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About:

itsmatt is a husband, father, geek, gardener and DIY kind of guy.

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http://gardengeek.posterous.com/

How did you first find out about Gardenfork and Real World Green?

ITunes

Latest Activity

itsmatt replied to Daniel Martin's discussion 'Fly Fight!'

Hey Daniel, I've got a small farm that is adjacent to another farm that raises Angus. Summers can be brutal with flies, particularly for the equine members on the farm. I've found that my free-ranging hens are pretty good at eliminating a good por…

January 28

itsmatt commented on Beth Mulcahy's blog post 'Worm Compost Bin'

Hey there Beth, Good writeup and those type of containers, I hear, work pretty well. A couple of thoughts - and let me preface this by saying this is coming from a guy that has FAILED MISERABLY at worm composting - on the subject. Looks like the…

January 25

itsmatt replied to JD's discussion 'Starting composting'

No problem - we all love chatting about this stuff. GREEN-BROWN-AIR-WATER That's the ticket to composting. Too much green and it is mushy and too much brown and it is slower to decompose. Not enough air and it stinks (though still decomposes) and n…

January 24

itsmatt replied to JD's discussion 'Starting composting'

Properly managed, a compost bin will not smell or likely be a haven for pests. There are a number of ways to construct a bin that will conceal it. Aerobic decomposition (that done by oxygen-loving microbes) is the kind that doesn't smell and can be…

January 24

itsmatt replied to Stuccolow's discussion 'So this is Christmas?'

I like dogs in the home - particularly mine who will definitely let anyone coming in know that they are there. I like deterrents like alarm systems - whether they actually are hooked up to a service with a monthly fee or not. I like cameras - both…

December 19, 2009

itsmatt added 3 photos to the album 'Big Snow 2009'

December 19, 2009

itsmatt replied to ksman's discussion '2 litre bottle green house.'

Interesting idea and it looks nice. I guess my concern would be that plastic bottles photo-degrade, becoming brittle from the exposure to the sun rays. I suspect that it wouldn't take too long that plastic to crack, but I don't know that for sure.…

June 5, 2009

Paul Crellin commented on itsmatt's blog post 'Appliance Fixin''

The post was good, but the disclaimer underneath was Hilarious!! ):

May 31, 2009

Stuccolow commented on itsmatt's blog post 'Appliance Fixin''

As in the movie "Office Space", when ever an appliance went out in our house I wanted to drag it to the back forty and beat it with a baseball bat. Thankfully we have the garbage picker who pull out the metal and "parts" of the appliances and sell t…

May 30, 2009

itsmatt added a blog post

Appliance Fixin'

As I lamented on twitter this past week, I had issues with not one or two but THREE appliance here at the Hey-I've-Got-Nothing-Else-To-Do-But-Futz-Around-With-Appliances Farm*. I've had success in fixing the refrigerator in the garage this morning b…

May 30, 2009

itsmatt commented on Paul Crellin's photo 'Mothers cat prowling?'

Cats always have that "how dare you disturb me" look. Well, most cats. Our current house cat has spent too much time enjoying the easy meals in the home and mostly just sleeps and gains weight and wonders when the next meal is coming. :)

May 30, 2009

itsmatt commented on Paul Crellin's photo 'Mothers garden in flower'

Great colors, Paul. I'm envious!

May 30, 2009

itsmatt commented on Paul Crellin's photo 'Rock Garden'

I like them too. Always interesting when you find plants that have two colors like that. They'd look nice amoung the blocks in the little cactus garden my wife has started.

May 30, 2009

itsmatt replied to Tracy Rochow Byerly's discussion 'Anyone ever heard of Horseradish mustard?'

Nope but I bet is is great. How Stuff Works had a recipe for it: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/horseradish-mustard-spread-recipe.htm

May 29, 2009

itsmatt replied to The Green Blackwoods's discussion 'how to compost?'

Hi David, I'm not personally growing any rhubarb this year but I might in the future. Do you happen to know any of the names of the books that mention avoiding it in the bin? My Hands on Gardener: Composting by Ball doesn't mention anything about…

May 29, 2009

itsmatt replied to Stuccolow's discussion 'One Month From Tomorrow, we will be in Sunny Montana.'

If you make it down to the Wyoming border in Gardiner, the Flying Pig does white water rafting and other fun stuff. Might be worth the trek if you have the time.

May 27, 2009

itsmatt replied to Stuccolow's discussion 'Mice vs the 100 year old house.'

I might be walking around with traps stuck to my tongue! Bacon and Eggs... mmm.... thanks... now I'm hungry!

May 25, 2009

itsmatt commented on Allison Libertucci's blog post 'Raised bed for a rental..'

I suspect a push mower would reach most of it. My lettuce table (which actually has lettuces and borage growing in it!) is pretty easy to mow around and it is something like 5'x3'. Pretty easy to do, really. I saw someone utilizing an old cart - li…

May 23, 2009

itsmatt commented on Allison Libertucci's blog post 'Raised bed for a rental..'

Oh yeah... I forgot to mention - I'd probably utilize screws and metal fastening plates for the 2x4's - It'll make it much stronger without adding really any extra weight. I'd use corner braces and metal brackets like the kind used for deck supports…

May 22, 2009

itsmatt commented on Allison Libertucci's blog post 'Raised bed for a rental..'

