AlgaeLab, grow your own Spirulina Cultivating, Harvesting and Curing Tobacco -- Victory Seed Company Cultivation, Harvest, and Curing We originally started growing and offering tobacco seeds as ornamental annuals. They are a quite magnificent plant with beautiful flowers making them a great selection for the back of flower beds. All of the seed varieties available here have interesting histories, were grown in different geographical locations, and cultivated for varied and different final uses. Pictorial of a Growing Cycle For more information about organic tobacco cultivation, click here. After the tobacco has cured for a period from several months to several years, it is then fermented and processed in many different ways. Click Here to Purchase Tobacco Seeds Many of the variety descriptions above are from the book entitled, "Tobacco Leaf", 1897, by J.
Welcome! (All Things Plants) Amaranth: Grain, Vegetable, Icon A book could be written about amaranth, and probably has, if not several. Amaranth is a seed used like a grain. A grain, a green, a cultural icon, a religious symbol… amaranth is colorful plant with a colorful history. It’s also nutritious. Aztecs farmed with floating mat islands. Amaranth today is enjoyed many ways. Note notches in the leaves, often present It’s a bushy plant growing 3 to 10 feet, depending if it’s wild or cultivated, a vegetable variety or a grain variety. Amaranth seed is high in protein, some 16%, contains lysine and methionine, two essential amino acids that are not often found in grain, and is high in fiber, three times that of wheat. Spiny amaranth has edible leaves and might be a medicine and sex aid. There are some 60 amaranth species, maybe 70 (it depends on who’s counting.) Amaranthus australis (southern amaranth) can easily grow 18 feet or more. The fourth amaranth was a bit of a mystery for a while. Here’s an interesting recipe from Salt Spring Seeds. Tabouli
7 Natural Uses For Baking Soda In The Garden Share Baking soda is a vital part of green cleaning and has so many uses in the house, but what about the garden. Here are 7 ways to use it in the garden. 1. Mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 gallon of water. 2. Powdery mildew is causing major problems with impatiens this year, but also can be a problem for other plants, like lilacs, cucumbers, squash and zinnias. Spray Recipe: 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid Mix all the ingredients together and spray plants weekly. 3. Mix in 1 gallon of water, 4 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon biodegradable soap. 4. Pour or sweep baking soda in a thick layer into cracks on a sidewalk or patios. 5. Mix equals parts flour and baking soda and dust plants (cabbage, broccoli, kale) being eaten by cabbage worms. 6. Simply wet the crabgrass, pour a heavy dusting of baking soda on the weed. 7. Source: Plant Care Today
Foraging wild food with 12 easy wild foods that anyone can harvest Nature's Superfood on your doorstep In days gone by, wild foods were all we had, that used to be staple diet necessary for human health and survival. Often full of natural medicinal benefits, wild foods often saved lives in times of famine, war and ill health. It’s a little bizarre to contemplate how radically removed from nature we have actually become. As intensive farming methods and consumerism came into being, our general attunement to nature fell away, and our knowledge thereof has somewhat dwindled. Increasing food prices, uncertain times of global change and decreasing food availability has invited more and more people to contemplate alternative ways of finding food by foraging. Full of nutritional goodness Most, if not all, wild edible foods are packed full of vitamins and minerals that far surpass any cultivated varieties of fruit and vegetables. Finding out what's available in your locality I’ve posted information about 12 of my favourite wild foods below. Most of all enjoy!!!
Heirlooms, hybrids and GMOs: A hackers guide to knowing the difference - NaturalNews.com Wednesday, May 21, 2014 by: Derek HenryTags: GMOs, heiloom seeds, hybrid plants (NaturalNews) There has been plenty of discussion surrounding the food supply, and for good reason. Natural, nutritious food seems to be rare compared to its altered, compromised counterparts. This has forced labels onto food, which has created some confusion for the consumer as to what exactly they are buying. The most natural way to produce plant-based foods, and the way it has been done for thousands of years, is what we now refer to as heirlooms. It's quite simple actually -- you save the seeds of a fruit or vegetable that has favorable characteristics (color, shape, size and flavor are the most commonly considered) and plant them on a yearly basis. In this case, the seeds are in no way manipulated. Since these seeds can be harvested and planted on a yearly basis, farmers never have to concern themselves with buying those particular types of seeds again. As a result, the nutrient content has decreased.
