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Gardening In Style, do it yourself, or with great products

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Here I have links to intriguing consumer products and do it yourself ideas to bring in your gardening indoors in style.

The Vertical Garden of Rozanno, in Italy. A shopping center in the Italian town of Rozanno has recently claimed a rather unusual Guinness record, for the world’s biggest vertical garden. Growing on the walls of the commercial complex, the unique garden covers an area of 1,263 square meters and is made up of about 44,000 plants. Just o be clear, the thousands of plants covering the sides of Rozanno’s shopping center were not planted in the ground next to the building and simply grew to cover the walls, they actually grow on the building itself. Italian architect Francisco Bollani, who was in charge of the project, says it took his team a whole year just to grow all the 44,000 plants, and another 90 days to place them on the walls of the commercial building.

Although it might seem like the walls are covered with soil from which the flora grows, the walls were actually lined with metallic containers that hold the plants. Photo: Daniela Minardi Photo: Tutto Green Photo: IGN Photo: Eco Seven via Physorg Reddit Stumble. The Spinning Indoor Garden Built Using NASA Technology. Grow an Indoor Garden on Your Wall With a Sleek, Magnetic Planter System. Spindow? Rotating Two-Face Window Plus Built-In Planter.

None of the ideas behind this is itself new, but the combination is a neat realization of multiple functions in one object for everyday home fenestration. First, yes, these are easier to clean than simple American-style, up-or-side-sliding windows, but the Europeans solved that problem some time ago with their dual-mode designs (which open at an angle for breezes while maintaining security, or rotate inward like doors depending on how you turn the handle). More interesting, perhaps, is the addition of a detachable planter that can take full advantage of being swung back indoors during adverse weather conditions (be it too much rain, or heat, or cold) then spun back outside just as easily. Of course, it can be left halfway open as well to catch breezes, but one does have to wonder about the safety of such an arrangement. Dubbed simply the Two Face Window by Junkyung Kim & Yonggu Do, this author still rather prefers ‘Spindow’ regardless.

Could This be the Next Big Thing In Backyard Pools? [VIDEO. Container Gardening Vegetable - Lettuce is the Perfect Container Gardening Vegetable. I love growing lettuce. It's fast, easy and is the perfect container gardening vegetable. One advantage of growing lettuce in a container garden is that it easier to protect it from pests. I've had too many lettuce plants devoured before I get a chance to eat them. I put my lettuce container gardens up on tables or chairs to protect them from the legions of woodchucks, squirrels and bunnies that love to feast on my lettuce.

You can grow lettuce in almost any container, as long as it has good drainage. You do have to be careful with any metal container, in the blistering hot sun because they can get hot and cook your plants root system. Here's what you need to make a lettuce container garden in a colander: SunColanderPotting soilPlastic window screeningFertilizerLettuce seed or seedlings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Great lettuces to try in container gardens: Black Seeded Simpson (heat tolerant)Simpson Elite (heat tolerant)Tropicana (heat tolerant)Elegance Seed Mix, from Johnny's SeedsMesclun mixes.

Our.windowfarms.org/instructions_dev/ 1) Translated by: Windowfarms Core Team. Welcome to the Instructions for MAMA! The Windowfarms Version 3.0 Modular Airlift Multicolumn Array (MAMA). Please make sure you have registered on our.windowfarms.org, including having accepted the terms of service for participating in this open design community project. Registering will pass on to you a royalty-free license for you to use this community developed patent pending design for non-commercial purposes. 2) Getting Started: Download and print the Windowfarms v3.0 parts list. 3) Section 1: Bottle Covering Each Windowfarm v3.0 column is made of 5 bottles: 4 plant bottles and 1 bottom reservoir bottle. 4) Part of each bottle must be covered to prevent the plants' roots from being exposed to light. 5) Fill an empty bottle with about 2"(5 cm) of water to weigh it down. 6) Using painter's masking tape, mask 4 of the bottles from the "waist" to the base. 8) Paint bottles with spray paint, providing even coverage.

3 DIY wines you can make at home. When you think of wine, more than likely you immediately think of the juice of fermented grapes, but excellent quality wine can be made from other ingredients including blackberries, plums, rose hips, cereals, flower petals — even root vegetables. While these wines may not be too common on the shelves of your local wine shop, the beauty of home winemaking is that the sky’s the limit. You don’t have to be a master vintner or have a house full of expensive equipment to make wine. Here are three simple, all-natural recipes using strawberries, elderberries and dandelion blossoms. Use recycled wine bottles and local, organic ingredients for truly green homemade wine. 1. Contrary to what you might expect, strawberry wine is not syrupy or sickly sweet. Ingredients: 7 pounds whole fresh strawberries (fresh picked, if possible), washed and hulled2 gallons boiling waterJuice of 1 lemon5 pounds sugar Preparation: Mash strawberries in a large earthenware crock. 2. 3.

