Courtesy Growing Power Will Allen’s Growing Power, an urban farm in Milwaukee, Wis., created 150 jobs to be implemented in the next three years through the Growing Capacity for the Green Economy Project. In a recent legislative move by the Milwaukee (Wis.) Common Council, Will Allen’s nationally recognized urban farm, Growing Power, Inc., received $425,000 to […]
Photo by Rick Gush Though an invasive speices in some places, Arundo (or river cane) has many uses. I know river cane (Arundo donax) is a nasty weed in some places, like California, and that it displaces many native species in riparian habitats, thereby destroying local ecologies. I urge all gardeners and farmers to treat […]
Courtesy The Coca-Cola Company Many companies are using plant-based packaging for their products, including The Coca-Cola Company, which created the PlantBottle. Cruise the grocery aisle and many products you’re familiar with might appear to be the same tried-and-true products you’ve always known. Chances are good, though, that their packaging has gotten a makeover. Manufacturers of […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia Rio, my Spanish Mustang, has been my dream come true. As a lifelong horse lover, I’ve always had the dream of raising my own baby horse. Well, at least since I was 9 years old. My fantasies were elaborate. I’d have a ranch up in the mountains, surrounded by pine trees. […]
Despite being an avid gardener, I’m a B-plus-grade carpenter. My cuts are usually off by a 1/16 inch, my sanding and varnishing aren’t so careful, and anything really sophisticated, like a dado joint, is beyond my skill-set.
Courtesy Hemera/Thinkstock In attempts to grow foods locally, some urban farmers have violated local laws. While aphids are raiding gardens for a taste of the tomatoes, city officials are conducting raids of their own, handing out fines to urban farmers for breaking the law. Yep, growing tomatoes—or any food crops—is illegal in some municipalities. Certain […]
Photo by Charles Diaz We enjoyed our homemade pizza “on the rocks” during a hike. No wonder there’s been so much written about pizza: how to grill it, wood or coal-fire it; how to make it at home; how to do the cheese, the crust and so on. It’s understandable because pizza really is the […]
Courtesy Jeffrey Hamilton/Digital Vision/Thinkstock Light bulbs carrying the Energy Star label will be 30 percent more energy efficient starting in October 2011. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently updated its standards for light fixtures to qualify for the Energy Star label. To qualify for the Energy Star label, light fixtures will need to increase energy efficiency 30 […]
Photo by Audrey Pavia My roosters Mr. Mabel and Mr. Molly get along great—until springtime. The flowers are all blooming on my property: huge pink and white blooms on my cactus, purple and yellow starburst on the native plants around the yard. But the most evident sign of spring for me is the behavior of […]
It’s early spring, and that means that I’m spending a lot of time preparing the soil in the garden beds prior to planting.
