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. 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. 7) Using 1" (2.5 cm) wide masking tape, mask the 5th bottle with one ribbon from the cap to the base. 8) Paint bottles with spray paint, providing even coverage.
One Glassy Garden: Growing Herbs in Mason Jars | Kitchen Garden Forget the usual terracotta and (ugh!) plastic pots for container gardening. When you grow herbs in mason jars, you can have garden fresh ingredients on hand and also add some style to a sunny windowsill. Picture a row of mason jars filled with different herbs—basil, chives, parsley, cilantro, thyme, rosemary—dressing up your kitchen. Pretty, right? The clear glass allows you to see the herbs’ rich root structure growing through the soil. With the right conditions—ample light and proper drainage—most herbs are extremely easy to grow, and growing them in mason jars is no different. 1. 2. 3. Finally, add some labels so you won’t forget what you planted! You diy, recycling junkies could also use pasta jars, pickle jars or whatever other glass container you come across for this project. image: B_Zedan
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. 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. After seven days, use a double layer of cheesecloth to strain the strawberry mixture into a clean bowl, discarding the pulp. 2.
Soda Bottle Carrots Seventeen days after I planted carrots in a sawed-off soda bottle, young carrot tops had sprouted on the windowsill in my basement. I encourage people who have little space that they can still grow small kitchen gardens. To that end, on May 1st I cut the top off of a two-liter soda bottle, filled the bottle with soil, and planted carrots in it. I described this project in a post titled Small Kitchen Garden Carrots in Containers. I mentioned my container carrots again on May 18, and again on June 17. It has been an interesting project, and I encourage you to try it. Mature Container Carrots After three months of growing, a carrot of nearly any variety should be mature. After three months of growth, my container carrots have pathetic tops. So, my container carrots—a variety that matures in 65 days—ought to be dropping seeds all over my deck. The good news is that those sickly-looking carrot tops protrude from very pronounced orange carrot shoulders. Pushing Plants If I don’t?
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. 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 The Urban Organic Gardener – Mike Lieberman is the man behind this website. *Advertisements from my trusted affiliate partners*
Urban Agriculture: A Guide to Container Gardens A Guide to Container Gardens With inexpensive containers and suitable soil mix,you can create an urban garden virtually anywhere - on roof tops,vacant city lots, borwn fields, and unused portion of parking lots Job S. Ebenezer, Ph.D.President, Technology for the Poor, 877 PELHAM COURT, WESTERVILLE, OHIO - 43081technologyforthepoor@yahoo.com It is estimated that by 2030 AD nearly 50% of the world’s population may live in urban areas. Due to the recent terrorist attacks, food security and safety are seriously compromised. Migration from rural areas also brings into the urban areas many persons with very little formal education. Urban agriculture has the potential for creating micro-enterprises that can be owned and operated by the community members without too much of initial capital. Urban farming is not new. A few decades ago ECHO (Education Concerns for Hunger Organization) in Fort Myers, Florida, has introduced container garden techniques for impoverished counties like Haiti.
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.
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. 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. Other Tips Unfortunately, freshly planted bulbs are more than appealing to squirrels. If this does not work, then it is time to invest in some good old chicken wire. Summary