BACKYARD GARDENING
WITHOUT THE BACKACHE
Pollination in Greenhouse Gardening [Hometown Structures]
By far the most common question I get about growing vegetables in my Hometown Structures greenhouse is “but how do the plants get pollinated?” And as with most things in gardening, the answer just isn’t that straightforward. Of course, it is an important consideration when planning what you will grow in your greenhouse garden! The truth is, I don’t rely on pollinators in my greenhouse the same way that I do in my outdoor vegetable garden, and there’s a few reasons for this - as well as a few techniques I use instead to ensure my flowering plants are being manually pollinated by hand so they can produce the harvests I want them to.
Why Should You Plant Native Plants In Your Garden?
Native plants are plants that are naturalized to the area in which they are growing. They originated from the place they are growing, so are well adapted to the climate and generally work in synchronicity with the natural ecosystem of that area. Many non-native plants have been imported to other parts of the world with dire consequences to the native plant populations, as they possess characteristics that make it easy for them to crowd out the native plants or otherwise make the environment unsuitable for the growth of the native plants that were there first.
How to Build a Bird Feeder [Tutorial]
Like many young people, I thought my grandpa might have some kind of magic. You see, he was one of those people who seemed to be friends with the birds in a way not many of us are. He could merely step out into his yard and with a few quick whistles summon all varieties of backyard birds to his palm or his shirt pocket, where they would enter into a conversation of chirps and intense eye contact that fascinated me. To be honest, looking back I’m still fairly certain that it was some sort of magic. Even through the rose colored glasses of childhood, I know deep in my bones that he understood something of nature that many people do not. Could he have known that these moments he spent with me and the birds, carving whistles from fallen horse chestnuts, would become a part of my own origin story as a naturalist? Far from an expert though I might be, he showed me what it meant to be a student of nature long before I grew my own garden or made my own companions in the rabbits and toads that keep me company as I sow, weed and water. I learned from him that all wildlife has value, no matter how small. That bird song deserves our attention. And of course, I learned that feeding birds is just plain fun.
Why have a bird feeder? Here’s some of the benefits of backyard birds in your yard:
Bat Houses You Can Build Or Buy
When I was young, we had a playroom in our attic. One afternoon, we noticed there were bats hanging upside-down on one of the window screens. There were two big bats, and a little baby bat.
With the glass between us, we were able to safely look them over, and we learned something unexpected – bats are cute!
They stayed quite a while, sleeping all day and disappearing at night. We actually felt a little sad when they left for good, and so we bought a bat house kit.