As gardeners we talk a lot about how to sustainably control pests in our garden. Of course some pests are more harmful than others. Those pests that are indigenous to an area have evolved in a system where both their food sources, as well as natural predators have evolved. Birds and insects trend together, plants and pollinators trend together. The health of one is a solid indicator of the health or another. As humans migrated around the world, they either knowingly took with them or imported perceived desirable plants, such as introduced "exoctics". They also unknowingly transported accidentally in cargo and crops, such as the Lantern Fly in North American. We have disrupted ecosystems to the point where some are being decimated. Invasive insects, plants and animals can have devestating consequences and should be dealt with in sustainable ways, but indigenous insects are vital to the health of the food web. 

Insects are at the heart of the food web, the primary way that nature converts plant protoplasm into animal life. Overall, plants can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions. However, insects tend to be specialists, feeding and pollinating a narrow spectrum of plant life, often times just a single species. In fact, 90% of plant eatting insects  can develop and reproduce only on the plants with which they share an evolutionary history. This is why when you see the decline of one species; it's not uncommon to see the decline of another. One of the best examples of this is the Monarch butterfly and milkweed. ​

As a result, plants have developed defense mechanisms specific to these threats such as chemical and morphological defenses, including toxins, sticky sap, rough bark, and waxy cuticles. However, these defenses don't typically work well with species they have never encountered, including very closely related species.The unfortunately downside of human's trying to control pests has resulted in an estimated decine of arthropids, chiefly insects, has decined by 45% from preindustrial times. Without insects, lizards, frogs, toads, birds and many mammals would lose all or part of their diet. This is an ecological crisis. 

Another concern, is as land is continuously converted from "wild" to "farmed" and then "farmed" to "subdivision" or "apartment complex", there is not enough "wild" land to support that important ecosystem. As such, it's imperative to look at every open space available and think about how to return that land to a "wild" state. Because much of the earth's available land is either used for farming, or in wealthy nations, for areas like lawns, sterile, unproductive landscapes are created. 

Because most people own little to no land, one way to help is to create habitats that are sustainable and can act as a networked ecosystem. Tbe idea is to reduce the distance that creatures must travel for food. This land can be created from any area such a lawn, manicured park areas, golf courses and other rereational areas. Douglas Tallamy, an entomologist at the University of Delware, offers some suggestions to help return manicured spaces back to the wild.

1. Shrink your lawn. Start by halving the area devoted to your lawn - thereby reducing water pseticide and fertilizer use. Better yet, if you don't need a lawn, don't have one. Use native grasses and enjoy their beauty in lieu of traditional lawn grasses. Incorporate plants that sustain more animal life. 
2. Remove invasive plants. Introduced plants sustain less animal diversity than natives do. Even worse, many exotics crowd out indigenous plants. Also, be sure to note that what is invasive in one area, may not be in another due to climatic conditions. 
3. Create no-mow zones - whether in lawns or fields. Native catepillars drop from a tree's canopy to the ground to complete their life cycle. Place mulch or a native ground cover around trees. Birds, moths and butterflies will benefit. 
4. Eliminate lighting where possible and equip remaining outdoor lights with motion sensors. As people live closer together and become more fearful, they are also leaving lights on throughout the night. Not only is the light pollution unhealthy for humans, white lights blazing all night can distrub animal behavior. LED devices use less energy and yellowlights attract fewer insects. Lights are also extremely detrimental to bird migration. Be particularly vigilant if you live in a migration path. 
5. Plant keystone species. Among native plants, some contribute more to the foodweb than others. Native oak, cherry, cottonwood, willow and birch are some of the best north American tree choices. 
6. Welcome pollinators. Goldenrod, native willows, sunflowers, evening primrose, and violets support native bees. Even cover crops such as clover and dandelions help signficantly.
7. Fight mosquitoes with bacteria. Inexpensive packets containing Bacillus thuringiensis can be placed in drains and other wt sites where mosquitoes hatch. Unlike pesticide sprays, the bateria only inhibits mosquitoes, but not other insects. 
8. Avoid harsh chemicals. Dig up or use various combinations of eco-friendly products to help eliminate weeds. A list of organic pest and plant control options are available in this site's gardening section. 

