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StumbleUpon. Idealistrevolution.org - StumbleUpon. Soak seeds before planting. Soaking seeds before planting is an old-time gardener’s trick that many new gardeners are not aware of. When you soak seeds before planting, you can significantly decrease the amount of time it takes for a seed to germinate. Let’s look at the reasons for soaking seeds and how to soak seeds. Reasons for Soaking Seeds What happens to seeds when you soak them?

Why should you soak your seeds? The short answer is because your seeds were designed to be abused. Another reason is that while Mother Nature actively assaults seeds, she also gave those seeds an internal gauge to help them know when they should grow. And lastly, for some types of seeds, they actually contain germination inhibitors that are designed to prevent a seed from germinating inside the fruit. How to Soak Seed Before Planting Seed soaking, at a basic level needs two things: seeds and water. Some methods for seed soaking may substitute the water for slightly acidic solutions, such as weak tea or coffee or even acidic chemicals. Gardening-coaches. Www.simplebites. Www.bodymindsoulspirit. Beginning practitioners of Chinese internal organ massage (Chi Nei Tsang) are taught how to commune with trees.

Shouldn’t this be part of everyone’s education? By Mantak Chia “Chi Nei Tsang: Internal Organs Chi Massage”, Mantak and Mannewan Chia’s manual for practitioners of traditional Chinese medical massage, is yet another fine fruit of Chinese Taoist cosmology. Mao retained Traditional Chinese medicine while otherwise industrializing his country, which allowed China to continue its multi-millennia tradition of developing this great clinical science unencumbered by Communist dogma (while also spreading it throughout the Western world). That a large percentage of potential in-patient visitors to Chinese hospitals are almost immediately discharged on the basis of a chi massage argues for what a serious and effective medical methodology it is. 1. Taoist Masters observed that trees are tremendously powerful plants. A. B. 1. C. Trees operate on a longer time scale than do human beings. 2. Www.homemadehomeideas. Www.trueshopping.co.

There is nothing more annoying than suffering in silence from mild headaches, stomach cramps or a sore throat, that are not really painful, but irritating enough to take your mind off work. Whether it is from chronic diseases, irritable bowels, headaches, stress or insomnia, we all suffer from something, and there’s not always a cure or a miraculous tablet to effectively take our pain away. But have we really considered all the options? Unless you are making yourself daily infusions of camomile, mint, marjoram or stinging nettle, the answer is no! Think about it: back in the days, when pharmaceutical companies did not exist, how did people do to treat their headaches or nausea?

They used the natural power of plants, of course! Don’t get us wrong, we’re not talking about curing cancer with bee balm and lavender, but they can be really effective to relieve mild symptoms, whether they are occasional or chronical. Don’t know where to start in your own garden? Just follow the guide! Read more: Www.shespeaks. 24 Highly Creative and Clever Gardening Tricks Tutorials to Enhance You Garden. Tackk. Webecoist.momtastic. It’s officially time to start planting in most growing zones of the continental U.S. – how will you make your garden grow this year?

These 12 easy, natural DIY pest repellants and fertilizers will enrich your soil and prevent damaging insects and slugs from undoing all your hard work. Safe for organic gardens, these homemade garden recipes and fertilizing tips will give you your best growing season ever. Castile Soap Spray Insecticide (image via: drbronner.com) Is there anything castile soap can’t do? Manure (image via: kristine paulus) There are few things better for enriching the soil in your garden than plain old rotted manure.

Garlic Spray Insecticide (image via: mullica) Garlic spray acts as a deterrent, encouraging insects to move on to more appetizing plants. Nettle Tea (image via: la catholique) Nettles aren’t a pleasant plant to brush up against – their leaves are covered in stinging hairs that inject histamine and other chemicals into the skin, producing a stinging sensation. Compost. Www.diyncrafts. Www.npr. As most people know, mushrooms love dark places. You can find them growing in the dim recesses of forests or at the foot of old trees. But is that where we get most of the mushrooms that end up in our hearty risottos and juicy portabella sandwiches?

You would be forgiven for thinking that's the case, given the growing popularity of mushroom hunting. But the truth is, most of the mushrooms we eat in the U.S. come not from foragers scouring the forest floor but from farms — indoor farms, to be exact. Where, you might ask, is the fun in that? While mushroom farming may not be as thrilling as fungi hunting, a 2014 video from the Web series "How Does It Grow? " The U.S. produces 900 million pounds of the savory fungi a year, including both button and exotic species. For that, thank the Quakers, who started growing mushrooms under their carnation beds in the late 1800s. All in all, 98 percent of the mushrooms produced in the U.S. are your typical white and brown button mushrooms. 12-companion-plants-grow-alongside-your-tomatoes. © MrBrownThumb Companion planting is part science and folklore. Grouping friendly plants together in the garden is suppose to help enhance growth, flavor and protect plants from pests.

As an urban gardener with a small garden, my interest in companion planting is mostly centered on maximizing space. If my tomatoes actually benefit from growing alongside these plants, well, that’s a bonus. Here are 12 companion plants I grow with my tomatoes in containers. 1. How effective companion planting is in the garden is up for debate. What do you pair up with tomatoes in your garden? Browse all of our tomato content for mouth-watering tomato recipes, savvy tomato growing tips, and up-to-the minute tomato breakthroughs. About_Us. Is It Time For Water-Saving “Hybrid” Gardening? ..if it can be applied in cars, why not to grow vegetables. Not too many years ago there was abundant space and unlimited water available for gardening. Today, with our postage-stamp size yards and increasingly scarce, rationed water resources, a new paradigm for water management by the home gardener has come to the forefront. Traditional in-ground planting with “broadcast” watering is highly inefficient, along with creating an unintended weed bed to cope with.

Result: higher water bills coupled with back-breaking labor in pulling weeds and constant cultivation. Then consider a Hybrid alternative. The demand for multi-use energy sources such as solar and wind, plus the huge growth of dual fuel automobiles has sparked innovation in combining the best of hybrid technologies. Enter Ray Newstead, a home gardener of heirloom tomatoes in . Smart Gardener - simply grow great food. Www.diyncrafts. Cookie barclose This website makes use of cookies to enhance browsing experience and provide additional functionality. None of this data can or will be used to identify or contact you. This website makes use of third party cookies, see the details in the privacy policy.

This website makes use of tracking cookies, see the details in the privacy policy. To learn more about how this website uses cookies or localStorage, please read our PRIVACY POLICY. By clicking Allow cookies you give your permission to this website to store small bits of data on your device. By clicking Disallow cookies, or by scrolling the page, you deny your consent to store any cookies and localStorage data for this website, eventually deleting already stored cookies (some parts of the site may stop working properly). To learn more about cookies and localStorage, visit Information Commissioner's Office. To disable all cookies through the browser, click on the corresponding icon and follow the instructions: Urbangardencasual. The 7 Deadly Homemade Weed Killers. “And the weeds of the garden shall be visited upon the gardener.”

I can certainly think of the 7+ weedy sins of the garden but knowing how to cleanse my garden of these weeds is even better. Especially if it can be done cheaply and with household items. Murdering weeds is a fun past time. So, for your reading enjoyment, here are The 7 Deadly Homemade Weed Killers, guaranteed to help you eradicate the weeds you find in your garden. Boiling Water – Yep, that’s right. As an added bonus, many of these 7 homemade weed killers can be combined to produce super results. You can also add a few drops of liquid dish soap to the liquid homemade weed killers for added effectiveness.

Since most of these homemade weed killers are all-or-nothing weed killers, you may want to use a weed killer shield with them to prevent sprays and splashes on desirable plants. So, go forth and cleanse thy garden of its weedy sins. Www.colorsandjoy. These brilliant DIY ideas for garden will save your money if you have a garden and you want to decorate it, then just have a look at these 20 awesome garden decoration ideas. You can make them using rock and stones and I think this is the best way to decorate gardens. These ideas don’t require any kind of expensive metal and no maintenance. All you should do is to collect them and make them and beautify your garden according to these ideas as given below.

These ideas are here with full tutorial link and details so you can complete them step by step. It’s time to take action now in a good way to decorate your Garden! 1. A Gabion wall creates a dramatic feature in a garden. Source : greenlandscapestoenvy.com 2. Source : nelliebellie.com 3. Source : theage.domain.com.au 4. Source : theownerbuildernetwork.co 5. Source : craftsbyamanda.com 6. Source : lushome.com 7. Source : hometalk.com 8. Source : countrywomanmagazine.com 9. Source : day2daysupermom.com 10. Source : craftberrybush.com 11. 12. 13. Garden Ideas Archives - Natural Living Ideas - StumbleUpon. Gourmet Mushrooms: You Buy and Eat Them, Now GROW Them! - StumbleUpon. We hope you have enjoyed some nice, juicy portobellos off the grill this summer or this mouthwatering dish. If not, get on it before colder days return!

