Category Archives: winter

After the rain…sprouts and birds

Posted on October 16, 2012 by jkmcintyre

It has finally, finally, rained. And so the cover crops I sowed last week are diligently sprouting. Yay! However, several feet of each row have been picked over by birds – plucking off the tender new leaves and pulling the … Continue reading →

Posted in starting seeds, vegetable garden, winter | Tagged | Leave a comment

Turning in Cover Crops

Posted on May 16, 2012 by jkmcintyre

Each autumn I try to do right by my garden; clean up from the harvest, plant cover crops on summer beds, deep mulch spring beds. Usually I fall quite short of my goals. I wait until the first freeze kills … Continue reading →

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The Warm Fuzzy of Insulation

Posted on October 17, 2011 by jkmcintyre

Last month we got a letter from our electric utility.  We are at the “100% percentile for electricity use among neighbours with houses similar to ours”. That’s the bad end of the spectrum. Of course, we don’t have any neighbours … Continue reading →

Posted in DIY, energy, Sustainability, winter | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Green Mango

Posted on February 15, 2011 by jkmcintyre

I mostly eschew food that travels more than a few hundred miles to my table. Sometimes this is difficult because I want a grapefruit or I want an avocado, and there is one – right there! But I have been … Continue reading →

Posted in food, fruit, Sustainability, winter | 1 Comment