Growing Garlic

I haven't purchased garlic since 1996. That's because I grow enough to eat a bulb of garlic every day, year-round. While most of my garden adventures are hobby-level attempts at self-sufficiency, my garlic crop is for real. Garlic is an overwintering crop, planted in fall and harvested mid-summer. A year's supply of garlic hanging in your garage hints at many great meals to come, but by the time you reach that milestone the rewards have already been flowing for months. As spring continues, your plants will continue to skyrocket, and in late May—assuming you planted a flowering variety—you'll be treated to a funky display of garlic blossoms curling from the plant tops. The flowering varieties of garlic are collectively called hardnecks, so named because of their woody flowering stalks. The first step in growing your own garlic stash is getting your paws on some good garlic for planting. In my case, x = 365/(5-1), or 91.25, which I round up to 92. Ask Ari: Got milk options? Q: Dear Ari, Related: herbology and diet

How to Clean Your Liver with 5 Natural Liver-Cleansing Tips Your liver is like the maid of your body, cleaning up all the toxins you put into it, and therefore keeping all internal systems running smoothly. The modern diet, environmental pollutants, and our increasing dependence on toxic personal care products have put our livers on serious overtime. For this reason, it’s important to know how to clean your liver thoroughly and effectively – oh, and naturally. Your liver works to cleanse the blood and remove toxic substances that we’ve eaten, inhaled, or rubbed on our bodies. When it is overworked—as it is in many modern adults—or when you are under a significant amount of physical or even mental stress, your liver can struggle to keep up. “The thousands of enzyme systems that are responsible for virtually every body activity are constructed in the liver,” explains Dr. How to Clean Your Liver – No Products Required So, what can you do about it? 1. Source: Natural Society Related:

How to Grow Delectable Lemon Basils January 28th, 2009 1Email 17 users recommend 'Mrs. Burns' is a large, strongly scented lemon basil. Renée Comet Lemon basil does well as a potted plant. Scott Phillips Cutting stems back just above the second set of lower leaves prevents flowering and promotes leaf growth. Photo: Renée Comet by Susan BelsingerApril 1999from issue #20 Having fallen in love with basil in Italy more than 25 years ago, I did not hesitate when friend and fellow herb grower Tom DeBaggio asked me if I would write a book on basil with him. Basil is the ultimate summer herb; it evokes warm sunny days, luscious fragrances, and mouthwatering food combinations. Lemon basil (Ocimum basilicum var. citriodorum) isoffered by many seed companies. Varieties to tryThe following lemon basils are all named varieties I have grown for years and will continue to grow for their intoxicating fragrance and superb flavor. ‘Sweet Dani’ basil was recently introduced by James E. Sow seeds a seed-width apart in rows 1 to 2 inches apart.

Just in Time for Winter: How to Build Your Own Mini-Greenhouse Gardeners looking to extend the growing season into winter can do so with a cold frame. These handy mini-greenhouses trap heat and keeping cool-season veggies growing in spite of frosty weather. Cold frames are inexpensive to build and don't consume a lot of energy. They yield fresh, local vegetables when mediocre grocery store fodder is being shipped from afar. This modular cold frame design offers two frame options: single- and double-tier. The lid should be kept shut on cold days and propped open for ventilation on unseasonably warm days. WOOD SELECTION: Cedar is best. WOODCUTTING 1 — Each 10-foot, 1 x 12-inch board will yield one 60-inch front/back panel and one 40-inch side panel. 2 — For the two-angled side panels, choose the most flawless 40-inch side panel and mark a diagonal line lengthwise, from corner to corner. 3— Set the saw to a blade angle of 15 degrees and run the center of the blade down the inside of the outer edge of the upper back panel. Text by Wilder Quarterly.

Garden Designs With our free online planner, you can design a super-productive vegetable garden, based on square-foot gardening techniques instead of traditional rows. Just drag and drop crops to the planting grid and the planner fills in the number of plants. Or choose from 16 pre-planned gardens. Print out your planting map and you're ready to go. Get Started or Expert Advice and Resources BonsaiSite.com - Bonsai as an art and horticultural practice. Green Living - Gardening - A beginner's guide to permaculture gardening A philosophy of gardening. Gardening and philosophy. Either way it seems strange to the uninitiated. However, one thing permaculture isn't, to many people's surprise, is a cult. Permaculture is a design system which sprang up during the 1970s oil crisis, a reaction to food insecurity and the desire for self-reliance. When applied to gardening it suggests that not only can we grow food almost anywhere - from fruit shrubs in patio pots to vines on fences - but we can get higher yields with less effort simply by mimicking nature. When I started to view every niche as a potential food-growing zone, for me the world turned into one big gingerbread house. In contrast to many modern agricultural methods, a natural growing system sustains a continuous cycle, with dead plants becoming mulch for new growth. Survey your plot Permaculture isn't prescriptive and methods should be applied to each garden or balcony individually. Diversity Zoning Mulch! Forest garden Pests! Further information: Websites:

27 Medicinal Plants Worth Your Garden Space Playful as kids are, accidents happen. And the accident that befallen me at 7 years old was the feeling of the hot exhaust pipe of a motorcycle kissing the skin of my leg. Grandma was around and saw it. Immediately, she took out a knife and slice the thick lower part of the aloe vera plant by the garden and rubbed the exposed end on the burn. Looking back, I realized that it was important to have medicinal plants around the house cause you never know when you might need them. Aloe Vera The aloe vera grows only under the sun with well drained dry or moist soil. woundscutsburnseczemareducing inflammation Apart from its external use on the skin, aloe vera is also taken internally in the treatment of : ulcerative colitis (drinking aloe vera juice)chronic constipationpoor appetitedigestive problems Marsh Mallow The plant of which marshmallows were once made of. inflammations and irritations of the urinary and respiratory mucus membranescounter excess stomach acidpeptic ulcerationgastritis Camomile