HUGS International : Homestead and Urban Garden Society

"So long as never-ending economic growth remains the goal of our governments and our major financial institutions, and so long as the corporate bottom line continues to put immediate profit above the future of our children and so  long as so many of the world's inhabitants continue to live in unalleviated poverty, the crimes against the natural world will continue. We who care, we who understand, must use every means at our disposal to fight back.  We shall lose some of the battles -- but we must not give up.  And we have a powerful ally, for nature, ever resilient and resourceful, will, given time, clothe a devastated landscape with green growing things so that it becomes a place where animals can once again thrive.  Of course it can take a very long time indeed for such an area to become a well-functioning ecosystem with diverse flora and fauna.  But when the right people--those who truly understand the dynamics of a healthy ecosystem, who have learned by watching, and

Since I haven't used the compost pile for much after we got the ducks, I decided to move the fencing and utilize it around the garden to keep the dog out of there instead.  This new open area was free range for foraging ducks, so I had to do something with the two avocado saplings, or loose them to potential nibbling. Consultation with the fiance confirmed that while we would *like* to have more avocado trees, our property just isn't big enough for more.  What we really want is a variety of trees, like mangoes, limes, oranges, almonds... you get the idea. So I did something I've been thinking about doing since the idea of HUGS first came to me: I went out into the world and planted them where I thought they might be useful. Go go gadget: guerrilla gardening! Site 1 "Before" 2.27.18 Site 1 "After" 2.27.18 Just around the corner from my house is an informational sign near the canal explaining what the city does

Garden Update We had some surprise visitors yesterday!  This big guy and 6 of his closest friends were wandering around the neighborhood looking for bugs and fresh grit.  That was a first in our yard! Trying the Ruth Stout method of no-till straw gardening to start a permanent garden for the first time on this property.  So far I'm impressed -- a bale of straw the same size as a bag of cedar chips goes three times as far, and counting!  It makes great bedding for the ducks, and when it gets too mucked up from being in the duck house, I just move it to the garden and it makes a superb mulch!  Crusty on top, moist in the middle... yum!  :) Tractor Supply got in a spring shipment of root stock so I picked up some Mary Washington asparagus on a whim just to see how it would do.  After the first rain it sprouted right up!  And it just keeps coming! Also expanding the wicking bed experiment into hydroponics -- can it be successful using just duck water?? Curious m