Natural Additives for Depleted Soil | Garden Weasel. I want to give you the “dirt” on your soil so that if you think the stuff your plants are growing in might need some help, you have an idea what to do. Because no matter what, having good dirt is the number one thing you can provide your plants for optimal opportunity to flourish. And, because some of you asked!
Signs of Problems You probably intuitively know if you’ve got soil problems, but if you’re not sure, here are some things to notice: Plants, foliage or lawn don’t look healthy Weeds grow in abundance Cannot dig very deep (8-12”) without hitting hard layers Plant roots do not grow deep Lack of earthworms Dirt is blue-green, gray, yellow or streaking (sign of drainage problems) It is always a good idea to test your soil before adding anything to it. Defining Dirt and Soil Technically speaking, there is a difference between dirt and soil. To differentiate, but since we do need to enter the world of science to better understand how to tend our gardens, indulge me. How to Grow Blueberries. I grow a slew of both common and uncommon fruits, from apples to kiwis to pears to paw-paws. I love them all, but if pressed to recommend just one must-grow fruit, it would be blueberries.
These native Americans have stolen my heart for many reasons. The fruit is abundant and seductively sweet, especially when allowed to fully ripen on the shrub—a luxury commercial growers cannot afford. The shrubs make beautiful specimens in the landscape, not surprising considering their lineage to the mountain laurel, rhododendron, and azalea. In spring, their branches are festooned with delicate, bell-shaped flowers. Summer brings lush, blue-tinged foliage, which turns fiery red in fall. If great taste and beauty are not enough for you, blueberries are literally just what the doctor ordered. Varieties and Soil The first key to success is to pick the right variety for your climate and to give it company. A second key to success is soil. The Top 10 Healthiest Seeds on Earth. By John Summerly, They come in all different sizes, shapes and colours.
The seed is an embryonic plant itself and the origin of nutrition. A plant goes to great lengths to produce each seed and fill it with high concentrations of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential oils and dormant enzymes. If you’re looking for a high quality, nutritious and filling snack, seeds are tough to beat. Let’s look at the ten healthiest seeds on Earth and how to consume them. A seed is life. How to Eat Seeds There is only one way to derive nutrition from seeds and that is to eat them raw. . - Choose raw and unsalted seeds - Avoid coated or roasted seeds - Avoid sugar coated seeds The 10 Healthiest Seeds on Earth Serving Size = 1 Tsp The seeds are loaded with vitamins and minerals, are an excellent source of fibre, protein and antioxidants, and are the richest plant source of omega-3 fatty acids.
The seeds are gluten-free, which also makes them appealing to people with celiac disease or an aversion to gluten. Sacred Lessons from the Bees, Honey Flows, and Honey Harvesting | The Druid's Garden. I’ve been making the transition to Pennsylvania and to my new life here (I spoke of this transition in an earlier blog post). Sorry for the delay in a regular weekly post–I’m back on track now, and have many wonderful things to share with you in the coming weeks. Today I’m going to talk about bees and share photos of my first honey harvest. Bees moving to their new home in early May! I’ve now been a beekeeper for over a year, and I have begun to deeply resonate with the honeybee. Honeybees are the most amazing, gentle creatures–they make everything from the plants, are extremely hard working, and extremely fascinating.
One of the decisions I made, in my transition from my 3 acre homestead to small-town renting (renting until I find my new land) was to keep my two beehives. Moving two beehives across three states is no easy feat–it requires state inspections, paperwork, and a good friend with a truck willing to drive you there. Beekeeping Ethically Beekeeping class I gave recently! Honeycomb. Colony Collapse Disorder Is a Fraud: Pesticides Cause Bee Die-Offs.
Heidi Stevenson, Green Med InfoWaking Times Years ago, Gaia Health informed that bee dieoffs are a direct result of pesticide nerve agents called neonicotinoids. The term, Colony Collapse Disorder, is fraudulent, designed to direct attention from the known cause. Agribusiness, the poison manufacturers making death-producing pesticides, is the other face of Big Pharma. The massive bee die-off is not a great mystery. Colony Collapse Disorder is poisoning with a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids. Clothianidin, a neonicotinoid pesticide manufactured by Bayer, has been clearly linked to die offs in Germany and France. Although the bee die-offs that have occurred recently are more severe, there have been many in the past from the same and similar products. Clothianidin and imidacloprid are both members of a class of pesticides called neonicotinoids.
