Natural Antivirals for Coronavirus Disclaimer: The plants detailed below are part of a promising study of candidate herbs to inhibit the novel coronavirus that is causing Covid-19. I am not a medical doctor nor a certified herbalist. I have used herbs to maintain my health and the health of my family. As of this writing there is no known cure …
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Natural Cold Remedies: Plant-based alternatives
While natural cold remedies abound in herbalism circles, we find that very few of them are used in daily living. This article aims to demystify herbal remedies a bit. And encourage that process of pouring yourself a cup of tea, to ease you and your family’s discomforts during the cold winter months. We’ve highlighted some videos of natural cold remedies …
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Indoor Gardening: Growing your house plants
Indoor gardening has always been an intriguing topic for us permaculture gardeners. Every time we did our plant sales or shows in suburban DC, we noticed that many people stopping by our booth would claim that they didn’t have any space to grow any plants. They were either living in a condo or apartment with or without a small balcony …
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Winterizing your garden
Winterizing your garden should ideally begin in late fall. This is the time that deciduous trees naturally shed their leaves and store energy for next year’s growth. We want to take advantage of the resources that nature provides us and sustainably cycle them back into the garden to supercharge our soil in the year ahead. Below we cover the most important tasks to complete to …
What is Permaculture? And How Does it Work?
In this blog, we will attempt to answer the question, “What is permaculture?” But before we get ahead of ourselves… If by chance you would like to listen to a short podcast on this very same question click below! Let us begin by revisiting the time when the word, “permaculture” was first coined. It was the 70s and a young …
GIY Video Lessons
On the last day of our Permaculture Design Course (PDC), Wayne Weiseman our teacher asked the class this same question, “What is permaculture?” Each student was asked to come up with his or her definition and internalize it. For me, certain aspects unique to permaculture always stand out. One is that the very idea of permaculture comes to us in …
Shade Garden: Permaculture in Dark(ish) Yards
Shade gardens are often the topic of frustration among gardeners. They are especially so for those of us who want to make the most out of our land but think we might not be able to grow food due to the lack of sun. I recently shared a photo of shade plants that was posted on the wall of a …
Fall Garden Maintenance
Author Clara is a retired business owner, who currently works in community gardening. She operates GardenerGigs, which aims to connect local gardeners with those who need them. It’s fair to say that productive gardens are born in the fall, a time when many people are tempted to put away their gardening tools, fertilizers, and lawn mowers until next year. Think …
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What is Composting? And how to get started
In this blog, we’re going to attempt to answer the very basic question, “What is composting?” Perhaps you are keen on composting because you want to produce rich fertile soil that is best for growing healthy food in. Perhaps you aim to close the loop in your consumption cycle by going “zero-waste.” Whatever the case may be, starting with a …