Search Results for: label/water conservation

367 results

California’s New Greywater Code: Common Sense Legalized!

Mr. Homegrown
Water and Power, Water Conservation
8 Comments
On the left is our yard which is irrigated by the washing machine. On the right, the neighbor’s yard which is never watered. This Tuesday the California Building Standards Commission legalized our formally outlaw greywater system. For several years now, we’ve sent our washing machine waste water out to fruit trees in the front yard. The new regulations are a rare common sense moment for our otherwise troubled state government. Let&...

Continue reading…

Our Rocket Stove

Mr. Homegrown
Preparedness, Rocket Stove
65 Comments
...g on this shelf and start the stove up with newspaper underneath the shelf. As the twigs burn you push them in over the edge to keep the fire going. Our first test run of the stove was very successful–we boiled a pot of water and cooked some eggs in a a pan. The fire burned cleanly with little smoke except during start up. For more info on rocket stoves check out the Aprovecho Research Center. And please people don’t burn wood inside...

Continue reading…

Barfing and Bikes: Why You Might Want Fenders

Mr. Homegrown
Bikes
5 Comments
...met a cyclist here in Los Angeles that something similar happened to. In his case it was a case of giardia–his doctor theorized that the little buggers came up from the gutter via the wheel and landed on the top of his water bottle. He was very sick for months and lost a lot of weight. Portlandians will laugh at our lack of fenders down in sunny Los Angeles. Perhaps this study might be enough to convince even roadies to get some. Well, on...

Continue reading…

Root Knot Nematodes, Meliodogyne spp.

Homegrown Neighbor
Pests
12 Comments
...ts and robbing it of nutrients. This weakens the overall root system, starves the plant and allows entry points for fungus and disease. Bad stuff. I have had plants that mysteriously won’t grow. No amount of fertilizer, water or sunlight seems to make them happy. Then, I pull out the plant and find the tell-tale sign of root knot nematodes- galls on the roots. The roots are stunted and distorted. They look like they are covered in tumors....

Continue reading…

It’s always been fun to stick it to the Man

Mr. Homegrown
Fermentation, Food
RLeave a comment
The folks from Dough on the Go! were over the other night and reached into a box of slides we found years ago at a thrift store and never looked at. That box turned up these images showing a previous generation enjoying the “water of life” coming out of what appears to be two different home built stills. Homegrown Revolution applauds the DIY spirit (so to speak) and these images seem an appropriate way to begin the dreaded holiday...

Continue reading…

World’s Largest Chard Grows in SIP

Mr. Homegrown
Gardening, Self Watering Containers
12 Comments
The story of SuperChard: Its origin is unknown. It might come from Bountiful Garden seed, or perhaps Franchi. It volunteered in a corner of one of our backyard beds, in a bed we were resting. We didn’t water it. It grew all summer long anyway, despite having no rain at all.  In fact, it grew huge and lush. We never harvested it, though, because it was growing in our lead contaminated soil. So we continued to ignore it and it continued to...

Continue reading…

Update: Citrus Vinegar for Cleaning

Mrs. Homegrown
Cleaning, Domesticus
7 Comments
In a previous post we talked about soaking citrus peels in white vinegar to make scented vinegar for cleaning. I’ve been doing this for a while now, using a 50/50 water and vinegar blend in my spray bottle, and I like the scent, but I’ve realized that because the vinegar is tinted by the orange peel if it is left to dry on a white surface it will leave yellow marks behind. This is not a big deal, because when using vinegar spray you...

Continue reading…

Only at Home: Huntington Ranch Symposium Nov. 18

Mr. Homegrown
Events
1 Comment
...ions, and Botanical GardensSan Marino, CA Marking the second year of Ranch operations, this one-day symposium focuses on aspects of urban agriculture that can’t be duplicated in commercial settings. From the use of gray water irrigation systems to growing offbeat edibles, learn how to harvest the unique potential from your home garden. From 8:30am to 5:00pm. Featuring: Master gardener Yvonne Savio, native plant specialist Lili Singer, the g...

Continue reading…