We have been pointing out the risks of neonicotinoids for almost 10 years now. Not a Surprise There are many problems with this. Resources: Permaculture Design Course - Regenerative Leadership Institute. A Way to Garden — Organic gardening inspiration from Margaret Roach. Gardening. Guerrilla Gardening Troop Digs. A Way to Garden — Organic gardening inspiration from Margaret Roach. Being An Urban Gardener: Creating A City Vegetable Garden - Gardening Know How. By Nikki Phipps (Author of The Bulb-o-licious Garden) Even if you’re an urban gardener with little space, you can still benefit from growing a city vegetable garden.
A window, balcony, patio, deck or roof receiving six or more hours of sun is all you need, in addition to a few containers. City Vegetable Gardening Designs The urban gardener can enjoy a city vegetable garden in various ways. You can grow vegetables in containers, which can be transformed into thriving city gardens. Growing vegetables is more versatile than one might think. City Vegetable Gardening in Containers Growing vegetables in containers is one of the easiest ways to create a city vegetable garden. Typically, smaller containers are used for more shallow-rooted crops like carrots, lettuce and radishes.
In order to help improve drainage and airflow, it may be a good idea to raise your containers about an inch or two off the ground with blocks. Rooftop City Gardens Growing an Urban Vegetable Garden Vertically. 6 Strategies for Urban Vegetable Gardening. Room to grow: With a little planning, even the smallest of spaces can hold a veggie or herb garden. City living has its ecobenefits: easy travel by foot and public transit, smaller homes that use less energy, and less living space in which to accumulate needless junk. But growing your own vegetables in an urban environment can be tricky when you don’t have a backyard. "Small-space gardening isn't simple," says Charlie Nardozzi, senior horticulturist for the National Gardening Association, "but it's not as difficult as some people might think.
" Nardozzi says that the introduction of miniature and dwarf vegetable varieties (you can find plants in most gardening-supply stores or order seeds from reputable companies) to your urban gardening program allows even the beginning gardener to grow tasty crops without the need for tons of space and soil.
Ready to start a plot of your own? Urban Farming :: Welcome To Urban Farming! Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program - Grants and Education. Urban Farming :: Welcome To Urban Farming! Urban Gardening Ideas And Information – Tips For Starting An Urban Garden. 12 Savvy Small-Space Urban Gardening Designs & Ideas. Think you gotta have a farm or even a large yard to grow enough fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs to feed your family all summer?
You’d be surprised how much food you can get out of the smallest of spaces – even when you live in an urban high-rise. From innovative vertical gardening systems to hanging pots and easy-access planters, these 12 small-space gardening solutions make homegrown produce possible no matter how tiny your outdoor space may be. Small but Expandable Step Garden (images via: urban garden) How do you squeeze every possible square inch of usable growing space out of a tiny balcony or deck? Pop Bottle Drip System (images via: you grow girl) Unless you’re really conscientious, it’s way too easy to accidentally kill plants growing in small pots under the brutal heat of the summer sun, especially in urban environments where reflected heat can dry out soil fast.
Square Foot Gardening (image via: serene journal) How much food can you grow in a square foot? Self-Watering Grow Box. Bloemen die nuttige insecten aantrekken. Benodigdheden. Learn Organic Gardening at GrowingYourGreens. 22 Unbelievably Clever Gardening Cheats. Mulching. The Urban Organic Gardening Blog | Urban Organic Gardener | Grow Organic Food.
Sustainable Urban Gardens. Gardening Hacks - 10 Simple Tips for a Successful Vegetable Garden. VTV Blijdorp | Mulchen: Goed voor de bodem. <- Terug Mulchen betekent dat je de bodem van je tuin bedekt met organisch materiaal. In de natuur gebeurt dat vanzelf. Daar zijn geen ijverige tuinders die uitgebloeide bloemen en dode takken verwijderen. Die vallen daar uiteindelijk vanzelf op de grond en worden dan door allerlei bodemdieren, bacteriën en schimmels afgebroken.
