Rivenrock Gardens Cactus Blog... go to www.rivenrock.com for edible cactus » Agriculture

wild mushroom presentation in San Luis Obispo

John Dicus — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:49:56 +0000

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden presents a wild mushroom presentation by Dennis Sheridan on Saturday, February 11 from 1pm to 2pm. Join local photographer and mycologist Dennis Sheridan for a discussion on commonly seen mushrooms in our area, the role of mushrooms as decomposers, and the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi relationships mushrooms have with plants. [...]

Paradise Park Poland

John Dicus — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:25:23 +0000

I came upon this post from a lady in Poland who is starting what she calls an eco-farm in the 'Green Lungs' of Poland (a remote rural area full of trees), well.... it seems to me it is worth sharing. It seems it might be a good opportunity for someone with the gumption to leave anywhere and go to Poland for a few months and work on the farm for food and lodging. [...]

Our Kubota RTV900

John Dicus — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:15:37 +0000

In short, if you are going to go off-roading, away from home, hunting, or wanting to take jumps, mud-holes etc, you are better off with the Polaris Ranger or John Deere. The Kubota is heavy, massive, strong and built more for safety, durability and long-term work-site use. [...]

Food-First Mention

John Dicus — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:45:53 +0000

Food-First is a web page on food safety issues (They are officially the Institute for Food and Development Policy), here they discuss the marketing group we are a member of... and way cool is the fact that they used our label to show the scan codes the group is using! [...]

summertime is….

John Dicus — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:26:58 +0000

summertime is the fun time.... but it's not as good at bringing harvest to you as fall is.... and I think life is the same... your summertime is the fun time, fall brings the harvest... but your wintertime will ask you if you planted well, and harvested fully enough to last through winter. [...]

heart-shaped clam fossils

John Dicus — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:59:38 +0000

clamshell fossils in rock

These are some clamshell fossils in sedimentary rock…. They are unusually displayed due to the odd direction of erosion which is exposing the bi-valve instead of the clamshell face… I found this rock in an old streambed in the California desert… I was on foot and had to carry it about 6 miles… it only weighs about ten pounds… but walking through shifting sand, mile after mile, it seemed heavier.

Our front yard

Here it is in our front yard…. behind the comfrey…..

Our front yard

This is not an imported mulch, but is [...]

Bugs in the Garden

John Dicus — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 02:07:57 +0000

There are many thousands or millions of bug species.. many of them are very selective and only have a narrow range of plants from which they can eat... some others are predators that will help your garden stay clean and free of pest bug problems. So don't freak out when you see something you've not seen before.... but it is fun and interesting to try to find the species of insect.... here are a few insect identification links I look at on occasion: [...]

onion-gopher

John Dicus — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 05:02:23 +0000

One of the days that I was trying to get him... I heard him chewing on an onion in the morning.... he was underground.. but I grabbed a shovel and plunged it into the ground around the onion... but still missed him... they can back through a tunnel as quickly as they can go forwards.... a most amazing and specialized animal [...]

how to grow tobacco

John Dicus — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 04:28:56 +0000

Tobacco seeds are tiny. Here are some on my finger. Sow them into decent but very fine soil in a pot.. water it well, and after it has drained, press the soil down to make it very flat... make sure it has settled well, and the excess water drained... so let it sit for an hour or even overnight.... dip your finger into the seed pack and get some seeds on your finger [...]

How to grow organic lettuce

John Dicus — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 06:20:38 +0000

I like to start with a single small pot. This allows me to use the least amount of space under the lights... for the first week or so, they will take hardly any space.. . fill the pot to near the rim and press it down, add water, letting the entire soil-mix get a good amount of water. When it is fairly well saturated, let it drain for a time, then press the mix down with your fingers.. firming it to remove all air pockets. [...]