I present here the results of a small trial I did last summer that combined a couple of my interests at the time. I had noticed the presence of large numbers of symphylans, small centipede-like invertebrates, in the garden. I was also having more trouble than usual with germination of seeds - spinach, carrots, beets. Symphylans travel [...]
Peas and Asparagus
When the sun came out on Saturday, I had to get into the garden and do a few more things before the month of February slipped away. First on the list was to get some asparagus into the ground. I should have done this years ago - in fact I tried a couple of years [...]
High Altitude Wind Power – A Review
The first international conference on High Altitude Wind Power happened last November in Chico, CA. That's a sign this new technology is being taken seriously by academics. Hence, the rest of us concerned about our energy needs should become acquainted with the topic. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the idea is simply that winds are stronger and more reliable [...]
Gardening Tradition
Where I grew up in northern Minnesota there was only a four-month growing season, yet my family still managed to grow most of the vegetables we ate. Both my parents came of age during the Depression in a rural setting, so they too grew up with a general agricultural heritage. Not farming families, just folks [...]
Readying the Raspberries
Usually I take care of cutting out old raspberry canes in the fall. This year, for whatever reason, it didn't get done. It was a nice warm day today, so I got out the pruners and tidied up the rows. I cut out all the two-year old canes and tied last years canes to the trellis. [...]
Planning Spring Planting
It looks like we are going to have an early spring this year, so its time for us gardeners to get ready for the spring push. The first thing I do is get out my copy of Nick Routledge's spring seeding guide. This is an invaluable chart specifically for our region in western Oregon. Looking [...]
AFB or PMS – Beekeeping Diseases
Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS) is the destructive combination of mites, viruses, and general malaise that can overcome a colony with a high mite load. At first glance some of the symptoms of PMS can look a lot like foulbrood disease. I ran into this last week. The hive in question started last spring as a [...]
Worm Math
Update: Three weeks with the flashlight have reduced the numbers to an insignificant level. At this point, migration into the test plot, and new hatches will probably keep me finding a worm or two every night for quite a while. While out picking worms I also started picking slugs and keeping track of those numbers. They show [...]
Winter Night Marauders
I don't expect large pest infestations in the middle of the winter. We just had a hard frost that should have set back most of the pests. But something was eating my garlic that I planted in November. I started seeing damage as soon as it started to sprout. Recently, I noticed that the leeks were [...]
Peak Phosphorous
I've just become aware of another malady that industrial society has to worry about. Peak phosphorous is probably not on your radar yet, but it could be as big a problem for society as peak oil or climate change. Phosphorous is an essential element for all life forms. Phosphate is part of the DNA and [...]
Squash Practice 