Deep Green Permaculture » What's New!

What’s New! April 29, 2013

Blackthorn — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:00:52 +0000

The latest addition is something any gardening site shouldn’t be without – a gardening calendar!

Well, to be precise, 12 gardening calendars… One for each month to make your gardening life easier, with the following information:

a month by month rundown of all those pressing chores that need to be done
a comprehensive “sow what when” monthly seed planting guide

Note: these calendars are for Australian temperate climates.

This includes most of southern coastal Australia from Melbourne and Adelaide through to Perth, the coastal region south of Sydney, the New South Wales tablelands and inland Queensland.

You can view your gardening calendars here

Happy Gardening!

What’s New! April 28, 2013

Blackthorn — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 01:28:01 +0000

Geoff Lawton has just released his latest free Permaculture Design video, “Urban Permaculture: The Micro Space“, which features me and my garden”!

Here’s Geoff’s description of his latest free offering:

Nothing beats the productive capacity of the small Urban Permaculture backyard.

It’s more productive per square foot than conventional agriculture. It’s into theses small spaces, that the most changes are being made.

Angelo, was a student of mine who took these Permaculture ideas and changed the way he now grows food.

Angelo has transformed his tiny 650 square foot garden into a Permaculture wonderland full of diversity and abundance.

You won’t believe how much food he gets out of his small space:

We also look at mini swales. People are installing them into their gardens.

You can view this video here:

http://www.geofflawton.net/urban/?10033

Just in case anybody missed the previous free releases, you can find them at:

http://www.geofflawton.net/property/?10033

Enjoy!

What’s New! April 21, 2013

Blackthorn — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 01:16:06 +0000

Geoff Lawton has releases another free Permaculture Design video, and another edition of the free magazine “Permaculture Designer“!

Here’s Geoff’s description of his latest free offerings:

Geoff here again.

When the USA Army Core of Engineers wanted to re-design the 15,000 acre Louisiana Army Ammunition Plant into an eco-industrial park, they asked me to help.

When AECOM, a fortune 500 Civil Engineering company that turns over 8 Billion a year wanted to do a sustainable design for the 18 Billion Dollar Masdar City in Dubai, they again called on me to consult for them.

Permaculture Design principles work on large scale projects, large rural farms, small rural acreage, urban areas and even city balconies.

Many of you have been asking us to show you what you can do on a smaller rural property. So we’ve held off launching the next video on Urban until next week and have put together a special new video on what can be done in a smaller rural property.

I too was once like many of you are now and taking my first steps on a smaller rural property.

My brand new free video “5 Acre Abundance on a Budget” where I show you how I turned a 5 acre cow paddock into a Permaculture Paradise on a tight budget is now LIVE and ready for you to view.

You can view this video and the magazine here: http://www.geofflawton.net/5acres/?10033

Just in case anybody missed the previous free releases, you can find them at: http://www.geofflawton.net/property/?10033

Enjoy!

What’s New! April 16, 2013

Blackthorn — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:55:56 +0000

Exciting news I’d like to share about a free series of Permaculture Design videos by Geoff Lawton, world renowned Permaculture designer, teacher and consultant reveals how to not only survive the coming crisis with Permaculture Design but how to build abundance on your land. How to have all the water you will ever need. How to have all the fish you will ever want. How to have your own food forest and grow all your own food. Where to start. How to understand your land. How to work with it . How to design it, Naturally. Abundance is no accident.

You can see the free videos at:
http://www.geofflawton.net/property/?10033
(Just enter your email into the website and Geoff Lawton will keep you updated as he releases future videos in the series. There’s also a ‘Permaculture Designer – Property Purchase Checklist’ in PDF format to download free on this page too).

Also, please feel free to check out the trailer for Geoff Lawton’s video series:

Enjoy!

What’s New! April 04, 2013

Blackthorn — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:36:35 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The eleventh and final article in this series discusses the design principle of Attitudinal Principles, this is the only person-based design principle that looks at us as designers, it’s bound to hold a few surprises for most readers!

