Rockin’ rolls

Earlier this year I dived into the whole snail seedlings debate. That was the thing about whether starting seeds in a snail-like wrap of paper towel (which makes for a terrific imitation of a giant sushi roll BTW) was actually a better way of growing seedlings. I’m pretty sure the debate is still raging. Allow…

Not-so-obvious fruit tree planting tips

A reader of Ministry Of The Fence recently asked me about what to add to the soil for planting a new fruit tree. She posed the question in the comments section of the post entitled “Tea And Bananas: Saving Water, Feeding Plants“. Her question got me thinking. Planting fruit trees is a tricky business but…

Video still of Tertill, a robotic weeder.

Do we need robot weeders?

Massachusetts-based Franklin Robotics, developers of the infamous Roomba Robot Vacuum [Editor’s note: In case you don’t know what a Roomba looks like, check out this video: Cat In A Shark Costume Chases A Duck While Riding A Roomba] is seeking financial aid on Kickstarter for their latest invention–a solar-powered weeding robot dubbed Tertill. The small,…

Is your soil healthy? More dirt on dirt.

You used to be able to buy a house, walk out the back door, and, if you were so inclined, dig a little vegetable patch. Nothing complicated. Just plant some carrots and beans or maybe stake a row of tomatoes. But things are so much more complicated now. The Toronto Star ran an expose last…

To prune or not to prune

Pruning is one of those divisive words that can inspire fear, joy or annoyance but I think we can all agree that a shrub or tree, when in need of a trim and correctly pruned, looks the better and is healthier for it. But that’s the problem. How do you know what needs to be…