Hi there. I guess the assumption I'm making here is that you want to build some sort of raised platform system that will: A. Provide you with a place to grow some plants. B. Doesn't kill the existing grass, or at a minimum it kills the least amoun…

May 22, 2009

External Writings

"Simplify, simplify."
--Thoreau, Walden

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Itsmatt's Blog

Appliance Fixin'

As I lamented on twitter this past week, I had issues with not one or two but THREE appliance here at the Hey-I've-Got-Nothing-Else-To-Do-But-Futz-Around-With-Appliances Farm*. I've had success in fixing the refrigerator in the garage this morning by changing out the timer and the thermostat. The oven's ignitor was definitely dead and I swapped that out this morning but my test has left me feeling nonplussed (in the classic sense, not the neo-mambi-pambi-switch-the-meaning-180-degrees way… Continue

Posted on May 30, 2009 at 12:30pm — 2 Comments

Episode V: The Gardener Strikes Back

It is a dark time for the Mouse Rebellion.

Although the Raised Beds had been a good home,

Imperial plows have driven the Rebel forces from

their hidden base and pursued them across the back field.

Evading the dreaded Imperial Loader, a group of f

… Continue

Posted on April 27, 2009 at 8:43pm — 4 Comments

Make it an Earth Year!

As I posted at my cheap gardening blog, Earth Day is great but it tends to end up being, for many folks, another "one day out of the year" day. For one day, folks take an interest in the environment, but what if it lasted all year long?

I put a few ideas up on my blog about ways to make a difference for the next year. The list is neither lengthy nor complete, but it is a start.

What are YOU going to do to… Continue

Posted on April 21, 2009 at 4:36pm —

Pass the Ranch Dressing!

[A short "while I take a 5 minute break from mowing" blog post]

No, unfortunately I'm not making a salad from the contents of my garden... that will come soon enough!

Each Spring for a number of weeks I have the urge to rush to the house for some ranch dressing… Continue

Posted on April 5, 2009 at 2:45pm — 1 Comment

I'll Miss Your Posts, Herrick

Ever so often, I find a place on the internet that really interests me. The best ones are the sites I didn't start out looking for in the first place and just happened upon. "Serendipity" is the ten-cent word English majors use for such a situation... a fortuitous accident. The Deliberate Agrarian was one of those places. While it might not be for everyone, particularly those who have an adverse reaction to writings that quote Biblical verses, this site was chock full of writings by a factory wo… Continue

Posted on April 2, 2009 at 9:22pm —

Comment Wall (30 comments)

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At 6:04pm on March 2, 2010, Dee...the aspiring Vet said…: thanks very much for the welcome!!!

At 5:02am on March 15, 2009, Leon Hale said…: Thank you Matt, we do enjoy the berries and all the the other fruits and vegetables and fruits we grow. It's great to go out in the garden and pick a cup of fresh sweet berries for our Cereal in the morning. We have one variaty of raspberry that bears from early spring until frost

Happy Gardening

At 8:57pm on January 30, 2009, Lori Romsdal said…: Thanks for the Welcome hope I can glean some good ideas to be more green ,and other cooking tips and whatever, always looking for new ideas to help out others and myself.

At 7:19pm on January 19, 2009, Bobbe said…: Thanks for the welcome, Matt (ooooh, pun, :-P). One of my specialties is Persian cooking. The complexity and layering of flavors just sings to my soul. I'll see if I can find some do-able recipes to post. Persian cuisine has generally long ingredient lists, moderate prep times, and some ingredients that have to be sought after outside of your mainstream grocery. Still, once everything is prepped and in the pot, it's all about stewing time (and you thought it was all about the kabob -- LOL). Koresh (or stew) is my specialty and I'll try to dig up some workable recipes for them. There are tons of different ones -- meat and vegetarian.

Bobbe

At 4:47pm on January 17, 2009, Jeff Dahlberg said…: Thanks Matt
Glad to be here. I live out in the country too. I will have to take a look at your videos I see mentioned around the site.

At 8:09pm on January 13, 2009, Jose' Scarver said…: Hi Matt,
I was viewing your video, they are pretty good, really enjoyed your Japanese beetle traps. We're new to gardening, built 4 raised beds to try and grow our own veggie, your garden looks great. We also have 8 Boer goats to help with the grass mowing.

Jose'

At 11:03pm on December 6, 2008, Richard Roberts said…: Hi Matt,
I've been blacksmithing for almost 30 years. There are numerous clubs around the country, blacksmithing is actually making a comeback. You can smith with a gas forge, wood, or charcoal. (This is real charcoal, not the brickettes which are really compressed sawdust). Unfortunatly for this topic I usually use coke. This burns without sulphur, and phosphorous.

I've intruduced dozens of people to blacksmithing, about 10% take it up and 90% think I'm insane. I've also done some historic restorations.

Richard

At 6:23pm on December 6, 2008, Steve Cannon said…: Thanks. It's good to be here. What's this Green House all about?

At 2:58pm on December 2, 2008, Matt Nicholson said…: thanks my friend I love this community

At 9:34pm on November 28, 2008, Cathy KB said…: I have had goats for about 12 years -- started as a 4H project with my son. He is in college now, but I still have goats! I currently have Nubians (I make cheese, soap, ice cream). They certainly have a personality and can also be a bit vocal -- something to consider if you have neighbors -- but I think they give the best milk for flavor and butterfat content. I did a short stretch with Angora goats, too, because I wanted the fleece. However, our winter climate did not suit them. We live on the west slope of the Sierra just south of Lake Tahoe, so we get a lot of very wet snow. The cold isn't the issue, so much as the wet. I run the goats with my horse and she babysits them. She is probably as good a guardian for them as an LGD, as far as predators like mountain lions are concerned.