Homestead Gabor Degre | BDN Peaches ripen on the trees at a Maine farm. By Sam Schipani, BDN Staff • March 10, 2019 7:00 am Whether you love making jam or just want fruit picked fresh off the tree, adding a fruit tree to your homestead is a great way to stock up on natural arboreal treats. A single fruit tree can produce over a hundred pounds of fruit per harvest season. The benefit of adding a fruit tree or trees, as the case may be, to your farm or homestead goes beyond its fruitful bounty. Planting and picking your own fruit gives you more control over the pesticides that are used on them, which is a particular problem with commercially grown fruit. The Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list of the produce with the most pesticides includes nectarines, apples, peaches, cherries and pears among its ranks. Fruit trees can add beauty and utility to your yard, but there are a few considerations before you pick one for your homestead. Here … [Read more...] about How to choose the right fruit tree for your yard
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Arborvitae hedges dominate landscapes for good reason; here’s how to keep them standing tall
CORVALLIS – For a hedge, arborvitae has a place. It’s tall, skinny, evergreen, low-maintenance and cheap.“Some people look down on arborvitae, but it fits in places that other things can’t,” said Neil Bell, a horticulturist for Oregon State University Extension Service. “And it’s about as low-maintenance a plant as anything you can buy, if it’s sited correctly.”When finding a location for arborvitae in the garden, Bell recommends full sun and well-drained soil. “They can take some afternoon shade,” Bell said. “But when I say afternoon shade, I mean after 3. The more sun, the better. Otherwise, the foliage will suffer.”Arborvitae also need well-drained soil. If you have boggy soil, they won’t survive. Bell strongly suggests dealing with drainage problems before planting your arborvitae. Sometimes digging in organic material will do the trick, but for serious situations it may be necessary to install … [Read more...] about Arborvitae hedges dominate landscapes for good reason; here’s how to keep them standing tall
How to keep your bird dog fit during the winter months
Outdoors Julie Harris | BDN Sassy, a Brittany owned by Julie Harris of Hermon, always reigns as queen of the mountain of snow that results from having to push snow from the flat roof of Harris' garage. By Julie Harris, BDN Staff • January 16, 2019 7:59 am Updated: January 16, 2019 10:10 am The cold, snow and ice of winter could turn bird dog owners into couch potatoes, but that’s not to be. The dogs’ busy nature isn’t muted by the weather. Keeping your bird dogs fit during winter can be a challenge because of ice and extreme cold, but the enthusiastic dogs love to accompany their owners in whatever the winter activity might be. My dogs have accompanied me cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, snowshoeing and walking. But some people skijor and dog sled with them, too. These activities require some common sense to keep the dogs safe from frostbite, hypothermia, cracked pads, pulled ligaments and other cold- and ice-related hazards. Coats, booties and … [Read more...] about How to keep your bird dog fit during the winter months
How to Attract a Killer Tigress? Try a Man’s Cologne
Sections SEARCH Skip to content Skip to site index Asia Pacific Subscribe Log In Subscribe Log In Today’s Paper Advertisement Supported by ByJeffrey Gettleman Oct. 8, 2018 PANDHARKAWADA, India — Do man-eating tigers like Calvin Klein cologne? Indian authorities are about to find out. For the past six months, forest rangers in a wet and bushy patch of central India have been chasing a cunning female tiger suspected of killing 13 people. They have thrown just about everything they have at the tigress: hundreds of foot soldiers to comb the jungle, bulldozers to clear it, sharpshooters, jeeps, camera traps, a thermal imagery drone and five Indian elephants in hopes of surrounding the tigress so the veterinarians riding the elephants can dart her. No luck. So the rangers plan to deploy a new weapon: a bottle of Calvin Klein Obsession cologne. “I know, it’s really funny,” said Sunil Limaye, one of the … [Read more...] about How to Attract a Killer Tigress? Try a Man’s Cologne
How to coexist with nature, when bears and coyotes move to the suburbs
You don't need to visit a wildlife refuge to get a look at black bears, coyotes and deer. These days, Erie County's suburbs are where the wild things are. Early summer's Great Black Bear Hunt highlighted just how much nature and civilization overlap. And the decision by Amherst police to shoot an injured bear stirred up strong emotions. It's part of the larger conversation over how the public can coexist with wildlife, especially in suburban neighborhoods where development pushes into animal habitats. "More and more, we're seeing these conflicts arising," said Barb Haney, director of wildlife for the SPCA Serving Erie County. Animal advocates say they've seen an accepting attitude toward animals in recent years. More residents and governments want to let wildlife go about their way, they said, in place of defaulting to lethal responses after an up-close encounter. That means using dogs to scare off geese, or loud noises to drive off coyotes, instead of shooting them. But towns and … [Read more...] about How to coexist with nature, when bears and coyotes move to the suburbs