Do you know what you should be planting in your garden in August, September, October and November? Linda Gilkeson does! We’ve taken an excerpt from the book outlining what Linda recommends you should do in your garden in the Pacific Northwest from now until November.
Book Excerpt
Take a Digital Detox
Today’s world, for many of us, has become increasingly tech-focused. We start and end our days focused on phones, tablets, and computers, surfing news and social media.
In The Joy of Missing Out, author Christina Crook delves into the impacts our wired world is having on us individually and as a society, and suggests achievable options for taking breaks and reclaiming our control over technology.
August Planting for Autumn Feasting
Planting vegetables in the middle of summer seems wrong – but most temperate gardens can yield a second harvest in autumn. In August, try planting hardy greens along with root vegetables like beets and carrots, and enjoy another round of garden-fresh food through the fall.
The basics of rainwater harvesting
Rainwater collection can help ease pressure on both local watersheds as well as regional water infrastructure, while also providing some peace of mind to the homeowner – and a lower water bill.
Essential Rainwater Harvesting provides tools and information, along with step-by-step design help, to build an effective collection system that’s tailored to your situation.
How Change Actually Happens
Today, we share an excerpt from Sami Grover’s We’re All Climate Hypocrites Now, which discusses change and how to make it happen.
How much screen time is too much for kids?
How much screen time is too much for kids? What are the effects? How can I take control of screens in our family? Will I go crazy without a handy iPad to hand to my kids? Will they? What if they’re bored?
These questions probably sound pretty familiar to most parents these days. But is it even possible to take back some control over digital devices?
No-till Methods for Sustainable Organic Market Farming – and Gardening Too!
In Practical No-till Farming, author Andrew Mefferd provides a quick-and-dirty guide to transitioning your farm or market garden to no-till methods, including a comprehensive look at the many benefits to doing so. No-till is a great option for sustainable organic vegetable and flower farming, saving time, improving soil health, and much more.
How Do I Cope with Climate Anxiety?
Climate anxiety and eco-anxiety are very real for many of us. How can we process this grief and fear about the climate? Can we transform these into powerful tools for acting on behalf of the climate? Margaret Klein Salamon says we absolutely can. It’s not quick or easy, but doing this work may well be the most important step on the road to addressing the climate emergency.
Havarti/Gouda-style Quick Vegan Cheeze Recipe
Plant-based cheesemaking has revolutionized the culinary world, offering a wide array of delectable options for those embracing a vegan or low impact lifestyle. Through the use of artisanal techniques and a dash of culinary creativity, talented cheese makers are helping to bring vegan cheezes to the forefront of food conversations
Reducing Your Electricity Generation and Heating
We have relatively little control over how our electricity is generated, except to lobby governments and power companies. But some of us have the option of taking things into our own hands by generating our own electricity. The conditions for that have never been better, and they will continue to improve.
Majority Culture: What’s Yours Is Mine
When building diversity and inclusion practices in a workplace, how often do we identify where the majority culture’s customs have become the standard?
Can I Add Berries to My Garden or Farm?
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries…All these small fruits pack a big flavor punch, and are one of the most delicious signs of summer.
In The Berry Grower, author Blake Cothron demonstrates that berries can be an amazingly productive, profitable part of your market or home garden, for a surprisingly low financial or land investment.
Is Another Future Possible?
Is another future possible? A more sustainable and just one? Peter A. Victor believes it is, and in Escape From Overshoot, he weaves together threads from a variety of disciplines to both paint a clear picture of where we are now, and lay out clear, proven ways we can work together to create a more attractive future than if current trends continue.
11 Benefits of Two-wheel Tractors
With The Two-wheel Tractor Handbook, author Zack Loeks offers a strong case for these multi-use, efficient tools. To get you started, here are 11 benefits to incorporating a two-wheel tractor into your small farm, market garden, or home garden.
Permaculture for Beginners: Take it Slow!
Using permaculture design techniques in your home garden can seem overwhelming – especially if you’re a new gardener, with a small space. With Permaculture for the Rest of Us, author Jenni Blackmore breaks these methods down into small steps anyone can take, and enjoy an abundant garden the first year!
No-till Methods for Sustainable Organic Market Farming – and Gardening Too!
In Practical No-till Farming, author Andrew Mefferd provides a quick-and-dirty guide to transitioning your farm or market garden to no-till methods, including a comprehensive look at the many benefits to doing so. No-till is a great option for sustainable organic vegetable and flower farming, saving time, improving soil health, and much more.
Growing Berries for Food and Profit
In The Berry Grower, author Blake Cothron discusses why and how to maximize your berry and small fruit harvest – whether in your backyard, small farm, or as a relatively easy value-added product for your existing organic farm. In this excerpt, he makes a convincing case for adding small fruits and berries, whether you’re an experienced grower or a beginner.
Climate Grief
As author Andrew Boyd demonstrates, we must go through a grieving process in order to move forward on climate issues. But how do we do that? And are we even sure what, exactly, we’re grieving? In this excerpt from I Want a Better Catastrophe, Boyd begins to unpack this tangled-up topic.
