Content related to Plants, Animal Visitors, Stormwater Management, and Sustainable Horticulture
Our extensive weeds neither know or care whose property they’re on, and our neighbors all use heavy-duty weed killers that I don’t want in my yard. Since the best defense is a good offense, I took it upon myself to preemptively clear my neighbors’ weeds (getting their permission first) trying out several organic methods on a range of weeds, including poison ivy.
My ongoing war with weeds in our yard is exhausting and neverending. While I’ve made some good progress in the front yard over the last few years, the jungle back along the property line is made up of some truly formidable opponents that won’t give up. The worst part is that weeds don’t respect property lines, so my theater of battle has expanded.
I have a love-hate relationship with the sun. On one hand, I have seasonal depression and crave sunlight, but on the other hand, I burn easily, even while taking the most careful precautions. To make matters worse, common sunscreen ingredients are harmful to humans and the ecosystem in general. I’ve been planning this post for a while, but a recent sunscreen recall moved it up in priority.
In recent weeks, there have been reports throughout western Pennsylvania about a mysterious disease killing birds. Although there is not much known at the moment, avian epidemiologists are working hard to find out more, and there are things that we can do to help protect them for now. One of those things is to remain patient with neighbors who are resistant to science.
Aphids can drain a plant of the nutrients it needs, thereby damaging or killing it, but they can also spread disease from one plant to another. Since my garden is exploding with them, I wanted to understand the best ways to get rid of them or even prevent them in the first place. But that’s easier said than done, as they have some unlikely allies.
After a long, cold, lonely winter, I was more than ready to get back out in the garden and enjoy the warmth and the flowers. With some inspiration from my friends, I made and canned syrups made from my violets and honeysuckle, and I have been drinking them in cocktails as I sit and watch the world come back to life.
As we approach November, we’re getting exposed to more and more BS in political campaigns. Fortunately, this is also the perfect time of year to make use of fertilizer to improve your lawn. This week we will look at the pros and cons of organic and inorganic fertilizers, focusing on one in particular that I’ve used on my lawn for years.
Lawns are resource-intensive and boring. I have been working for several years now to expand or create new gardens throughout our yard to increase the attractiveness of our property to both human eyes and pollinator bellies. Building new, organic, and eco-friendly garden beds takes a lot time and physical labor. Now four summers in to my project, I’m trying to work smarter, not harder.
Spending a month with my parents in eastern PA allowed me to meet our newest invasive species: the Spotted Lanternfly. This insect has been in Pennsylvania for less than a decade but is already wreaking havoc on a variety of cash crops, including grapes, grains, fruit, and hardwood. This post covers how to recognize them and kill them – because, yes, it is necessary.
Back in the Before Times when I could buy in bulk with my own containers or use reusable mugs at coffee shops, zero-waste challenges were a comparative piece of cake. Plastic-Free July is just one of many things that has been made harder by the presence of the novel coronavirus. Here are some of the decisions I’ve made that take health and waste into account.