by Noel | Dec 4, 2011 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Gardening
I posted recently about leaf burning and why I don’t think it’s such a great idea, even if it is allowed, but I was careful to mention that I’m not at all opposed to fires. Being a relative land baron out here on my almost rural four acres, I would have some major disposal issues if I could not burn prunings, deadfall, and other natural debris. Just a little over half our property is wooded. You can see a neighbor’s house to the east of...
by Noel | Nov 16, 2011 | CobraHead, Gardening
Anneliese took this picture of a young deer in the yard this afternoon. It was relatively fearless and Anneliese was able to get fairly close before it bolted. Fortunately for us, the deer have not been much of a nuisance this year and did no garden damage. I attribute a lot of that to Anneliese’s dog Zuri, who gets free day care with us while Anneliese is here working. We also see Zuri a lot on weekends, when Anneliese is out and about and we become dog...
by Noel | Nov 12, 2011 | CobraHead, Environmental Issues, Gardening
In the village that borders us a few blocks to the west and south, leaf burning is prohibited, but it is allowed and practiced as a seasonal rite in our township. I’m not advocating a ban on burning, but I really wish the neighbors understood what they are wasting. While I was working hard today to get as many leaves as I could into my garden, I could see at least four smoke trails in the neighborhood. Too bad for the leaf burners, they could be making...
by Noel | Nov 6, 2011 | CobraHead, Gardening
I took advantage of a dry day between the rains to get my garlic planted. I’ve been using a method Geoff taught me years ago that works particularity well with raised beds. I’ve posted the method several times before, but it’s worth repeating as it works so well. I form a loose worked-up bed into three ridges (or two troughs) using a steel rake. This year, before I planted the garlic cloves, I liberally dusted the entire bed with cilantro and...
by Noel | Oct 22, 2011 | CobraHead, Gardening
Judy harvested these two excellent heads of cauliflower this afternoon. The one on the right is one of the best heads we’ve ever grown. It was over eight inches across and perfect in every way. I searched “cauliflower” on Wikipedia just to see what might be of interest for a blog post and discovered fractal dimensions. Mathematicians find broccoli and cauliflower interesting because of their fractals. A paper cited says: “The fractal...
