Tag: soil building

edible_landscaping

Edible Landscaping at Longevity Gardens

Arizona Homeowner Grows Beautiful and Productive Edible Landscaping:  Interview with Jake Mace of Longevity Gardens (Phoenix, AZ) You have an amazing farm and beautiful edible landscaping.  How did you get started? I really didn’t know what I was doing, and I really made a ton of mistakes.  So basically, two […]

Backyard Permaculture Trelisses

Backyard Permaculture at Rodman Farm

Backyard Permacuture with Urban Farmer Heather Rodman The internet is a wonderful tool for connecting with like-minded folks.  I recently asked a question online about Tattler canning lids, and received a wonderful reply from Heather Rodman.  Her response piqued my interest in her farm.  I discovered that Heather is a […]

start a farm business

Start a Farm Business: Notes from Stone Hoe Gardens

Interview with Tina and Bruce Leadbetter of Stone Hoe Gardens on the history of the farm, how they manage their dairy goats, how to start a farm business, and how farm businesses evolve.   (Kari) I’m here with Tina and Bruce of Stone Hoe Gardens in Phoenix, AZ to talk […]

community garden

Community Garden at Saint Vincent de Paul Urban Farm

Interview with Tony from Saint Vincent de Paul of Phoenix Farm and community garden (Phoenix, AZ) 7/20/2015 This post contains a video of the farm, a summary of the interview with Tony Kasowski, and a the full audio interview with transcript below the summary(with video and photos from the farm.) The […]

Soil Building at Sweet Life Garden & Orchard

Interview with Jill of Sweet Life Garden & Orchard (Phoenix, AZ) 2015-07-15 Jill describes how they acquired the land, its features, and how they did easy soil building using a technique called lasagna gardening.  She also tells the story of her orchard, dairy goats, and selling products to their neighbors. […]

Fixing Toxic Soil

Growing food on commercial or abandoned lots is a wonderful way to find space for gardening in the city.  One concern, however, is the potential for soil contaminants, such as lead, that could be present in the soil.  The bad news is that human contact with toxic soil can present […]

Natural Soil Building and Amendments for Gardens

Soil – the gardener’s most valuable resource is right under our feet. It is wisely said that a garden will thrive when the caretaker ceases to nurse the plants and focuses on tending to the soil.  A garden that is grown on the foundation of fertile soil will be more […]

Mulch

Mulch is a layer of organic matter that is spread on top of garden soil like a blanket.  Compost, wood chips, bark, pine needles, dry leaves, newspaper, hay and straw are common mulch materials.  The wood chip mulch pictured here was acquired for free from a local tree service.  Arborists […]

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Keep Livestock Warm with Deep Litter Composting

What is deep litter composting and how does it keep livestock warm in winter? If you have any experience with composting, you may be familiar with how compost piles give off heat. As microbes break down the materials in the presence of oxygen, compost piles can warm up as high […]