Maytime Composting: Worm compost is indeed soil magic
I’ve been thinking about soil a lot this week. Likely it’s the hard frozen ground outside and rare below-zero temps that have me pining for the smell and feel of rich garden soil in the springtime. Last year we worked a nice patch of ground into garden. The soil was fairly soft under the lawn grass, a few inches of decent reddish-loam. In most areas you could push the shovel all the way in. After years of gardening over gravel this is joyous! A bit deeper down there is sandy clay and big smooth rocks reminding me the creek was up here in some geological past before working its way down to its present bed.
The raised beds are a few inches higher than the paths once I shoveled the soil in the (future) paths on top of the (future) beds to give them more depth. The result was pretty good. It was after adding compost from Maytime Composting that the soil started to get that “alive” look and feel that makes this gardener swoon.
Read MoreGood Link: Scouting for Microclimates by Ruth Gonzalez
You’ve heard me talk microclimates here at Larrapin Garden Blog before! This is a great article by Western North Carolina gardener Ruth Gonzalez on how to read the microclimates on your land. Winter is a great time to find out both about the chilly and warm spots on your land or in your garden…
New Roots of Louisville: A nonprofit model that helps families AND farmers!
While New Roots of Louisville tied for second place at the Slow Money 2014 conference showcase, this organization’s approach and innovative model won me over by a country mile.
After my post last week about the event and how impressed I was at all the entrepreneurs giving business a good name, I was a little surprised that my personal favorite is a nonprofit. But when a nonprofit manages to solve problems in the community while also helping local farmers earn a fair living—you have my attention and unending respect. This organization rocks! Best of all, they are teaching other communities how to do the same.
Read MoreChickens (not mine) enjoying yard art (not mine, darn it)
Years ago I saw this wonderful bamboo star in the chicken run at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and have wanted one ever since.
Read MoreCultivating the Wild Suburbia – Good Blog Read!
From “Cultivating the Wild Suburbia”by Ellen Honeycutt:
Contrary to what you might think, suburbia is a place where we can create habitat. That is my goal in our yard. I create habitat by making conscious decisions such as: plant a diverse mix of regionally native plants; minimize the use of chemicals; create places of habitat by leaving some dead trees, some bare ground, some brush piles; research what I plant to have bloom times throughout the year for pollinator support. [photo via site]
… read the excellent post on the joys of creating backyard habitat in the full post Cultivating the Wild Suburbia from our friends at www.beautifulwildlifegarden.com.
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