The challenges faced by our earth are going to take the effort of everyone to help solve. Simple steps like returning just a portion of your space - even a balcony with indigenous flowers - will help make a difference. 

This piece was contributed as a courtesty of our guest blogger, Neil Stawski

​We all are well aware of the countless benefits that technology provides us in today's day and age, but did you know there is technology available that can help you support and protect our planet? Technology is a part of our everyday routines, and it is essential that you learn how it could be helping you lead a more energy-efficient life, improving the conditions of your environment, economy, and health. Life Slice invites you to read on to see how tech can provide you with a chance to level up your eco-friendly lifestyle.

Smart Thermostats

Over the past few years, smart thermostats have established a well-known reputation for saving money and energy. As a result, they are now becoming increasingly popular, with The News reporting 15 percent of U.S. households are already using them. Not only do smart thermostats save their customers money, they allow them to monitor usage from their phones from near or far.
 
Products like the Nest Thermostat use the technological features to take efficiency to a whole new level. The Nest Thermostat quickly learns your schedule and preferences so it is able to make the most accurate and comfortable adjustments for each home. When no one is home, the Nest will modify the temperature so it is not overly heating or cooling your home while you’re away. The Ecobee 4 thermostat is another terrific option, as it can integrate with other smart home devices, has Alexa built in, and features a remote room sensor.

Solar Panels

In an effort to combat the effects of global warming, solar panels are becoming more prevalent in the residential market. There is the obvious advantage of saving money on electric bills, but beyond that, the solar panels play a vital role in reducing our carbon footprint. Pollutants and carbon dioxide emissions are notably decreased when solar power is being used instead of fossil fuels.
 
On top of saving energy and money every month, you may be able to deduct some of the costs of installing solar panels from your taxes. If you’re ready to add solar panels to your home, EnergySage notes homeowners can expect to pay between $11,411 and $14,874 after solar tax credits.

Mobile Applications

There are absolutely no downfalls to deciding to live a green lifestyle. Being mindful of energy consumption is the first step in supporting a healthier planet. Plus, individuals who choose to live a green way of life are greatly improving the conditions of their environment, economy, and health. But finding ways to apply that to daily living can be tough. This is where apps come in.
 
For example, mobile applications like Dropcountr give individuals easy and inside access to the details of their water usage at home. Dropcountr allows people to compare their water usage to their local neighbors’ and set personal water goals. Applications such as this one can be crucial in the discovery of a leak, and some areas report a usage drop of 30 to 50 percent following broad implementation of using the app.
 
Farmstand is another awesome app that makes living a green lifestyle easier. This application was designed for people to share photos and information from local farmer markets and vendors. By sharing the related information and knowledge, the community is better equipped to make dietary selections that support the environment and encourage energy-efficient decisions.

Get Down to Business

If you’re a new business owner, there’s a lot to manage whether you’re writing a business plan, creating a marketing strategy, hiring employees or deciding on a Texas business entity. But there is no reason that these terrific earth-friendly policies must be limited to your personal life. Be sure to embrace them in the workplace, too! Follow best practices whenever possible and set the tone for the company by enacting strategies consistent with your personal ideals.
 
You might even look to the local government to paint a broader, greener picture. Approach the powers that be and point out that in other locations, cities are seeing economic success that is linked with their ecological measures. Encourage simple changes like better walk- and bikeability and more use of renewable energy. As the town sees positive financial growth, more green efforts are sure to follow!
 
Now more than ever it is essential that we try our best to live green lives. Make sure you are staying up-to-date on the latest trends and technological advancements that will support you in this invaluable endeavor. Being mindful of energy consumption and adjusting your lifestyle accordingly is the first step in supporting the planet.
 
