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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…
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Holding Pattern
In my immediate circle of friends there is a lot going on – joyful, devastating and just plain difficult. And none of it is my story to tell. For once, our life seems fairly stable in a holding pattern of sorts. I dread the potential fallout from even typing such a thing. For someone who believes in Jesus and trusts…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