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What’s New! April 03, 2013

Blackthorn — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:30:11 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The tenth article in this series discusses the design principle of Edge Effect, it looks at the the ecological phenomenon of increased diversity and productivity at ecosystem boundaries and discusses how to emulate this in permaculture designs to increase yields and productivity.

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What’s New! Mar 23, 2013

Blackthorn — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 12:27:52 +0000

Added new page 29. Full Circle, Four Years In under “My Garden“, detailing how far it has come in it’s fourth year, how much it produced, and what it actually produced, including full annual harvest yield statistics and breakdown…

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What’s New! Feb 12, 2013

Blackthorn — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 01:04:01 +0000

In Articles and Discussions I’ve listed a new article which I have written for Permaculture Research Institute, Food Forests and Natural Pest Control – Observations (link direct to PRI website) – an article about my observations of the effectiveness of natural pest controls in a food forest garden over a four year period in comparison to two hydroponic systems which I utilised as my experimental controls.

What’s New! February 05, 2013

Blackthorn — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:05:16 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The ninth article in this series discusses the design principle of Diversity, it explores polycultures and how to design with a diversity of beneficial species for a productive, interactive system.

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What’s New! Jun 29, 2012

Blackthorn — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:44:52 +0000

Added new page Propagating Hardwood Cuttings under “DIY Instructions“, which explains how to propagate deciduous trees and plants from winter prunings – great for fruit trees such as figs, pomegranates, mulberries and quince, grape vines, kiwi fruit and currants!

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What’s New! June 19, 2012

Blackthorn — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 18:26:50 +0000

Added a new post under My Garden which provides some updates and pictures of what’s been happening in the last six months or more, it’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on the garden, see the article here – 28. The Last Six Months or So….
I’ve also made many major additions and updates to the design, the biggest beibg addind dozens if types of berries. The design changes, rationale and outcomes will be in the next post, real soon!

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What’s New! June 18, 2012

Blackthorn — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 12:10:15 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The eighth article in this series discusses the design principle of Accelerating Succession and Evolution, it explores how Nature establishes forests through the ecological process of forest succession, and how we can accelerate this process through various techniques to establish forest systems in a fraction of the time they take naturally. Also, it looks into how we can substitute the species that build a forest with ones that are useful to us, such as in food forst designs.

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What’s New! Jun 08, 2012

Blackthorn — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:10:59 +0000

In Articles and Discussions I’ve listed a new article which I have written for Permaculture Research Institute, Perennial Plants and Permaculture (link direct to PRI website) – an article I wrote for Permaculture Research Institute, which examines the reasons for using perennial plants in Permaculture food production systems, and the ecological benefits gained by doing this, which is contrasted against the impact of annual food production systems on soils in terms of salinity and erosion.

What’s New! May 29, 2012

Blackthorn — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:48:36 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The seventh article in this series discusses the design principle of Small Scale Intensive Systems and explores how these highly energy efficient, sustainable systems differ from other conventional systems, what makes them unique, and the principles that we can use to design and construct them.

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What’s New! May 26, 2012

Blackthorn — Sat, 26 May 2012 00:49:34 +0000

In Articles and Discussions I’ve listed a new article which I have written for Permaculture Research Institute, Food Forests and Earth Stewardship (link direct to PRI website) – an article I wrote for Permaculture Research Institute, which examine humanity’s relationship to Nature, how it has changed over time, how we can reclaim our unique ecological niche through Permaculture and food forests, and the benefits gained from reclaiming our rightful place as stewards of the Nature.

What’s New! Mar 15, 2012

Blackthorn — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 09:56:25 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The sixth article in this series discusses the design principle of Energy Cycling with many practical examples which illustrate how it all works in a real-life design.

The article discusses how we can implement energy cycling systems to capture, store and use energy in our Permaculture designs.

