DIY

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Do It Yourself

Why I Garden #38

Submitted by TimJFowler on Sun, 2013/10/20 - 4:35pm
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Olla and encircling root bowl

A tale of a full moon, a hard frost, green tomatoes and eight dirty ollas.

Camping Weekend Reset

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2013/10/01 - 3:04pm
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Camping weekend hike

Getting away for a weekend of camping always seems like a hassle, until the tent is pitched and sleeping bags are unrolled. We were packed and rolling out of town by 3pm on Friday toward a state park about 2.5 hours away which minimized traffic and stress. We also enjoyed the comforts of a developed campsite. True backcountry camping will wait until all family members can carry their own backpack. Clear starry skies, frosty cold mornings, sunny hikes and 48 news-free hours helped to clear our frazzled minds.

Why I Garden #37

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2013/09/18 - 12:09pm
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Purple Asters - Machaeranthera bigelovii

Folks around Santa Fe call these flowers Purple Aster when they pop up in late summer / early fall. Apparently Aster bigelovii has quite a few pseudonyms including Bigelow's Tansyaster, Sticky Aster and more scientifically Machaeranthera bigelovii or Dieteria bigelovii var. bigelovii. Regardless of what they're called we have a few of these self-seeded native wildflowers growing in one of the beds around our home.

A Riddle Hovering in the Garden

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/09/06 - 11:26am
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Hyles lineata - White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth

Our garden attracts a good variety of insect pollinators, including our honeybees. For the past week we've had a new variety of showy, large moths in the garden. They flit about like hummingbirds and are bold, relatively unbothered by human attention. A quick 'Net search revealed that our garden guests are Hyles lineata, the White-lined Sphinx Hummingbird Moth. Of course, now I need to check the tomatoes for hornworms.

DIY Inspiration

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/08/30 - 3:41pm
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The Hand of Man at Abq. Mini Maker Faire

Last weekend I took a break from the list of DIY projects to watch someone else make something. We headed down to Albuquerque to experience the Albuquerque Mini Maker Faire. After several years of reading Make: magazine it was time to attend a gathering of this very geeky tribe. Up until we arrived I was unsure of whether the Maker Faire would be worth the hassle of loading up the family for a two-hour round trip. Well, I think we've found our people.

Gardens and Chickens and Goats, Oh My!

Submitted by TimJFowler on Wed, 2013/08/07 - 2:00pm
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Garden & Coop Tour 2013 - Friendly Goat

Once again it is high summer and time for garden tours. Santa Feans have a selection of garden tours to choose from. Tours range from Behind Adobe Walls and the Botanical Gardens to gardens that are a bit more home grown. As our garden is relatively modest I find inspiration from similarly DIY gardens.

Standing on a Carbon Sink

Submitted by TimJFowler on Mon, 2013/07/29 - 3:48pm
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Installing a Douglas Fir plank floor

This might just look like a new wood floor to you, but it's also a carbon sink. In our search to replace our heavily worn carpet and vinyl flooring we looked at many options, finally deciding on locally harvested and milled Douglas Fir. I've always liked the feel and look of tongue & groove wood floors and this was a reasonably priced, local option for us.

A Long Road to Recycling Carpet

Submitted by TimJFowler on Fri, 2013/07/19 - 11:07am
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Carpet Pad bales

Out with the old, in with the new. We've replaced much of the flooring in our house (more on that here) and removed some very worn carpet. Before ripping out the carpet, carpet pad, cactus-like tack strips and hundreds of staples and nails I looked into recycling the old carpet. It turns out that you can recycle carpet (at least some kinds) but as usual for us, it required an extra effort.

Why I Garden #36

Submitted by TimJFowler on Tue, 2013/07/16 - 10:08am
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Tomato plants after hail storm

Hail! Ugh.

One week ago a fierce thunderstorm hit our neighborhood and it started with a vicious hailstorm. I was in the middle of a project and could do nothing to save the tender annuals in our garden. While the corn survived, most of the chiles, tomatoes, beans and squash were shredded. Many of the perennials are already looking better, but I still need to decide what plants will be replaced this season.

I'm thrilled to have the precipitation, I just wish it had all come as rain. Ugh.

Was it worth the wait?

Submitted by EcoMommyo on Thu, 2013/06/27 - 1:09pm
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I printed out the recipe for Spinach Peanut Stew in 2004 from the New York Times website. I have the time stamp on the bottom of the page. I just tried to Google it and couldn't find a link, that's how far this recipe has slipped off the radar (Hey! we found it - link above). I didn't cook it until May 2013. Was it worth the wait?

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