Animals

Staying Sane and Doing Good

This is part of a new series of blog posts for beginner gardeners. These posts may be a little shorter and more specific in nature. Most of my recent blog articles have been “how-to” posts, how to grow food on a balcony, how to start a three sisters garden, how to…you

Should You Free Range Your Chickens?

This is part of a new series of blog posts for beginner gardeners. These posts may be a little shorter and more specific in nature. The internet is full of gorgeous videos of Permaculture gardens, complete with chicken coops and runs, the chickens roaming about the garden during the day in suburban

November in the Garden and Kitchen

This is part of a new series of blog posts for beginner gardeners. These posts may be a little shorter and more specific in nature. Some of these things will get done in October, and some may wait until December. These articles about monthly activities are basic guidelines; your climate may dictate

October Garden and Homestead Tasks

It’s hard to believe it’s almost October, my favorite time of year. The days are warm and clear and dry, the nights are cool, and so far we’re not getting too much wildfire smoke. It’s a great time for work in the garden and kitchen! Here are some things you can do:

What to Do in Your Garden (and Homestead) in September

Some of these things can be done in September, and sometimes they get done in October, or even later, depending on where you live as well as what the weather has been like. So don't panic! Focus on one thing per day if necessary. 1.Check your winter squashes! Most

How to Keep Your Chickens Cool

If you’re thinking of raising chickens, one important thing to consider is how to keep them comfortable on hot days as well as cold days. We’ve had some hot weather during the last five or so years, but we haven’t lost a single bird to heat, even when it got to

How to Make Your Garden More Sustainable

What can you do to make your garden more sustainable? If you search the internet, you’ll find all sorts of answers, and this may seem confusing, but there are some basic practices that are easy to understand and implement. In Permaculture we talk about reducing inputs and waste, and this is

On Preserving This Sacred Land

Every summer I travel to Northwest Montana, first to play viola in the Montana Baroque Festival at Quinn’s Hot Springs in Paradise (yes, the town really does bear that name!), and then to visit my other home, the log house by the lake in which my mother learned to swim, a few miles from

What is Sustainability, and How Can We Achieve It?

Sustainability, what does that word actually mean, anyway?  Sustainable, a word that’s become hugely popular over the last twenty odd years, one hears it at conferences, all over social media, in permaculture courses, and everywhere in between. You’ve probably heard or seen it on grocery store labels, corporate mission statements, and your

Creating Edible Landscapes

Six months ago I joined the board of an organization called Edible Landscapes of Yamhill County, ELOYC for short. I had met them at our library, where a permaculture designer gave a lecture on Food Forests, and when I started chatting with the neighbor to my left, I found out that ELOYC

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