Urban Homesteading on WFAE's Charlotte Talks with Mike Collins

Composting toilets. City livestock permits. Goat husbandry. Rain water harvesting. These and other urban homesteading topics and were explored on-air live , and with a refreshing dose of humor on WFAE's Charlotte Talks Show with Mike Collins on 1.9.15.

In the Charlotte studio, Microfarm Organic Gardens founder Matt Kokenes joined Dr. Dave Hamilton and Laura Deyenes of Wish We Had Acres Farm, while Los Angeles based author Erik Knutzen got in on the live discussion via telephone.

According to the show's producer,  streaming was high during the brodcast, and positive feedback about the day's topic quickly amassed on the station's social media pages. Was it really that interesting? 

click here to listen to a recording of the show.

Kendra Shillington's 8'x10' Cedar Gable Greenhouse

Kendra Shillington understands the human mind better than most. In fact, it’s her job to know how our brains work and why we make the choices we do.  Kendra is an experience Architect ,  a position that has placed her squarely at the very front of the still emerging realm of design thinking. Not only does the job require an intimate and scientific grasp of both the potential and limitations of the brain, but it demands long hours, leadership, public speaking, and sometimes international travel.  Healthy lifestyle choices like yoga, meditation and acupuncture help her replenish the mental and physical capital that a career like this demands, and a diet heavy in organically grown produce leafy green vegetables is also essential for staying focused and maintaining a high level of mental and physical stamina.  

Kendra’s organic garden sits tucked behind the garage and yields nutrient packed produce like a theme park yields fun. Kale, spinach, mustard greens, lettuces and arugula have been making regular appearances on the dinner menu for some time now, but just recently Kendra added a greenhouse to increase the efficiency and production of her backyard homestead.

This sturdy 8’x10’ gable style greenhouse was framed with rough sawed red cedar 2”x4” lumber which dwarfs the standard 1.5”x1.5” framing lumber dimensions frequently used on prefabricated kit greenhouses. Rafters and studs are spaced 24” apart and connected with high performance wood screws to create a rigid frame capable of supporting heavy wind, snow and ice loads.  Kendra opted for Polygal 8mil twin wall polycarbonate glazing, which has far greater insulation value than single pane glass, and is virtually shatterproof – a good choice for reducing heating costs, and creating a safer environment, especially where children and seniors may be present.

This high performance greenhouse glazing material has nearly 90% light transmission and a UV coating to help prevent discoloration, and while Kendra’s greenhouse was built on an existing concrete slab that had once supported a shed, this cedar gable greenhouse design can be built atop a custom poured concrete slab, or a knee wall made of wood, stone or masonry. During the warmer months, automatic vent window openers will control the four vents in the structure’s roof, and a portable propane greenhouse heater till take the bite out of frigid winter nights.

What will Kendra grow in her new greenhouse? The sky is limit. Heirloom seedlings. Citrus trees. Flowers, perhaps.  But whatever she chooses to grow and whatever the season, this sturdy, elegant enhancement to her organic garden can handle whatever mother  nature can dream up, and still provide the perfect indoor grow environment.

Kendra Shillington's 8'x10' Gable Greenhouse from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Interested in a Cedar Gable, lean-to, greenhouse/potting shed combination, or another custom greenhouse design?

Click here to get started.

Safely Harvesting Mushroom Logs with the Notch and Hinge Technique

You’re ready to cultivate your own gourmet mushrooms. The plug spawn has arrived. The drill is charged The cheese wax is ready.

All that stands between you and a shiitake omelet are some hardwood logs and about 6-9 months.

Of course,  for  successful spawn run and eventual fruiting of mushrooms, this can’t just be any old wood you found on the ground. Nope, those tired logs on your neighbor’s firewood stack, or that dead tree in the woods have about as likely to grow mushrooms as a lumberjack hosting a tea ceremony.

Indeed, success in cultivating mushrooms on hardwood logs depends greatly on the high levels of moisture and nutrients found in the wood tissue of living trees, which is why logs harvesting from a living tree during its dormant phase ( winter) are highly preferred. 

Since the ideal log size for mushroom cultivation is about 4”-6” x 3’ long, and it would be wise to get acquainted with your friend the chainsaw, and while it’s certainly possible to cut limbs this size from a large hardwood tree, it is often easier and safer for the novice to instead fell a small tree with a single main truck that will yield mushroom logs within the desired size range.

Mushroom Log Harvesting - Cutting the Notch from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

The Directional Open Face Notch and Hinge method is a simple, proven technique  for safely felling a tree, which uses a notched cut to establish the direction the tree will fall, followed by a felling cut from the other side of the truck.

