some type of adult girl

4444444444:

I like when a cool new photo of a bug comes out and all the bug blogs pass it around like a joint.

(via bugkeeping)

subspaceskater:

subspaceskater:

mutual do this

mutuals do this

(via oarfjsh)

sarahespacial:

(via decaffleabag)

thelustiestargonianmaid:

reallyreallyreallytrying:

there’s nothing unusual about wild apes, or the forests of oregon. but put the two together and a special kind of magic is made

(via thelustiestargonianmaid)

toadstoolgardens:

Clay-Busting Plants to Fight Soil Compaction

If you’re like me and struggle with clay soil, these 5 clay-busting plants will work through your heavy soil to loosen, aerate, and enrich it with organic matter. Use these annual plants as a cover crop or interplanted among your other crops.

1. Artichoke, Cynara scolymus

Artichokes grow deep, sturdy taproots that break through heavy clay soil. They also make a great plant to chop and drop as mulch and add lots of organic matter to benefit your soil. Artichokes come in both annual and perennial varieties, but short-season annual varieties will grow quickly and yield a harvest of edible flower buds from mid-summer to mid-fall. Harvest the buds and then chop and drop the entire plant in place, leaving the roots to decompose. Note: Artichokes are related to thistles and the plants are spiny so wear gloves when handling them!

2. Daikon Radish, Raphanus sativus

Daikon radish is an amazing clay-busting vegetable since they push up to 24 inches into the soil! Sow in spring, summer, or fall and harvest some for eating about 50 days later. Let the ones you don’t harvest grow until they flower (the flowers attract beneficial insects!) and die back. Once they’ve died back just chop them off at ground level and let them break down. As your daikon radishes rot they break up the clay and build up humus!

3. Cowpea, Vigna unguiculata

Cowpeas or black-eyed peas have vigorous, dense, fibrous roots that work to break up your clay soil. They’re also nitrogen fixers and enrich the soil! Sow in the spring as a summer cover crop. Cowpea’s quick growth helps suppress weeds and the flowers attract beneficial insects! If you want to eat your cowpeas (you can harvest them fresh like green beans or let the pods dry to harvest them for soup beans) cut them back in the fall and let them break down. If you want to grow cowpeas for maximum soil benefits through root growth and nitrogen content, cut the plants back while they’re still flowering and before they set pods. Or do some of both!

4. Mustard, Brassica spp.

Mustard is a superstar for clay-busting thanks to it’s massive, fibrous root system. Mustard also produces TONS of biomass, making it a great chop and drop green manure/mulch. It also helps to suppress soil-borne pathogens! The leaves, flowers, and seeds are edible and chickens love it too. *If you don’t want mustard spreading, timing is super important because it will disperse vigorously if you allow it to go to seed. Cut mustard back before it seeds, while it’s still flowering and incorporate the plant matter into the soil. Mustard also has an allelopathic effect so wait about 3 weeks after chopping to plant new crops in it’s place.

5. Annual Sunflower, Helianthus anuus

Even cheery sunflowers will bust up your clay soil! They make a great cover crop especially when you choose varieties that don’t need to be staked, they’ll grow deep vigorous roots into compacted soils. Sunflowers also attract HUNDREDS of varieties of insects and are a great choice for both the maintained garden and natural areas. Cut the plants back in the winter, leaving the roots to decompose in the soil. Sunflowers have an allelopathic effect so it’s important to let them decompose over the winter before you plant in spring.

What else can you do to bust up clay?

Broadfork: The broadfork is a great tool for hand tilling (and much more gentle than regular tilling). Use the broadfork when the soil is dry and work backwards so you don’t step on and re-compact the loosened soil.

Digging Fork: The digging fork is great for long term maintenance of your clay soil. Use it to poke holes in the garden to help aerate the soil every spring and fall.

Soil Amendments: Once the soil is loosened up, add soil amendments so the rain can wash them in. Lots of organic matter is needed for clay soils: compost, green manure, leaf mold, biochar, worm casings, and greensand are all good options!

Cover Crop or Mulch: Bare clay soil = compaction. After you’ve loosened the soil and added soil amendments, keep that beautiful soil covered! Sow your crops or add shredded leaves, alfalfa hay, or straw (just make sure it’s not contaminated by herbicide!!) as mulch.

Source 1, Source 2

shiftythrifting:

greenvegetable-deactivated20221:

the promise of spring balancing my brain chemicals as we speak

(via burninghillgirl)