Our new front yard, part 5: Constructing a meadow community

December 2, 2015

Back to the Garden, front yard series, Garden Design, Gardening

...y vanish or just look pleasantly dry? Some avoid dormancy if you give them water. Some die if you give them water at the wrong time. Oy! Save me from our crazy native grasses. Right now I have three species of native bunching grasses on the slope. The first is Sporobolus airoides (Alkali dropseed). This is the tallest of my grasses. It gets to be three feet tall, with more height from the seed heads, I believe. It’s showy, with nice airy seed head...

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A happy tangle

Mrs. Homegrown

October 12, 2015

Animals, Nature Awareness

2 Comments

...ubbing alcohol, which I keep in a spray bottle to sterilize my pruning shears. It’s just handy. If I didn’t have that, I’d use vinegar. Clean out your birdbaths, too. You don’t have to bleach them, but change the water regularly and don’t let them get all gunky. And if you keep hummingbird feeders, you probably know those need to be cleaned out with hot water every few days, so mold doesn’t form in the sugar....

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Practical Backyard Chicken Biosecurity

Mr. Homegrown

June 29, 2015

Animals, Chickens

10 Comments

...luenza. I’ve never seen a duck land in our yard, but if you have a pool or water feature this could be something to think about. Some other suggestions from Dr. Gallardo: Buy from hatcheries that are National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) certified. NPIP hatcheries immunize for Mareks disease. Separate sick birds immediately. Quarantine new birds for 30 days. Prevent mosquitoes by draining standing water. Mosquitoes can spread fowl pox and other...

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Day to day, our decisions count

Mrs. Homegrown

April 30, 2015

Back to the Garden

6 Comments

...ean staggering amounts. For instance, according the NRDC, 80% of our fresh water goes to agriculture. So, when we’re wasting food at this rate, that means that 25% of our fresh water is going directly to waste. Here in the dry West, that kind of extravagance has become unconscionable. In terms of soil, think about this. To grow all the food we waste globally, we use an area of land one and half times larger than the U.S. That’s a lot of soil. And...

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Party in the Bathroom!!!!!

Mrs. Homegrown

June 5, 2014

Animals, Cats

24 Comments

...and fiendish, she is in heart failure) and she’s on lots of diuretics, so water is good for her. I am her tub slave. Phoebe says, “Hmm, the rate of flow lacks that certain je ne sais quoi, Fix it. Now.” So, turning on the tub is my first duty whenever I enter the bathroom. If I don’t do it, she’ll stare daggers at me until I obey. Next the boys rush in, probably having heard the water running. They each have their own objectives. Trout likes to j...

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