11 Plants That Repel Mosquitoes The days are finally getting longer, the snow is (slowly!) beginning to melt, and spring officially arrives in just a few days! While the prospect of warmer weather has us all a bit giddy, we can’t forget the unwelcome intruders that tag along with the sunny summer weather. Yes, we are talking about mosquitoes, and everybody knows that they can be a huge nuisance. Read on for some ideas of plants that repel mosquitoes – naturally! Citronella Chances are, you’ve heard of this one before- it’s one of the most common ingredients in most mosquito repellents. You can actually buy live citronella plants from this page on Amazon. Lemon Balm Another great choice for a mosquito repelling plant is lemon balm. Catnip Your feline friends will be happy to know that catnip is a great mosquito deterrent! Marigolds A bright, hardy annual plant, marigolds are a great choice for repelling mosquitoes. Top Tip: Companion plant marigolds with tomatoes. Basil Calling all cooks! Lavender Peppermint Garlic Pennyroyal
Windowsill Sprouting my way through the Winter. My orchids are dark speckled and bruised from the cold. The flowery Lantana shrubs are like coarse twine unraveled in a pile on the ground. The tall ornamental grasses, which I love for their swaying grace, stand in stiff bunches like little scarecrows scattered across the lawn. My herbs…oh, let’s not even go there (I think thyme and cilantro are barely holding on). Then there’s the pile of dead and crispy Christmas trees strewn around the fire pit. My windowsill, on the other hand, is more alive than ever- with lentil sprouts galore! Tricking yourself into thinking its springtime is one way of looking at it, but sprouting lentils is also a great way to add a super fresh, nutrient packed component to a meal or salad. Lentils help cleanse and stimulate the kidneys and adrenal system, strengthen the heart and circulation and increase energy and vitality. You can choose any variety of lentils you want – brown, green or red – but just make sure they are whole, not split or in “dahl” form.
El invento ecológico que destronó al iPad Quizás no conozcas el invento que fue elegido el mejor del año 2012 por la revista Popular Science por delante del mismísimo iPad. Es Groasis Waterboxx, el invento de Pieter Hoff, un empresario holandés que tuvo una magnífica visión al observar una gota de rocío sobre el pétalo de una flor. Algo tan sencillo llevó a Hoff a plantearse si podría crear algo que recogiera a gran escala, igual que lo hacía la flor, la humedad del ambiente, y poder así llegar a plantar árboles en lugares de extrema sequía. Gracias a su invento, con una eficacia del 90%, hoy están creciendo árboles en el desierto del Sáhara o en el desierto de Los Monegros. Y son muchos los países que ya piensan en implementar la Waterboxx. Por 270 dólares se pueden comprar 10 cajas. María Mazariegos de ideas4all Artículos relacionados:
gardening Planting Plant 2 seeds per small starting pot, or scatter seeds across the top of the mix in a seed tray. Lightly tamp them in place and cover them with more mix to the recommended depth given on the seed packet. Moisten the soil on top but don’t overwater it. Label the container or tray with the plant name and planting date. At this point you may want to cover the seeds with plastic wrap or a plastic cover to help keep the soil damp and warm, which will speed germination. Keep the soil temperature above 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius) for heat-loving warm-season plants by setting them on a heating mat or on top of a water heater or refrigerator. Watering from a tray placed under the seedling containers is good way to keep the soil moist but not overly wet. Caring for Seedlings Once the seedlings start emerging, remove the plastic covering and move the plants into a brightly lit spot with daytime temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit (16 to 24 degrees Celsius).
How to Start a Vegetable Garden - Vegetable Garden Plans Even if you've never tried growing food, there are good reasons to sacrifice some of that green carpet for a starter bed. First, chances are you don't use your lawn as much as you think—how long has it been since you played Frisbee out there? Second, most turfgrass has a thirst that can only be satiated by overhead sprinklers, which lose a lot of water to evaporation and runoff; veggies, by contrast, can be watered by efficient drip irrigation. Finding the right spot is simple. The most effective way to dig up a patch of lawn is to rototill it, which will remove the turfgrass and allow you to mix in soil amendments at the same time. It's essential that you clear your bed of as many weeds as possible, especially perennial monsters such as Bermuda grass, dandelions, and bindweed. And if you're not ready to dig up your lawn just yet, build a raised bed instead. Three Edible Layouts Choose your plants based not only on what you want to eat but also on what grows well in your area.
