Low Tech Podcast, No. 58 – 04 Nov 2022
Thatch as Sustainable Roofing?
In this episode we talk about the feasibility of thatch as sustainable utilitarian roofing.
#thatching #sustainabilit … More Low Tech Podcast, No. 58 — Thatch as Sustainable Roofing?
Low Tech Podcast, No. 57 – 14 Sep 2022
A Day at the Institute
In this episode we follow along a typical work day at the institute and all its various tasks. … More Low Tech Podcast, No. 57 — A Day at the Institute
Low Tech Podcast, No. 56 – 30 Sep 2022
Snake River Seed Co-Op
In this episode we chat with three members of the Snake River Seed Co-op leadership team (https://snakeriverseeds.com/). … More Low Tech Podcast, No. 56 — Snake River Seed Co-Op
Low Tech Podcast, No. 55 — Institute Bee Research
Institute Bee Research
In this episode we share a field recording out at the institute’s bee research apiary. … More Low Tech Podcast, No. 55 — Institute Bee Research
Low Tech Podcast, No. 54 – 02 Sep 2022
Gardens: The Original Social Safety Net
In this episode we delve into the history of subsistence gardening and why our time is such an aberration. … More Low Tech Podcast, No. 55 — Gardening: The Original Social Safety Net
The main driver of gardening success seems to be sunlight and matching plants to the place in your garden where they can thrive by getting enough rays each day. One way to analyze your space is to watch where the snow melts first — these are likely your “hot spots.” You could spend a midsummer … More Garden Sunlight: Auditing Your Space
We’re starting to prepare for this growing season. Last year we published a calculator to help determine how many plants to grow and how much space they’d need. We also published a week-by-week calendar of starting, planting, and harvesting for US Hardiness Zone 5a. This last week I sat down and organized my seeds, throwing … More Gardening — 2018 Plants
It is starting to feel like fall, and the average first frost is only three weeks away (source). That means we’re thinking about next spring and starting preparations. Here are three experiments we’re undertaking. Smother Beds with Wood Chip Paths Instead of double-digging garden beds — the back-breaking work of using a shovel to turn … More Garden Experiments
The garden is enjoying the warm temperatures and copious rain over the last few weeks. We were not able to get the entire garden area turned over, but we did get raised beds, a large potato patch, and a few burn areas planted. The potatoes are 2 ft high and now sprouting flowers. Unlike other … More Garden Update — June 2017
We have plenty of ways to schedule our garden planting. Many extension services and gardening books print this information in table format. These are often arranged alphabetically. I prefer to put things in chronological order. I’ve done this below for the institute, which is located just south of Madison, Wisconsin in USDA hardiness zone 5a. … More Gardening — Planting Calendar