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
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. How to Garden on a Balcony: A Step-by-Step Guide Urban living often means limited outdoor space, but that doesn't mean you can't have a garden and
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. It’s that quiet time of year, when most of the canning is done, and the last storm of holidays will soon be past. The cats sleep
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:
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
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
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
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
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
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
