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Earthwise TC70001 11-Inch 8-1/2 Amp Electric Tiller/Cultivator
Lightweight & Powerful!!!
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Turbo Tiller Plus TT1000 with Shovel Vane Tumbler
Till - Drill - Dig - Remove Dirt - Powerful - Labor Saver
Jun 8, 2012
Latest Garden Tools Added to Hines Farm
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Earthwise TC70001 11-Inch 8-1/2 Amp Electric Tiller/Cultivator
Lightweight & Powerful!!!
Larger Image
Turbo Tiller Plus TT1000 with Shovel Vane Tumbler
Till - Drill - Dig - Remove Dirt - Powerful - Labor Saver
Jun 5, 2012
The Science Barge - Three ways to Grow High - Vertical growing! - YouTube
Published on Jun 5, 2012 by ecojaunt
Hello out there! Welcome to the Science Barge. A floating sustainable greenhouse! Listen as Bob takes us through three great ways to grow vertically.
Student Illinois Experiences: Jackie DiMonte
Published on Jun 1, 2012 by Illinois1867
Meet Jackie DiMonte. Not only is she a top-notch Illinois Engineering student, but she's also an Illinois Cheerleader. Jackie discusses why she chose Engineering at Illinois, how she manages her busy schedule, and what her future looks like as she becomes an Illinois alumna.
Another Proud Illini Engineer Graduate... GO ILLINI! Monte
Jun 4, 2012
Stump Grinder/Mulcher on Steroids! -- Denis Cimaf Mulcher DAF
Published on Jun 4, 2012 by woodharvesting
Denis Cimaf Mulcher DAF
From: Denis Cimaf Brasil.
Website: http://www.deniscimaf.com.br
Wow !!! Kind of like atomic energy, could be used for good and bad uses... Monte
The new, larger version of the Internet: IPv6
Published on Jun 4, 2012 by Google
google.com/ipv6 -- Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist at Google, and a founding father of the Internet, discusses the next version of the Internet, IPv6, and why we need it.
When the Internet launched operationally in 1983, no one ever dreamed that there might be billions of devices and users trying to get online. But like a telephone network that is running out of phone numbers, the current Internet is running out of IP addresses, and if we don't roll out Internet Protocol v6 (IPv6), we won't have the room we need to grow and the Internet would become tangled, unsafe and unsustainable.
Springtime - Andalusia Slough Hines Farm
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Sunset Andalusia Slough - June 1, 2012
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Elieen, with Grand Children, Cola And Kala, playing in Coal Creek
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Landscaping Timber
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Landscaping Timber
Jun 3, 2012
Geoff Lawton Explaining Permaculture Ethics During a PDC - YouTube
Published on May 27, 2012 by survivalpodcasting
This is Geoff Lawton explaining the role of Permaculture's Three Ethics during a PDC in Australia in 2006. You will notice that there is no mention of "fair share" instead surplus is to be returned to the system or invested. This places the decision of how to manage surplus with each individual not subject to a third parties assessment of what is "fair".
The entire PDC is on DVD and is about 60 hours in total length. You an find it here, http://www.powells.com/biblio/18-1110000041488-0 or herehttp://permaculture.org.au/2010/04/28/permaculture-design-certificate-course-...
Jun 1, 2012
How to Make Sandwich Bread - YouTube
Published on Jun 1, 2012 by allrecipes
In this video, you'll see how to make easy, foolproof sandwich bread in your bread machine. This simple loaf of bread will come out with a flaky crust and very soft center. Made in your bread machine, it's the easiest thing since sliced bread. Soon the aroma of freshly baking bread will fill your home.
See the recipe for LuAnn's Bread Machine Bread @http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-bread-machine-bread/detail.aspx
May 30, 2012
May 29, 2012
A Man, A Motorcycle & A Mission
Published on May 29, 2012 by MotorTrend
On this episode of The Downshift, we meet Murph, a former multi-millionare who lost it all and decided to live on a BMW R1150GS Adventure motorcycle. His mission? To travel all around the world on two wheels and photograph his adventures. Follow along on his journey athttp://www.wherethehellismurph.com.
The Downshift appears every Tuesday on the new Motor Trend channel.
http://www.youtube.com/motortrend
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May 28, 2012
How to Make Apple Pie
Published on May 27, 2012 by allrecipes
See how to make a top-rated apple pie. This interesting twist on the classic treat can be served warm with ice cream or Cheddar cheese, or cooled with whipped cream. Make the easy, impressive latticework crust just before baking, and see how it helps make an unusual, flavorful version of everyone's favorite dessert.
