Craftsy folks frequently share a do-it-yourself ethic. While it’s always easier just to buy cheap, pretty yarn at the craft store, some (particularly homesteaders) prefer to create their own dyes. In fact, if you own sheep or other fiber animals, this may be a logical next step to adding value to your products. You can…… Continue reading A Rainbow of Natural Dyes
Tag: Nature
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Weather Notebook is a full-color four-year journal that is sure to please.
Johnson Grass
Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) grows sturdy upright stems ranging from two to eight feet in height. Some stems are branched and others are not, but one thing can be counted on with this species—there will be quite a few of them packed into each clump! Look for a pink or red color near the base…… Continue reading Johnson Grass
Indian Grass
Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) is a medium-sized grass that ranges from three to seven feet in height. It frequently grows in clumps, but it may also be found growing as a single stalk. The stem is hollow but stiff and upright. The leaves are blue-green in color and flat. They may grow anywhere from 2…… Continue reading Indian Grass
Side-Oats Grama
Side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) takes its name from its peculiar inflorescence. It grows a stalk varying in length from 3 to 16 inches and tending to zigzag. Somewhere between 12 and 60 very short branches grow from this stalk, dangling to one side. Each branch has three to eight spikelets resembling oat seeds, especially as…… Continue reading Side-Oats Grama
Eastern Gamagrass
Eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) is a tall bunchgrass species that ranges from four to eight feet in height. It forms clumps one to four feet across and connected with tough, knotty rhizomes. The roots extend as far as 20 feet below the surface of the ground. The plants are further anchored by corms—short, swollen stems…… Continue reading Eastern Gamagrass
Green Foxtail
Is this common weed overrunning your field, pasture, or lawn? Good news—it’s relatively easy to manage.
11 Applications for an Agricultural Interest Besides Farming
Running a farm or ranch is not the only way to cash in on your agricultural interest. These days, there are plenty of fields where a knowledge of agriculture and agricultural sciences can be a plus, and where you will have an opportunity to aid those who have chosen to work the land. Here are…… Continue reading 11 Applications for an Agricultural Interest Besides Farming
Sand Dropseed
This unique seed-throwing grass plays an important role in rebuilding damaged shortgrass prairie.
Buffalo Grass
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) is characteristic of a shortgrass prairie plant, only reaching two to eight inches in height. It may grow upright, or its stems may lie on the ground and curl up toward the tips. They are slender and solid. The leaf blades are fine-textured, being less than 1/8 inch wide. They reach…… Continue reading Buffalo Grass
