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A Shrew!
I found this by the deck steps this afternoon: One of my students identified it as a Least Shrew, and based on the Smithsonian’s list of shrew species, I think it could be either the Least Shrew or the Southern Short-tailed Shrew. It is ironic that I should discover this the day after boasting of my garden’s plethora of earth worms. The shrew’s diet consists heavily of grubs, worms and beetles. Since they are mainly carnivorous, I don’t need to…
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Signs your soil is healthy
Last summer when we dug up a new area for the vegetable garden, I decided to quit using pesticides on my vegetables. I had never used them heavily, but as I read about the potential damage to bees and nematodes, I couldn’t see how hurting the things that pollinate the plants and the things that nourish the soil had any real benefit. I’ve also switched to mainly organic sources of nutrients as opposed to conventional chemical fertilizers. Composted manure and…
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Rainwater Cistern Pump Troubleshooting
Several months ago, we were bestowed a 500 gallon rainwater cistern with a submersible pump. The pump turns on when it senses pressure changes such as squeezing the hose nozzle. Several weeks back, it grew less and less responsive taking several minutes to turn on. These were the steps I went through to troubleshoot: Shake the hose Fling the hose on the ground Jump on the hose to squirt the remaining water out Unplug the pump and plug it back…
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Lettuce Germination
Lettuce may be one of the easiest crops to grow so long as it isn’t planted too late in hot conditions that make it bolt. Several years ago I had a great crop of Romaine in a raised bed with ideal soil conditions. There was a rich blend of manure compost, peat moss, vermiculite and the existing soil. I started seeds in the early spring, watered regularly, and added tomato plants in to the bed in April which gave the…
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Sprouts
Each day I’ve been checking tiny little spouts, spritzing them with water and waiting for the last empty soil pods to show signs of life. Winter returned to Raleigh, North Carolina this week, thanks to Sir Walter Wally the Groundhog, so I’ve not been able to bask in the sun on the small brick patio in the garden. I’m hoping that winter remains kind to the small lettuce seedlings that are sprouting outside. I’ve planted quite a variety already: English…
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Garden Paths and an Evolution of Space
I’m in the middle of prepping a distance course titled “Water and Nutrient Management for Sustainable Home-Scale Agriculture.” As I’ve been researching material for the course, I started reading Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway. He shows how using keyhole paths and interplanting in the garden rather than rows and paths can increase the amount of area for planting while reducing areas reserved for foot traffic. Last year my family carved out an entirely new garden space. Opting not to build…