Onze volkstuinen zijn geen natuurlijk gebied, dus ingrijpen is wel noodzakelijk. Waarom zou je mulchen? Mulchen doe je met plantenrestenGrasmaaisel: Leg een laag van ca. 2 cm. grasmaaisel tussen stevige planten en struiken. Dode stengels: Verknip in de winter of het vroege voorjaar de afgestorven stengels van planten met een heggeschaar in kleine stukjes en laat ze op en rondom de plant vallen.
Bladeren: Hark in het najaar de bladeren op het pad bij elkaar en gooi ze onder struiken die houden van een zure bodem (zoals rodondendron en azalea). Compost: Ook wel het zwarte goud genoemd. Mulchen is een weldaad voor de tuin. Fruit. 40 Inspiring DIY Herb Gardens. If you love to cook you most likely can’t live without fresh herbs.
You can buy them when you need them but it would be much better if you will always have them in pots near by. This way it’s much easier to mix them in small doses and add in all meals you’re cooking. Of course to have them on your kitchen or right outside your kitchen door you need to organize a thoughtful herb garden that also looks great. We’ve gathered for you a bunch of cool ideas that might inspire you to do that.
Enjoy! Herbs And Vegetables In Modern Planters Of Different Heights (via bhg) DIY Herbal Window Box (via bhg) DIY Colorful Vertical Garden On A Fence (via shelterness) DIY Recycled Seed Pots from Newspapers and Magazines (via shelterness) Container Herb Garden (via bhg) How to Turn Coffee Tins into a Hanging Herb Garden (via curbly) DIY Flower Pot Herb Tower (via curbly) Herb Garden With A Bentwood Trellis (via bhg) DIY Small Space Vertical Garden Of A Pallet (via shelterness) Zaden. Slakken. Kas. Kas. Ontginnen zonder spitten (3) Mulchen, een paar vraagjes. : Bodem en bemesting | Moestuin Forum. Ik ben dit jaar begonnen met onrijpe compost als mulg.
Ben er helemaal happy mee. Onrijp, omdat ik dan gewoon steeds in korte tijd wat toe kan voegen. Simpelweg omdat ik op een tuin zit, die nog nooit moestuin is geweest, en het is puur stofzand als je niks doet. Of stofzand, of een harde dichtgeslagen korst. De grond blijft echt een stuk vochtiger. Verse mest en uien schijnt niet goed te zijn, ivm uienvlieg aantrekken. Twintig cenimeter mulch... doet mijn oren flapperen... dat is een boel!!
Uitgetrokken onkruid (mulch is echt onkruidvertragend) leg ik weer bovenop de mulchlaag, maar alleen bij de wat grotere planten, bij kleine plantjes is dat te rommelig, en zie je niet wat nou je getrokken onkruid is, en wat je zaailingen zijn. Als ik wil zaaien, duw ik de laag opzij, en zaai in een geultje, wat ik weer bedek met wat zandgrond. Groot onkruid gooi ik op de composthoop, dan laat ik het daar voorverteren. Ik rommel wat aan. Mulchen, een paar vraagjes. : Bodem en bemesting | Moestuin Forum. Fennel. It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable.
Fennel is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the mouse moth and the anise swallowtail. Etymology and names[edit] The word "fennel" developed from the Middle English fenel or fenyl. This came from the Old English fenol or finol, which in turn came from the Latin feniculum or foeniculum, the diminutive of fenum or faenum, meaning "hay". Cultural references[edit] Fennel, from Koehler's Medicinal-plants (1887) As Old English finule, fennel is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century.[2] ... Appearance[edit] Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a perennial herb. Cultivation and uses[edit] Culinary uses[edit] Other uses[edit]
Identifying Several Herbs and Their Uses. Parsley Compound kills 86% of Lung Cancer Cells | Healthy News and Information. By PAUL FASSA Worldwide, lung cancer is a devastating and exceedingly common form of cancer. It ranks as the number one cause of cancer deaths for adults in the United States. According to the American Lung Cancer Association, back in 1987 it replaced breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. “Lung cancer causes more deaths than the next three most common cancers combined (colon, breast and pancreatic).
