Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

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Subtitled How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System, this book is a classic — and it’s one I got not long after it came out. We were llama ranching in the mountains near Ashland, Oregon,  in those days, and living in two old 8×40 trailers we had parked in a V, creating a large enclosed south-facing living room between them.

I set up my worm bins in the unused and minimally heated second kitchen. My teenager thought it was gross, and my husband was dubious, but it did work! I’ve lived in a lot of different places since then and haven’t used my old copy of Worms Eat My Garbage lately, but think I will soon. — Zana

Description
The definitive guide to vermicomposting-a process using redworms to recycle food waste into nutrient-rich food for plants.

Newly revised and updated, this 162 page manual provides complete illustrated instructions on setting up and maintaining small-scale worm composting systems.

Topics include Read the rest of this entry »

I like this guest article because it looks at the huge issue of climate change and takes it right down to the simple step of you planting ONE tree.  Don’t have a place to do that or the physical capacity? The end of this article has an alternative idea. — Zana

Planting Trees to Save the Planet
By Tomer Treves

We all know that our planet Earth is warming up and that something needs to be done on a global scale. However, until the governments of the world unite in action, we can all do our share and contribute to a worldwide effort to save our climate from going crazy.

One of the best things a person can do to help our suffering planet is to plant a tree. Yes, one tree can make a real change. If you ask yourself how one tree can make a difference, please read the next few paragraphs. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s an idea that combines simple living with earning some money. Good combo! — Zana

Make Money With No Start-Up Costs by Gardening – Three Ways to Do It

By Robert A Robertson

When people think of how to make money with no money from home, they seem to think mainly of office activities or perhaps of artistic endeavors. One way to work at home and make money that is often overlooked is by gardening. More and more people are wanting to eat locally produced food nowadays — for better flavor, freshness, and nutrition as well as to help cut the ecological burden of the oil used in transporting food thousands of miles. Read the rest of this entry »

Gaia’s Garden, by Toby Hemenway, now in a second edition, is one of the best books you could get on permaculture. (That link takes you to a page about what permaculture is.) One great thing about permaculture is that once you get a system going, it is not that hard to maintain. Sounds good to me! This book covers the topics listed below, and is meant for urban dwellers as well as those of us with more space. — Zana

• ISBN13: 9781603580298
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher.

Product Description
The first edition of Gaia’s Garden, sparked the imagination of America’s home gardeners, introducing permaculture’s central message: Working with Nature, not against her, results in more beautiful, abundant, and forgiving gardens. This extensively revised and expanded second edition broadens the reach and depth of the permaculture approach for urban and suburban growers. Read the rest of this entry »

October isn’t exactly the month when people think much about gardens, but it happens that I was reflecting today on ways that people earn money from home. Kelly and I do it with our websites, and there are many ways to make money online.  We know people who do catering out of their homes. We know a couple in our town in Colorado who run a CSA in season, and the Saturday market there is full of people selling their crafts, cooking, and veggies.

Ruminating while I was walking,  I started making a list  of ways you could make money from your garden. Some of these would even be possible from an urban garden.

Here are a dozen ways:

1. Grow specialty veggies to sell.

2. Extend the growing season with a greenhouse or coldframe. This gives you items to sell earlier and later than most other gardeners.

3. Grow flowers to sell. Used to be that dried flowers were particularly in demand; nowadays, I’d guess edible ones also would be. Read the rest of this entry »

I recently went to a short presentation about top bar bee keeping, which absolutely amazed me.

This is a way of keeping bees that is completely different from what I remember when a friend kept bees years ago. He was always talking about how much he got stung, the need for smoke, how much honey he harvested anyway, and so on. The whole thing seemed to me like all-out war between him and the bees. Did I have any interest in beekeeping after that? Ha.

But this week I heard a talk by a couple of people from Back Yard Hive, and it got me so enthusiastic that I signed up to be notified when they do a class in my area of Colorado. The difference: these people are working in harmony with the bees. They see themselves as guardians of the bees, helping them to survive. Read the rest of this entry »