Hello Hibernation Lovers,
 
The dormant season is upon us, though a little less extreme this year, and we are grateful.  Just like native plants and wildlife, we enjoy the summer weather as an excuse to slow down and take it easy, have a little seasonal nap, and save our resources for the inevitable burst of activity that comes with cooler weather and more rain, which is just [...]

Almost every day, the BG crew collects excess leaves that could not be mulched and returned to the landscapes they came from.   We also haul away invasive plants, winter cuttings from dormant perennials, fallen limbs, tilled up lawn grass to make way for new native beds, weeds, carcasses of dead trees and shrubs, and more [...]

The broken record spins on.  Weeds are a hot topic this year, so I’ve had hours every day to think about the subject, and what we can do about it.  The quick version:
Funky Weather Patterns - Two years of record heat and drought.  Then an unusually hard winter, including a super hard freeze.  Then 6 months [...]

Like an ancient coral reef, my approach to organic gardening matures, richens, and deepens every season.  I’m like a sponge in the reef, only with legs and eyes, always trying to get close to smart and thoughtful people who have a slightly different and always more experienced perspective than I, and try to absorb as much knowledge [...]

Ask any organic gardener, farmer, rancher, habitat restorationist, ecologist, agronomist, or organic landscaper – microbes are important.  (See Spring 2010 issue of EDIBLE AUSTIN for more.)  Microbes take a whole corner of the foundational soil triangle:  Microbes – Organic Content (Humus) – Soil Structure.  Beyond that, lack of research lends to a variety of opinions [...]

We don’t maintain any landscapes on Sunny Slope Drive, so it took a little sleuthing to figure out how Ollie’s collar found its way to a chicken coop 82 miles from its home.  But Ollie might like to know about the trip his collar took since it went missing, so I’ll do my best to [...]

The nerve of some people.  It can really get a man down. 
Like, let’s say you want to shake somebody down for a little cash, and at the same time, want to dig some holes in their yard to bury some living things.  Some people have to take this beautiful concept and make it complicated and messy with petty concerns [...]

Organic landscape maintenance programs usually focus on restoring natural balances in soils.  In most of Austin, we can count on a few general assumptions (highly disturbed, alkaline clay soils with minimal organic material) to create a general soil restoration plan.   Topdressing the lawn with compost will add organic material, beneficial microbes, and nutrients, and is our favorite clutch shooter [...]

BioGardener just acquired the newly released propane-powered leaf blower from CA-based Lehr. 

We’ve also replaced a couple of string trimmers.  The only propane version of these necessary tools for lawn care, also manufactured by Lehr, had some bugs so we’re staying away until the problems are corrected.  In the meantime, we’ve purchased the absolute cleanest burning [...]

I just finished James McWilliams book Just Food.  My first post/review was a little ramble-y and careless, so it’s been deleted.  A condensed version:

Some folks are taking this as a stab to the local food movement.  I think its a testament to the maturity of the movement, and a recognition of how powerful it has become.  Thoughtful criticism [...]