I live in a lovely neighborhood, full of mature trees and sprinkled liberally with parks. My neighbors are all friendly, and many people walk regularly, usually with dogs and sometimes with kids. People have beautiful yards for the most part. Yet every fall, my neighbors unwittingly do something very bad for the climate, for the soil, and for the trees…
Tag: carbon sequestration
On the one year anniversary of the release of Kiss the Ground
I teach four sections of 10th grade Earth and Space Science this year at a public charter school where I have been teaching for eleven years. I feel like the luckiest teacher on the planet. We get to learn about my darling planet and it’s place in the universe for a whole school year. We started the year learning about…
The Squash Bug War – and cultivating a truce with other species
Now I remember why I have never successfully grown squash in New Mexico. At our last house, squash plants were killed so early and so quickly by the squash bugs that I hardly remember having squash in my garden at all. Here at the Mothership garden, I began the season in pleasant forgetfulness, and by the end of July I…
Soil Testing for Science Hacks – Part II: The Number
After a long wait, my Year 1 soil test results are in. Note: although there are some great soil tests you can do yourself – see the pictures in this post – the soil test results I will now share are from Colorado State University’s Soil, Water and Plant testing Laboratory. All of the researching, sampling, mailing and waiting while…
Wanderers welcome: the story of Whispering Bells
I was out watering some of my seed beds this morning, eager to see new emerging seedlings. Next to a bear grass plant I planted last spring, I noticed a small emerging plant with interesting scalloped leaves. I took out my phone and took a picture of it with my Picture This app, which I use frequently to identify plants.…
Carbon Imports Part II – The Dark Side
Back in February I posted about adding carbon in the form of compost or mulch to a young garden. Importing carbon in the beginning of a new garden’s life helps it establish. But it bears repeating that the carbon you import should be local, and your imports should be ever diminishing. Why? Let’s think about all the carbon we are…
Carbon Imports
If you could listen to your soil and it could talk, you would hear it asking for carbon. The very element that is accumulating in our atmosphere and threatening to disrupt the fabric of life on Earth is in great demand below our feet. Soil organic matter is to the microbial life of your soil as grass is to cows.…
Tree Time
Many of us have an evergreen tree in our living rooms right now, and it’s an excellent time to reflect on the wonder of trees. I have come to do so every winter, which is why I call the few weeks when we have our tree for the holidays Tree Time. It is also a good time to plan what…
Introduction
Perhaps you have noticed that climate change is now the mother of all looming threats. And perhaps, like me, you have had the same thought over and over again during recent years: I don’t think I am doing enough, I don’t think we are doing enough. And deep down, you know this thought is accurate. We should all be reacting…