Low Technology Institute

Skill Share Workshops: Log-Grown Shiitake and Wincaps in Woodchips

April 24, 2019

Mushrooms are a great source of nutrition and a wonderful addition to any garden. Garden enthusiasts can easily grow many varieties of mushrooms in a shady spot in their backyards. During this workshop we will demonstrate several easy-to-learn techniques for adding edible mushrooms to diversify your garden experience. You’ll also learn about the live cycle … More Skill Share Workshops: Log-Grown Shiitake and Wincaps in Woodchips

Hour-Per-Day Gardening Continues

April 18, 2019

The hour-per-day gardening project continues. Spring is the busiest time of year, followed by fall harvesting. With the addition a part of our neighbor’s plot, we have more work and space than ever. It has been cool and a little wet, but dry enough to get some seeds in the ground. The Neighbor’s Plot This … More Hour-Per-Day Gardening Continues

Borrow Garden Tools from the Tool Library

April 17, 2019

It is springtime and I see gardens being put in around the village. Did you go out to your garden shed and find that a tool you need broke? Are you looking for a quicker way to plant even rows of seeds? Do you want to try a new tool before buying it? Check out … More Borrow Garden Tools from the Tool Library

How Hard Could It Be to Make a Shirt?

April 15, 2019

The institute’s tagline is “housing, clothing, and feeding ourselves in a post-fossil-fuel world,” but we give short shrift to the “clothing” part as we work on gardening and construction projects. We were lucky enough to be offered some growing space near the institute and in addition to growing chicken feed, we thought it would be … More How Hard Could It Be to Make a Shirt?

One-Hour-Per-Day Gardening is Back

April 11, 2019

We have a big garden and try to grow an increasing percentage of our own food. We’ve still got potatoes and some canned vegetables from last year in the larder. People often comment on how large the garden is and how much work and time it must take to keep up, so again this year, … More One-Hour-Per-Day Gardening is Back

Bee Report — Early Spring is Here

April 9, 2019

In the last report, we found that the institute bees survived the “polar vortex” -30°F (plus windchill) temperatures but the research hives, which were split heavily and smaller in size, did not. It is now reaching flying temperatures most days (>50°F) and the bees in all four institute hives have been out. Institute Hives … More Bee Report — Early Spring is Here

How to Use a Windfall: An Extra 5,000 ft² of Growing Space

April 1, 2019

Our neighbors have run a market garden for years, selling produce at the Dane County Farmers’ Market and others. This year they have decided to scale back and just grow for themselves. They have a large plot with excess capacity and have offered us about five thousand square feet of full-sun growing space. We’re incredibly grateful … More How to Use a Windfall: An Extra 5,000 ft² of Growing Space

Sustainability Skill Share: New Early-Bird Prices Now Offered!

March 27, 2019

Our Sustainability Skill Share is approaching on June 1 and 2, and we have initiated an early-bird registration discount. Did you have a look at the classes but were still deciding if you want to sign up? Deliberate no longer: this is the best price for our classes (prices are lower than when you looked … More Sustainability Skill Share: New Early-Bird Prices Now Offered!

nonindustrial | subsistence | technology