Mushroom Log Harvesting - Felling the Tree from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Ready to try the Notch and Hinge directional felling technique yourself?

Click here for detailed step by step guide and video tutorial from chainsaw maker Husqvarna USA. Happy Harvesting, and remember - SAFETY FIRST, ALWAYS!

Microfarm at Blackhawk Garden Center

There’s something to be said for a shopping that’s fast and cheap. Endless parking, lots of product choices and low prices are great , but only as long as you know precisely what you want. A box of stainless steel wood screws. A bag of high strength concrete. A pair of  work gloves.

It gets tricky when you you’re not sure exactly what you need for a project or have a question about how to use it. We’ve all experienced the lonely frustration of finding assistance at a home improvement center…first the eager anticipation of getting your project underway….then the waiting….some more waiting…even more waiting until the empty aisles conjure a fluorescent lighted post apocalypse scene where tumble weeds roll by and an eagle screams high overhead.

Eventually, the time wasted waiting for help cancels out the advantages mentioned above...that is if you even got the answers you were looking for.

Need a water feature and some tips on how to get it up and running, or a GFI outlet for your greenhouse, and a pointer or two on how to install it?

Try Blackhawk Hardware and Blackhawk Garden Center.  Experienced team members roam the aisles looking for customers to help like kids at an Easter egg hunt, and they know their stuff too.

And it isn’t just great service and seasoned expertise that exceeds expectations here either. You’ll pick up on the quality of their product line the moment you walk through the door. A stroll through the selection of landscape  plants, ceramic pots, fountains, and all manner of whimsical garden art suggest words like fun, unique, sturdy, creative, original, lively, and elegant.

We’re happy that Blackhawk Garden Center carries a selection of Microfarm hand crafted cedar garden items like our kids potting bench and tiered garden shelf, and we think that our products add something special to the mix. Next time you visit, we hope you find the same is true.  

And if you should decide to bring a handcrafted Microfarm item home, you certainly won’t have any trouble finding someone to help load it in the car.

Microfarm Cedar Cold Frames

The right equipment makes all the difference in the world. Something as simple as a wool sweater, for can mean the difference between a fun afternoon at the football game, versus a shivering eternity to get back to the car. With a power drill instead if a screwdriver,  you’ll have that that IKEA bed assembled and already be taking a nap before the cardboard has even settled.

Your organic garden is no different.  Having the right equipment – like a raised bed filled with premium organic soil, or sturdy fencing to keep out wildlife– will greatly improve your experience. Protecting edible plants with a high performance agricultural fabric is another smart use of technology that has a couple of major benefits.  Growers depend on this specially engineered floating row cover fabric to protect plants from insect pests and frost.

This reusable, ultra light, non-woven material allows light, water and air to pass through, while warming the grow environment around plants during the day, and protecting from frost at night. Row cover fabric allows growers to extend the fall growing  season by several weeks and also start late winter cool season crops a few weeks sooner.

Protecting plants with row cover fabric can be as simple as using sod staples to pin sections of fabric over hoops cut from steel wire. This classic low tunnel, Conestoga wagon look is a fast, economical option especially for large gardens and for farm applications.

The low tunnel style cold frame will certainly serve the backyard gardener in the same way, but it does get tedious to remove the staples to routinely harvest cut and come again leafy green varieties like kale and lettuces. And while functional, the low tunnel cold frame isn’t going to be making any design award speeches any time soon. The home gardener, who most likely uses cedar raised beds of some fashion and has invested in creating an attractive looking home and landscape, will benefit from a cold frame design with a more style and convenience, like the Microfarm Cedar Cold Frame.

It’s a smart gable design framed with untreated red cedar, and fitted with Agribon AG19 row cover fabric. AG 19 is on the lighter end of the spectrum, and has the right combination of frost protection for cold nights, but won’t overheat the grow environment on those brilliant winter days here in the Southeast.

Alicia Cole's Cedar Cold Frames from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

The Microfarm cedar cold frame is made to fit our Kitchen Garden and Cedar Timbers raised bed designs, but is also compatible with many other popular raised bed designs.

Want to extend the productive life of your cool season garden? A  Microfarm Cedar Cold Frame will do the job in style.  While the 4’x6’ and 4’x8’ sizes listed below are our most popular, this cedar cold frame design can be made to fit almost any sized bed. click here to get started.

4’x6’ Microfarm Cedar Cold Frame $295

4’x8’ Microfarm Cedar Cold Frame : $345