Browsing category: Doing It Ourselves

What Our Finished Compost Looks Like

This year, for the first time ever in all my years of gardening, I have had more compost available than I could use. It has been WONDERFUL…

Our Load of Logs — A Progress Report

It is raining again this morning. And it rained for a while last night and yesterday and the night before that and the day before that. It feels like it has rained almost every day since our load of logs was delivered to us… and it actually has…

A Truckload of Logs — Our Winter Firewood Supply

For the past four years some of our winter wood supply has come from the woods across the road from our house… but we have cleared out most of those storm-damaged trees and we are always looking for a new firewood source.

More Leaf Mold in the Making — It’s Starting To Heat Up

We don’t add anything to the leaves, but they will naturally contain some pine needles and pieces of grass and other vegetation that get caught up in the raking. These all help the pile to heat up.

How We Make Compost

Composting can be as elaborate or as simple as you want it to be. We have found that a simple pile works best for us, but bins to hold the compost can be made out of a wide variety of materials… like chicken wire, bricks, concrete blocks, bales of hay, or railroad ties.

Firewood — Cutting Our Own Instead Of $250+ Per Cord

Every winter many of the trees in the woods across the road from our house are uprooted or knocked to the ground by the winds and the weight of the freezing rain and heavy snows… and these fallen trees become the source of some of next winter’s firewood.

A Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder That Really Is

This is our squirrel-proof bird feeder. My husband built it out of recycled wood, plastic roofing, and screws, so it didn’t cost us a penny… and it is the best bird feeder we have ever had.