How to Grow Garlic: Organic Gardening Soil preparation: Garlic will tolerate some shade but prefers full sun. While I've seen cloves sprout in gravel pits, garlic responds best in well-drained, rich, loamy soil amended with lots of organic matter. Raised beds are ideal, except in very dry regions. Planting: To grow garlic, you plant the cloves, the sections of the bulb; each clove will produce a new bulb. The largest cloves generally yield the biggest bulbs. Spacing: Place cloves in a hole or furrow with the flat or root end down and pointed end up, with each tip 2 inches beneath the soil. Watering: Garlic needs about an inch of water each week during spring growth. Scape Sacrifice: By mid-June, your garlic will begin sprouting flowery tops that curl as they mature and ultimately straighten out into long spiky tendrils. Harvesting Hints When half to three-quarters of the leaves turn yellow-brown, typically in late June or early July (depending on the variety and the weather), it's harvest time.
Off Grid Info - Food Independence - Where To Get Heirloom Seeds - Non-GMO Seeds - Organic Seeds Join 75,000+ Fans on Facebook: Follow Us On Pinterest: Please Share This Page: Here is a useful list of 40+ 230+ companies supplying heirloom / non-GMO / organic seeds. **UPDATE** This page has proven to be massively popular...! , we are gathering them up and will add them to this page as soon as we can. Please Like Off-Grid On Facebook to stay in touch and receive our latest posts! USA (states in alphabetical order) EUROPE (except UK & Ireland) South Africa All inquiries - please contact: Privacy Policy | About
Identifying Native Plants - California Native Plant Society So often when out on a hike, visiting public gardens, or just touring gardens around your neighborhood, we see a plant or flower that we like, and wonder if it is native to California and whether or not it will work in our own gardens. Will it attract pollinators? Is it compatible with what is already planted in your garden? While some plants cannot be easily identified without a complex key or even a microscope, most of the more common plants can be identified by an amateur botanist with an eye for detail. If you do not know the name of the plant, but know the general area where you saw it you can use a search engine such as the one found on the California Native Plant Exchange website. If you already know the name of the species, you can access Cal Flora or Cal Photo directly by clicking on the links below: Regional Plant Identification Sites: National Park Service: Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains
The 16 Best Healthy, Edible Plants to Grow Indoors From farmers’ markets and Community Supported Agriculture, to urban farms and rooftop gardens, to produce delivery services, more and more people across the U.S. are embracing farm-fresh food. And for good reason: Locally grown produce tends to be better for the environment and for local communities than its store-bought counterparts. Growing food at home also ensures that growers know exactly where their food comes from and how it was grown (no need to worry about deceptive food labeling). If you’re not whipping out the pruning shears yet, consider this: Learning new skills is good for our brains. Luckily, you don’t need to be a farmer (or even live near a farm) in order to reap the benefits of home-grown produce. If you have a sunny window (or two, or five) and a bit of extra time on your hands, then you’re capable of growing your own food right at home. General Growing Tips Fruits and Veggies Photo: Alpha 1. 2. 3. 4. How to Harvest: Most lemons will ripen in six to nine months. 5. 6. 7.
How to grow a lemon tree from seed | Growing Wild When life gives you lemons, grow trees! If you’ve ever seen a flowering lemon tree, you’ll understand why. For those of you who haven’t, allow me explain. Typically, lemon trees flourish outdoors year-round in hot, sunny regions, but they can also thrive indoors as edible houseplants in cold-season climates. This is the little tree with big fruit in the shop I work at. And while rooting cuttings is a sensible option for fast fruit, lemon tree cuttings are not readily available in many parts of the world. Here is a step-by-step guide to growing your very own lemon tree from seed: Things you’ll need: 1. This is a Meyer lemon! 2. 3. 4. Method for sprouting the lemon seed: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Here are my little guys one month after planting. At a little less than two months old, this little guy is upgrading to a larger home. 8. Water. Like this: Like Loading...