Kate Hildenbrand

Garden coach and activist for regenerative gardening and agriculture, climate change, and biodiversity. Between fascism, capitalism, and social crises, I hardly get to complain about pesticides, destroyed soils and biodiversity loss.

I share my knowledge on growing food, cooking and preserving, as well as ecosystem thinking in articles and videos and help others remotely with their gardens.

All content CC Share Alike NoAI

#gardening #LazyGardening #GardenCoach #noBots

Videos: https://video.katehildenbrand.com
Website: https://katehildenbrand.com
German: https://norden.social/@rootsandcalluses
Pronouns: any/none

Public Key

npub1flj89cj0v7rz8rx5e4hfsh82xms3yy8fd0tnwkr08ly99yllvkgsz2f9rf

NIP-05 Address

rootsandcalluses_at_mstdn.social@momostr.pink

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsylerjuf8k0p3r3n2v6m5ctn4rdcgjzr5kh4ehtphnljzjj0lktygpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds0ezmax

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relay.damus.io

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Author Public Key

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Last Notes

2026-08-13 08:30:31 UTC

I'm really sorry for the real farms and projects in Uganda and such, for the real people suffering in war zones. Unfortunately, it's almost all scammers. It's especially hard with the projects in Africa because there are actual real projects worthy of support. But they all go by the same schemes here... it's annoying and disgusting.
As to the people from Gaza: well, their stories just don't add up at all, so that's much easier to dismiss...
Despicable to use the suffering of others like this.

2026-05-06 14:39:45 UTC

Everything in the polytunnel is yelling to be planted outside but with 3 degrees C on the forecast for Thursday, they'll have to make do for a few more days.
The beds along the edges are getting mulched now. I just don't want to go into the rain. It's ugly out... I mean, of course, it is finally raining.
#gardening
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2026-05-06 07:28:12 UTC

Those of you with chickens, how to you feed them? Do you groe any of their food? Do you buy ready-made food? Do you mix ingredients yourself? Do you compost in the coop area? How? How often do you feed?
We still have half a bag of dry chick feed because its what the old hen is used to but we want proper food for them. Just like with the dog, I want real food for them, not dry kibble.
#chickens #backyardChickens

2026-05-04 19:50:45 UTC

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If containers or grow bags don't offer a solution, you could try straw instead of hilling. The mulch keeps things nice and temperate below, makes hilling unnecessary, and adds nutrients slowly into the soil. Also, harvesting is a lot easier.

2026-05-01 09:48:14 UTC

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Looking so good!

2026-04-29 14:58:58 UTC

Chick party in the polytunnel.
#KatesChickens
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2026-04-24 18:41:29 UTC

Ten chicks have hatched. One has an injured foot, another one was bleeding early on. All seem well. Three eggs are still in the incubator but it's been a while, so they probably won't hatch.
Damn, they are cute.
#KatesChickens

2026-04-12 14:42:34 UTC

DNFed yet another book. I really don't need descriptive sex scenes in general but kinky god sex is quite another level. Some of this stuff was plain gross.
American Gods had a really intriguing setup but it isn't worth this.

2026-04-03 09:01:56 UTC

There is life in the soil blocks! About half of the varieties I planted already showed themselves. Time to finish up the polytunnel, and the garden beds. Time will fly now.
#gardening

2026-03-27 20:06:36 UTC

A successful garden day despite mixed weather: I prepared new beds along the fence and planted them with carrots, spinach, salsify, and some peas. Everything that should be in soil by now is in soil blocks or in the ground, aaaand I finished laying the floors.
No worries, that shelf won't stay like that. Tomorrow, we're getting the proper anchors for the polytunnel, and then most of the trays are moving out there.
#gardening #KateGrowsRoots
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2026-03-22 09:06:02 UTC

Okay, who wants to take care of the subtitles for the podcast for me, so I can upload the February episode of the podcast but go play in the garden instead? Nobody? Nobody? Well, okay then...
#LazyGardening

2026-03-09 16:41:05 UTC

This wasn't the plan but the potatoes that sprouted in the back of a kitchen cupboard are in (or rather on) soil. The poly tunnel is exactly as unfinished as yesterday.
#gardening
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2026-02-27 21:31:26 UTC

It really makes no sense that I get just about three days to prune and fell before the annual bird-protection period starts. We had an extreme winter. Three days of good enough conditions, really...
#gardening

2026-02-08 09:34:45 UTC

February, also known as the month where you need to keep gardeners from starting a million seeds.
(hello Southern hemisphere friends, I know you exist and that your season is ending)
#gardening