Top 10 Recommended Grasses Grow Posted By Andrew McIndoe @ 7:41 on August 17th 2015 Category: Blog, Ornamental grasses Our Top 10 Recommended Grasses Grow Love them or loathe them, grasses have become essential subjects in today’s planting palette, mainly because they mix well with perennials in prairie style schemes, adding light height and movement, especially later in the year. I have resisted writing about grasses to grow with perennials, maybe that’s a subject for another time. Designers love them and plant them in great drifts, most have clearly never divided a miscanthus after a couple of years. Phalaris arundinacea ‘Feesey’ My first choice is the grass I knew as a kid as gardener’s garters. Stipa tenuissima I first came across this wispy, gossamer grass on a trip to France. Miscanthus ‘Morning Light’ There are loads of varieties of miscanthus, mostly grown for their plume like flowers, at their best in autumn and still beautiful through winter. Stipa gigantea Calamagrostis ‘Karl Foerster’ Pennisetum ‘Karley Rose’
Most Expensive Specialty Crops in the World - Insider Monkey Growing fruits and vegetables in the home garden is becoming an increasingly popular secondary income source for many people, but what are the most expensive specialty crops in the world and how much profit can they bring a small farmer? While grains and even pricey vegetables like asparagus or cherry tomatoes can boost your regular salary by investing little time and money, the reality is that the market is full of home-grown, organic crop suppliers. Specialty crops, on the other hand, can reap up to $60,000 per acre and require the same caretaking as common vegetables. In a previous article we talked about the 10 most common genetically modified foods and how they’re affecting human health. 7. Estimated price per pound: $18 Lavender is a particularly profitable crop for small farmers, because it’s easy to tend and offers multiple sale outlets. 6. Estimated price per pound: $7 5. Estimated price per pound: $7.50 4. 3. Estimated price per pound: $7 2. Estimated price per pound: $8 – $10 1.
Container gardening vegetables indoor outdoor gardens Container gardening is an easy way to garden, especially when you lack yard space. Here are our recommendations on which vegetable varieties are container-friendly—and which container types are most suitable for each veggie. For supplies, you only need a good container, the right soil mix, and appropriate seed (or transplant) varieties. Beans, snap Container: 5-gallon window box Varieties: Bush 'Blue Lake', Bush 'Romano', 'Tender Crop' Broccoli Container: 1 plant/5 gallon pot, 3 plants/15-gallon tub Varieties: 'DeCicco', 'Green Comet' Carrots Container: 5-gallon window box at least 12 inches deep Varieties: 'Danvers Half Long', 'Short 'n Sweet', 'Tiny Sweet' Cucumbers Container: 1 plant/1-gallon pot Varieties: 'Patio Pik', 'Pot Luck', 'Spacemaster' Eggplant Container: 5-gallon pot Varieties: 'Black Beauty', 'Ichiban', 'Slim Jim' Lettuce Container: 5-gallon window box Varieties: 'Ruby', 'Salad Bowl' Onions Container: 5-gallon window box Varieties: 'White Sweet Spanish', 'Yellow Sweet Spanish'
Growing Tomatoes, How to Grow Tomatoes, Planting Tomatoes Back in the 80’s when I started growing tomatoes organically, the only way to get good tomatoes was to grow your own. Now you can get good tomatoes in season at farmers markets and high-end supermarkets, but they still don’t come close to tomatoes you can grow in your back yard, if you know how to grow tomatoes. The first time you tuck into a sun-warmed, vine-ripened tomato, you’ll be hooked. Tomatoes need a long growing season, 6-12 hours of sun a day, and summer heat to set and ripen fruit. Tomatoes perform better when you can mimic the conditions they evolved under. Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) evolved in the Orinoco basin. Grow tomatoes in the sunniest, warmest part of your garden. Tomato Cold Tolerance/Season Tomatoes are summer vegetables that die at the first touch of frost. In temperate gardens in the northern and southern hemispheres, seeds are started indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost date for the area, and planted outside after all danger of frost has passed. Fertilizing
How to Grow Blueberries I grow a slew of both common and uncommon fruits, from apples to kiwis to pears to paw-paws. I love them all, but if pressed to recommend just one must-grow fruit, it would be blueberries. These native Americans have stolen my heart for many reasons. The fruit is abundant and seductively sweet, especially when allowed to fully ripen on the shrub—a luxury commercial growers cannot afford. The shrubs make beautiful specimens in the landscape, not surprising considering their lineage to the mountain laurel, rhododendron, and azalea. If great taste and beauty are not enough for you, blueberries are literally just what the doctor ordered. Varieties and Soil The first key to success is to pick the right variety for your climate and to give it company. Before settling on specific varieties, you will need to choose the types of blueberries that are best suited to your region: highbush, lowbush, half-high, or rabbiteye. A second key to success is soil.