Habitat of the Month Contest — contest begins April 2013

4-Habitat of the Month Contest No Responses »

Apr 022013

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 garden habitat.

2) The 4 components of wildlife habitat:

SHELTER =

FOOD =

WATER =

SPACE TO RAISE YOUNG =

3) At least one picture of the the wildlife habitat.

Entry Awards and Contest Winners

All Habitat of the Month Contest entries will receive a “Habitat It!” bumper sticker. Habitat of the Month, as in the The Winner, will receive a signed copy of Tony McGuigan’s book, Habitat It and They Will Come. The month’s winning habitat will be chosen from a review of Comments (facebook) posted to the entry AND ALSO from Tony’s impression of the contest entry. In the case of a tie, two (2) winners, both declared “Habitat of the Month” will be announced.

Contest entries (postings to the facebook page Habitat It and They Will Come) will be accepted till noon (Pacific treefrog time) of the 28th day of the month (26th day for February). Contest winners will be announced by 6PM (Pacific treefrog time) on the 30th day of the same month (28th for February). Contest winners will be announced primarily at Spore Lore’s website (sporelore.com\Blog\Habitat of the Month Contest) and at Spore Lore’s facebook page (Habitat It and They Will Come).

To receive your contest entry “Spore Lore” sticker, and/or receive a book if your habitat is chosen as Habitat of the Month, please email your postal address to habitatofthemonth@sporelore.com; please include the name of your habitat in your email.

Please enter your garden habitat one time only. However, if significant changes have been made to the habitat and/or significant documentation (like pictures!) of the habitat is available, then the same habitat may be re-submitted as a new contest entry.

Create wildlife habitat and have fun.

Post your habitat to Habitat of the Month.

Good Luck!

Fine Print — Other Rules

There is no cash value for any contest rewards or contest prizes.

Participants/Entrants of the Contest give Spore Lore permission to leave contest posts on Spore Lore’s facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/HabitatItAndTheyWillCome, and to post Contest entries and Contest winner announcements to Spore Lore’s facebook pages (Habitat It and They Will Come, Spore Lore, and Tony McGuigan), as well as Tony McGuigan’s/Spore Lore’s other social media sites (Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube) and Spore Lore’s website (sporelore.com). Spore Lore reserves the right to use the winner’s name (if provided in the contest entry), habitat name and habitat location (if provided in the contest entry), for publicity purposes only in connection with the Contest and for no other reason.

Spore Lore is not bound to announce contest entries/winner/winners.

GOVERNING LAW: Contest governed by the laws of California and subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Accordingly, all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of the Contestant and Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of the State of California or any other jurisdiction). The Contest is void where prohibited by any applicable law. Contestants, by participating in this Contest, hereby waive and release, and agree to hold harmless Spore Lore and all of its respective officers, directors, employees and representatives and agents, from and against, any and all rights, claims and causes of action whatsoever that they may have, or which may arise, against any of them for any liability for any matter, cause or thing whatsoever, including but not limited to any injury, loss, damage, whether direct, compensatory, incidental or consequential, to person, including death, and /or property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from their acceptance, possession, use or misuse of any prize, or their participation in this Contest, or any prize-related activity. By participating in this Contest, Contestants agree to be bound by these Official Rules and the decisions of Sponsor. Except where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, winner agrees that Spore may use the winner’s name, address (state), photograph, likeness, and/or prize information for advertising, publicity and promotional purposes and to the use of statements made by or attributed to winner relating to Spore Lore or to this Contest and grants to Spore Lore any and all rights to said use without further notice and/or compensation except where prohibited by law.

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 3 of 3

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

Feb 082013

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 retaining wall for the wood chip path.
–The retaining wall allows a watering trench to be dug into the garden bed slope.

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 3 of 3 (video):

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

Grandpa’s apricot tree is snug in the ground, upside down between the slate wall and the pineapple guava tree. Note the also up-ended apricot tree rootball, which remains partially buried. Some of the roots may thrive and send life to shoots reaching for the sky (like a tree!).