Get the recipe for Apple Pie by Grandma Ople @http://allrecipes.com/recipe/apple-pie-by-grandma-ople/detail.aspx
How to Make Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Published on May 28, 2012 by allrecipes
Watch how to make these incredibly popular chocolate chip cookies. In this video, you'll see how to bake Debbi's top-rated chocolate chip cookies. Discover the secret ingredient that makes this recipe such a winner. It's been saved to 122,000 recipe boxes.
Get Debbi's top-rated recipe for Award-Winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies @ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/award-winning-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies/detail...
Annual Vines To Try in the Garden
Published on May 28, 2012 by UIExtension
Thunbergia and Manettia provide lots of color all season long.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce - YouTube
Published on May 27, 2012 by allrecipes
See how to make a rich, creamy Alfredo sauce from scratch. The secret to rich, delicious, and inexpensive Alfredo sauce is cream cheese! In this video, you'll see how to make a five-star recipe that's creamy and rich, but also simple to make and wonderfully cheap, too. A great weeknight recipe, it's also worthy of guests! No wonder this popular recipe has more than 2,500 rave reviews.
Get the recipe for Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce @http://allrecipes.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-alfredo-sauce/detail.aspx
Rocket Stove Outdoor System: New front-loading batch burn configuration
Published on May 27, 2012 by broaudio
Well, this may be the final configuration for this system. It now features a front door which allows large batches of wood to be loaded for extended burn time. So far it's working very well, and I'm excited about the possibilities for an indoor system. Anyway, enjoy!
Very Nice Rocket Stove Configuration!!! Monte
May 26, 2012
This Land Is My Teacher: Preserving Native Agriculture and Traditions
Saturday, 26 May 2012
By Beverly Bell,
(Photo: Clayton Brascoupe)Nayeli Guzman is a young Mexican woman who went to New Mexico to be part of the effort to restore traditional agriculture. Throughout the US, Native, Chicano, and other peoples are rejecting industrialized agriculture and are growing their own food instead, thereby reclaiming the health of their traditions, culture, bodies, and land. They are contributing to one of the largest movements in the US today: creating a sustainable food supply chain. Here, Nayeli talks of one such program at the Tesuque Indian Pueblo, where she and other farmers are using long-abandoned farmland to grow long-abandoned crops, building up seed libraries, and teaching others ecological methods for growing food.
Nayeli Guzman | New Mexico, USA
Damn, I should have brought my beans! I wanted to show you my collection. One of my favorites is called powami, a Hopi ceremonial bean. There’s a really beautiful one called Maine Yellow Eye, which is all white and right at the part where the bean sprouts, there’s a little yellow moon on there. There’s another one called Provider. When you put it against the sun, it looks like an oil spill from your car. Man, those beans are so beautiful.
We cooked some red Mexican beans for the harvest festival, and everyone loved them.
It’s always good to be able to give food. It’s the best, dude. We don’t think of what we’re producing in terms of money, but just in terms of health and food for our families.
Farming was in my prayers for a long time. This land is my teacher; it’s my altar. It’s at the heart of my culture. We’ve always done that. We’ve strayed so far from it that I feel we have to go back, no matter where we come from. I’m just being responsible to the struggles my ancestors went through. They fought for tierra y libertad, which means land and liberty. In fact, we’re still going through that struggle today, with our food and even our genes being colonized.
A goal of this program is for the Pueblo to become completely self-sustaining so that during the growing season, people don’t have to purchase what they can grow themselves. Another goal is to preserve the traditional way of life here. We need to keep the traditions alive. We need to preserve the seeds. We need to preserve the soil. We need to preserve the planet.
What we want to do next year at the Head Start is to have each kid have their own little garden. This year our program was too young to do that, but we were able to deliver pumpkins for Day of the Dead. The kids carved them´and gave them to us as gifts, like a little thank-you note. We want to have workers from the Tesuque farm program go in and help them maintain the gardens.
We are also working with the senior center, giving them food from the harvest. For our harvest festival we gave them squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, all kinds of things. We’re trying to stay connected with the elders and to keep them around as long as possible.
We sell food at the farmers’ market, and people on the Pueblo can order the food they want from the fields. Part of me feels like we should be giving the food away to the people because we’re growing it on their land. But if they’re able to work, they should be farming for themselves, at least having a little plot of corn.
A few have become inspired to go out there and do it themselves. And I’ve noticed a higher level of pride among the people about being Native and preserving their way of life.
