Any tips on eradicating poison ivy? I have a family member who has been fighting it for years in her garden (and on her body....ouch!!). She can't use any thing that will kill surrounding plants/trees. Worried about entwined roots... I think she has tried cutting it back to the ground and pouring boiling water on it. Also, was going to cover it with thick plastic. Any hope to getting rid of it? 🫣

Vaccines are medical interventions intended to reduce the risk of certain diseases, and like all medical treatments, they carry both potential benefits and potential risks. Regulatory agencies monitor their safety and effectiveness, but individual circumstances, health history, and personal values vary. For this reason, parents are encouraged to seek reliable information, ask questions, and make informed decisions in partnership with qualified healthcare professionals.

South of present-day Mexico City, a network of narrow fields and canals once spread across part of the shallow lake landscape. These cultivated fields are known as chinampas. They are sometimes described as floating gardens, but that phrase can leave the wrong picture. Chinampas were generally raised growing areas constructed Aztecs to survive within shallow wetlands and were separated by canals and ditches. Many were bordered by native ahuejote willows that helped define and support their edges. The canals were not separate from the garden. They influenced irrigation, access, soil building, and the transport of people and materials. The cultivated plots, canal water, wetland plants, trees, labor, and surrounding communities formed one connected ecosystem. Archaeological work in the northern Basin of Mexico shows that raised-field agriculture existed before the later Mexica imperial period. At Xaltocan, an extensive system was developed and later abandoned as political, economic, and ecological conditions changed. Chinampas therefore should not be reduced to one invention created by one people at one moment. The surviving chinampa landscape of Xochimilco remains internationally recognized. Its canals and cultivated fields preserve part of a living agricultural tradition, although urban growth, changing water conditions, pollution, and declining cultivation have placed increasing pressure on it. The lesson is not that every garden should imitate a chinampa. The lasting principle is that good design begins by understanding what a place offers and what it requires. Water, soil, roots, access, labor, culture, and maintenance were not treated as separate questions. They had to fit together. We can explore that idea by observing how water moves through our own neighborhood, comparing older regional growing practices, sketching the relationships around one garden bed, or learning how local cultures adapted food production to their particular soils and waters. With an increase of drought and water shortage in many places around the world, is there something to learn here. We discuss adding organic matter to build a sponge to hold water in our gardens, although are our ponds just evaporating away without the same protection we promote on land?

This is a season of change for all of us. Seasons do not change all at once. It shows itself through small shifts in light, moisture, plant growth, and even within our household rhythm. Northern Hemisphere Late summer is beginning to lean toward autumn. Mature plants may be shading one another, paths may be harder to reach, and heat stress may be showing in leaves, fruit, and soil. Some areas may be dry while others receive sudden heavy rain. This is a useful time to notice - Where water is disappearing too quickly - Where growth has become crowded - Which plants are still producing well - Where access, harvesting, or watering has become difficult - What should be prepared for autumn planting, composting, or cleanup Southern Hemisphere Late winter is beginning to lean toward spring. Low sunlight, wet ground, drainage problems, sheltered areas, and dormant plants may be easier to see before new growth fills the landscape. This is a useful time to notice - Where spring sunlight will reach - Which areas remain wet or cold - What needs pruning, repairing, or clearing - Which seeds, beds, compost materials, and tools should be prepared - What household tasks can be completed before spring becomes busy Seasonal preparation does not mean doing everything at once. Choose one place where the changing season is revealing something useful. Observe what is happening now, then decide what may need attention next. What change are you noticing where you live, and what is it helping you prepare for?