20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 1 of 3

Feb 042013

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 the next town over from our sunny California garden.

Almost! I almost got the entire apricot rootball out before coming to my senses. Yes, I like to create an animal habitat EVERY time I dig into the soil. But, I thought I would shortcut that vision because so many parts of the garden call for my attention. (Truth be told, the garden would do very well without my meddling.) Then, with ¾’s of the root ball removed and even less breath in my lungs, I came to my senses.

Yes!, this is a habitat. I can stop right here. This rootwad DOES NOT have to be completely removed from the bed. The Santa Rosa plum can be planted next to the almost-removed rootball of Grandpa’s Apricot Tree. My exhausted muscles can think of many reasons why to keep the leaned over, buried tree trunk. Watch today’s video and the next 2 to come to find out why!

Habitat it and they will come!

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 1 of 3

(video):

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair (pics):

The apricot tree was pruned to make removal easier. Note the old grafting sites (with yellow grafting sealer); even new stock would not produce fruit. A shame – the tree growth was vigorous with beautiful structure and wood/bark.

A tree is down! Repeat, a tree is down! After cutting some roots with a shovel, and bronco-riding the tree, other roots snapped and the tree was rendered a soil dweller.

Close-up of nearly removed apricot tree and its rootball. This is where, when I discovered that the tree need not be completely removed, that the soil-rich rootball makes a fantastic garden animal habitat.

Enjoy your habitat thinking-out-of-the-box creations. Nothin‘ is “debris“ in a habitat garden food forest!

Tony

20130114 Pine Brush Pile

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 3- Habitat It And They Will Come -- Tony's book No Responses »

Jan 172013

Pine Brush Pile is a Zone 4 or 5 (Permaculture) habitat oasis in Tony’s back yard. Great place to resource this year’s Xmas tree.

20130114 Pine Brush Pile (video):

Pine Brush Pile (pics in Tony’s book):

Figure B.4 Insect Eggs on Pine Needle. [The picture has two parts: the background is from a distance and an insert is the close-up of the eggs. See post below for the close-up.]

Figure B.4 Insect Eggs on Pine Needle. The insect eggs shown are probably true bug eggs. True bugs, order Hemiptera, are insects like cicadas, stink bugs, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, aphids, and others. All bugs are insects, but not all insects are bugs! True bug eggs often have the visible “escape hatch” (the circular disc on the top of each egg), which is visible in the inset photo close-up view. I particularly love the outer texture to the egg wall — looks like lime bumps on an orange.

Pine Brush Pile (pics from Tony’s garden):

Nest-building supplies made available for birds. Lots of birds come and go in Pine Brush Pile thicket, some looking to build nests. Yarn, string, and hair is left to help them color coordinate and insulate their nests. Always fun to discover “foreign” articles in a bird nest.

Ground view of Pine Brush Pile from Snake Shores. Perhaps a snake will slither down from the thick, warm slate of Snake Shores. It can enter Mayan Totem Seat, the 18-inch-deep stack of slate AND spacers in the foreground, or go beyond, into the coolness and food-rich jungle of Pine Brush Pile.

Pine log, shaped to maximize thicket-building. The branch stubs left on this log will keep the log off the ground and from snugging up to other logs. More space between logs means…[who knows but Habitat It and They Will Come!]. See next pic for the placement of this log in Pine Brush Pile.

Pine logs and branches in Pine Brush Pile. Helter skelter never looked so good!

Enjoy your habitat thicket creations. Nothin‘ is “debris“ in a habitat garden food forest!

Tony

20121206 Bucket Watering Can DIY 4 of 4

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Dec 072012

First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 4 of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):

Bucket Watering Can DIY 4 of 4 (video):

From the project (pics):

New and Improved watering can (model 000000000000000002) has smaller holes. A smaller spout stream helps distribute the water more evenly and is less harsh on bare soil and fragile seedlings.

A look inside the watering can ready for application. Note the floating food particles that would clog up the spout to an ordinary watering can. THIS is no ordinary watering can!

Watering with finer spout holes. Mission accomplished – the new watering streams are less sloppy than the larger-holed watering can.

Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121205 Bucket Watering Can DIY 3 of 4

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Dec 072012

Watering the garden with our new watering can.

First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 3 of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):

Bucket Watering Can DIY 3 of 4 (video):

From the project (pics):

Filling the watering can with dishwater (blackwater). Check out that water! It’s a mix of soapy water, food particles from our dishes, and pasta drain-off water. Here microbes, come and get it!

Diluting the dishwater with fresh water. We’ll get more coverage in the garden by adding fresh water to the nutrient “concentration”.

Watering the garden with our new watering can. Note the use of the fill hole as handle grip. It works! And, easy to clean.

Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121204 Bucket Watering Can DIY 2 of 4

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Dec 072012

Cutting a fill hole in the bucket’s lid.