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What’s New! Mar 14, 2012

Blackthorn — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 08:52:31 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips. The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The fifth article in this series discusses the design principle of Using Biological Resources with many practical examples which illustrate how it all works in a real-life design.

The article shows how we can use biological resources in place of systems dependent on non-renewable resources to create much more energy efficient Permaculture designs.

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What’s New! Jan 04, 2012

Blackthorn — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 08:15:24 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips.
The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The fourth article in this series discusses the design principle of Zones and Sectors – Efficient Energy Planning with many practical examples which illustrate how it all works in a real-life design.

The article covers the functions of Zones, Sectors and Slope in Permaculture design.

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What’s New! Dec 6, 2011

Blackthorn — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:49:59 +0000

Added new page 27. Full Circle, Three Years In under “My Garden“, detailing how far it has come in it’s third year, how much it produced, and what it actually produced, including full annual harvest yield statistics and breakdown…

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What’s New! Oct 23, 2011

Blackthorn — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 06:49:00 +0000

I’ve added more photos of my garden with some commentary for early and mid spring:

These photos show how a food forest looks approaching it’s full glory, so there’s a lot of pictures in the second installment so you can see a lot of it!

Mind you, it even looks way better seeing it first-hand, in person!

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What’s New! Oct 21, 2011

Blackthorn — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:37:27 +0000

We’ve got two new offerings this time round!

Firstly, I’ve written a new article for Permaculture Research Institute, see here: Why Food Forests?

It discusses the reasons why food forests are far more productive than commercial agricultural practices, and why we should be using this model of food production above other approaches.

Secondly, I’ve added some more photos of my garden with some commentary for winter:

24. Late Winter – Aug 2011 Pictures

The photos show how a food forest looks in late winter, and how much life is there at the most still part of the year.

More pictures of the garden in spring to follow!

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What’s New! Oct 16, 2011

Blackthorn — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 08:45:41 +0000

Added some more photos of my garden with some commentary for the last few seasons:

The photos higlight how the garden changes through the season, so now you can see how a food forest looks throughout the year.

More pictures of the garden in winter and spring to follow!

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The Big Biochar Experiment

Blackthorn — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 14:12:52 +0000

To all our readers in the UK, I’ve been asked to promote a great research project being conducted by Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute - The Big Biochar Experiment

http://www.bigbiocharexperiment.co.uk/index.html

The project’s aim is to get as many plots set up across the UK as possible, and the research team are hoping to publish a research paper from this study.

If you live in the UK and wish to participate in this exciting project, I please check out the website for The Big Biochar Experiment and play a part in making it happen!

Below is an extract from the press release:

Welcome to the Big Biochar Experiment

This is the first large-scale experiment on the use of biochar in British allotments and gardens. It aims to gather quantitative data on above- and below-ground productivity, and qualitative data on plant and soil health of widely used fruit and vegetable varieties in Britain. These data, combined with existing information on weather and soil quality, will be used to assess the effects of biochar on the productivity of soils across Britain.

Research on biochar is still in its infancy: we understand the long term benefits it has had on the Amazonian Terra Preta soils, however, long-term studies on European soils are only beginning. The Big Biochar Experiment aims to quantify the effects of biochar application on British soils.

The wisdom of Ancient Amazonians

Scientists recently discovered that the ancient Amazonian tribes used to mix biochar in their soil. Thousands of years later, the soil they left behind (Terra Preta) still stands out as pockets of extremely fertile soils in the otherwise relatively infertile soils of the Amazon rainforest.

What is Biochar?

Biochar is a carbon-rich product, created by the slow burning of plant material with little or no oxygen. Biochar is organic, increases crop yields [3, 4, 5], improves fertilizer efficacy, breaks down pesticides, suppresses methane and nitrous oxide (two aggressive greenhouse gases) [6, 7] and sequesters carbon [8]. On a large scale, it is proposed as a method for reversing the carbon dioxide (CO2) build-up in the atmosphere, thus mitigating climate change.

