ecology

The “Keeping Up With The Jones’” Effect

When you are doing something you’ve never done before you are doing something new. It’s easy to think that you are exactly where you need to be. What I mean when I say “Keeping Up With The Jones’” I don’t…

Seamus Patrick and Jeff Allan Marion’s gorgeous lantern garden party.

Being a Shiva Diva at Mezzacello

I post a lot on here about the urban ag technology and methods I employ at Mezzacello. The fact is, I just find it all so fascinating – and counter to everything our society expects. What can I say? I…

Elements of an Ecosystem

This is the aquatic ecosystem at Mezzacello, also known as the pond. Arrayed around it are all the input and output streams that come from this one ecosystem and will go to other 4 ecosystems at Mezzacello in turn. The…

A photo of the pond with some of the inputs and outputs.

Harvest, Hunger, and the Art of Preservation

The harvesting of food is the single greatest chore in urban farming, the next greatest is preserving it!

Potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and duck eggs collected from the garden and livestock gardens at Mezzacello.

Unsung Heroes in the Urban Farm Kitchen

Ah the plastic takeout container! These round polypropylene take out containers are essential in a modern urban garden. They are usually given to me by friends who get takeout lunch from Chinese food or dinners from better restaurants. I love…

Plastic takeout containers that are super useful for multiple reasons.

Zen and the Art of Hornbeam Maintenance

A major part of the formal gardens at Mezzacello is the east west allee. The allee is defined by the 44 hornbeam trees Rick planted four years ago. It is the major visual wall of Mezzacello from the street elevation….

Fragile Food Systems

This is a photo that will one day be iconic. It carries all the hallmarks of a transitory period in history. Climate change is presenting multiple challenges to farmers across the world. In North America take your pick; wildfires, drought,…

Floods destroying food and farms

Not All Mulch Is The Same

Not all mulch is the same or as good for the soil. I found this out this summer at Mezzacello with my burlap mulch experiment. I’ve written about using burlap as mulch before and I still swear by it. But…

Fabric grade burlap bought at JoAnn Fabrics. Cheaper and much more effective and long lasting.

When An Urban Farm is More Urban

When the line between work and farming becomes most obvious is usually where those two worlds collide, like you see here.

Sometimes the Urban Part is more important than the Farming part.

Preserving Eggs: A Six-Month Update

My mission at Mezzacello is to Grow, Maintain, Sustain, and Explain. This blog post aims to do all of that at once. If you are looking for details on how to get started preserving eggs, see more here. It’s important…

Preserving eggs to share with families and the elderly