114 Will of The Weekend Homestead on Fire Safety

On the podcast this week I talk to Will of the The Weekend Homestead about fire safety and life on his rural Wisconsin getaway. Will is a former firefighter and avid YouTuber and reached out to me to respond to a post I did on open floor plans and fires. During the podcast we talk about: Christmas fire safety–keep that tree watered! Smoke detectors Fire extinguishers and how to use them Common causes of residential fires What it’s like to be a fi...

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Steal this Book!

...family! Blog, twitter, friend, digg and yell! From the press release: The Urban Homestead is the essential handbook for a burgeoning new movement: urbanites are becoming farmers. By growing their own food and harnessing natural energy, city dwellers are reconnecting with their land while planting seeds for the future for our cities. Whether you’d like to harvest your own vegetables, keep heirloom chickens, or become more energy independent, this...

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SIPS and Kraut at Project Butterfly

...our community and our planet. Erik Knutzen and Kelly Coyne, authors of The Urban Homestead, have become increasingly interested in the concept of urban sustainability since moving to Los Angeles in 1998. In that time, they’ve slowly converted their 1920 hilltop bungalow into a mini-farm, and along the way have explored the traditional home arts of baking, pickling, bicycling and brewing, chronicling all their activities on their blog Homegrown Evo...

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Saturday Tweets: Sourdough Myths and When Parking Meant Trees

...2015 I'm loving this website–so much good stuff! The History of Marker Trees https://t.co/fMn4TeUEWD — Root Simple (@rootsimple) October 29, 2015 X-ray technology reveals California's forests are in for a radical transformation https://t.co/Bu3j4S6hrh — Root Simple (@rootsimple) October 29, 2015 When “Parking” Meant “Space for Trees” http://t.co/Ka8eReiSD0 — RDS Biagi (@RDSBiagi) June 11, 2015 Questioning green instrumentalism 'the bel...

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Mulch, mulch, mulch!

...u lay down something more like 8 inches (20 cm)). You can also mulch fruit trees with compost instead of wood-based mulch, to give the soil life there a boost, or lay down an inch or so of compost, and then top with mulch. When mulching your trees and bushes, be sure to leave a couple of inches between the mulch and their trunks. You don’t want the mulch creeping up the trunk–it’s not healthy for the wood. Mulching your paths, seating and play are...

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