Seasons
The calendar tells us there are four seasons. Our friend Bob claims there are two: crock pot and barbecue. The first fall frost came on October 15, the night after the full moon. I’ve heard that the weather is coldest at the full moon. The cloudy...
C-Lover
A slight breeze will make you turn your head. What is that wonderful smell? I would have guessed it was a row of Lilacs in full bloom. But the goat ate ours. Besides the lilac season is fading fast. I diligently searched the hedge row for the savory scent,...
First Year at Factor e Farm
It is interesting to reflect upon the changes that Factor e Farm has gone through in just one year. We started at Factor e with a clean slate: bare land – after its last ever soybean monoculture was harvested. Now the place looks a little different,...
Mulch Track
The farm is bustling with activity, mimicking the natural abundant growth period of spring. Moving silos, planting, mulching, building a trencher and tractor, finding and fixing an old rototiller, adopting a cat, raising ducklings, milking, watering,...
Growing a Permanent Society
We are proposing the creation of Global Villages that contain: (1), permanent agriculture, (2) 100% renewable and local energy production, (3), biofuel production, and (4), permafacture. For the permanent agriculture side a good example for our land would...
Does Anyone Know Where I Could Get a 250 Mile Per Gallon Car?
I was looking for a one cylinder diesel engine today for our new Troy-Bilt Horse rototiller. It appears that the Horse model is the simplest, longest-lasting rototiller of all tillers – so we snatched one up. It was made in the 70’s, and it...
The Value of Jerusalem Artichokes
This “weed” looks like a bumpy potato and is related to the Sunflower (the energy goes to the root more than the seeds in this case). They produce terrific amount of flatulence for most consumers. (They are composed of an indigestible...
Super Productive
When I initially began learning about organics, I had mixed feelings about the terms “super-weeds” and “super-bugs”. I understood the concept that weeds and insects could evolve until strains developed that would withstand the...
Viability
The perfect time to think spring is when snow covers the ground and is held there by freezing temperatures. You can “do” spring when the ground cracks as the frost heaves and buds burst into greens, whites, and pinks. But now is the...
Resource Development
We had a nice adventure today to the local supermarket where we picked up 4 cardboard bales. We originally wanted them as weed-barrier mulch-rings for our trees. But now our brains have exploded with possibilites and we want more. Potential uses include:...
