Tag Archives: Soil Building

Planting Peas, Harvesting Peace

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Ann Lovejoy

Mouse ear sized lilac leaves with budding bloom Of Peas and Peace Yesterday, I joined a peace rally in support of the Ukrainian people, sponsored by a local interfaith group, and over a hundred people gathered outside a local church. … Continue reading →

Posted in Birds In The Garden, Care & Feeding, Early Crops, fall/winter crops, Health & Wellbeing, Planting & Transplanting, Social Justice, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living, Winterizing | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Aiding & Abetting Carbon Draw Down

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Ann Lovejoy

Clearly, the bigger our property, the better we can help build soil humus levels and improve carbon storage, but even landless apartment dwellers can help. All of us can get involved with local and regional projects where knowledge about soil sequestering may be missing. Community gardens, local farms, land trust use, public land use, school districts and local and regional parks can all benefit the earth through better soil stewardship. Most will need encouragement to do the needful, and that’s where you and I come in. Continue reading →

Posted in composting, Easy Care Perennials, Garden Prep, Health & Wellbeing, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Working With Family Relationships

Posted on January 8, 2018 by Ann Lovejoy

It’s also useful to know that some family cycles are particularly beneficial. For instance, both legumes and nightshades do particularly well when planted where sweet corn recently grew. Conversely, it’s less productive for squash family members to follow tomatoes and vice versa, probably because both need lots of calcium. (Our Northwestern soils tend to be calcium poor anyway, so both these crops will benefit when you spray the foliage with diluted skim milk. A 10% solution of 1 part skim milk powder mixed with water works well and won’t clog most sprayers.) Continue reading →

Posted in Early Crops, fall/winter crops, Garden Prep, Health & Wellbeing, Nutrition, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Last Gasp Gardening

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Ann Lovejoy

Savoring The End Of Season Harvest Yesterday I gathered several gallons of tomatoes in various shades of orange, red, tan, black, and green. Carefully washed and dried, they now nest in cardboard egg cartons on the counter where I can … Continue reading →

Posted in fall/winter crops, Garden Prep, Nutrition, Recipes, Soil, Sustainable Gardening, Sustainable Living | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment