No Glory in Suffering for Suffering’s Sake

My Dear Grandson, I take pen in hand with a tenderness that surprises an old man, for though my hair has turned to snow and my joints speak plainly of the passing years, my heart is still stirred when I think of you—so young, so earnest, and so given to strong notions...
Tradition, Habit, and the Ham That Was Too Big

Tradition, Habit, and the Ham That Was Too Big

There’s an old story about a woman who always cut the ends off her ham before putting it in the oven. When asked why, she replied, “Because that’s how my mother did it.” Curious, she asked her mother. The mother shrugged and said, “That’s how my mother did it.”...

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Why You Can’t Afford Not to Have a Beautiful Lawn

Why You Can’t Afford Not to Have a Beautiful Lawn

Most people think a beautiful, healthy lawn is a luxury they can’t afford. The truth is just the opposite: you can’t afford not to have one. When managed the right way—through a biological system—a lawn stops being a money drain and starts paying for itself through...

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Humus: The Fuel and the Finish Line of Healthy Soil

Humus: The Fuel and the Finish Line of Healthy Soil

When we talk about soil health, we are really talking about one thing: humus. This dark, stable form of carbon is both the primer and the product of the microbial activity in soil. Without it, the “engine of biology” sputters and stalls. With it, the soil transforms...

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Why We Can’t Fertilize Our Way to a Healthy Lawn

Why We Can’t Fertilize Our Way to a Healthy Lawn

For decades, the lawn care industry has preached a simple formula: apply fertilizer, get a greener lawn. Bags of synthetic nitrogen line the shelves every spring, promising instant results. And while those quick surges of growth may look impressive at first, the truth...

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What It Really Means to Have Balanced Soil

What It Really Means to Have Balanced Soil

When most people think of soil, they picture plain brown dirt—just a medium to hold plants in place. But soil is a living engine. It’s a dynamic, biological, chemical, and physical system, and when it’s “balanced,” that engine hums with efficiency. Balanced soil isn’t...

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