We had a bit of an emergency this weekend that easily could have been a major catastrophe. It really reinforced the importance of planning for likely risks, having redundancies, and building resilience through diversity. A very, very tall and mature oak fell on a shed. That sounds bad and it…
We like to actually try out methods we recommend, so now we’re happy to say that the mushroom spawn we’ve been recommending between mulch layers DOES in fact pay off with more than just nutrient availability and some pest control. The beds we innoculated with wine cap/garden giant (Stropharia rugosoannulata)…
We frequently see people excoriating others not to use pesticides. Pesticides, we are told, shouldn’t be used. To some they’re everything that’s wrong with industrial agriculture. Some will even say “don’t use pesticides: use soap/beer/garlic oil/diatomaceous earth”. The thing is, those are all pesticides. Soap is a pesticide when you…
The following is an excerpt from the in progress guide to raising food in a changing climate and uncertain future. Two of the techniques that most aid in maintaining rich soil in gardens are extremely simple and also probably the most important for microbial life: hugelkultur/core gardening, and deep mulching…
