Greenhouses are usually glazed structures, but are typically expensive to construct and heat throughout the winter. A much more affordable and effective alternative to glass greenhouses is the walipini (an Aymara Indian word for a “place of warmth”), also known as an underground or pit greenhouse. First developed over 20 years ago for the cold mountainous regions of South America, this method allows growers to maintain a productive garden year-round, even in the coldest of climates.

via Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening (Video)

For some, raising chickens can be part of a integrated approach for self-sufficiency. In growing your own food, chickens can provide a regular supply of eggs, fertilizer through their manure, pest management (they eat lots of bugs), plus their ingrained, ground-scratching behaviour prepares the soil for crops. Chickens need shelter of course, and we’ve seen plenty of nifty designsfor chicken coops, with this interesting specimen from Italian collaborative laboratory DettoFatto (a.k.a. “said done”) being one of the latest.

See more photos here: Chicken coop gets cool & contemporary treatment in Sicily

Gardeners, where are you getting your seeds? With hybrids and genetically modified seeds becoming more prevalent, it’s important to remember that all seeds are not created equal! Start your garden right with heirloom seeds. Here are some of the companies we like most: 10 Heirloom Seed Companies Pioneering a Revival

Did you see The Hobbit this weekend? We were surprised to learn that the film set for The Shire is a real working vegetable garden! Check out these photos.

© Andreu Carulla

Andreu Carulla’s NeighBirds is a clever take on the birdhouse. 

Each birdhouse is hand-crafted into a hexagon from untreated pine. As a stand-alone birdhouse NeighBirds is a perfectly fine birdhouse. The genius of the design comes into play when the love birds decide to start a family.

(via NeighBirds: Brilliant, Modular Birdhouse Expands Into Bird Neighborhood (Photos) : TreeHugger)

Cicero is quoted as saying, “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Obviously, Cicero never received a Hori-Hori knife, self-watering planter, or the beautiful garden gloves we’ve included in this gift guide. 11 Holiday Gifts for Gardeners

We want to work here! Lovely! (via Gorgeous Garden Office by Office Sian Uses Structure as Shelving)

The photo above is of our very own Chris Tackett and his compost heap, and doesn’t he look content? There may be a good reason.

(via How Compost Gets You High (Literally) : TreeHugger)