Category Archives: Cool Things

Garden Gadgets

A time lapse camera for your garden? Amazing! This would be a great gift for that special “green thumb” in your life. I love that you’re able to literally watch your garden grow.

See 20 at:http://sfgate.houzz.com/ideabooks/1892215/list/Guest-Picks–20-Great-Garden-Gadgets/w/sid=1

Build a Predator-Proof, Portable Chicken Coop for Your Backyard

Now that you are able to have chickens in San Diego it is time to start building.  Before you add any livestock check with your local zoning laws for restrictions.

A few laying hens in the backyard has almost become the icon of today’s self-sufficiency movement. Birds kept in a portable chicken coop on pasture provide delicious, inexpensive eggs, and eggs from birds that get plenty of grass, bugs and seeds to eat are better for you than store-bought eggs (read the results of our egg nutrition testing in The Good Egg). Hens are great converters of kitchen waste into valuable manure for the garden, and every chicken owner we know takes a lot of pleasure in just watching the chickens noodle around in the yard.

But free-range birds are often taken by foxes, bobcats, hawks, dogs or other predators, so unless you have guardian dogs that can keep predators away, your best option is probably a portable chicken coop that gives the chickens access to fresh grass and dirt every day while also keeping them protected.

Over the years, MOTHER EARTH NEWS has offered several DIY chicken coop plans, particularly designs for portable chicken coops. It has been a challenge. The perfect coop should be lightweight and easy to build — even for a child or an older person — yet it must be sturdy enough to keep predators away from the birds, and it shouldn’t cost too much money.

 
Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only

Green up your Desktop With a Simple Terrarium

 
Easy to make and maintain, terrariums are perfect for brown thumbs, but garden enthusiasts will also enjoy creating these miniature landscape designs. Transform empty bottles into happy DIY terrarium homes (see “Bottle Remodel” further along in this article), or scour your kitchen cabinets, recycling bins and local thrift stores for clear glass containers with wide mouths. Once you’ve selected your container, fill it with small, slow-growing plants. Opt for one striking specimen, or select an odd number of plants with similar needs in a variety of shapes and colors. If you want to grow your terrarium in a lidded container, choose plants that prefer humidity.

Read more: http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/green-homes/diy-projects/how-to-make-a-terrarium-zmlz12mazmel.aspx#ixzz1nh08t633

 
Disclaimer: for information and entertainment purposes only