I’ve decided to build upon my tips for frugal gardeners. This however has more to do with using items you probably already have in your house. Aspirin – Dissolve 3/4 of an uncoated asprin tablet in 1 gallon of water. Spray plants ever 2-3 weeks with the mixture to prevent fungus problems, including powdery mildew…
Not what you thought, huh? Whenever someone asks why we have pantyhose on our apples and pears Tom responds with “They’re getting ready for a night out on the town.” Yes, it looks a bit odd to have pantyhose covered fruit hanging off of a tree, but I’m telling you it really helps keep the…
We got some great questions to go over today! The first is from the Metropolitan Homestead:I’d like to ask how you got started with milking goats and how much daily work they really need. Our girls Daisy (front) and Bella (back) We had been thinking for quite awhile about getting goats but at first we…
Every gardener has a weed that they curse at. For me it used to be Bermuda grass. I hated it. Our last house had a backyard covered with the stuff. If you don’t pull it all up, any little bit would grow and spread like wildfire. But we were able to control it to a…
Soil testing is incredibly important when you’re planning to produce food from your yard. It tells you what you’ve got and what you need. Plants won’t give you their best if they don’t have the proper nutrients or proper pH levels. The three most common nutrients, referred to as macronutrients, that plants need are Nitrogen,…
Once a month I’ll be answering your questions! Ask them in an email (if you want to be anonymous just say so) or just leave a comment – I’ll find them and answer them the best I can. So here is one I found in our comments that I haven’t had a chance to answer…until…
There are lots of garden items that we need throughout the year. Whether they are trellises for climbing plants or tomato cages, compost bins or even just name tags for your transplants, it all adds up and can get quite expensive. So here are some cheap, or even free ways to create items you need…
Today’s guest post is from Brad of Highly Uncivilized. We’ve featured a post from him before and next week we’ll have a follow up to that one. But for today he’s going to discuss two fantastic organic methods for controlling pests and weeds. We use Diatomaceous Earth here as natural flea, mite, and lice control…
People are picky. They are used to buying perfect produce at the supermarket. Even the certified organic produce is pretty without very many flaws. Honestly, I used to be one of those picky people. That was until I started growing my own food. Holes happen. Since growing my own food I have to wonder how…
After last year I thought I had learned my lesson dealing with seedcorn maggots. We didn’t plant out corn, squash and beans too early. Actually they aren’t even started yet. We put down compost and manure in the fall rather than the spring to make sure there wasn’t too much organic matter out. And I’m not direct…
Dog Island Farm is a small urban farm in the San Francisco Bay Area.
