Rain- The Best Gift of All

...ater, I attach a hose to the barrel and let it drain. I will set it in the garden and move it around to a few different spots. I have five 55 gallon barrels set up so far. Rainwater really helps flush out salts that can build up in the soil (an issue here in the West) and unlike tap water there is no chlorine. The plants just love the rain water. I also planted beet, carrot and onion seeds right before the rain. They are now starting to sprout. In...

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Saturday Linkages: Will Your Next House Be Built With Mushrooms?

...erm 3M product for applying dressing over bleeding injury: http://boingboing.net/2012/10/11/tegaderm.html … How to Tell Time Like a Soldier | The Art of Manliness http://artofmanliness.com/2012/10/11/how-to-tell-time-like-a-soldier/ … DesignFast Fungi Bricks: Mushroom Blocks Better than Concrete?! | Designs & Ideas on Dornob http://dornob.com/fast-fungi-bricks-mushroom-blocks-better-than-concrete/ … For these links and more, follow Root Simple on...

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Saturday Linkages: Crimean Ovens, Ikea Distillery and Pallet Wood

...it.ly/1kvPJrr The brand that dares not speak its name | Garden Rant http://gardenrant.com/2014/03/the-brand-that-dares-not-speak-its-name.html … Ikea distillery design – IKEA Hackers http://po.st/s3JdPL Pallet Wood Kitchen Cabinets http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/pallet-wood-kitchen-cabinets/ … Bees in Danger: California DFA Plans Pesticide Application in Carpinteria, Summerland http://www.noozhawk.com/article/bees_in_danger_california_dfa_plan...

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Michael Thiele and the Love of Bees

...Michael Thiele is the founder of Gaia Bees, and co-founder of The Melissa Garden (a honey bee sanctuary and resource center). His approach toward bees is deeply respectful and non-exploitative. He views honey as a gift and a medicine, not as a crop. In the video above he is demonstrating a hive of his own design, the Sun Hive or Haengekorb, the shape of which reflects the nature, needs and processes of the bees–not us. He describes the hive as an...

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Let’s Democratize Permaculture

...he right direction. We need more voices like Hemenway, who can explain the design principles of permaculture to the masses. And let’s take these principles and apply them not just to gardening, but to the ways we arrange our schools, offices, homes and public spaces. Maybe we’ll get in the groove once we get past the term “permaculuture” and when its principles get reincorporated into the fabric of our lives. Time to bust out the shovels and banjo...

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