Jamie Heaney

Lawn mower pollution is the same as any traditional two stroke engine. They do not burn efficiently and all the unburned gases and fuel get spit right out the tail pipe. It is so inefficient you cannot even really use a catalytic converter with it... the converter would probably explode from all the flammables. The problem is that two strokes are very powerful and only the most expensive EPA approved 4 strokes can get close to their power.

Why they are still legal, and why change is so difficult, was covered pretty well in a documentary called 'A Snowmobile for George'.

We use a push mower in conjunction with a grass whip to subdue the radius around our home.

We started doing this two years ago and the results are excellent this year.

Our situation was that, we terraced a hill with 3foot x 10foot rows. We only had around 6 inches of soil on top and then it was all pure sand and granite as a base, anywhere from 3feet to 10feet down. It was very hard to grow in, and required constant fertilizing and watering.

I've dug out a couple of these terraces, one at a time, 3feet deep. The first foot or so was filled with logs and sticks placed in tight, and then I covered it all with composting material. The top couple inches were then covered with soil and finished compost. I made sure to have at least 16inches of space from surface to log; I didn't want any issues with a pitchfork when aerating.

The ones that were made at least a year ago, were planted in this year. Everything is growing twice as large on those terraces, as opposed to our bad ones.

I know you see most people making hugelkultur mounds to take advantage of the north/south effect, but it definitely works to just dig a hole in the ground and fill it up. Composting and being patient for a year, meant we started out with fresh soil and there was a year for everything to balance.

Also, I've no idea about how the biodynamics would work out, or if this is pro/con growth for fungi or bacteria. We've just had good results with this.

Your idea sounded fine. You want the top to compost into soil over the year. But, the fungal growth and decomposition of the logs should hopefully take 10 years or more. The log sits there holding nutrients and moisture for what's above during dry spells, while it decays. I'd say the fungus gets there sooner or later.

I upvoted Cooper.

The acidity is probably screaming and the plant's roots are unable to uptake nutrients. The roots need soil, not rotting waste, to dig into.

With a raised bed, you should not have overwatering problems. Just use lots of water during berry time.

I would completely replant them in good soil with just a bit more peat than normal to account for acidity if you are not in an acidic area.

I would then pile compost(yard waste) around the base every fall to keep them nice and acidic through the year, especially if you are not in an acidic area.

edit. also, yes, chickens and ducks will eat anything on a blueberry bush 2 feet from the ground. We had to use light fencing around our new plants 2 years ago. Our old bush are constantly trimmed 2 feet off the ground by the ducks n chicks.

Link didn't work for me...

I believe this is the proper link:

http://wodmasters.com/crossfit-and-paleo-plastics-obesity-and-diabetes/

It seems the hybrid is still under research, and since it is in your home I'd probably think about building a standard one. All little wood stoves are different, and you'd probably want to do an incredible amount of research if you were going to go down that road. As a beginner myself, I'd be more comfortable with something tried and true, as opposed to experimenting the first time around. But if you're just in love with the idea, go for it. Though I think it is a standard suggestion that since it will be your first and something of a hybrid first, that you build outside, get the design working, and then reassemble in the home. Monoxide poisoning or burning down the house is something to consider with any poorly designed or operating stove.

Even with a traditional stove, we've done some stupid things.

Surprising it survived zone 5, though many lettuces are cold hardy. Some people take the 'butt' of celery and lettuces, and soak in water for about a week to start root and leaf before replanting, and one can regenerate many of those varieties. It seems your butts made it through the winter and are doing just this. I 'think' it is important that the butt goes through a travesty to regenerate otherwise it will go bitter and seed as normal.

I've criticism of your site, so please take it positively and constructively.

I went there and what I saw was what seemed to be an aggregate site with no specific subject and a very broad direction. The many subjects were all over the page in different menu blocks that came and went depending on the page you were on. The subject matter was strewn down the page with no weight given to one article or the other. The site seemed to want to direct a user to information, but did it with the relaxed layout one would find in a magazine that pushed more to entertain than direct one to subject matter. Also, many of the links went to pages that had nothing to do with the subject, in other words, the site links, etc. seem to be extremely broken. For example, the 'atv attachment' link goes to a blog page full of completely random articles.

So what I would suggest, is simplify, strengthen and focus on specific subjects, and then build site content slowly, organizing it properly. Create a consistent menu scheme for the site. Do not use blog style pages, blogs are for entertainment, not information. Create user content such as comment sections so you can drive feedback directly from your site. Aggregate sites simply cannot compete on today's internet where there are many consistent and specific sites covering specific subjects that are all tied together with search tools. Also, people do come online for entertainment as much as they do information, and magazine layouts and designs are slowly disappearing.

I hope this helps.

Broken legs can be bad. Give it a day or two to be sure if you want but you'll probably have to put it down unless it is a pet and you're going to spend money and amputate, etc. I wouldn't eat it, I don't know, but rabies scares me.

When we've had predator problems, we went on a 10am opening and made sure we closed up at dusk when they cooped up. We too noticed they will hunt a bit into the morning past dawn, though don't seem to show up until after dusk. They will get brave with success and will become easier to eliminate.

Discussing 'beyond organic' would require a fairly solid definition and practice of what organic is, and there in lies the problem. The word, along with the idea, has been hijacked a long time ago by industry, politics and market. It is not unlike the word 'natural'... absolutely meaningless in today's culture.

My opinion is that they are over rated and many work poorly. Considering these are only a couple bucks and work simply and perfectly with a piece of string, I do not see why anyone would spend anything on anything else.