microbes « Spore Lore

20130514 Elderberry Pond — A Greywater Habitat

I posted my monthly blog article (due every 14th of the month) at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens:

Sambucas mexicana in Elderberry Pond wildlife habitat. Perhaps the cutting shrub propagation will be successful. The young shoots look promising.

Enjoy your wildlife garden. Habitat It!

. . . → Read More:

Habitat of the Month Contest — contest begins April 2013

Contest Entries

During each calendar month, Spore Lore will accept postings of residential wildlife habitats to Spore Lore’s facebook page, Habitat It and They Will Come.

Click to post your Habitat of the Month entry.

Contest entries must include:

1) The name of the . . . → Read More:

20130218 Food Ridge West Hugelkulture

Food Ridge West before final layer of garden mix.

It’s now Friday, so my back and body in general are nearly recovered. On Monday this week, I spent the whole day shovelling manure and compost on top of Food Ridge West, our raised veggie bed and animal habitat. Veggie bed — because the debris pile covered with manure/compost/gardening . . . → Read More:

20130216 Multi Graft Apple Tree is Ode to Papa

Multi-graft apple tree. Note the 5 different tags on the tree: 1) Multi-Graft, with code for root stock; 2) Gravenstein Apple, 3) Red Delicious Apple, 4) Yellow Delicious Apple, 5) Granny Smith Apple. Keeping the tags on, at least till the fruit is well identified, helps to sort out . . . → Read More:

20130215 Food Ridge West — High Rise Hugelkultur Apartment Complex

Yesterday, Valentine’s Day ♥, was the start of new layers to our animal habitat/veggie bed hugelkultur, Food Ridge West. The new layers are pine tree prunings, horse manure, and organic vineyard compost and can be seen in my post Happy Valentines Day AND Garden What You Love.

Final touches . . . → Read More:

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 3 of 3

Side view of Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair animal habitat.

This is the third of three videos showing a garden animal habitat created when our apricot tree was almost entirely uprooted and partially buried on it side. Features of the completed project are explained: –The up-ended rootball serves as an animal habitat. –The buried tree trunk acts as a . . . → Read More:

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 2 of 3

The apricot tree is resting off to the side (left).

This is the second of three videos showing a garden animal habitat created when our apricot tree was almost entirely uprooted and partially buried on it side. Highlights:

–Preparing the trench (hole) to receive the tree trunk and crown.

–Pruning the tree to live peacefully in the garden path.

. . . → Read More:

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 1 of 3

Close-up of nearly removed apricot tree and its rootball.

Time to remove the apricot tree, Grandpa’s Apricot Tree, in our back garden. Almost no fruit in at least 6 years. Seasons, soil, water, and our hungry food-producing mindsets will wait no longer! Time to nurture another tree. We will plant a Santa Rosa plum tree, who’s namesake is . . . → Read More: