Hoppenings – odds ‘n’ ends… | Homebrew Guru. Allow me to catch up here, a couple items of interest I should have posted a while ago, plus one new one… First, the 2011 Hop Plantings etc. are well underway – I now have 70+ hills of hops in the ground (how do I have room for that many hop bines?) – about 1/3 are trellised, and I am working on it bit by bit in 85° weather with intense black fly and mosquito interference… Two weeks ago, I was part of a crew that planted a small historic hopyard at the Justin Morrill homestead in Strafford, VT – I’ll add the link to the Homestead later – but here’s a link to my friend Chris Fleisher’s website/blog/report on the day (I hate seeing myself and listening to my voice recorded… – oh well…) Don't know what it is.... Earlier that day, we went looking for a possible 19th century hop house in the woods on my hill in Tunbridge. We didn’t find the hop house, but we did find some VERRRY old hops growing in the woods and invading a stone wall and garden… We dug up one very substantial rhizome.
The Edible Eden. Growing with Plants. Magazine Plant Society Magazine | MagCloud. New Stories From 'Urban Agriculture Notes'. How to Plant A Mini SIP (aka Portable Micro Garden) Learn how to make an excellent Portable Microgarden from the nice folks at Inside Urban Green. They advised us on retrofitting our plastic spinach boxes into traveling mini SIPs like this one so we could take them on our road adventure and eat fresh greens. Check out the travel SIPs post to learn how to make one from stuff you already have or can garbage pick.
The bottle provides a reservoir for water and oxygen. You don't need that black HDPE pipe--we had some left over and used it. You could use a second water bottle for the water fill tube. These microgardens are perfect for those of us living in the northern hemisphere right now as spring tenuously approaches. We planted some cool-loving lettuces and greens in our mini SIPs and set 'em on the outside windowsill facing south. Here's how to plant your mini SIP... 1--Fill with damp potting mix and add a handful of organic fertilizer. 2--Mix the fert in with your hands and top up the boxes with plain potting mix. Click to enlarge. Portable Micro Gardens (SIPs) From Recyclables.
Here is a portable micro garden (aka sub-irrigated planter - SIP) made from recycled plastics installed in a mortar box. The same method works in any watertight container including a traditional raised bed lined with sheet plastic. It is a universal method. This is one sure way to avoid the hazard of often-contaminated city soil. The bonus is increased productivity in the range of 50% more vegetables per square foot vs. in-ground growing while saving up to 90% of the water. The recycled plastic containers create water and oxygen reservoirs. The fill tube (upper left) is a water bottle with the bottom cut off. The soil in the spaces between the recycled containers forms a wicking system.
A key element is the overflow drain hole. These planters are very simple to use. All sorts of recycled food containers can be upcycled in this way. This post shows a way to make SIPs like this using perforated corrugated drain pipe. Moss Carpet by Nguyen La Chanh. Immaculate Mini Lawn In Your Loo They say walking on fresh grass increases your blood circulation; I can’t vouch for that! Anyways, it is a reason to get going to the nearest park, remove your expensive Jimmy Choo’s and prance around. The Moss Carpet looks at getting the grass to your feet, and that too in your loo! Made from imputrescible foam called plastazote, the mat includes ball moss, island moss and forest moss. The humidity of the bathroom ensures that the mosses thrive.
And that’s why you need to place it there and not anywhere else. Designer: Nguyen La Chanh. Concrete and Hypertufa. Glasshouse Works: Plants Rare & Collectors Welcome Page.