Woodchips are scooped aside to create a watering trench for the garden bed trees. The pineapple guava is tan-colored and the mission fig (thicker, in back) is a pale green. The buried tree trunk serves as retaining wall to the left, allowing a deeper watering trench to be dug.

Side view of Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair animal habitat. Note the mix of Medusa-like roots and soil in the up-ended rootball. The mass of roots and crown wood will become homes for wood-loving critters. As well, the fingers of soil converging into the root mass will become homes for soil-loving critters. In the end, ALL ARE WELCOME!!!

Enjoy your habitat upside down creations!

Tony

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 2 of 3

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

Feb 072013

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.

–Stamping the tree into position before it is buried under the garden path.

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 2 of 3

(video):

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

The apricot tree is resting off to the side (L) until its trench will be dug between the slate border and the pineapple guava tree (R).

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

Tony

20130130 Grandpa’s Apricot Root Worlds Fair 1 of 3

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

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

20121122 Happy Thanksgiving Pineapple Guava

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

Nov 232012

First a video re “Pineapple Guava Harvest”, then some pics of pineapple guava trees and fruit (below the video):

Pineapple Guava Harvest (video):

Pineapple Guava Trees and Fruit (pics):

: Emergency transplant for pineapple guava tree. This tree was transplanted in a rough time of year – the hot, dry California summer. Limbs were severely pruned back to help the rootball establish itself. Note the new buds appearing six months after transplant.

Close-up of new buds on pineapple guava transplant. And growth continued! The large preserved rootball came back to show us what it could do.

Pineapple guava blossom. These "feijoa" evergreen shrubs or small trees are native to Brazil and nearby areas. Blossoms must be pollinated from another plant/shrub.

Picking a little bit of Paradise. The flower petals of the feijoa make a sweet treat, perfect to garnish a plate with. The petals are sweet morsels of joy AND removing them does not prevent the flower from being pollinated. Sometimes you can have your cake AND eat it, too!

Harvest time for these soft, juicy pineapple guava. Most people cut the fruit in half and scoop out the soft flesh. I eat the whole fruit – who’s got time to get a spoon?!

Pic and caption from Tony’s new book, Habitat It and They will Come :

Figure 2.5B Cricket on Pineapple Guava (feijoa). What will it be, Cricket, wait till September for the sweet fruit or enjoy the pineapple guava’s moist sugary petals now? Native to mountainous equatorial South America, pineapple guava is deliciously welcomed in our garden.

Happy Thanksgiving harvest and see you tomorrow.

Tony

20121109 Tree Collard Propagation — 4 of 5 videos

2- Food Forest Gardening No Responses »

Nov 112012

Comfrey leaves guarding tree collard cutting.

You have landed on Day 4 in this 5-day series of videos depicting propagation of tree collard cuttings. Enjoy!

First a video re “Collard Propagation”. Today’s video is part 4 of 5 (1/day) for the series! THEN some tree collard pics (below the video):

Tree Collard Propagation — 4 of 5 videos

Mulching Collard Cuttings (pics):

Tree collard cuttings mulched with straw, comfrey leaves, and collard leaves.

Dragon Spine Ridge planted with tree collard. The cuttings are mulched with straw, comfrey leaves, and collard leaves.

Close-up of tree collard cuttings mulched with straw, comfrey leaves, and collard leaves. The collard cuttings are left behind to share the wealth with slugs and snails looking for food -- but please leave our new transplants alone for now. Note the cut back comfrey plant to the left; its leaves are used to mulch around the new collard starts. Cutting back the comfrey releases nitrogen to the soil via the die-back roots AND through the decomposing leaves themselves.

Mulch surrounding tree collard cuttings. Note the chop-and-drop'ed dock plant to the right -- all its leaves were used to mulch with or add to the compost for soil making. The leaves were yanked but the plant is expected to grow back, over, and over, again.

Comfrey leaves guarding tree collard cutting. The tree collard cutting (center of leaves) has taken a beating by some night marauders, probably slugs and/or snails. Perhaps the hairy underneath of the comfrey leaves will deter critters long enough for the cutting to catch up and thrive.

Happy collard propagation and see you tomorrow.

Tony