Enrollment for my Resilient Homestead Program is Open!
This past May, Broken Ground partnered with Blunderbuss for an Edible Backyard Blitz – an afternoon makeover of a yard into an ecological and edible garden. I first heard the term backyard blitz or permablitz when I visited Australia back in 2006. I had traveled to that part of the world, first to take a Permaculture Design
Edible Backyard Blitz Read More »
It’s always such a nice feeling to get out of the scramble of planting season and into the routine of regular maintenance. Among other tasks, regular maintenance means watering. Because we’ve moved into crispy and dry July, I thought this would be a good opportunity to talk a little bit about water conservation strategies and
Being a water-wise gardener Read More »
If you participated in any of my workshops this year, then you know that in April, Alpine Greenhouses installed one of their greenhouses on our property. I’ve been pretty excited about it as it’s going to allow me to extend the growing season into November, with minimal inputs of electricity. I’ll also be able to start growing
Greenhouse garden bed tour Read More »
When I’ve asked my clients why they want a garden, a frequent answer that I receive is they want to give their children the experience of growing food. Indeed, producing food is one of the best ways to engage children outdoors. Whether it’s growing broccoli, carrots or tomatoes, or owning a small flock of chickens,
The herb spiral – a great garden idea for kids! Read More »
The growing season has finally arrived, the spring bulbs are in full bloom and gardening is underway! It’s garden prep time. You may have already put some seeds in the ground but because it’s been so wet, I’ve wanted to let the soil dry a little more before prepping it for planting. Working with wet soil
To till or not to till? Read More »
Having a garden usually means an abundance of vegetables (zucchini anyone?). And while it’s true that nothing in natural systems really goes to waste i.e. the veggies that you don’t harvest go to flower, attract beneficial insects, and ultimately get recycled back into the soil, a little bit of attention paid to how much you
How much should you grow? Read More »
I get this question a lot from clients and workshop participants, “What do you think of raised beds versus in-ground beds? What would you recommend?” There are advantages and disadvantages to consider for both options. Click on the video to learn what might be the right choice for you.
Raised beds vs. In-ground beds Read More »
For those of you who also follow my Broken Ground page on Facebook, you may have seen that last week, I finished a 10-Day “Create Before you Consume” Challenge. What this challenge entailed was drawing, painting or creating something for 10 consecutive days before I looked at the news, checked my e-mail or went on social media.
Permaculture’s Challenge – Create before you Consume Read More »
The beginning of a new year is always a time for making plans and resolutions, whether it’s planning your garden for next season or bigger life projects related to work, family or community. But before you forge ahead into 2017, I want you to take a moment, if you haven’t done so already, to acknowledge all
Making plans for 2017? Do this first. Read More »
Happy Holidays from Broken Ground! I wanted to share this short video with you about my permaculture Christmas tree. Normally, we aren’t in Bozeman for the holidays so I’ve never put up a Christmas tree, which means that I have very few decorations and ornaments. So, when we decided to stay here this year, I wanted to be
My Permaculture Christmas Tree! Read More »