Row Covers in a Warm Climate

November 25, 2009

Composting, Gardening, Tools, Vegetable Gardening

y beds are locked down in a kind of “vegetable Guantanamo”. Johnny’s Seeds sells Agribon 15 in 250 foot rolls for $45. Seeds of Change sells it in 5o foot lengths for $26. It would make sense for most urban homesteaders go in with a few friends on a roll. Watch a video on how to install row covers at Johnny’s Seeds....

Hay Hooks–The New Hipster Accessory?

Mr. Homegrown

January 14, 2013

Animals, Chickens, Composting, Gardening

8 Comments

With so many city chickens I predict that hay hooks will become just as indispensable to the urban hipster as is the fixed gear bicycle. After years of hauling staw bales up the 30 steps to our house (to use as bedding for the chickens) I just broke down and bought a pair. A vaquero at the feed store intervened with a neat tip when he saw me struggling to use my new hay hooks to load some bales into a friend’s truck. Here’s what he...

City Farm Chicago

Mr. Homegrown

May 19, 2009

Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

4 Comments

for economically under-developed neighborhoods. City Farm is a mobile endeavor. The basic idea is to take advantage of some vacant land and, when the inevitable development comes, pull up everything and move on. Assuming that urban land is contaminated, the City Farm folks simply piled up about three feet of compost, soil and mulch right on top of the broken concrete and asphalt of its current location. All that soil will move when the yuppie con...

Playin’ Possum

Mr. Homegrown

October 26, 2010

Pests

20 Comments

;it is legal and safe to do so” (can I employ our local gang?) Habitat control is a great way to keep the population of critters like opossums at manageable levels. But there’s a problem here for those of us in urban or suburban areas. I could do all of these things (minus the gunplay) but what if several neighbors on my block have fallen fruit, outdoor pet food, and open basements? What we need is an integrated pest management ver...

Nesting Box Plans in SketchUp

Mr. Homegrown

January 30, 2013

Animals, Chickens

5 Comments

SketchUp is a free and easy to use 3D modeling program. And users have created a library of 3D models you can download. Up until recently most of these models were not particularly useful to DIY urban homesteady types. Enter SketchUp model contributor Rick whose collection of models includes the chicken nesting box above, raised garden beds and a couple of other useful projects. I’m really looking forward to seeing more open source projec...

Italian Dandelion Redux

Mr. Homegrown

January 30, 2009

Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

7 Comments

n and an army of aphids, the Italian Dandelion seems immune to both pest and disease. And, nearby, volunteer mallow hints at a spring of easy foraging. Horace was on to something. And to all who responded to my call for urban homesteaders: I’m overwhelmed by the response (and the emails!). You are all an incredible inspiration and, like my botanical friend Cichorium intybus, a sign of abundance in the midst of adversity....

Piet Oudolf’s Enhanced Nature

Mr. Homegrown

May 13, 2013

Garden Design, Gardening

1 Comment

” and the untidiness of the real thing. Oudolf responds with what some have called “enhanced nature.” It’s an approach that’s pragmatic, recognizing both the need for natural ecosystems within an urban environment, while at the same time providing visual interest. Oudolf’s imprint is on the landscape, but to most people that human touch will remain on a subliminal level. It’s a brilliant “third way&...

Nutria Trappin’ by Bike!

Mr. Homegrown

February 24, 2010

Bikes, Pests

7 Comments

I like to keep up on all the “urban homesteading” trends, but bikesnobnyc beat me to this one: nutria (Myocastor coypus) trapping via bike. “We then returned with our catch and skinned them, prepared the hides for tanning and butchered the carcass and cooked up a bit of the meat. Most folks seemed pleasantly surprised at the “chicken- like” taste of the meat.” Read more about it at dellerdesigns.blogspot.co...

The Perfect Chicken Coop?

Mr. Homegrown

November 28, 2012

Animals, Chickens

7 Comments

round for many more years. While this particular arrangement may not work in all situations (mobile runs or “chicken tractors” may be a better option for some), this coop design does have a lot going for it for us urban dwellers....

Nominate Your Favorite Complainer

Mr. Homegrown

August 7, 2012

Thoughtstylings

20 Comments

So the competition might give our complaint athletes just what they want: to be noticed. But on this blog, a yearly complaint competition would give us a way to organize and round up the most outrageous complaints. With urban homesteading activities on the rise there will certainly be more of these unfortunate situations. My personal favorite world champion complainers are the folks in one West Los Angeles neighborhood who successfully delayed a...

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Search Results for: label/recipes/page/2/2010/06/the-urban-homestead

Row Covers in a Warm Climate

Hay Hooks–The New Hipster Accessory?

City Farm Chicago

Playin’ Possum

Nesting Box Plans in SketchUp

Italian Dandelion Redux

Piet Oudolf’s Enhanced Nature

Nutria Trappin’ by Bike!

The Perfect Chicken Coop?

Nominate Your Favorite Complainer