I talked in my last blog post about how our directive, in the global north, should not only be to grow our own food but to look for other ways to reduce our energy consumption. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that 35% of our household energy use goes towards lighting, appliances and refrigeration. Therefore, anything we can […]
A Five Minute Project to Cut Down on your Energy Use! Read More »
For the first two weeks of January, I was fortunate to be hired by Guatemala Village Health (GVH) to help them develop an up and coming permaculture demonstration site, which will be an expansion of their current programs. Since 2010, Guatemala Village Health has worked with targeted rural villages throughout eastern Guatemala to help families
Permaculture in Guatemala Read More »
Though we’re still more than a month away from the official start of winter, it seems to have arrived in Montana and with it, the end of the gardening season. I do still have greens chugging away slowly in the greenhouse but the rest of my garden has been put to bed and it’s time
The Ecosystem of Relationships Read More »
Chickens are one of the easier and more useful animals to have in your backyard gardens. In permaculture, they are often the example of ‘each element performing multiple functions.’ In other words, having chickens as part of your backyard ecosystem accomplishes several functions at once. Not only can they provide you with eggs and meat
Using chickens in a permaculture garden Read More »
With the majority of the US population living in urban areas, there has been a growing interest in urban agriculture and the ability to grow food in small spaces. From rooftop farms, to balcony gardens, to living walls, and vertical growing towers, there is no end to the innovation. Especially in concrete jungles, designing green,
Artichokes have never been high on my list of vegetables to grow here in Montana. Because they prefer a much longer growing season, the effort to grow them to maturity has often outweighed the novelty of enjoying them out of my garden. In fact, California’s Monterey region grows almost 100% of the U.S. grown artichokes
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 »
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