The Benefits of Composting
In Compost Science for Gardeners, author Robert Pavlis guides the reader through a comparison of all the common composting methods from a how-to perspective. Readers will come away from this book with a clear understanding of the benefits of composting – both for soil and climate health.
Garden Dreams in Winter
For most gardeners – and aspiring gardeners – winter is the perfect time to start planning and dreaming about next year’s garden. Whether it’s a few pots on a balcony, or a tiny backyard bed, a community garden plot, or even a small market garden, it’s exciting to think about spring and new plants, and delicious homegrown food.
Starting a Home-based Food Business
Homemade for Sale, Second Edition is the authoritative guide to launching a successful food enterprise from your kitchen. Available soon for purchase, It covers everything you need to get cooking for your customers, providing a clear road map to go from ideas and recipes to owning a food business.
Tumeric Cardamom Fizz Recipe
Cheers to our Holiday Sale! What pairs best with 50% off all titles?* Glad you asked, we recommend the Tumeric Cardamom Fizz from DIY Kombucha. Today we are sharing the recipe so you can make one and cheers to your dream projects becoming a reality with our great sale.
Crackers, Caramel Corn and Christmas
Deborah Niemann, author of Ecothrifty: Cheaper, Greener Choices for a Happier, Healthier Life, offers up a delicious Homemade Crackers recipe and a sweet treat of Caramel Corn.
Why We Don’t Know How to Talk About Race
The book Inside Out, by Caprice D. Hollins provides a roadmap to workplace and organizational change. It is packed with practical tools for working collectively towards racial justice and dismantling institutional racism. Today, we share an excerpt from the book that talks about the reasons why we don’t know how to talk about race.
Making the Food System Healthy for People and Planet
Earth for All is both an antidote to despair and a road map to a better future. The authors dive deeply into all aspects of what an equitable world might look like – from environmental stewardship to inclusive, fair societies … and everything in between. In this excerpt, the authors examine the simplification and consumption of Earth’s biosphere.
Understanding Roots
Plant Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis is an entertaining and accessible guide that empowers growers to analyze common problems, find solutions, and make better decisions in the garden for optimal plant health and productivity. Today, we wanted to share an excerpt from the book that explains more about roots and their basic structure.
What is Coppice?
In his book Coppice Agroforestry, Mark Krawczyk looks at the ancient practice of coppicing, blending it with modern science, systems thinking, and tools to ground it firmly in the 21st Century. Today, we share an excerpt from the book that explains what coppice is.
Bird Mnemonics
Filled with fun activities for using all of your senses to engage with nature in a deep and nourishing way, The Book of Nature Connection is the perfect book for all those that are looking to reconnect and become a nature sommelier! Today, we wanted to share an excerpt with you from the book that talks about listening to the birds and bird mnemonics.
How to make introductions more inclusive
Have you ever considered that trying to be more inclusive can cause harm? Today, we share an excerpt from The Token: Common Sense Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Your Organization where Crystal Byrd Farmer explains how adding seemingly harmless practices to actions like introductions may cause problems within your organization.
Why You Can Grow Figs In Cold Climates
For some, the taste of a fresh, juicy fig brings memories of travel to warm, faraway places. However, if you live in a colder region – it’s possible to enjoy figs grown on your own property. In Growing Figs in Cold Climates: A Complete Guide, Lee Reich provides methods for cultivating figs in cold regions. Today, Lee explains why it’s entirely possible to grow figs in cold climates in an excerpt shared from his book.
What Does ‘Climate Hypocrite’ Even Mean?
Often we hear that personal responsibility is central to tackling the climate emergency, but what happens when the choices we make are so often governed by the systems in which we live? Self-confessed eco-hypocrite Sami Grover says we should do what we can in our own lives, but then we need to target those actions to create systemic change. Today, we share an excerpt from We’re All Climate Hypocrites Now: How Embracing Our Limitations Can Unlock the Power of a Movement on what he means when he uses the term hypocrite.
Introduction to Power by Richard Heinberg
Richard Heinberg’s latest title, Power is an exploration of humanity’s power over nature and the power of some people over others. Power traces how four key elements developed to give humans extraordinary power: tool making ability, language, social complexity, and the ability to harness energy sources — most significantly, fossil fuels. Today, we take an excerpt from Power that explains how Richard started on the journey of writing this book.
Earth Rammed Construction: Building With Materials Found On Site
Using rammed earth for construction appeals to people for a variety of different reasons. It could be a desire to be sustainable, the appeal of having the natural beauty inside one’s home, or simply wanting to have something different. Today, we take an excerpt from Essential Rammed Earth Construction: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide by Tim Krahn to discover more about one of the oldest construction methods on the planet.
Why People Should Maximize Their Yards with Gardens and Edible Landscapes
In this excerpt from The Edible Ecosystem Solution: Growing Biodiversity in Your Backyard and Beyond, author Zach Loeks shows how edible landscapes can improve our existence.