If you love mushrooms like me, then you always find a reason to treat yourself to them when you’re out shopping. Are you sitting down? Good, because what I am about to say may be a bit shocking. You can grow your own! The mushrooms you buy in the store or that you see above ground are the ‘fruit’ or fruiting bodies of a much larger network underground, on a tree, or in your growing substrate. The most important tip I can give you is to make sure that all the materials you use are sterilized.

Indoor Technique: Spawn Bags & Jars You can find the mushroom variety you would like, which sterile substrate blend is right for it, and pick between already cultured substrate ‘plugs’ or some spores to get your culture going online. Outdoor Technique: Logs & Plugs Mushrooms thrive in the forest, so why not bring the forest to your mushrooms? Caring for Tomatoes After Transplanting - StumbleUpon. Hugelkultur. Hugelkultur (HOO-gul-culture) meaning hill culture or hill mound. Instead of putting those branches, leaves and grass clippings in bags by the curbside...build a hugel bed.

Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies. The advantages of a hugel bed are many: The gradual decay of wood is a consistent source of long-term nutrients for the plants. A large bed might give out a constant supply of nutrients for 20 years (or even longer if you use only hardwoods). Soil aeration increases as those branches and logs break down...meaning the bed will be no till, long term. The logs and branches act like a sponge.

Sequester carbon into the soil. On a sod lawn Sepp Holzer (hugelkultur expert) recommends cutting out the sod, digging a 1 foot deep trench and filling the trench with logs and branches. Hugel and traditional bed comparison. Steep hugel bed. Growing Herbs - How To Grow Herbs. How to Prune Tomatoes. Edit Article Questions and Answers When growing tomatoes, the ultimate goal is to help the plant yield as much ripe fruit as possible. If you're growing indeterminate or "vining" varieties (Big Boy, Beef Master, most heirlooms), pruning your plants to remove unwanted shoots and leaves ensures that all the nutrients are going to the tomatoes.

If you're growing a determinate variety (Biltmore, Heinz, Patio), too much pruning is counterproductive. See Step 1 to learn when and how to prune a tomato plant. Ad Steps <img alt="Image titled Prune Tomatoes Step 6" src=" width="728" height="410" class="whcdn"> Tomatoes Step 6.360p.mp47Top the plant. Tips. Vegetable Gardening Made Easy. 50 Uses for Hydrogen Peroxide. What to Grow for a Family of Four. How To Save Tomato Seeds. Saving seeds from tomatoes is really easy and kind of fun. The process of how to save tomato seeds for next year is not very complicated, but it does involve a couple of steps. Why would you want to save tomato seeds when you can buy tomato plant starts and tomatoes at the local grocery store and farmers market?

Simple, really. When you save seeds from a tomato you have grown, you are helping preserve the genetic diversity of tomatoes, and selecting for characteristics that make a tomato better. To save tomato seeds all you need is an heirloom tomato, a container, a jar in this case, and a few days. Start by choosing the best tomato on your vine. If it is a slicing tomato cut it in half at its equator. It is ok if you cut your tomato the other way to expose the seeds inside. Next, you can squeeze out the inside, seeds, gel, juice and fruit or remove it with a spoon and place it into a container, like a jar, with a wide mouth. Tomato seeds that float are duds. Yes and no. Egg Shells and Toilet Paper Rolls: One Man. You don't have to go to a fancy nursery to start greening your home. In fact, chances are you have everything already in your house or apartment to kickstart your own nursery.

All you need is a few seeds, a little soil, a good light source, and some simple materials to use for containers to get your own garden going. Here's a round up of four of the more clever—and free—ways to get your seeds started before transferring to larger pots, using recycled items like toilet paper rolls, eggs shells and newspaper: Egg shells: make a delicious egg breakfast for friends or family and then use your discarded shells to plant. Toilet paper rolls: Usually the end of a roll of toilet paper signals disaster, but this idea for toilet paper planters should help. Yogurt (or other plastic) containers: The best way to recycle your unwanted plastic is to create new life from it. Newspaper origami: this method will satisfy the crafter in you and find a use for Sunday's paper.