Building a Greenhouse" If you want the biggest tomatoes in your neighborhood next season, need somewhere to over-winter your orchids or love the idea of having your own blooming flowers year round, a backyard greenhouse may be just right for you. Building your own greenhouse used to be a difficult process requiring complicated building plans, expensive materials and professional assistance. Now, with the widespread availability of prefabricated kits, the process is easier and more affordable. The most popular greenhouse size is around 8 feet by 6 feet (2.4 meters by 1.8 meters), probably because it doesn't require a poured foundation. When planning for a greenhouse, one of the first questions you should ask is about the types of plants you'll be keeping. Another concern is the amount of time you'll have available for maintenance. Some greenhouse styles are modular and can grow with you. If displaying your plants to advantage is one of your primary goals, a conservatory or sunroom may be the best choice.
Who? « Nomadic Allotments The Nomadic Allotments project is delivered in collaboration between Borough Market, The Welsh School of Architecture, Rachael Davidson and Dr. Cristian Suau Qasim Ahmed, Student Hannah Barnsley, Student Hannah Frances Barnsley is in her first year at Cardiff university studying architecture. Keith Chan, Student Johnny Edwards, Student Theo Ellis, Student Originally from Brighton, Theo is now in his first year at the Welsh School of Architecture. Teodora Petrova , Student David Phillips, Student Yeko Smirnova, Student William Swithinbank, Student Alun Williams, Student Alun is a second year student at the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff. Edwin Yu, Student Yuliye Yudchenko, Student Peter Locker, Carpenter After 25 years working as a carpenter and joiner Peter Locker completed a fine Arts degree at the London Metropolitan University in 2003. Rachael Davidson, Designer and Coordinator Rachael Davidson has worked as an architect in both New York and London. Dr. Like this: Like Loading...
Permaculture Principles Open Source Permaculture On Its Way to the Internet Samuel Mann/CC BY 2.0. A permaculture garden in Otago, New Zealand. From the urban sprawl of Istanbul and Mexico City to the Rocky Mountains in the United States and the deserts of Jordan, permaculture activists are gently greening the world one small patch at the time. Prague-based documentary filmmaker and environmentalist Sophia Novack is hoping to help accelerate that process with the creation of Open Source Permaculture, a free online resource that she says would teach "anyone (including you!) ... how to grow an incredibly productive backyard permaculture garden." Permaculture Social NetworkingThough the full definition is more complex, permaculture, short for "permanent agriculture," is essentially a way of designing farms and gardens so they work like natural ecosystems. Richard Patterson/Sterling College/CC BY 2.0. With six days left in its campaign, Open Source Permaculture has raised more than $9,000 of its $15,000 goal.
Rebar Art & Design Studio | San Francisco | art, design and ecology Permaculture Now! - Favorite Videos Favorite Permaculture Videos Geoff Lawton Greening the Desert Geoff Lawton turns dry desert near the Dead Sea into a food producing green landscape using water harvesting. Permaculture Water Harvesting Geoff Lawton founding Director of the Permaculture Research Institute talks about Permaculture Water Harvesting techniques, swales and sillways. David Holmgren on the Endurance of Suburbia David Holmgren speaks of his vision of a radically retrofitted, food producing suburbia. Homegrown Revolution Radical Change Taking Root A family living in Pasadena, CA shows how it is possible to grow your food in the middle of the city. Permaculture in Austria Austria's Sepp Holzer transformed a fir farm into a commercially viable, ecologically sound farm. Sheet mulch garden This is a quick video on how to sheet mulch a garden bed.
Got Weeds? Use Vinegar, Not Roundup NEED PROOF THAT VINEGAR IS A WEED-TERMINATOR? Just look at the weeds growing along a pea-gravel path in my Herb Garden. These were photographed yesterday afternoon, just moments before I sprayed them with cheap, straight-from-the-bottle, store-brand white vinegar. Here’s what all that greenery looked like this morning: I’d say those weeds are deader than dead. And that’s why I use vinegar on the gravel paths, brick walk-ways, and blue-stone patio here at A Garden for the House. And speaking of Roundup! The next time you want to murder your weeds, why douse them with something that will remain in the soil for who knows how long? Application: I use a pump-sprayer to apply vinegar. I’ve found that vinegar works best if sprayed on warm, sunny days (at least 78 degrees). Note: Vinegar is not selective; it can potentially harm plants you wish to keep, should you accidentally spray them. (Need to eradicate weeds from a garden bed? Will vinegar kill every weed it touches?
17 Apart: Growing Celery Indoors: Never Buy Celery Again Remember when we tested and shared how to grow onions indefinitely last week? Well, at the same time, we've been testing out another little indoor gardening project first gleaned from Pinterest that we're excited to share the successes of today — regrowing celery from it's base. We've figured out how to literally re-grow organic celery from the base of the bunch we bought from the store a couple weeks ago. I swear, we must have been living under a rock all these years or just not be that resourceful when it comes to food, but we're having more fun learning all these new little tips and tricks as we dive deeper into trying to grow more of our own food. This project is almost as simple as the onion growing project — simply chop the celery stalks from the base of the celery you bought from the store and use as you normally would. We let our celery base hang out in the saucer of water for right around one week, give or take. Update 2: Here's how we are looking at almost 3-4 weeks of growth:
Backyard Vegetable Garden While it may seem like a lot of work to get the beds established for planting, this can be done in stages. You can start with a small plot and enlarge the garden as time and inspiration allow. Remember, the bulk of the work, establishing the beds, only has to be done once. Once in place, nutrients can be added by 'top dressing', and will not require heavy digging or strenuous work. The best advice we can give is to put your attention to building rich, organic soil. Learning the basics of soil development is not difficult, it just requires some attention early in the season, before planting any crops, and during the season in between successive crop plantings. A well-planned and prepared garden will provide many years of productivity with relatively minimal routine maintenance.
Grow The Easiest Garden on Earth Container Gardening For Urban Apartment Dwellers Think you can’t garden because all you have is a fire escape? Mike Lieberman of Urban Organic Gardener will set you straight in this guest post! Thanks, Mike. It was the Spring of 2009 when I first started urban gardening. What I did have though is a 2×3 fire escape. With some creativity and littler investment, I turned it into my own organic fire escape garden. Since then, I’ve moved to the left side of the country to Los Angeles where I know have a 13×4 balcony garden. How have I been able to grow my own food despite having little space? The main reason that I’ve been able to do this and do it affordably is because I’ve been upcycling 5-gallon containers and building self-watering containers and hanging planters from soda bottles. Self-Watering Containers In a matter of 15 minutes and for less than $3, you can make a self-watering container at home. The system is made up of two containers – the reservoir and the planting containers. Soda Bottle Hanging Planters About Mike
good mood food | The Top Mood-Boosting Foods in the Garden Grow a Good Mood Garden Just being outside, whether you’re gardening, exercising, or simply taking a stroll, is a great mood booster. But getting your hands dirty in a garden is so effective at combating depression that it’s often used in “horticultural therapy” at psychiatric hospitals. If you feel like your energy levels are dropping or you’re just too stressed out at work, plant yourself a good-mood garden, and get the benefits not just of a little garden therapy but of all the healthy foods linked to lower rates of depression. Here’s a guide to get you started—10 of the most potent antidepressant foods and herbs and how to grow them anywhere. Like this? « Prev Slide 1/11 Next » Swiss Chard Eat it: All types of chard are packed with magnesium, a nutrient essential for the biochemical reactions in the brain that boost your energy levels. Grow it: Chard is a hardy crop that, if planted even as late as summer, will produce until early winter. Read More: 9 Food Cures You Can Grow Oregano St.