I see this plan spreading to different communities, not just the reservations but all over the place. I see other communities coming over here and learning, and taking that back to their people and starting it up all over again. We see it happening on a global scale already. There are farmers meeting together from all over the world. We need to all work together as land-based people and not look at what color we are or where we come from, because the land is not like that. Creator is not exclusive, so there’s no reason we should be. They tell us, “The more biodiversity you have, the richer your soil is going to be.” It’s like that with people. The more different kinds of people you have, the more we’re going to be able to survive. That’s why we need everybody working together. We can’t compartmentalize ourselves. That’s what industrial agriculture does.
If people would only open their eyes and their ears and their hearts to living in community, everything would work so much smoother. It’s not a Native thing. Community is a human thing. It’s already in us, we just have to bring it back out. One person can grow corn, one person can grow something else, and they can share. That’s how people used to survive way back when.
What we’re doing is very simple. These ideas are not an alternative for us, they’re just a way of life. We’re just doing what Creator meant for us to do.
Inspired? Here are a few suggestions for getting involved!
Just Harvest USA bridges the healthy and local food movement with the farmworker rights movement. Join them (www.justharvestusa.org/getinvolved.html).
Grassroots groups all over the US are forming food policy councils to strengthen food systems that meet local needs. Consider joining one near you, or starting your own (www.foodsecurity.org/FPC/council.html).
The US Food Sovereignty Alliance brings together food justice initiatives to organize for domestic food sovereignty and link up with the global movement for food sovereignty. Consider having your organization join (www.usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org).
Organize a local campaign to protect your community from corporate farming and other corporate takeovers of natural resources. The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund runs the Democracy Schools to help you get started (www.celdf.org).
Organize a plant or seed swap. Boycott corporate-owned seeds, especially those owned by the largest agro-corporations such as Monsanto and Syngenta. Get involved with campaigns against agro-giants; check out the Organic Consumers’ campaign against Monsanto (www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm).
Sign up for the Community Food Security Coalition’s policy email list for monthly updates on federal policy that affects community food security. Check out their platform for the 2012 Farm Bill (www.foodsecurity.org/2012FarmBill.html).
Encourage your or your child’s school to buy local and healthy food through farm-to-school programs.
Organize with other parents or students to make it happen (www.farmtoschool.org).
Share a garden space with your neighbors or friends. Share your harvest with those you love (and those you haven’t met yet!)
And check out the following resources and organizations:
National Family Farm Coalition, www.nffc.net
Food First, www.foodfirst.org
Family Farm Defenders, www.familyfarmers.org
Grassroots International, www.grassrootsonline.org
Agricultural Missions, www.agriculturalmissions.org
Fair Food Network, www.fairfoodnetwork.org
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, www.ilsr.org
International Indian Treaty Council, The Right to Food,www.treatycouncil.org/new_page_5241.htm
New Farm of the Rodale Institute, www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm
Women, Food, and Agricultural Network, www.wfan.org
White Earth Land Recovery and Native Harvest Online Catalog, www.welrp.org &www.nativeharvest.com
Peter Rosset, Food Is Different (Zed Book, 2006)
Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005)
Nayeli Guzman | New Mexico, USA
Damn, I should have brought my beans! I wanted to show you my collection. One of my favorites is called powami, a Hopi ceremonial bean. There’s a really beautiful one called Maine Yellow Eye, which is all white and right at the part where the bean sprouts, there’s a little yellow moon on there. There’s another one called Provider. When you put it against the sun, it looks like an oil spill from your car. Man, those beans are so beautiful.
We cooked some red Mexican beans for the harvest festival, and everyone loved them.
It’s always good to be able to give food. It’s the best, dude. We don’t think of what we’re producing in terms of money, but just in terms of health and food for our families.
Farming was in my prayers for a long time. This land is my teacher; it’s my altar. It’s at the heart of my culture. We’ve always done that. We’ve strayed so far from it that I feel we have to go back, no matter where we come from. I’m just being responsible to the struggles my ancestors went through. They fought for tierra y libertad, which means land and liberty. In fact, we’re still going through that struggle today, with our food and even our genes being colonized.
A goal of this program is for the Pueblo to become completely self-sustaining so that during the growing season, people don’t have to purchase what they can grow themselves. Another goal is to preserve the traditional way of life here. We need to keep the traditions alive. We need to preserve the seeds. We need to preserve the soil. We need to preserve the planet.
What we want to do next year at the Head Start is to have each kid have their own little garden. This year our program was too young to do that, but we were able to deliver pumpkins for Day of the Dead. The kids carved them´and gave them to us as gifts, like a little thank-you note. We want to have workers from the Tesuque farm program go in and help them maintain the gardens.