2026-01-25 12:10:41 UTC

A few impressions of winter in the garden. We are still stuck in a cold spell. It is getting less extreme now but we will remain below zero for a while. According to the locals, this is very unusual for the area we live in.
Despite the consistent cold, there are first signs of spring on the horizon.
#gardening #winter
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2026-01-06 10:32:28 UTC

There isn't much to do for the garden at this time of year but snow has advantages: Very easy to see where paths will need to be.
The plan is taking shape.
#gardening
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2025-12-15 08:28:01 UTC

I was online very little over the last few days but at least the German fediverse seems to have split into more and more fighting groups yet again. Stop letting them divide you. We are all humans, all together. Let's focus our energy on defending our lives, our democracy, instead of figuring out how many small camps we can split into. Reminder: splitting us up helps only the uber rich! We are stronger together!

2025-11-16 10:57:53 UTC

This week, a friend visited, and we slept at the house. My friend slept in the kitchen, and I slept upstairs between the wallpaper explosion on a small sleep sofa. Thursday, another friend joined us, and we finally started attacking the spruce trees. 14 are felled and the deadwood hedge started. A few more like this, and we will switch to ground-level felling. But the front edge needs some visual protection.
#KateGrowsRoots #Gardening
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2025-11-14 14:43:31 UTC

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There seem to be quite a few things weird with Peertube right now. I'll write some bug reports when I have a brain again next week.

2025-11-14 14:24:04 UTC

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I haven't moved instance either. Nothing.
Today, I triggered three notification pushes becaues I updates subtitels but over the last days almost all my videos were pushed at some point. And I didn't touch my laptop.

2025-11-14 14:15:18 UTC

Peertube keeps putting out notifications for my videos. It definitely triggers when the videos supposedly changed. I just added the missing subtitles for a few of the oldest videos. Now there are notifcations getting pushed to the fediverse again. Anyone know how to turn of notifications on changing videos? New ones, yes, but not changing ones.
And I still don't know what triggered it over the last few days, for all of my videos because I did nothing then.
@npub17gp…7p4g [@FediTips](https://social.growyourown.services/@FediTips )
#Peertube

2025-11-05 20:21:24 UTC

What do you do in the garden this time of year? Mulching, of course. Most things, right now, are best left alone. Dare leave the leaves on the lawn. Dare leave the plant remains and flower heads alone. Dare leave the lawn uncut. Take the leaves from your paths or your neighbor's monoculture lawn to add a thick layer on top of your beds. This prepares them for spring and provides a home to wildlife.
#Gardening #GardenCoach #KatesGardens
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2025-10-30 08:30:53 UTC

No one hear picks up trash but dare a single leaf fall to the ground, and they come out of their holes with rakes, brooms, leaf blowers, even hands. Then, the leaves get stuffed into plastic bags. The trees above them are shaking with laughter and raining down fresh mulch.
#gardening #autumn

2025-10-29 13:49:11 UTC

Germany just raised minimum wage. The only news coverage is on how expensive this is for the producers. I don't care.
What I care about is that even this half-assed raise might mean that a parent gets to eat a full meal instead of going hungry for their children, that someone can build an emergency fun, or that someone can move out because they are no longer as financially dependent.
If these were the stories we shared, people might think differently about raising minimum wage.

2025-10-28 14:08:37 UTC

Just selected the heritage tomatoes I'll help save next year. I'm excited to grow my first tomatoes in the new garden. I'll grow one variety and record all kinds of data on them. I also signed up for the "standard" which is a kind of control tomato variety that let's the team understand what kind of year it was.
#gardening #KateGrowsRoots

2025-10-18 11:22:23 UTC

As I did not post a photo yesterday, here is yesterday in two photos instead. I poured candles, baked bread, forgot a bread in the oven, and also continued digging that trench I have been working on.
#KateGrowsRoots #gardening #sourdough #candles
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2025-10-17 09:01:59 UTC

New episode out! It's time to catch up a bit, so it's a whirlwind through the summer months with time in the kitchen but also on the water. As a bonus, there are many animals in this one.
Watch: https://video.katehildenbrand.com/w/8kgNDDtCCt8ZrhDa9Mr4zs
Read: https://rootsandcalluses.com/blog/157-summer-in-limbo
Donate: https://rootsandcalluses.com/support
#rootsandcalluses #gardening #kayak

2025-10-08 17:53:27 UTC

It was a rainy today but I still spent some time in the garden. I started another bed, though I did not get too far because the rain picked up. So, I fled inside and chatted with the current owner of the house that will soon be ours. The green manure on the second bed has sprouted. An animal has reestablished exits from under the bed.
No life on the spinach and beans yet. Many small bushes are waiting to move into the garden.
#KateGrowsRoots #Gardening
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2025-10-06 18:17:51 UTC

The fast ground cover mix is quickly covering the first bed. I have to see a doctor tomorrow but I will be back in the garden on Wednesday. Maybe the other beds will also have sprouted by then.
#KateGrowsRoots #gardening
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2025-10-02 07:36:42 UTC

Played with apples yesterday to see where the bed outlines will go. Yellow apples make surprisingly nice bed outlines--well, temporarily. By now, I know where things will go, and what will need to be taken out.
Speaking of: Forsythia can go. They are ecologically rather useless without pollen and fruit. I rescued a slow and a pear from the bushes overgrowing them and trimmed the pear to get rid of dead and dying leaves. More work will follow.
#gardening #Homesteading
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2025-09-16 17:57:40 UTC

The new episode is online! Let's travel back in time to end of June when I left the first garden, harvested currants and garlic, and then spent hours sorting garlic.
Watch: https://video.katehildenbrand.com/w/cHQBvQdwHRDwnsqr4NDD27
Read: https://rootsandcalluses.com/blog/156-goodbye-first-garden
Donate: https://rootsandcalluses.com/support
#Gardening #Homesteading

2025-09-16 07:21:57 UTC

Moneyterm can't read CSV files and that's the only thing I get from my bank. So, unfortunately, no moneyterm for me. I'll have to continue my search for a working budget tool. Suggestions?
(preferably free, self-hosted)

2025-09-16 06:41:24 UTC

Barely sat down at my desk, and the first coffee is already empty. Yesterday sits deep in my bones. Social interaction, long car drive, city chaos. i'd planned two more errands for the city but had to push those off. It was too much. It took an hour from when I saw the university building to when I dropped off the letters. I was stress-sweating.
Good morning, my lovely people. I think I've answered you all. If I've missed you, let me know, please.

2025-09-10 13:18:10 UTC

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One person told me that it's fine for me "as a woman" to drive an electric car but "men" need "real cars" and such nonsense.
I get unrequested monologues on the child labor that made my battery, on the plastic pollution from my tires, and entire tirades on the pollutants in the production of the car. That's what you get with an "e" on the car.
From another corner come complaints that I'm half-assing and should switch to a bicylcle or public transport. Sigh.
Conclusion: it work!
8/8

2025-09-10 13:16:27 UTC

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But all in all, I'm content with the choice of switching to an electric car. It was expensive. It'll take a long time to pay off the car but we are dependent on a car because of where we live, so we decided to spend more on electric mobility. Some of the cost will be mitigated when we get the wall box but it's definitely a privilege to choose electric.
The most curious to me was the reactions to the car:
7/x

2025-09-10 13:15:02 UTC

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Data privacy, too, is probably not a priority for Opel. I'm always in privacy mode but I don't know what that does or how helpful it is.
The bluetooth connection is unreliable.
The mechanism that is supposed to unlock the car when the key is nearby work 8/10 times.
The second (smaller) battery might be defective and trigger the economy mode too often.
6/x

2025-09-10 13:01:50 UTC

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The Opel Astra Sports Tourer in the electric version looks sporty. We chose it despite of this because of the large trunk. We accepted the sporty look rather than wanted it. It brings me real joy, however, to see the looks on faces when this little hippie gets out of the car.
There are problems with the "safety systems" of the car. The auto high-beam assist is a flickering mess that I struggled to deactivate for a while.
The manual is bad.
5/x

2025-09-10 12:59:58 UTC

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The car drives like a car. It accelerates fine and I don't notice it's an electric.
Driving slowly is a lot quieter. That's something to keep in mind especially on parking lots where people don't hear you and might, e.g., walk backward into traffic without looking. But that's not a car problem...
Most criticism is about the specific car we chose
4/x

2025-09-10 12:58:50 UTC

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I am really looking forward to the wallbox, though. I think it'll make things cheaper and more comfortable. Slow-charging is better fo the battery. Charging with sun energy from the roof is an added bonus.
But it works without. At least here, in the rural areas of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a real desert of chargers on maps, there are enough charging options.
3/x