For more tips and insight into sustainable living, be sure to subscribe to the Life Slice blog today!
 




​

​

We have been experimenting for a number of years with different ways of preparing the earth for our crops. Historically, tillage was performed to prepare a seedbed and control weeds. In conventional tillage, the earth is turned to a depth of 8 to 12 inches with a plow and then disked twice.  No-till farming, on the other hand, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. The first three steps in conventional cultivation are eliminated and the crop residue is left undisturbed after harvest and the next round of seeds are pushed through it, followed by placing the seeds and closing the trenches or holes. Since 1989, it has become the dominant form of soil management on conventional operations, covering more than 65 percent of cropland. However, no-till planters and herbicides are available to commercially accomplish these tasks and the results have been mixed. In addition, there are large amounts of herbicides that are applied in conjunction with "conventional" no-till. With commitment and experience, no-till can work, but our focus was how to minimize tilling while also minimizing - or altogether eliminating herbicides and pesticides.

​Pros and Cons of Each Approach
​First, let's revisit why it is desirable to move the soil at all. Conventional wisdom was soil is tilled is to loosen it so oxygen and water can reach the area where roots will grow. However, many passes over a field with equipment and even heavy animals such as oxen or horses, much less heavy equipment, further compacts the layer of soil just beneath that of which was tilled. Additionally, the broken-up soil is very prone to being compacted by rainfall. its ability to create a more natural soil that retains nutrients and water, prevents soil erosion, and compacts less.

Plowing, it is claimed, incorporates fertilizers and crop residues into the soil, making nutrients readily available to the roots of the plants. Turning organic matter under also has the benefit of preventing planters from becoming fouled with surface trash. In no-till farming, crop residues are left on the surface, where the nutrients that result from their decay can leach into the soil. This leaching process is far more thorough than you might imagine. Fertilizers—including anhydrous ammonia, phosphorus, and potassium—are at least as effective on the no-till fields where they've been dispersed as on the plowed plots. These ingredients can be placed directly into the planting trench, where they're most needed, during seeding. As for the potential problem of the planter fouling with residues, it is recommended to cut a slot through surface trash.

Though the soil does stay cooler until a little later in the spring because of the insulating layer of residue, the day/night soil temperature fluctuations are smaller. A no-till field rapidly makes up its deficit in growth rate as the weather turns warm. And if the summer should be really hot and dry, no-till yields will nearly always exceed those of plowed ground. Since soil moisture levels can be more than 10% higher in late July in an unplowed piece of ground, it's not surprising that plants are happier in a field covered with mulch.

​One of the significant downsides of plowing is it tills the entire area, where doing so by hand will only create the trench needed for seeding. Both plowing and tilling can be done in a way to help minimize the amount or water runoff, but a big benefit is that no-till soils stay more moist than those in tilled fields. The surface residues trap water and protect the earth below from the evaporative effect of the wind. In areas, where adequate spring moisture depends largely on spring rains and/or snowmelt, the vegetative cover helps keep the snow from blowing away and water runoff. (For more on permaculture practice click here). The advantages don't end there, though. If you grimaced when you read "anhydrous ammonia", consider this: One of the main problems with conventional agriculture's heavy use of nitrogen fertilizers is the leaching of these compounds into surface water during runoff. By retaining rainfall, the untilled field also better holds the chemicals that have been applied to it, thereby decreasing their pollution potential.

​Our Findings in the Backyard Garden
When the climate is drier, we strongly prefer a minimal till approach as described on the Building Soil page. This might involve taking a spade and lifting up the soil where the plant will go and perhaps 12 inches of space on all sides. Then as the plant grows, we will hand pick the weeds that grow up around it. This is very desirable and doable during periods of low rain fall because a minimal amount of soil is turned over to release carbon and dust in the to atmosphere, the bacteria and beneficial creatures in the slow are minimally disturbed and the weeds - with some regular diligence, and especially when a drip irrigation system are used - are easily kept under control.