Photo: jeremkin/iStockPhoto. Working in the Garden – Doing A Lot With Limited Space - Delicious Obsessions. I am constantly surprised at what you can do with a small space in regards to gardening. I have been able to grow a lot in my teeny tiny yard. My garden area is 5 feet by 12 feet. It takes up about half of the backyard – the other half is a concrete pad. But, I still manage to produce quite a bit of food, and I’m hoping this year will be even better. I’m learning more about what works and what doesn’t, and I have made a commitment to fertilize my garden often (once per week)! In-ground garden in 2010 The first two years that we lived here, I just dug an in-ground garden. I don’t know how many people tell me that they don’t have the space to garden. Now that I am crazy about gardening, it makes me want to do more to be sustainable. I highly recommend the fertilizers and soil amendments from MightyGrow Organics. If you’re a budding urban gardener, here are some of my favorite resources – I checked the books out at my local library.

Pepper and tomato plants in containers. Potato towers < How To Grow Potatoes in Towers. Backyard Gardening Blog. A How to Guide to Growing Bulbs : : You did it. This is a guest post by Amy Fowler. There are several clever methods of growing bulbs all year round. Naturalising and forcing are just two examples, amongst a number of others. Once you learn the basics behind growing bulbs, you’ll surely be a master in no time. In this guide, we’ll explore a number of handy and helpful tips for growing bulbs. Storing Bulbs If, for whatever reason, you cannot plant your bulbs on the same day as you buy them, make sure you store them correctly. Planting Bulbs Of course, the most important part of growing bulbs is making sure you plant them correctly.This requires more than just healthy topsoil. 1) Bulbs grow most efficiently when they are planted in groups of 6-24. 2) Large bulbs should be planted eight to twelve inches under the topsoil. 3) Applying mulch and water in abundance will make sure the soil does not dry out during the summer. 4) It is a common misconception to believe that every time you plant bulbs you need to apply fertiliser to the ground.

4 Best Methods for Off-the-Grid Food Production. Activist Post For most of us producing all of our own food is just a fantasy. It evokes visions of multiple acres of fertile land, long work days, and expensive machinery. However, none of these are necessary to achieve self-sufficient food production. There are many gardening techniques that can produce an abundance of food for you and your family without requiring a lot of space, money or equipment. What each of these methods will require is your time, but not the dawn-to-dusk work hours associated with farming.

Rather, you will need time to study and practice these methods and other food preparation skills such as learning to mill your own wheat or corn flour to make breads, tortillas, pastas from scratch, or learning to can, pickle, or preserve food in all its forms. Your diet should also be considered when planning for the best self-sufficient food production method. Here are the 4 best food production methods for self-reliance: 1. 2. 3. 4. , CFLs , or HPSs.

Crash-grazing the creekflat: an experiment. Floyd un-hooks the ends of the electric fence to let the sheep into the next cell Flat ground. Seemingly simple, but oh so full of implications. We didn’t really think about how cool flat ground was until we calculated that it made up exactly 10% of the total landmass of Milkwood. That means 90% hilly bits. Hmm. Flat ground is very precious – you can do all sorts of things with it which are just not suitable for steeply sloping ground. Our creekflat, prior to grazing experiment. While we’ve um-ed and ah-ed, the creekflat (our flat bit) has sat there patiently, covered in recovering pasture, being slashed occasionally, keyline plowed and seeded with vetch and oats, and waiting for our decision. In the meantime, however, we thought we’d have a go at using some marvelous biological accelerators (herbivores) to make the most of this exceptionally wet year and the pasture growth that’s gone with it.

Panorama of entire creekflat, with sheep in the second cell. And then there’s their hooves. Pallet Potting Bench | DigginFood. How to Keep Onions. My nephew’s football team was selling 25 pound bags of Vidalia onions a few weeks ago as a fund raiser for their team. Of course I snapped them up, thinking of all the delicious dishes I could make with 25 pounds of onions. And then they were delivered. Did you know that 25 pounds of onions is a whole lot of onions? Well, luckily, I remembered my Grandmother would always have onions on hand from those she’d grown in her garden. She’d have them practically year-round and without any of the stink of onions going bad in her pantry.

You know that smell? Yeah, I do too. So I decided I either had to crank out one onion dish after another for a week or get busy storing them as my Grandmother did many years ago. Here’s how you store onions using the good ole pantyhose method. 1. So now, don’t be afraid of buying your onions in bulk. Tips for Growing Great Carrots. October 4th, 2011 Yesterday, some readers asked if I had any tips for growing great carrots, so I thought I’d share a few things that work well for me. I’m by no means an expert carrot grower and sometimes things work well in one place and not in another.

If you’ve had difficulties growing carrots, keep trying new varieties and different methods, keep amending your soil, eventually you’ll find a variety that works for you. Here are a few tips I’ve learned. Carrots like loose rich soil, preferably a little sandy, and soil that’s been worked quite deeply. I find that they work best when planted where I’ve grown something like potatoes or sweet potatoes because the soil has been worked up well. Having loose sandy soil, will allow you to grow long slender straight carrots. Carrot seeds take a while to germinate and they like even moisture during the process.

