Search Results for: label/self watering containers

196 results

Advances in Gardening Series: A Progress Report

Mrs. Homegrown
Garden Design, Gardening
13 Comments
...In the dead center is what I call The Hippie Heart (and yes, that’s tm’d too.). I’ll come back to the heart: I like the view better from the other direction. In the center foreground you can see twig with a label tied to it. That’s one of our brand new fruit trees.: This below is a pretty uninspired picture of The Hippie Heart, a raised bed which is about 5 feet across, made by simply digging up and mounding earth–...

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The Chicken and the Egg

Mr. Homegrown
Animals, Chickens
3 Comments
...sider the consequences of the economic and quality race to the bottom of factory farming’s economy of scale–an abundance of cheap, tasteless and nutritionally deficient eggs that like the endless flood of shipping containers full of plastic crap from China poisons both our bodies and souls. Here’s a list of questions to ask the folks who provide your eggs. And more Francine Dancer for those without chickens....

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One of our favorite activities: Depaving

Mrs. Homegrown
Gardening
7 Comments
...unk of our back patio, ripping it down to soil. The next step is to build a big planter box above the hole. This way, our planter box becomes a raised bed rather than a simple container. While it’s possible to garden in containers, it’s always better, if at all possible, to open the bottom to soil. We’re pretty fearless about messing with our back patio because it’s ugly, cracked and worn out.  Any yuppie worth their salt...

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The revolution will be fermented . . .

Mr. Homegrown
Fermentation, Food
RLeave a comment
Homegrown Revolution’s month of fermentation continues with the following bubbling containers–from left to right: Rye Sourdough Starter More info in a future post, but rye flour is much more active than a starter made with white flour! White Flour Starter We’ve already ranted about this stuff here and here. So far, much success. Crème Fraîche Special thanks to Susan of Northeast LA’s “culture club” for givin...

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Plastic or Wood?

Mr. Homegrown
Thoughtstylings
4 Comments
...lastics out of the homestead as we can. We won’t toss what we have in the landfill right now, but when it is time to replace it, this is how it’s going down: Wood and metal utensils instead of plasticGlass storage containers instead of TupperwearWool blankets instead of Polarfleece blanketsDown filling instead of polyester filling (even for allergy sufferers)*Silk and wool fabrics for athletics instead of petroleum based technical fa...

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Healing the yard with a huge compost pile

Mrs. Homegrown
Composting, Gardening
20 Comments
...d beds and fill them with imported soil (soil which has, hopefully, been tested for lead!). Some people put plastic sheeting or rock barriers between the imported soil or native soil, which in effect makes the beds into giant containers. We did something a little different–and a lot harder. We dug out a huge pit where our beds used to be. When I say “we,” I mean Erik dug a huge pit. (Somehow I weaseled out of this project.) This...

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Pooh Power!

Mr. Homegrown
Preparedness
1 Comment
...owder actually gels liquid in seconds, while it neutralizes the odor (no perfume cover-up) and the catalyst starts the decay process. The Black degradable poly bags are environmentally friendly and can be disposed of in trash containers. Can be used with any portable toilet or even in your standard home toilet when water flushing is unavailable. Can be used under or over (to keep sanitary) any toilet seat. After use, simply fold the Wag™ Bag into...

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Mongolian Giant Sunflower

Mr. Homegrown
Gardening
5 Comments
...ell. If you plan to eat your sunflower seeds or preserve them for your bird feeder, wait until the seeds are completely dry; then remove them by hand or by rubbing them over wire mesh into a basket. Store in tightly closed containers to keep rodents away. In addition to the native sunflowers that reseed themselves every year I think I’ll plant a few Mongolian Giants each summer. If you’ve got a favorite sunflower variety, either o...

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Edible Landscaping and Gardening Classes With Darren Butler

Mr. Homegrown
Events
1 Comment
...have moved to Southern California after gardening elsewhere, or who haven’t been satisfied with their garden yields. Expected topics include seed starting, seasonality and what to do when, building raised beds, choosing containers, plant selection, transplanting, soil preparation, irrigation, wise water use, pest management (weeds, diseases, insects), beneficial insects, composting, harvesting, and seed saving. INTERMEDIATE ORGANIC GARDENIN...

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Backyard Orchard Culture

Mr. Homegrown
Gardening
7 Comments
...you’ll save money. When you plant four or more trees in one hole keep all the trees pruned to the height of the weakest tree. In heavy clay soils, plant trees in raised mulch beds. Fruit trees and berries work great in containers, just remember to prune them and keep them small. Squirrel control: get a dog, use a have-a-heart trap or shoot-em! Another reason to keep trees pruned small is so that you can throw bird netting over them. Use th...

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