A Sustainable Solution

Whereas inorganic fertilizers increase crop yields in the short term, their production is energy and carbon intensive. Breakdown of these fertilizers in soils releases nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Globally, the production of fertilizers is the largest single source (38%) of emissions in the agricultural sector (EPA, 2010). Decreasing the use of inorganic fertilizers by enhancing the soil with biochar would therefore reduce GHG emissions even further beyond biochar’s intrinsic ability to store carbon.

What’s New! Aug 05, 2011

Blackthorn — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:08:34 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips.The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.The third articles in this series discusses the design principle of Each Important Function is Supported by Many Elements with many practical examples which illustrate how it all works in a real-life design.
The article covers the functions of Water, Food, Energy and Fire Protection, and all the design elements that support these functions in a Permaculture design – it’s a big article!

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What’s New! May 23, 2011

Blackthorn — Mon, 23 May 2011 05:50:17 +0000

Added a new subject topic on Permaculture Design Principles, where each principle will be explored in detail with practical applications of each design principle, as well as design tips.
The introductoy main article, Permaculture Design Principles, provides a brief overview and list the principles themselves.

The first articles discusses the design principle of Relative Location with many examples to illustrate how it all works.

The second article discusses the design principle of ‘Each Element Performs Many Functions’ and gives working examples of this principle in both a rural and urban environment.

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What’s New! May 1, 2011

Blackthorn — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 11:49:42 +0000

Added an updated and better presented garden design (thanks to new software!) as at 30/4/2011 02. Design & Construction under “My Garden“, showing all the garden beds, trellises, fruit trees, vines and berries in my garden. After two and a half years, there’s even more packed in than before…

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What’s New! Apr 30, 2011

Blackthorn — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 09:50:45 +0000

I’ve written my first article for the Permaculture Research Institute Lessons from an Urban Back Yard Food Forest Experiment” li>

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What’s New! Apr 12, 2011

Blackthorn — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:09:26 +0000

Added new page 20. Spring and Summer Weather Extremes
under “My Garden“, which discusses our recent horrible weather, its impact on harvests, and how we can use the Permaculture approach to look at the problems and identify the inherent solutions to design more resilient gardens.

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What’s New! Feb 28, 2011

Blackthorn — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 12:40:20 +0000

Added new page How to Build a French Drain under “DIY Instructions“, which shows you build the urban version of the permaculture swale, in a concrete back yard! The introduction of this article also covers the theory of permaculture water principles too, so there’s something for everyone!

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What’s New! Dec 15, 2010

Blackthorn — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 09:29:44 +0000

Added new page Home Made Plant Rooting Hormone – Willow Water under “DIY Instructions“, which shows you how to brew your own plant rooting hormone “willow water” from willow twigs, and how to use it on cuttings to assist them in sprouting roots!

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What’s New! Nov 28, 2010

Blackthorn — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:54:37 +0000

Added new page 19. Full Circle, Two Years In under “My Garden“, detailing how far it has come in it’s second year, how much it produced, and what it actually produced, including full annual harvest yield statistics and breakdown…

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What’s New! Nov 27, 2010

Blackthorn — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 12:41:54 +0000

Added new page Starting Your Permaculture Garden under “DIY Instructions“, which outlines the steps for designing and constructing a Permaculture garden, including the most difficult step, getting started!

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What’s New! Nov 17, 2010

Blackthorn — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 10:31:50 +0000

Added new page Strange Brew! Homemade Garden Sprays under “DIY Instructions“, which details recipies for home brew DIY pesticides, fungicides, insect baits, etc to cover most gardening situations, and best of all they’re all natural and cheap!