First a video re “Bucket Watering Can DIY 2of 4”, then some pics of the project (below the video):

Bucket Watering Can DIY 2 of 4 (video):

From the project (pics):

Cutting a fill hole in the bucket’s lid. The large hole allows filling the watering can easily AND can be used as a non-moving grip while watering garden.

Finding center opposite the watering can’s grip (the fill hole). The bucket was then flipped 180 degrees to locate the center of the holes to be drilled.

Spout holes are drilled to both the right and left of the center mark hole. The more holes, the wider the watering row-of-streams will be.

Happy DIY projects for your Habitat Food Forest. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121202 Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 2 of 2

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Dec 042012

Tony’s last conversation with Monica Mannequin.

First a video re “Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 2 of 2”, then some pics of “Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat installation” (below the video):

Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 2 of 2 (video):

Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat installation and planting Salvia spathacea (pics):

The west end of Cacti Caverns is cleared of lavarock. The “Monica” (species name) manzanita (Spanish for “little apple”) shrub will be planted on top of Cacti Caverns’ terra cotta flat roofing tiles.

The lower tile is slide under the top tile to make room for Monica Manzanita Mannequin animal habitat. Poor quality soil (high percentage of adobe clay) is removed to make room for planting (better quality) soil.

Tony’s last conversation with Monica Mannequin. Note the wavy wood grain, identifying the mass as a tree root burl. The “nose”, or upright projection (Hey, work with me here!), is the base of the trunk, which starts out a straight grain.

Monica Manzanita threaded through Mannequin. Soon critters will inhabit the inside vaulted ceilings and come and go through Mannequin’s crevices. A pole planted next to MMM serves as a handhold while traversing the walk path.

Monica manzanita a month after being planted. Looks happy to me! Not over watering is probably the biggest challenge this manzanita shrub will offer here in California, where it is a native plant.

After two healthy months, the typically very slowly growing shrub looks to be establishing itself. Grape Overpass is sporting bunches of green grapes that will ripen in a couple of months.

Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) planted next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. The salvia, like the manzanita, is also a native plant that will thrive in the dry hydrozone garden bed.

Both hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) pose for a photo op next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. The critters will be happy!, especially in years to come when the manzanita tree canopies its undergrowth of hummingbird sage.

Happy animal habitat installations. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121201 Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 1 of 2

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening, 3- Habitat It And They Will Come -- Tony's book No Responses »

Dec 032012

Hummingbird Salvia (Salvia spathacea) shows off Tony and his camera gear before being planted.

First a video re “Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 1 of 2”, then some pics of “Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation” (below the video):

Planting Salvia spathacea next to Monica Manzanita Mannequin 1 of 2 (video):

Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation and Planting Salvia spathacea (pics):

Roof view of driveway property line in 2010: From street, 1) sunflowers are growing in Canyon Wall Oasis (large cavity in ground), AND 2) cacti grow above Cacti Caverns. Note that the lavarock continues past Cacti Caverns to THE WORLD (especially if you are a tiny critter!).

Close-up of Cacti Caverns in 2010. Low profile above ground. Several small sheltered cavities below ground. Note the applewood tunnel in foreground and the 3-stack thick curved clay roofing tile tunnel in rear. All earthworks are critter approved!

On with the show! Let’s get this Hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea) planted and shoot some film.

The two hummingbird sage will be planted between Cacti Caverns habitat and Monica Manzanita Mannequin habitat. Truth be told, the salvias are actually planted above one of Cacti Caverns buried roofing tile cavities.

Pics and captions from Tony’s new book, Habitat It and They will Come of Cacti Caverns animal habitat installation (pics):

Figure 4.52 Property line before Cacti Caverns installed. Zeroscape for miles and miles and miles. Time to change that. Cacti Caverns will provide a little greenery, a little nook and cranny, a little Life is what you make it! to this property line.

Figure 4.60 Planks held in place by rebar. The sturdy barricade will keep the rock in place during work. A worthwhile effort. Cascading creative ideas and manipulation of the moonscape into Cacti Caverns wonderland won’t have to be interrupted to replace rock landslides.

Figure 4.72 Flat Clay Roofing Tiles resting on tunnel. Gaps on both sides of the rounded log section will shelter (fill in critters of your choice) . Note shovelful of soil used to anchor tile in place; the soil will be washed down to settle both sides of the tile. Lavastone will rest directly on the tile’s flat surface.

Figure 4.88 Wala!. Retaining wall planks and rebar supports removed. We’re finished!

Figure 4.94 Three Years Later. next pages Cacti Caverns has matured. The cacti have grown paddle upon paddle upon paddle, a delicate flowering ivy has spread throughout, and Sea Creature has silvered (aged gracefully, they say). Wood destined for the garden (in background, out of focus) awaits its turn alongside Cacti Gardens. A wary garter snake has crawled out of the thicket of ivy and cacti, and rests on the fencepost. Even more exciting than the snake itself (in our garden!) was watching it retreat from my pestering photography down into the ivy-obscured entrance of the applewood tunnel.