​However, we've also found that in optimally rainy conditions, no till seemed like a futile attempt to do the right thing for the environment. Weeds quickly out-paced our ability to pull and pests arrived in droves, often taking advantage of the long stems and leaves of the weeds around the crops to hide themselves and gain advantageous access. Our attempt at minimal tillage in a year like this left us breathless, exhausted and with a minimal yield of crops. One of our take-aways was we needed to over-turn more of the soil around the plants and we needed to weed more often. Unfortunately, tiime is not in endless supply, so here are some other things we learned:

Water Gardens Become a Necessity in Times of Drought
Although water gardens may seem like a luxury in drought-stricken central Texas, at our place they have become a reliable and critical source of water for a lot of our wildlife. Birds are particularly vulnerable to a lack of water and after only a few hours in 90+ degree temperatures without a water source, little ones like hummingbirds quickly perish. Later we saw deer licking almost non-existent morning dew off of leaves and rabbits coming right up to the house to drink out of water buckets, such boldness and desperateness was heart breaking to watch.

After finding numerous birds that had obviously died from heat and thirst, we decided it was imperative to provide a water supply for our winged and four-legged friends as well as the frogs, toads and snakes whose populations have taken a huge hit with the drought and subsequent fires, such as the devastating Bastrop County fires and the impact it had on the Houston Toad. 

Ideas for Sustainably Building Water Gardens
One of the biggest challenges when building the water garden was to be sure to always prioritize water conservation. In addition, we wanted to create a pond that emulated a natural pond as closely as possible. Fish were introduced to help manage the mosquito population.

A shallow pond covering a large area will quickly lose water. Sunny locations will obviously help accelerate the evaporation and encourage the growth of algae. Therefore, when selecting our location, we decided to go with an area that could most easily be described as a breezeway between two buildings on the property and then built a bridge over the pond. This kind of approach offers several advantages in that it is enjoyable, enhances the beauty of your property, is an asset to wildlife and yet easy to maintain. A few key elements include: 

1. A very deep and narrow channel covered by the bridge provides protection for fish from predatory birds.
2. The covered roof helps cool the area and slows evaporation.
3. A shallow, shaded area with easy access from the side provides access to birds and other smaller animals.
4. Growing plants along the edge of the pond can both help shade the pond as well as provide access for lizards, geckos and similar reptiles while also helping cool the water and limit direct sunlight. River ferns, lilies and irises work well for these applications.
5. Whenever possible, plant evergreen plants, or plants that freeze back and regrown the following year are best. Deciduous trees and plants can result in a lot of additional debris in the water that may increase the amount of upkeep required by humans.  
6. Locate the pond is a low area so that when it does rain any run-off can be retained. Berming can also help with this effort. 
7. Incorporate water plants such as hibiscus, pickle relish and horsetails to give dragonflies and damselflies a place to rest. Be sure to include fast replenishing plants for food for fish, but also check with you county extension agent to make sure the plants you are using are not invasive and/or detrimental to natural waterways. 
8. You will want some means of circulating water. Be sure to select a pump with a biofilter and a UV light to help kill algae, but it's best to keep the flow from the pump as discrete as possible. Trickle it down a small wall or make a water fountain that sprays water gently just a few inches above the water to minimize evaporation. 

Do you have a water garden photo or story you would like to share? Let us know.

The central southern part of the United States as been in an extreme drought for most of the last two years. High pressure systems sat persistently to the west of Texas, over eastern New Mexico bringing scorching temperatures and frequent high winds. Grass has become almost non-existent, many mature trees died and almost all plants were extremely stressed. The high winds combined with the exceptionally dry soil have resulted in record breaking wild fires and huge losses of top soil as we watched clouds of soil lift into the sky and be carried away.