An estimated 159,260 Americans are expected to die from lung cancer in 2014, accounting for approximately 27 percent of all cancer deaths” – American Lung Cancer Association. Seventy-five to eighty percent of lung cancer cases stem from a type of cancer called, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, conventional cancer “treatments” have failed miserably against this all too common death sentence. Parsley Compound Kills Lung Cancer Cells and Acts as a Cancer Preventive -Onions -Oranges -Chamomile tea -Oregano -Thyme -Coriander -Artichokes -Red wine. According to Dr. Sources: Outdoor Concrete Pots - The Wood Grain Cottage. Well, we’ve had a few days without the wind. I’m not sure how I’ve survived! I mean, we can actually walk outside without being blown away. I might have had one or two good hair days… And now that I’ve said that, I’m sure it will have to make its appearance.
Let’s just pretend I didn’t say anything… I’ve been so anxious to start adding flowers and pots and outdoor pretties, that I couldn’t help myself from making a new pair of outdoor concrete pots. Concrete is a bit more in depth to work with and it can definitely be a labor of love, but the finished results are totally worth it… They’re unique and I love the way they look with flowers! Here’s how I made them… I started with basic black plastic pots, you know, the kind that your plants come in when you buy them… Then I started mixing my ingredients… Portland Cement, Perlite and Sphagnum Peat Moss. I added just enough water to make the mixture wet and “cottage cheese” like… I am so happy with the way they turned out… P.S. P.S.S. Building a Greenhouse. Plan Ahead: Make Candle Planters For Your Patio — Family Chic. Cheap Patio idea - Sunset Mobile. An outdoor "area rug" of stained concrete pavers replaced a tired lawn in the back of our 1930s bungalow in Santa Monica.
And it solved a major, if temporary, problem. Because the back entrance of our house leads to a home office, lots of foot traffic had trampled the lawn. And our dog, Stella, regularly tracked grass and mud into the house. We needed a level, durable patio that would blend with the surrounding garden. But we didn't want to commit to anything too permanent or expensive since we were rethinking the design of our house. Concrete pavers seemed to be the answer ― they are readily available and inexpensive (less than $1 each) at home improvement stores ― but their color range is limited to gray and ruddy brown. Then my experience as a scenery artist led me to the idea of turning the raw 12-inch-square pavers into a colorful mosaic. Next: Project tips Project tips Make a plan. Gather materials. Prep the pavers. Mix your own stain.
Seal the stain. Territorial Seed. Mulching. Nieuw in moestuinland : Bodem en bemesting | Moestuin Forum. Natural Wood Raised Garden. Top 10 Recommended Grasses Grow. HOW TO... The Garden Oracle | gardening advice & suggestions | tutorials | plant care. Transplanting. Windowsill Sprouting my way through the Winter. Growing Tomatoes, How to Grow Tomatoes, Planting Tomatoes. Best Indoor Plants. Harris Seeds. Seedstarting FAQs, How to Start Seeds, Growing from Seed. Top 10 Recommended Grasses Grow.
Repurpose a Soda Bottle Into a DIY Irrigation System. How to Start a Vegetable Garden - Vegetable Garden Plans. 10 plantas para limpiar el aire de tu casa. How to start plants from seed indoors to transplant in the garden later. El invento ecológico que destronó al iPad. Gardening. 11 Plants That Repel Mosquitoes. Container gardening vegetables indoor outdoor gardens. Seeding. Attracting Hummingbirds. Fantastic Invention: Honey on Tap Directly from Your Beehive. Most Expensive Specialty Crops in the World - Insider Monkey. Keep Plants Watered for Days with Nothing But Paper Towels.
How to Start a Vegetable Garden - Vegetable Garden Plans. TDG ~ Telling the Bees. Starting Vegetable Seeds in a Greenhouse. Tropicals & House Plants | Telly's Greenhouse. Heirloom Seeds: Sustainably Grown, Organic, Untreated and Open-Pollinated Sustainable Seed Company. DIY Mason Jar Beekeeping. Wildflowers. Most Expensive Specialty Crops in the World - Insider Monkey. Top 10 Recommended Grasses Grow. Gardening. Ten Commandments of Butterfly Gardening. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds - 1400 heirloom garden seeds!
Gardening, plants, orchids. Are Mushrooms the Solution to the Worldwide Bee Colony Collapse? Keep Bees, Naturally! Grow Your Own Bee Garden: 7 Tips for a Bee-Friendly Habitat.