2025-09-10 12:57:22 UTC

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The range is no problem. The first long-distance travel isn't until December but the shorter distances up to a hundred kilometers all worked without problems. Sure, you think about charging beforehand, to figure out where and when to fit in the charging. Most of the time, there's a charger at the destination. If not, a break on the way solves the problem. Most of the time, I fast-charge while grocery shopping or slow-charge near our home.
2/x

2025-09-10 12:55:58 UTC

I've had the electric car for a few months now, so here's a thread with my summarized experience:
First, let's talk charging:
I can slow-charge within walking distance, fast-charge in the next town. We don't yet have a wall box.
There is absolutely confusing charging station chaos with unpredictable pricing in Germany. But I use the same charging card everywhere and pay 59 ct/kWh without stress.
1/x

2025-09-09 15:05:59 UTC

The mint is alive! I completely neglected to containers with mint in the far-away garden. All dead. Well, placed them outside with the rest anyway. A few weeks later, both pots now have fresh tiny mini mint. The plants just won't die. One of them has completely died back multiple times now but there has always been enough live underground to resprout and try again.
#Gardening

2025-08-30 08:44:21 UTC

On what's soon our land, there's a dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) growing next to the garden beds for cultivation. People keep telling me to chop it down because it will take the water from the garden and get oh-so big. After some research, the current plan is to keep the tree. Do any of you know Metasequoia well enough to tell me if that is a bad plan?
And does anyone know if the deciduous needles (what a concept!) compost like leaves or needles pH-wise?
#trees #gardening

2025-08-28 12:12:06 UTC

My lettuce seeds are starting to be ready for saving. I'd never had a chance to let lettuce go to seed before. Fascinatedly, I observed the entire life cycle. We've now reached "blow ball" stage, and I can pull the seeds off to save them.
This year, saving seeds seems to be the main purpose of gardening. Without grow space, it's more than I'd hoped for. Lettuce seeds, salad seeds, marigold seeds, three kinds of bean seeds, spinach seeds, and corn salad seeds. It's something.
#Gardening

2025-08-23 06:50:40 UTC

What resources can you recommend on taking care of fruit trees and trees in general? The focus should not be maximum harvest but maximum tree health. Once I'm done with all my theory here, I get to switch to application: the new garden is waiting fo rme.
Thanks :)
#gardening

2025-08-21 14:17:57 UTC

I am on page 42 of my master thesis. The nerd in me is very happy about this random fact.
(It'll be interesting to see how this mere PDF export from .md to .pdf will be affected by final formatting.)
#KatesMasterThesis

2025-08-15 13:30:03 UTC

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How much lemon do you add to your jams? I do have a plentiful amount of lemon juice as I use it in our drink sirups.
I'm totally fine cooking it for a while.

2025-08-15 13:08:36 UTC

Do you think Mirabelle plums are suitable for jam/jelly without adding pectin? When I complained about not having a source of pectin, some of you insisted I could learn how to do without instead. Do you think that's worth trying with Mirabelle plums?
#Gardening #homesteading #canning

2025-08-05 10:08:56 UTC

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They definitely don't have everything. I checked my own books, and they have 2 books that are outdated (I published a new version), two of my children's books, but neither the third book in the series, nor the new version, nor any of the books I published in the last few years. But then again, I'm a tiny author, self-published, and all that. They might be a lot better to use with popular authors.

2025-08-04 19:46:21 UTC

„Could you please continue the petty bickering. I find it quite intriguing.“
Mr. Data

2025-07-31 15:46:17 UTC

I didn't enjoy using HortusFox. Are there other recommendations for self-hosted plant management?
#gardening

2025-07-31 08:22:39 UTC

Received my first donation in months yesterday. It's amazing how excited I can get about 5 bucks. The validation I get from even such a small donation, because someone thinks my work is worth supporting with real money brings the necessary push to keep trying.

2025-07-28 15:20:15 UTC

I got three blueberry plants last year. They were tiny then but are putting on good size and even produced some fruit this year. Some of them dried out during the heat waves, so I collected the dried fruit. Now, I've placed one berry each into pots to see if they'll sprout. I didn't remove the seeds from the fruit or anything, just planted them whole.
The hazelnut and willow also got to move from the water they rooted in to their own pots.
Cultivation is such fun!
#gardening

2025-07-13 09:09:09 UTC

When I saved the chive seeds from the blossoms, I was sure some would be left, so I added all the blossoms to a planter. I completely forgot about them until I found the thin green poking through. I guess there were more than a few.
#gardening #homesteading
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