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What’s New! Nov 16, 2010

Blackthorn — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:09:50 +0000

Added new page Propagating Herbaceous Plants from Cuttings under “DIY Instructions“, which explains how to produce any number of plants you want for free by propagating them from cuttings and getting them to take root. I’ve also included a section on plants that can take root in water, so you can propagate them simply by placing a cutting in a jar of water…

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What’s New! Aug 28, 2010

Blackthorn — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:39:29 +0000

Added new page 18. What’s Growing in the Garden? under “My Garden“, a list of all the perennial plants growing in the garden at present, to satisfy the curiosity of those wondering what I actually grow in this garden…

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What’s New! Aug 27, 2010

Blackthorn — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 07:33:22 +0000

Added new page 17. A Drought-Breaking Winter under “My Garden“, covering the events of a very wet winter in the second year of a demonstration permaculture garden, with some interesting information on propagating deciduous cuttings, amongst other things…

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What’s New! Aug 25, 2010

Blackthorn — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:36:45 +0000

Added new page Permaculture Ethics under “What is Permaculture? “, which discusses ethical systems in general, why we need them, then looks deeper into the Permaculture ethics – Care of the Earth , Care of People and Sharing of Surplus…

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What’s New! Aug 22, 2010

Blackthorn — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 12:59:15 +0000

Added new page Starting Annual Vegetable Seedlings Indoors under “DIY Instructions“, detailing how to start annual vegetable seedlings early in the season indoors to extend the growing season and get greater yields…

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What’s New! Jul 04, 2010

Blackthorn — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:50:27 +0000

Added new page 16. An Unusually Warm Autumn under “My Garden“, covering the events of a record warm Autumn in the second year of a demonstration permaculture garden, with some interesting information on propagating Babaco trees, amongst other things…

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What’s New! June 29, 2010

Blackthorn — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:25:02 +0000

Added new page Building a Small Water Garden under “DIY Instructions“

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What’s New! May 08, 2010

Blackthorn — Sat, 08 May 2010 07:44:02 +0000

Added new page Hot Compost – Composting in 18 Days under “DIY Instructions“

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What’s New! Apr 01, 2010

Blackthorn — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 11:46:16 +0000

Added new page 15. An Unpredictable Summer under “My Garden“, covering the events of the chaotic summer in the second year of a demonstration permaculture garden, with some interesting information on Goji berries, amongst other things…

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What’s New! Mar 17, 2010

Blackthorn — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:29:28 +0000

Added Grafting Eggplant onto Devil Plant under “DIY Instructions“, explaining how to produce a basic wedge or cleft graft, and how to graft eggplants onto a “Devil Plant” – Solanum capsicoides, to create a perennial “eggplant tree” that can produce dozens if not hundreds of eggplants in a single season.

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What’s New! Mar 9, 2010

Blackthorn — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:09:28 +0000

Added Self-Cleaning Wheelie Bin Water Tank under “DIY Instructions“, detailing the construction of a wheelie bin water tank system that uses an overflow siphon to clean itself automatically of sediment at the bottom of the tank

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What’s New! Jan 23, 2010

Blackthorn — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 14:34:13 +0000

Added Recycled Plastic Drum Rainwater Tank under “DIY Instructions“, detailing the construction of a modular water tank system made from recycled plastic drums

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What’s New! Jan 14, 2010

Blackthorn — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 13:43:30 +0000

Added new page 14. Spring Again! under “My Garden“, detailing the first month of it’s second year, with a discussion of annual edibles and container gardening…

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What’s New! Jan 01, 2010

Blackthorn — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 16:27:52 +0000

Added Backyard Orchard Culture under the Backyard Orchard Culture category.

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What’s New! Oct 10, 2009

Blackthorn — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:54:04 +0000

Added new page 13. Full Circle, One Year In under “My Garden“, detailing how far it has come in it’s first year, how much it produced, and what it actually produced, including full annual harvest yield statistics and breakdown…

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What’s New! Oct 04, 2009

Blackthorn — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 10:16:33 +0000

Added project under DIY Instructions on
How to Build a Self Watering Tray

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What’s New! Oct 02, 2009

Blackthorn — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:08:20 +0000

Added project under DIY Instructions on
Making Plastic Plant Labels & Watering Trays from Recycled Containers

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