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.
On this, the second anniversary of Radical Moderate, we will be looking into the traditional second anniversary gift: cotton. It is one of the most widely produced textiles on earth, with farms spread across multiple countries. Unfortunately, it usually requires a lot of land, water, and chemicals to produce. This post will look into consumer options and how to make the most responsible wardrobe choices.
In general, it appears that CSAs can help out in the area of reducing one’s carbon footprint, but not why we think. It’s not so much because the food is local; rather because they generally encourage you to eat more in-season produce and less meat. In this final post, we’ll review what aspects of your food purchases make more (or less) of an impact.
While buying local food is beneficial for local farmers, it doesn’t make that much of a difference to the environment. Transportation-related greenhouse gases are a drop in the bucket compared to GHGs associated with land use, farming, and methane produced by cows. Looking at the numbers shows that it’s what you eat, not where it comes from that makes the biggest impact.
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.
“That time of year thou mayst in me behold…” when the sun goes away and I lose motivation for everything except hibernation. Fortunately, cleaning up your garden for the fall does not need to be high on your fall priority list. In fact, the less you do, the better for your resident insects and birds. Stay inside and leave cleaning up for late spring.