Usually my allergies are skin allergies. I get intense irritation from even the slightest rubbing of things like sunflower leaves. I have had extreme skin breakdown from tea tree oil. I am very careful about what I put on my skin. However, this year I discovered blooming kochia will give me a full-blown upper respiratory […]
Blue Dye for Keeping Track of Weed Spraying
Why a backpack sprayer works best for an acre I have been spraying weeds for many, many years with my Solo backpack sprayer. It is the most convenient and efficient method for dealing with an acre. An acre is too large to deal with using a hand held sprayer, where you have to constantly squeeze […]
The Pros and Cons of Free Mulch from Chip Drop
There is no mulch like the present – Laura Blodgett The art of using mulch in your garden or landscape is more free-form than you might think. It depends on what is available, how you use it, and what your climate is. That may sound like there is some mathematical formula to figure out what […]
Designing My Space Efficient Raised Garden Beds
I had three main considerations when designing my new garden beds: I think we achieved both with this design. I think point 1. is fairly self-explanatory, but just in case, let me elaborate. In my past gardens I had the standard long rectangular beds. This design requires a navigable path between every raised bed, so […]
Lockdown Day 7: What Qualifies as a Modern Homestead?
Homesteading versus Subsistence Living What do you think qualifies a modern homestead? I think we all have ideas in our heads about Little House on the Prairie. Or possibly someone living off the grid who has very little contact with the modern world. But are those good representations for a modern homestead? Are they helpful […]
