Cinderfella’s Vertical Garden Planter | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces
July 15, 2011 by Robin Plaskoff Horton Zac Benson’s got a bad succulent collecting habit. The San Diego-based photographer says his girlfriend, who shares his love of these “fat plants,” would for Valentine’s Day “way rather have nice a Kalanchoe Beharensis a.k.a. A Home for Succulents To find a way to show off the ever growing collection of succulents taking over his front and backyard, Benson built a cinder block planter wall to contain them. Cinder blocks appealed to Benson because they are inexpensive (total cost was under $60) and simple to make. Don’t Forget the Drainage After a few trips to Home Depot for the blocks, he stacked them without using any glue–but just played with the blocks until he found the perfect shape. Variations on the Idea In small spaces, it’s always great to give an piece dual functionality. Photos by Zac Benson
Top 10 Best Do-It-Yourself Green Projects
This is why, as soon as I came across the winners of the Green Living and Technology Challenge, organized by the user ‘Danger is my middle name’, I had to tell you about it. The top 10 green projects that can make even the biggest non-green lovers think twice, are truly fascinating and should all be paid the needed respect by at least being checked out (if not made in our back yard). There is no particular order, they are all winners. 1. Solar kiln. Originally designed by staff and students at Verginia Tech (VT), and then perfected by Instructables’ user dorybob, this great invention is a big wooden box, or a shed, with a roof that acts as a greenhouse to generate hot air, and an internal solar collector. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Dandelions
by Anita Sanchez Whether you love them or hate them, dandelions are among the most familiar plants in the world. They're one species that just about anyone can identify at a glance, as familiar to humans as the dog. Dandelions are, quite possibly, the most successful plants that exist, masters of survival worldwide. Nowadays, they're also the most unpopular plant in the neighborhood – but it wasn't always that way. Only in the twentieth century did humans decide that the dandelion was a weed. To get us back on the right dandelion track, here are 10 dandelion-related facts. 1. 2. 3. 4. 6. 7. 10. Dandelions probably will never be eradicated, but we can learn to be more at ease with dandelions and other wild things – and maybe even to love them a little.
Assembling Perpetual Paris (And Three Reasons Why We Love It) - Simply The Nest - English Girl Blogging About House Renovation, DIY, Recipes, Inspirational Interiors, Design & Life in a Manchester Nest
Those of you who have been following this blog for a while will know that one of the Christmas presents I gave Andre last year was Perpetual Paris by Little Brown Pen - a glorious calendar that can be used one year after the next, comprised of 49 gorgeous photographs of Paris that fit together collage-style: So the other week we decided to break Perpetual Paris out of its (immaculately presented) box and assemble that bad boy. First of all we laid out the letters: And then the numbers: And filled the gaps with pictures: So, having made the tough decisions regarding which picture to place where, all that remained was to clip all the squares together. I found it easiest to hold the cardboard square, and then very gently wiggle the clip into place: It got a little trickier when I had to push another cardboard square onto a clip that had already been wiggled into place: And even more tricky when I had to clip one row onto another: In fact the whole process took rather a long time: 1. 2. Check it:
Gift Ideas Under $20
Want to make a homemade gift to give this holiday season? Looking for ideas? You’ve come to the right place! Readers shared their best frugal gift ideas in the Holiday Giveaway. If homemade isn’t what you are looking for, you can check out more reader ideas in 10 Amazing Frugal Gift Ideas. Thank you for sharing all your amazing frugal gift ideas! Frugal Homemade Gift Ideas Cookies. More Inexpensive Holiday Gift Ideas Check out today's hottest holiday Lightning Deals. You can get my latest articles full of valuable tips and other information delivered directly to your email for free simply by entering your email address below.
Mini Vertical Garden for Balcony, Patio, or Kitchen | Urban Gardens | Unlimited Thinking For Limited Spaces
May 27, 2011 by Robin Plaskoff Horton Looking for a living wall or vertical garden system to screen your balcony while you grow veggies, fresh aromatic herbs, or flowers either indoors or out? The modular system is great for creating a small green wall or larger vertical garden on the terrace or in the kitchen. Minigarden’s contemporary design is a fresh take on vertical gardening for for patios, decks, rooftops, and even for surrounding windows or covering an unsightly fence. And let’s talk about eco-friendly. Black or white Mingarden modules are made from a tough durable copolymer polypropylene plastic, which, according to “The Green Guide” #77, The Green Guide Institute, are safe and do not leach chemicals. Kits are available in either a small version of three planter tiers and 1 base tray, or for larger gardens and projects, there is a larger system that consists of groups of 26 with the base trays in groups of 13. Available in the UK from Gardenbeet, and in the US from Newegg.
Michael Davis Publishing - Mike's World.
Vertical Gardens
Increasing yields from tiny gardens? How? Vertical gardens. It makes wonderful sense if your garden is 'space challenged' to grow up and over trellises and support beams. My only concern with vertical gardens? Gardening Vertically: Fad, Emerging Frontier or Long-Overlooked Art Form ~ By Steve Townsend Sure, it makes sense that there's a buzz about vertical gardening – there are lots more of us to feed these days with much less productive land. "Let's make the best use of our diminishing resources," many are saying. Mostly, though, I hear talk about increased yields. "Necessity is the mother of invention," is a cliché often quoted, and human food requirements necessitate sponging-up sunlight at smaller and smaller focal points. Commercial farmers still grow cucurbits on the ground, but home gardeners realized long ago that these vining plants are more adapted to growing upward. Vines grown vertically are artful all by themselves as they twist about and their tendrils reach and spiral.
