispos...
Food Preservation Disasters
...in’t 24/7 kittens and rainbows at the Root Simple compound. We do have our homesteading disasters. I was reminded of this after I emptied a box full of failed home preservation projects and contemplated a stinky trash can filled with a slurry of bad pickles and too-loose jams. Of course you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet and, in the interest of learning from mistakes, I thought I’d review two lessons learned. Not Using Tested Recipes I...
Growing Watermelons
...system, I only got two melons from one vine. But, learning from these twin mistakes, I suspect that next year’s watermelon harvest will be larger, and two other watermelon vines I have going (in a better location) already have a few fruits developing on them. Some things I’ve learned about watermelons: 1. Fighting powdery mildew. Our inland coastal climate, with its hot summer days and cool evenings, is not the best place for melons as we tend to...
Installing Solid Wood Flooring
...try another one. Inspect each row after it goes in for defects and nailing mistakes. This isn’t a race and you’re not being paid by the hour. I’m pleased with the results and I like the fact that sold oak flooring will last ten times as long as laminates. Over the next few weeks I’m going to replace the worn out douglas fir flooring in two other rooms with solid oak. Let me say how thankful I am for the power of compressed air. That said, some tim...