A Warning About Straw

October 25, 2009

Animals, Chickens, Gardening, Vegetable Gardening

...rmaculturalist David Kahn. It’s tempting to pick up bales that stores have used after Halloween, but make sure they weren’t treated with fire retardant. Fire retardant has some nasty chemicals in it you don’t want in your garden. When in doubt, just go to the feed store–straw it ain’t expensive! Addendum 10/27/09: Reader Polyparadigm raised another potential issue with using straw in your garden or compost pile: halogenated pesticide/herbacide res...

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A Primitive Bow Workshop

Mr. Homegrown

November 14, 2012

Preparedness

10 Comments

...ows. The first step was to find some suitable wood. We used willow, a wood used by Native Americans in our region. It’s plentiful and makes an acceptable if short lived bow. Ash and oak and bay trees are local woods which are better for the purpose, but our goal for the day was a quick and dirty bow. These bows aren’t bowyers’ masterpieces. They are survival tools, and their effectiveness is not about their long-range accuracy, but on the skills o...

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Day to day, our decisions count

Mrs. Homegrown

April 30, 2015

Back to the Garden

6 Comments

...there twice a week, to triage the fresh veggies and leftovers so they get used promptly. In some ways, I’m starting to go KonMari on the fridge–though I have a long way to go. Get less squeamish. Cut the mold off the cheese. Eat the fruit which is going soft-or at least make it into a compote. Make stock out of fridge-wilted vegetables. I think the more closely you work with food, the more you grow your own, the more you have a relationship with...

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What is Killing the Bees?

Mr. Homegrown

August 5, 2013

Animals, Bees

29 Comments

...s resistance to a common parasite Nosema ceranae. Bees exposed to a widely used agricultural fungicide, chlorothonatil, were more likely to succumb to nosema. The most provocative result for me was that bees exposed to fluvalinate, a miticide used by beekeepers on their own bees, were also likely to get nosema. Perhaps the villain in CCD is the beekepers themselves. Don’t get me wrong, pesticides probably play a role in CCD. But we must also remem...

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Stencils as Garden Art

Mr. Homegrown

August 7, 2013

Garden Design, Gardening

10 Comments

...l “edge” that Mark Lakeman of Portland City Repair talks about. So let’s make some stencils! Here’s how I do it: Image processing First step is to find a suitable image. This tutorial shows you how to use Photoshop to make your stencil. Materials and tools I used acetate, but it’s expensive. Bruce used old manilla folders. A cheaper alternative is freezer paper. I cut my stencil using an exacto knife. Painting First I spray the surface I’m stencil...

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