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 Geoff | Nov 10, 2011 | Gardening
Last spring I started some Agastache mexicana seeds indoors but got very spotty germination. I decided to investigate whether or not stratification would improve germination. I think that it will. Here’s the why and how: Many seeds have built in germination inhibitors. This prevents them from germinating until more ideal growing conditions are present. Stratification is one method of mimicking natural conditions that seeds are exposed to prior to...
by Geoff | Nov 9, 2011 | CobraHead, Events, Gardening
Over the past couple of years Noel has been developing and refining his presentations on organic raised-bed gardening. It’s about time. After thirty years of growing lots of good food, he has learned a thing or two. Below is the press release that we have put out touting his abilities. Please feel free to share this with any groups that would want to hear Noel speak. CobraHead’s Noel Valdes Speaks on Open Raised Bed Vegetable Gardening Cambridge, WI –...
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...