We are also working with the senior center, giving them food from the harvest. For our harvest festival we gave them squash, pumpkins, cucumbers, all kinds of things. We’re trying to stay connected with the elders and to keep them around as long as possible.
We sell food at the farmers’ market, and people on the Pueblo can order the food they want from the fields. Part of me feels like we should be giving the food away to the people because we’re growing it on their land. But if they’re able to work, they should be farming for themselves, at least having a little plot of corn.
A few have become inspired to go out there and do it themselves. And I’ve noticed a higher level of pride among the people about being Native and preserving their way of life.
I see this plan spreading to different communities, not just the reservations but all over the place. I see other communities coming over here and learning, and taking that back to their people and starting it up all over again. We see it happening on a global scale already. There are farmers meeting together from all over the world. We need to all work together as land-based people and not look at what color we are or where we come from, because the land is not like that. Creator is not exclusive, so there’s no reason we should be. They tell us, “The more biodiversity you have, the richer your soil is going to be.” It’s like that with people. The more different kinds of people you have, the more we’re going to be able to survive. That’s why we need everybody working together. We can’t compartmentalize ourselves. That’s what industrial agriculture does.
If people would only open their eyes and their ears and their hearts to living in community, everything would work so much smoother. It’s not a Native thing. Community is a human thing. It’s already in us, we just have to bring it back out. One person can grow corn, one person can grow something else, and they can share. That’s how people used to survive way back when.
What we’re doing is very simple. These ideas are not an alternative for us, they’re just a way of life. We’re just doing what Creator meant for us to do.
Inspired? Here are a few suggestions for getting involved!
Just Harvest USA bridges the healthy and local food movement with the farmworker rights movement. Join them (www.justharvestusa.org/getinvolved.html).
Grassroots groups all over the US are forming food policy councils to strengthen food systems that meet local needs. Consider joining one near you, or starting your own (www.foodsecurity.org/FPC/council.html).
The US Food Sovereignty Alliance brings together food justice initiatives to organize for domestic food sovereignty and link up with the global movement for food sovereignty. Consider having your organization join (www.usfoodsovereigntyalliance.org).
Organize a local campaign to protect your community from corporate farming and other corporate takeovers of natural resources. The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund runs the Democracy Schools to help you get started (www.celdf.org).
Organize a plant or seed swap. Boycott corporate-owned seeds, especially those owned by the largest agro-corporations such as Monsanto and Syngenta. Get involved with campaigns against agro-giants; check out the Organic Consumers’ campaign against Monsanto (www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm).
Sign up for the Community Food Security Coalition’s policy email list for monthly updates on federal policy that affects community food security. Check out their platform for the 2012 Farm Bill (www.foodsecurity.org/2012FarmBill.html).
Encourage your or your child’s school to buy local and healthy food through farm-to-school programs.
Organize with other parents or students to make it happen (www.farmtoschool.org).
Share a garden space with your neighbors or friends. Share your harvest with those you love (and those you haven’t met yet!)
And check out the following resources and organizations:
National Family Farm Coalition, www.nffc.net
Food First, www.foodfirst.org
Family Farm Defenders, www.familyfarmers.org
Grassroots International, www.grassrootsonline.org
Agricultural Missions, www.agriculturalmissions.org
Fair Food Network, www.fairfoodnetwork.org
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance, www.ilsr.org
International Indian Treaty Council, The Right to Food,www.treatycouncil.org/new_page_5241.htm
New Farm of the Rodale Institute, www.rodaleinstitute.org/new_farm
Women, Food, and Agricultural Network, www.wfan.org
White Earth Land Recovery and Native Harvest Online Catalog, www.welrp.org &www.nativeharvest.com
Peter Rosset, Food Is Different (Zed Book, 2006)
Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (South End Press, 2005)
May 25, 2012
How to Make Restaurant Slaw - YouTube
Published on May 24, 2012 by allrecipes
Make creamy coleslaw just like the restaurant kind! You love the tangy, slightly sweet coleslaw they serve in fried-chicken and fish restaurants. Now see how to make it at home. It's simple and quick to make, and the perfect side dish for picnics or barbeques beside fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the summer grilling classics.
Get the recipe for Sweet Restaurant Slaw @http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-restaurant-slaw/detail.aspx
How to Make Italian Beef for Sandwiches
Published on May 24, 2012 by allrecipes
Make creamy coleslaw just like the restaurant kind! You love the tangy, slightly sweet coleslaw they serve in fried-chicken and fish restaurants. Now see how to make it at home. It's simple and quick to make, and the perfect side dish for picnics or barbeques beside fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, and all the summer grilling classics.