I usually plant one big wide row of carrots four feet wide and about ten feet long. Five Tips for Starting Vegetable Seedlings Indoors More Cheaply. There are a variety of reasons why gardeners start their vegetable plants inside. Many do it to save money on the high price of organic seedlings at the garden center. The truth is starting seeds indoors can be even more costly than buying plants. So if saving money is your goal, you need to be careful to keep costs down. But saving money isn’t the only reason to start plants early. In the northern U.S., vegetable gardeners start their plants indoors to get a jump on the short growing season. If you’re growing plants early in hoop houses, for example, commercial seed starts probably won’t be ready in time.

If you are starting seeds inside, as so many on KGI will, here are five tips for keeping costs down. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. I’m sure you know about other ways to reduce the cost of starting seeds indoors. How to Cultivate Mushrooms in Natural Logs | Mushroompeople. Home Gardening - Small-Space Gardening: When the Back 40 Is on Your Porch Railing | Gardening. Window Box A window box adapted to a railing is ideal for creating a small-space garden on a porch or deck A daily walk through the garden to harvest a few vine-ripened tomatoes, some peppers or a handful of aromatic basil is a dream come true for anyone who enjoys cooking with fresh ingredients.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or the space to cultivate a large vegetable garden. If you fall into that category, but still yearn to harvest fresh ingredients for a summertime meal, all you need to do is change your idea of what a garden should look like. Gardening in small spaces is a trend that has taken hold with apartment dwellers, condo owners, and those who either don't have enough space for a large garden or the need for one. For many, a tomato plant or two, some basil and a few fresh herbs is all they need in a garden. There are several options for small space gardens, and some don't even require ground to plant in. Available at Amazon.com: Copyright © 2011 SEAN CONWAY. Grow More Vegetables with these Seven Gardening Secrets. Imagine harvesting nearly half a ton of tasty, beautiful, organically grown vegetables from a 15-by-20-foot plot, 100 pounds of tomatoes from just 100 square feet (a 4-by-25-foot bed), or 20 pounds of carrots from just 24 square feet.

Yields like these are easier to achieve than you may think. The secret to superproductive gardening is taking the time now to plan strategies that will work for your garden. Here are seven high-yield strategies gleaned from gardeners who have learned to make the most of their garden space. 1. Build up your soil. Expert gardeners agree that building up the soil is the single most important factor in pumping up yields.

A deep, organically rich soil encourages the growth of healthy, extensive roots that are able to reach more nutrients and water. The fastest way to get that deep layer of fertile soil is to make raised beds. Raised beds save you time, too. How do raised beds save so much time? 2. Companions in the Garden « this time – this space. Gardening is close to the soul and we are heart-sick at the prospect of a world without bees, so gardeners are focusing on companion planting vegetables with herbs and flowers that attract bees and butterflies.

Companion planting is strategically positioning plants in a garden to improve the soil, enhance growth and provide maximum ground cover. By companion planting you attract beneficial insects, and you repel pest insect communities and strains of disease reliant on different plants from invading your garden. Companion planting works well because the scent of one plant confuses the common insect pests of the other. Tomatoes like asparagus, Basil, Bee Balm, Borage, carrots, cucumbers, onions, Parsley and Petunias. They don’t like potatoes and members of the cabbage family. The cabbage family (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale) like beets, Borage, celery, cucumber, lettuce, Mints, Nasturtiums, onions, potatoes, Sage, spinach and Thyme. Discussion Like this: DIY Biomass Briquettes, Presses & Logs. How to Grow an Edible Garden, The Basics. Grow your own herb garden - Tantalize your taste buds with fresh herbs - Herb Gardening - Gardens.

Combine a Whole World of Plant Life With Trough Gardening : Archive. DIY Sod Sofas: Recline in Real Green-Grass Lawn Loungers. Hydrofarm reflective metalized film. Embedded Seeds + Used Chopsticks Grow Climbing Plants. Modern Log Furniture Fuses Sliced Trunks & Organic Resins. Build Your Own Salad Table | Apartment Therapy San Francisco. Process - Dinnerware,Plates,Party,Gifts,Natural,eco-products,eco,eco-friendly,tableware,green living,Dinnerware sets. VERTICAL HERB GARDENS - gardening, planting, nature, garden, sustainable lifestyle, do-it-yourself, creative environmental options, craft, organics, gardening, planting, flower pots, reusing, old and vintage, nature, environmental news. Create your own Vertical Garden - Living walls and Vertical Gardens.

Create an Interior Vertical Garden With Moss Tiles. Urban Garden Magazine | Cultivation indoors and outdoors using hydroponics and organics. Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces. Handmade Wednesday: Cinder Block Garden Planter | Inspiring Pretty. Wish You Could Save Summer in a Bottle? You Can…Can! Preservation Nation! « Home Grown Edible Landscapes. How to grow herbs indoors this winter. How to Grow Garlic. Hanging Mini-Greenhouse Also Doubles As Pendant Lamp. Éva Compost Homefarm by Francois Hurtaud. The Babylone: A lush multi-tasking lamp.