Landscaping / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Edible Perennials
Landscaping

A guide to growing edible perennials.

...landscaping and gardening in the Ecohome Green Building Guide and these pages here:  build your own keyhole raised garden bed  Which foods grow best in shade? Identify and avoid invasive species when gardening and landscaping  All about growing food in small spaces Sign up now for a free Ecohome Membership an...

Natural swimming pool design DIY (NSP) for eco homes
Natural swimming pools and ponds

Natural pools and natural swimming pools

...landscaping is required, as would be with a traditional in-ground pool, which can make the total finished cost of natural pools even more competitive. Depending on the design and size, plan on spending between $10,000 and $70,000, give or take for either type - depending on whether you get a professional to help or if ...

7 Principles of a super abundant, solar, year round greenhouse
Greenhouses and Sunrooms / Solariums

7 key principles for an abundant greenhouse

Grow food in a greenhouse - the basics on how to get started As a native Californian transplanted into a much cooler climate (Western Quebec), I find myself mourning the loss of fresh local seasonal fruits and veggies all year long, which I understand is a first world problem on a few different levels. All that to say,...

Flow Frames: A father and son revolutionize honey production
Food production

Flow frames: How to make your own honey

  How to make your own honey at home Can you imagine having honey on tap straight from your beehive? That is exactly what father and son team Stuart and Cedar Anderson aim to bring to market with an Indiegogo campaign they are launching later this month. Update: It launched yesterday! Don't miss out, one day into the c...

Alex and Jerelyn Wilson's Vermont farm
Lifestyle, location and commuting

Creating a farm and building a resilient lifestyle

As founder of the Resilient Design Institute, Alex Wilson is an internationally renowned authority on resilience in home design. Beyond just homes, 'resilience' can in a way describe a lifestyle, or perhaps a life philosophy. Sure, 'green' homes can help save the planet, but some of them may also save the individual. ...

Shaded vegetable garden success
Food production

Growing vegetables in the shade

If you're like me and you love to grow your own food but have limited access to all day sun, do not fret - a bountiful harvest is still well within your reach. Just like the gardeners that grow them, many vegetables will actually appreciate a little respite from the sun during the hottest months of the growing season. ...

Urban Farm Unit - Aquaponics, Hydroponics, Pisciculture and Urban Farming
Food production

Growing food in urban cores with the Urban Farm Unit

So, urban agriculture. It's important, right? That’s certainly the conclusion I've come to when pondering the future of food production, our future on this planet, and sustainability in general. As a proponent of urban agriculture it's also clear to me that both space and soil toxicity are challenges that beg to be ove...

Indoor hydroponic vegetable garden
Food production

Growing food indoors

Introducing BioCity's indoor vertical veggie garden. This beautiful installation made with reclaimed wine bottles allows you to grow arugula, chard, strawberries, cherry tomatoes and more all year round in your very own home. Thanks to the craftsmanship and innovation of the folks at Montreal based company BioCity, gro...