Sustainable land management means managing land without damaging ecological processes or reducing biological diversity. Key elements of land management include healthy, productive soil and fresh water. As natural water supplies such as creeks, rivers and lakes dried, the youngsters of the wildlife were the first to perish. Then the older animals began to dehydrate and starve. Feed prices have increased exponentially and in many instances it is no longer even possible to procure the types of hay needed for livestock. 

The winter season has provided some relief with some light scattered showers on occasion, but most of the area still needs amounts of rain measured in feet to recover. This is not likely to happen as the La Nina event that has stubbornly been in place during the winter of 2010-2011 and the winter of 2011-2012 will dissipate too late to provide rain to the U.S. Southwest because the rainy season will be over by that time. 

In the meantime, surface water isn't yet making its way deep enough into the soil to help large trees, much less into water tables and well pumps have gone dry or are being ruined as they pump up large amounts of sand. As a result, there remains a desperate need to maximize the use of our water resources while helping to get rainwater back into the water table as opposed to running into gutters, sewers, culverts and eventually rushing out to sea - often eroding the best top soil in the process.

A few months ago we attended a permaculture seminar with guest speaker Gary Freeborg. Gary opened his seminar with a map of the United States from approximately 200 years ago and asked us what was fundamentally different between now and then. The answer was the beaver. Beavers used to sculpt the land, slowing water run-off and creating reservoirs. The beaver were hunted off and the dams they had built were no longer there to help slow rainwater run-off.  Gary's call to action was all of us can contribute to the preservation of land by bringing together various disciplines to help jump-start the cycles that nature used to implement.. 

Sculpting and preparing the earth to direct, absorb or hold water is something that virtually anyone can do and requires little to no expense, regardless of what kind of property you have be it an urban or suburban lot, commercial building landscape or acreage in the country. Inspired by Gary's talk, we decided to do some sculpting of our own. 

The first thing we did was observe the existing contours of our property. Some of it seemed to be natural, but other parts had been negatively impacted when construction had occurred on the property. Loads of dirt were excavated and left standing about with no particularly purpose or reason. Low lying areas had been artificially created that exacerbated run-off problems. Because we also use a roof rainwater collection system we have a low-point drain that is used when the tanks are full and also wanted to retain as much of that water as possible as opposed to letting it flow to the culverts and out to the road.  Many urban residents will find their property exhibits many of same characteristics and if you don't use a roof rainwater collection system, much of the water collected in your gutters will flow eventually into your neighborhood sewer system never allowing the water to benefit the plants and animals the way nature had intended. 

First we tackled the run off areas which were already experiencing significant erosion from previous rains, but also from the drought and the wind carrying away the soil once the roots of the grasses could no longer survive in the drought. The job was easy enough - we simply built a small U-shaped berm, then added in some rocks on both sides to reinforce it. Where it made sense, we also incorporated branches and sticks that had fallen from neighboring trees, much like the beavers would have done. Because we have a pool with a cover in this area, we then pump any rainwater that collects on the pool cover into this retention area so the water can be allowed to slowly seep into the ground and provide much needed relief for the large oaks trees that sit along the periphery of the collection area.

We also created much longer berms along the edges of the property where the land drops off sharply. The biggest job was moving a man-made pile of dirt from by the chicken coop area and transporting the soil to create a berm along a fence line that bordered the road. The area had experienced a large erosion problem for some time, so the mixture of soil and clay was placed along the fence line with a slight positive edge. Intermittently there are small gaps on the berm so if the rainfall is exceptionally heavy the water won't back up into the field and cause significant flooding. 

Some of this moved dirt had minimal nutritional value, so we decided to amend the dirt by mixing in some of our homemade compost.  After amending the dirt we sprinkled it with grass seed to help hold the dirt in place. We also planted beans and okra, both of which will take advantage of the sunny growing location. In addition, the beans can take advantage of the fence line as a support structure for when they begin to climb. The new plants also produce flowers and fruit which is good for the bees and wildlife.