Search Results for: label/water conservation

367 results

Chop and Drop: Leaving Plant Residues in the Garden

Mr. Homegrown
Gardening, Vegetable Gardening
6 Comments
...il-June 2012 issue of California Agriculture, In two field studies comparing no-tillage with standard tillage operations (following wheat silage harvest and before corn seeding), we estimated that 0.89 and 0.97 inches more water was retained in the no-tillage soil than in the tilled soil. In three field studies on residue coverage, we recorded that about 0.56, 0.58 and 0.42 inches more water was retained in residue-covered soil than in bare...

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Greywater Precautions

Mr. Homegrown
Water Conservation
2 Comments
Before we continue our greywater series, we have a few precautions to lay down. The dangers of greywater have been exaggerated in the past and it’s important to remember that nobody in the US has ever gotten sick from exposure to greywater. The plumbing codes in this country are overly cautious in their restrictions on greywater use, as the Man, quite simply, wants you to throw perfectly good water down the sewer. On the other hand, a lot...

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Make a Rain Barrel

Mr. Homegrown
Design, rainwater harvesting, Water and Power, Water Conservation
10 Comments
...of a threaded 3″ waste pipe fitting: The last step is to prop the barrel up on some wood or concrete blocks to give some clearance for your hose connection and some extra elevation for a gravity assist to help push the water through a garden hose. The overflow connection is another reason I like Chenkin’s design. It’s important to keep rainwater away from your foundation especially when, like us, you live on a hill. The picture...

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Cat Poop Compost Installment #2

Mrs. Homegrown
Animals, Cats, Composting
16 Comments
...w the pathogens to die off. Digging down all I see is decomposing red sawdust Wanting to move it along faster, I did what I’d do for any compost pile that was a little pokey: I turned it, and added nitrogen and water.* Shoveling 50 gallons of kitty litter is exactly what I want to be doing on any given Saturday! As I shoveled, I decided that if I didn’t already have Mad Kitty Disease, I’d have it by the end of the day....

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Loofah Sponges

Mrs. Homegrown
Cleaning, Domesticus, Gardening
14 Comments
...indoors.  Some tips: The seeds need warmth to sprout–sort of like tomato seeds. They won’t start in cold soil. Start them indoors over heat if you have to.  Basic growing requirements are lots of sun, lots of water, warm weather and time. Again, three months for food, for months for sponges. Here in SoCal March is a good month to plant the seeds directly in the ground. Provide support for the vine: it’s a climber. The...

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How To Manage a Compost Pile Using Temperature

Mr. Homegrown
Composting, Gardening, How-to
5 Comments
...r of advantages: You can make sure that the pile does not get too hot. Above 160° F  you start to kill off the thermophilic bacteria that decompose your pile. To decrease temperature you turn and add more carbon material and water. Washington State University recommends subjecting all of the pile to temperatures above 150° F to kill potential pathogens. I’m fairly certain that, with the turn I did at day 14, all of the pile got up to 150°F...

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Summer of Solar Cookin’

Homegrown Neighbor
Solar
11 Comments
...oday: Solar Powered Navy Beans 2 cups navy beans a handful of celery leaves 5 garlic cloves, whole 1/4 cup pickled red onion (just sliced red onion soaked overnight in white wine vinegar- delicious with everything) Lots of water- maybe 4-5 cups You want to make sure to use plenty of water. Beans absorb a lot of water as they rehydrate and the solar cooker looses some moisture as it cooks. So err on the side of extra water. I’m not muc...

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Bean Fest, Episode 3: Bastardized Puerto Rican Beans

Mrs. Homegrown
Bean Fest, Food, Recipes
6 Comments
...dinner. Slow is the only way…. Everything tastes better with a heavy dose of expectation…. The bean does not humor any shortcuts. Soak (at least) overnight. Start cooking pre-soaked beans in lightly salted water (or broth, if you’ve got it lying around and feel decadent). Give them a bit of a head start before you start the rest of the dish. • I made this with black beans (though later he says he usually uses pintos o...

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Return of Recipe Friday! Carrot Soup

Mrs. Homegrown
Food, Recipes
12 Comments
...6 garlic cloves peeled 3-5 whole spice cloves (not absolutely necessary but very nice) A little bit of salt. It doesn’t need lots. Start with 1/2 teaspoon or less and add more later if it’s needed. About 4 cups of water or vegetable broth. Broth makes it extra rich, but I usually use water. Fresh lemon juice, about one tablespoon. Best just to have a lemon on hand. Pinch of sugar Optional: yogurt or sour cream or heavy cream for top...

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Canning Citrus

Mr. Homegrown
Food, Food Preservation
5 Comments
Say you’ve got a huge citrus tree and want to can some of it without using a lot of sugar. The nice thing about citrus is that it’s so acidic you can water bath can it in its own juice, in just water or in a light sugar syrup. In our Master Food Preserver class we did a taste test of tangerine sections canned in a variety of liquids: water very light syrup (1/2 cup sugar per quart) light syrup (1 cup sugar per quart) medium syrup (...

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