When I moved to this property 35 years ago, I put a well ring on top of the ground near the garden. I thought that I could use it to make manure tea and then siphon the enriched water to the plants in the garden to both water them and add fertilizer. That never got… (read more)
There is a lot to lose as you get older: health, friends, memory, and often dreams. I sometimes think that maturity is just a matter of giving up on things you will never be great at to concentrate on those you can do well. When even those start to slip, I ask myself “who will… (read more)
I have mentioned compost in several articles in this the North Columbia Monthly over the past couple of years, notably Composing Compost in June 2019, and Laws of Nature, September 2020. So it is gratifying to get some positive feedback from readers about their experiences. Recently, J. Foster Fanning, another regular NC Monthly author, sent… (read more)
Did you ever notice how once you start looking hard at something and identifying it, you begin to see it everywhere? I used to cut my own firewood and started seeing dead snags along every forest road. Then I learned about different kinds of rocks and pretty soon while driving my wife would ask me… (read more)
It’s the time of radical changes back and forth. High temperatures without rain have persisted since June but now low temperatures and rain have returned as well. The Fall equinox sounds like one of the most even times of the year for the length of the day and night. But that balance is only a… (read more)
Laws of Nature This year I have a large compost pile. My wonderful science-teacher daughter gave me a 20 inch long compost pile thermometer to keep track of what is going on in there. There is lots of advice for making compost on the package. A little like a recipe they list what activities happen… (read more)
I finally got a chance to talk with Eileen Napier on the phone. She called with a headset while driving on her hour and a half commute to the Liberty Lake Farmers Market from her home near Ione, Washington. I had just gotten up and only had one shoe on. The conversation was not as… (read more)
It’s raining right now. Through April we had hardly any rain. It was the driest on record. Since the beginning of May, it has been raining every few days or even more often. And so it goes for Spring as a whole, weird. The human side has been very different and except for the rain,… (read more)
Every day we become more aware and thankful for essential workers. None can be any more essential than farmers. But every year there are fewer of them. Farmers and ranchers make up just 1.3% of the employed US population, totaling around 2.6 million people. Today, there are about 2 million farms in operation in the US, a steep… (read more)
I am posting this picture and link to a gizmo I made to mix and move mulch from the soil yard to wherever I need it. There are doubtless improvements that can be made but it is very helpful so I am sharing this video.
