Non-Toxic Cleaning for the Home

May 20, 2019

Cleaning, Domesticus, Miscellaneous, Tidying up

...ctive. Other have used lines of baby powder or even lavender buds. If your fruit bowl went bad and now you are plagued by fruit flies, try squirting them midair with rubbing alcohol (your electronics spray will do just fine) If you have an outbreak of pantry moths, throw away all suspect food or freeze it for several days to kill moth eggs. Wipe down all of your cabinet shelves with vinegar, making sure to get it in the cracks between the walls an...

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Fruitacular!

Mr. Homegrown

October 10, 2008

Food, Gardening

2 Comments

...to get involved with this organization which is working worldwide to fight the industrialization and fast foodization of what we eat. Not in Miami? Look for a local chapter via Slow Food USA. Noel also has contributed articles to another remarkable group, the California Rare Fruit Growers which strives to preserve and explore the mind boggling biodiversity of fruit trees. And speaking of biodiversity take a look at Noel holding a Rollinia or Biri...

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Home Orchards for Year Round Food Resiliency

Mr. Homegrown

April 13, 2020

Fruit Trees, Gardening

4 Comments

...can maximize the amount of time during the year that you’re likely to have fruit. Here in California, if you have enough space, you can have fruit year round. The handy chart above from Dave Wilson nursery (head here for a downloadable version) can be used as a guide to planting for year round food resiliency. Results may vary. Due to a high squirrel population stone fruit doesn’t work well in our yard. But at least I have avocados and the olives...

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The End of California Citrus?

Mr. Homegrown

September 11, 2009

Food, Gardening, Pests

18 Comments

...ses. Oranges are juicier and easier to peal than the spiny and seed filled fruit of the prickly pear cactus. But the long term odds of having a reliable supply of prickly pear fruit are a lot higher than a steady flow of orange juice. I may get a few spines in my fingers, but it will be the citrus farmers who will be losing sleep. As Seneca says, “If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor; if according to people’s opinions...

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How to Plant a Fruit Tree

Mr. Homegrown

January 16, 2014

Fruit Trees, Gardening

5 Comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tttq3M739YA It’s bare root fruit tree planting season here in California and this video, from the Dave Wilson Nursery, shows you how to plant your trees once they arrive in the mail. One quibble–it’s been proven to be not a good idea to amend soil when you’re planting a tree. Other than that, this is how we’ve planted our trees and they’ve all grown well. And I wish that I had done the radical pruning you see at the...

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