T shirts? To wear in the yard while gardening, of course! And maybe yard signs….

Also maybe reach out to places like food coops, natural grocery stores with a deli, etc. who could use them or maybe help sell them.

Yeah, on a phone it’s hard for my middle aged eyes to see.

I think it depends a lot on finding a soil mix that works for you. But I guess I will find out!

I am going to try soil blocks this year.

It has to be really bad for them to close the schools where I am!

But yes- fire season and water shortages are very much on my mind.

We do have a lot of shovels, and I sprang for an electric snowblower last fall as my shoulder can no longer manage a normal snow year. 🫤

Much as I sometimes whine about driving or shoveling in winter, I will be absolutely thrilled if we get more snowpack near me- or anywhere in the dry west, really.

😍

Wow! I never knew groundnuts were that far west! But yep, there they are on BONAPS. Was that a special find?

Oh! I was thinking it was metal mesh at a glance. Yeah, the neighbor’s bored hunting dog would have been through that in seconds-same for a raccoon or even a skunk.

Looking at that picture….I cannot imagine having chicken dust that close to my salad greens. 😬

And land based predators can so easily include a neighbor’s dog digging under the fence. BTDT. 🙄

The popularity of home flocks creates all kinds of issues. Glad you can offer advice! Also glad to be out of the urban chicken business myself. Though I do really miss the fertilizer for the garden.

Poultry welfare for home flocks, or commercial, or both?

(If I even dare ask?)

Data centers commonly get tax breaks or incentives from state and/or local government. If you disagree with that practice, let your state and local elected officials hear it!

I will stick with step 1 for now. Sounds better for me to help that way than have a bee house create more problems if I don’t have time to care for it properly. When things are a bit more settled in life and I’ve learned more, I may circle back to raising some mason bees.

I am glad that CA is not in drought currently. I am really worried for those of us further north. Water shortages, loss of water for hydro, and fire season. 😞

I think the majority of people don’t understand what happens to crops when we lose chill hours/cold weather. I know a small bit of it.

I am pivoting to more berries in my home garden.

More pests will winter over as well, without cold temps to kill them. And more disease issues with rain vs snow.

Is it better to just provide native plants for food, a bee friendly water dish, and habitat (bare soil, hollow-stemmed plants, leave the leaves, etc) and let native bees manage themselves?

And yes, there was a really cool nasturtium last year I missed the boat on. They are being rediscovered in the last few years.

I really need to get those berry plant orders in, they go faster than seeds sometimes.

Will go add it to the formal to-do list.

It is so easy to justify money for seeds and seed starting supplies when you look at prices of plants in nurseries.

I am being so good this year. So far.

(Mostly because I haven’t ordered any of the small fruits I have open tabs for yet. With stuff in the carts. 😂)

I love a flower that actually smells good. Can’t wait for my April in Paris sweet peas!

What a sneaky flower. Good on you for figuring out how to enjoy it. Curious what pollinates your orchid in its native environment.

Probably a lubber if those are in your book.

I have vivid memories of a really big grasshopper (locust?) I found as a kid. Black, with highlights in varying neon colors. It was freakin’ gorgeous.

Oooof. I used to wish we’d get some near us to eat skunks. Not so sure now…

Send it west! We’d love to have it. I think you got our portion by mistake, anyhow….

Love the yellow toes!

I hear you on perspective of the gardener! I try to do a lot of natives, esp ones that attract hummers, because my dog is allergic to honeybee stings but snaps at them anyhow. Native bees are reputedly less likely to sting than honeybees, so I welcome them.

Eager to hear what you learn.

Hmm. What is the outcome(s) defined by “best”?

Grilled halloumi, either with grilled seasonal veg or by itself and drizzled with honey, was one of my favorite foods when we went to Greece.