Happy animal habitat installation. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121127 Planting Garlic 3 of 6

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Nov 282012

Tree collard cuttings left to thrive in water till planted SOON!

First a video re “Planting Garlic”, then some pics of Tree Collard Planting (below the video):

Planting Garlic 3 of 6 (video):

Tree Collard Planting (pics):

Full grown tree collard (left of Fuji apple tree).

The tree collard cuttings to be planted next to our sidewalk garlic bed came from this full grown tree collard. We harvest collard leaves to eat; the stalks leftover become cuttings to be propagated.

Tree collard cuttings to be propagated. Draw a line between the pruners and the leather sheath – that’s the expected soil line for the cuttings.

Tree collard cuttings left to thrive in water till planted SOON! The bucket contained rainwater and fallen leaves, a rich organic soup for the cuttings. Bacteria, fungi, and microbes in the water? Absolutely! And perhaps that’s a good thing. When I find out I’ll get back to you.

For more of Tony’s blog entries on tree collard, see:

20121106-Collard-Propagation–1-of-5-videos

20121107-Collard-Propagation–2-of-5-videos

20121108-Collard-Propagation–3-of-5-videos

20121109-Collard-Propagation–4-of-5-videos

20121110-Collard-Propagation–5-of-5-videos

Happy planting garlic, onions, and shallots AND planting tree collard. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121126 Planting Garlic 2 of 6

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Nov 282012

Leaf Trench Highway, a fedge (food hedge) and soil-making trench along our garden path.

First a video re “Planting Garlic”, then some pics of Soil Making in Leaf Trench Highway (below the video):

Planting Garlic 2 of 6 (video):

Soil Making in Leaf Trench Highway (pics):

Leaf Trench Highway, a fedge (food hedge) and soil-making trench along our garden path. The veggie bed lasagna layer of compostables include (bottom to top): alfalfa straw, fresh greens (prunings and weeds), dead sticks and leaves, hay straw, hot (newer) horse manure, compost soil, mulch, and plants growing through the mulch.

View from Salamander Resort to Leaf Trench Highway.

View from Salamander Resort (the barrel pond is Salamander Sunny Swimhole) to Leaf Trench Highway. The “highway” refers to the trench’s habitat connectivity ability – the habitat food forest trench is a pathway between Salamander Resort animal habitat AND Cottage Pond animal habitat, which is under the deck in the background.

See blog entry 20121119 Patio Veggie Pots 5 of 6 for more pics of soil making in Leaf Trench Highway.

See blog entry 20121120 Patio Veggie Pots 6 of 6 for more pics of soil making in Leaf Trench Highway AND how the veggie bed not only makes soil but also provides animal habitat and habitat connectivity.

Read more about soil making in Leaf Trench Highway at blog entry Planting, finally! AND Soil Making in Leaf Trench Highway.

Happy planting garlic, onions, and shallots AND making soil. See you tomorrow.

Tony

20121125 Planting Garlic 1 of 6

1- Residential Habitats -- Critters and Their Homes, 2- Food Forest Gardening, 3- Habitat It And They Will Come -- Tony's book No Responses »

Nov 272012

First a video re “Planting Garlic”, then some pics of Skyward Pumpkin chop-and-drop (below the video):

Planting Garlic 1 of 6 (video):

Skyward Pumpkin chop-and-drop (pics):

See blog entry Skyward Pumpkins and Happy Halloween for another video of Skyward Pumpkins.

Skyward Pumpkin harvested, taken down from its altar in the crosshatch of bamboo teepee trellis poles. Note the forced out-of-round shape; almost hurts to look at! Also notice the cozy spider web in the cracked-open vine. A red-backed Thompson’s jumper is tucked away, hoping we will GO AWAY!

Millipede in Skyward Pumpkin vine. So much for hiding – this millipede was very concealed in the pumpkin vine till I split the vine open to look for critters. Judging from the mess in its room, I would guess this is an adolescent millipede 🙂 . Note the hollow structure of the vine that invited the millipede in; I have cracked the vine in two, spreading the halves open like a book.

Skyward Millipede on the move, all kazillion legs. Note the millipede’s segmented antennae and how each body segment has 2 legs on each side of the body. Watch out, millipede, you're headed for Skyward Pumpkin’s butt crack!

Skyward Millipede further on down the road. How graceful!

Pics and captions from Tony’s new book, Habitat It and They will Come :

Figure 4.194 Right Side Up. Some of this millipede’s characteristics include: doesn’t bite (but does release a cyanide-based fluid that STINKS!), mostly a scavenger of organic debris, short antennae, slow crawler, legs are tucked under the body. Most of those characteristics are in contrast with a centipede’s: centipedes are fast, long-antennaed, predatory, and pack a mean bite. Figure 4.195 Up Side Down. Same millipede, probably more annoyed at this point.

Happy planting garlic, onions, and shallots and see you tomorrow.

Tony

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