November for us is usually quiet, cool, and pleasant. This year it just slammed us with winter, and our poor plants were unprepared. The figs probably died back to the ground yet again. But frost blanket protected our tender broccoli

Soon it will be time to plant fruit trees in Alabama. Today’s podcast includes a listing of fruits in descending order of the ease of growing them in central Alabama

In the shop, well protected from Oddie, our four tiny chicks are eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping. Mostly sleeping. This program is about their breeds, their temporary home, and our plans for their transition to the coop on the orchard floor

Master Gardener and Garlic Guru RJ Arceneaux describes what kind of soil garlic prefers, when and how to plant it, how to care for it over the winter, and how to know when it's ready to harvest. In the South, this is the time to plant it

It was good for spring peas, tomatoes, beans, squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes, edamame, summer peas, apples, muscadines, persimmons, and blueberries. Lousy for melons, corn, peaches, plums, pears, figs, and blackberries

I failed to care for Amanda's garden while she was gone for a week. The beans and peas may be usable as seed but aren't fit to eat. The okra plants have collapsed with giant pods. We do have some gorgeous red peppers, though

Our home is 1/4 the size of the suburban house we left behind, so we thought it was small, but it's palatial compared to tiny houses, which force us to contemplate how much living space one needs to be happy. Think 200 sq ft, sometimes less

The persimmons we love are Asian persimmons, a far cry from the ones that turned our mouths inside out when we were kids. Mild, sweet, slightly tangy, and seedless, they have become our favorite. They are the last of our fruits to ripen each year

Gas prices are low, at least in relation to recent history, but we will soon see a petroleum shortage. Most of us will be forced to live with less gasoline and diesel fuel. Yes, we grow our own food, but how can we cut our petroleum use?

Today's program is an honest, rueful reflection on the mistakes we think we made and what we are learning from them. Our first chickens were an economic waste, producing surprisingly few eggs for all the care and feeding they received