Green Living

How to Make Your Own Christmas Wreath

December 6, 2012 47 comments
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Now that Thanksgiving is properly over, we can start thinking about Christmas without everybody groaning. This is especially good news to me, since I love whistling Christmas carols year-round. Finally! The one month of the year I can whistle my rousing rendition of Jingle Bells without causing raised eyebrows. There is so much that I [...]

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Arcata’s Pastels On The Plaza 2012

October 8, 2012 13 comments
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For Humboldt locals, the first October weekend of every year means one thing: Pastels on the Plaza. This event pairs artists and businesses to raise money for the North Coast Children’s Center. Each business sponsors a sidewalk square on the Arcata Plaza, and the artists volunteer their time to decorate a square in honor of [...]

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Wildlife Garden Design Tip: Plant in Masses

July 13, 2012 9 comments
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Think native plants and wildlife-attracting gardens look messy? It doesn’t have to be that way. In this series, we’ll talk about the techniques involved in designing a beautiful wildlife garden. Many native plant enthusiasts and wildlife gardeners start out by trying to replicate the randomized “design” of nature, by planting a lovingly-curated collection of individual [...]

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A Designer’s Take on Wildlife Gardening

July 11, 2012 16 comments
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Though recent polls show that using native plants and attracting wildlife are big priorities for gardeners, these types of landscapes have a terrible reputation for being messy and poorly-designed. It’s gotten to the point that many landscape designers I’ve spoken with shy away from mentioning native plants to their clients, even if they plan on [...]

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Summertime Cooking: Mustard Butter Pasta with Fresh Garden Vegetables

July 6, 2012 2 comments
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With summer’s toasty temps, I don’t want to be standing over a hot stove any longer than necessary. That’s why I love simple meals that can be made with a minimum of fuss and can be easily reheated, or even eaten cold. When I went to P. Allen Smith’s Garden2Blog event, one of the sponsors, [...]

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Grow Your Own Microbrew! How to Grow Hops

June 30, 2012 8 comments
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As an ornamental gardener, I’m used to growing hops as a summer screen for chicken coops, bare walls and other elements in the garden that can be unsightly. It’s easy to grow, but needs to be sited just right, as it has an eat-your-home style of rapacious growth that can be either exactly what you [...]

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Got No Pot? Grow Tomatoes Right in the Bag!

June 13, 2012 6 comments
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Here in Humboldt County, it’s time to plant warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, zucchini and more. But some of us don’t have a plot of land to work, and sometimes, there’s not enough cash to buy a pot. I mean, have you seen the cost of pots these days? Some of them can run pretty steep. [...]

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The Worm Factory 360 and The Earth Moved (With Video!)

March 21, 2012 124 comments
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When I first bought my own home years ago, there was one fact that made me particularly happy: as a responsible grownup and a homeowner, I was now allowed to get any pets that I darn well wanted, so long as I could take good care of them. No landlords or reluctant parents to tell [...]

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Monday Miscellany: Monsanto Trial, Happy Honeybees, NWF Triumph and Some Awesome Contests

January 30, 2012 4 comments
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Monsanto Trial The normally non-political Margaret Roach of Martha Stewart Living fame and A Way to Garden has spoken up about the Monsanto trial that starts tomorrow. Why is this important? Because Monsanto’s been genetically engineering seeds for common crops like corn, wheat and alfalfa so that farmers can spray their rows with the herbicide [...]

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Holiday DIY: More Gifts to Make, Not Buy

December 5, 2011 1 comment
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Last week, I gave a few gift ideas for all you DIY types, and since then, I’ve seen more and more inspiration for fun crafts to do as Christmas or holiday gifts, or just for yourself for the heck of it. Starting us off, Debra Lee Baldwin over at Gardening Gone Wild shares her technique [...]

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