Get the recipe for Sweet Restaurant Slaw @http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sweet-restaurant-slaw/detail.aspx
How to Make Boston Baked Beans - YouTube
Published on May 25, 2012 by allrecipes
See how to make old-fashioned Boston baked beans. These tasty beans are a great main course or side dish served with corn bread or biscuits. And best of all, the preparation is simple and straightforward.
Get the recipe for Boston Baked Beans @ http://allrecipes.com/recipe/boston-baked-beans/detail.aspx?src=PL_RelatedRecipe
May 24, 2012
Tricks For Sowing Small Seed - U of IL Extension
Published on May 23, 2012 by UIExtension
Here's a few helpful tips for planting those tiny seeds. Use toilet paper...
May 23, 2012
John Liu's Green Gold Documentary (English)
As most of our readers will know, John Liu caught a vision years ago, and, thankfully, he ran with it. We’ve shared John’s excellent media work before (see here and here), and today have the pleasure of doing so again….
This new video, Green Gold, was first aired last month on Dutch TV, and will be shared at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (to a captive audience of influential representative delegates during their dinner!), which is being held next month in Brazil (20-22 June 2012).
The video takes you to China, Jordan, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Bolivia, and features the PRI’s own Geoff Lawton (and a cameo appearance from Nadia!), who adds impetus and technical know-how to John’s impressive toolbox, as well as the ‘Permaculture Princess‘ (Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan), and others.
It’s the story of healing landscapes at scale, and, with it, restoring life, livelihoods, security and a future.
"It’s possible to rehabilitate large scale damaged eco-systems. So, if we can rehabilitate large scale damaged eco-systems… why don’t we do that?" — John Liu
Having this video aired at Rio+20 is an immense victory in itself — it feels like no small reward for our dogged efforts to bring permaculture into mainstream media and thus into mainstream consciousness. All of our readers and contributors are part of this effort, as you learn, share and help us inspire a new generation.
This video is not just a tale of hope, it’s evidence of hope — it’s proof that we do not need to give in to apathy, despair and an ‘eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die’ mentality. Instead, we see we have the simple solutions right in front of us. The only challenge is the people systems to make it happen — education and fostering collaboration.
If the main obstacle to change is our not having the vision to do so, well, now we have it…. Please share
Related Links:
http://www.permies.com/t/14871/permaculture/Rehabilitate-large-scale-damaged-eco#132095
http://whatifwechange.com/#/home
We really can change the world for the betterment of our children and grandchildren... Monte
Games Primates Play: The evolution and economics of human relationships - YouTube
Published on May 23, 2012 by theRSAorg
Leading primatologist Dario Maestripieri visits the RSA to reveal how our ancient past governs our current behaviour.
Chaired by Suzy Walton, Deputy Chair, The RSA
Listen to the podcast of the full event including audience Q&A:http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2012/games-primates-play-t...
Our events are made possible with the support of our Fellowship. Support us by donating or applying to become a Fellow.
Donate: http://www.thersa.org/support-the-rsa
Become a Fellow: http://www.thersa.org/fellowship/apply
Amazing what we can learn from nature... Monte
10 Easy Ways to Beat Weeds
2012-04-17
A single weed can produce as many as 250,000 seeds. Though some seeds are viable for only a year, others can lie dormant for decades, just waiting for their chance to grow. When they’re buried several inches deep, the lack of light keeps them from germinating. But bring weeds to the surface, and they’ll germinate right along with your flower and vegetable seeds.
Even if you’re diligent at hoeing and pulling weeds, more seeds arrive—by air, by water runoff, and in bird droppings. You may accidentally introduce weeds by bringing seeds in on your shoes, clothing, or equipment or in the soil surrounding the roots of container-grown stock.
If you had more weeds then seedlings last year or are already feeling defeated by the number of weeds choking out your favorite plants, don’t worry! These surefire tips will help you keep down weed populations during the growing season:
A single weed can produce as many as 250,000 seeds. Though some seeds are viable for only a year, others can lie dormant for decades, just waiting for their chance to grow. When they’re buried several inches deep, the lack of light keeps them from germinating. But bring weeds to the surface, and they’ll germinate right along with your flower and vegetable seeds.
Even if you’re diligent at hoeing and pulling weeds, more seeds arrive—by air, by water runoff, and in bird droppings. You may accidentally introduce weeds by bringing seeds in on your shoes, clothing, or equipment or in the soil surrounding the roots of container-grown stock.
If you had more weeds then seedlings last year or are already feeling defeated by the number of weeds choking out your favorite plants, don’t worry! These surefire tips will help you keep down weed populations during the growing season:
Know your enemy.
Before you can determine your best defense strategy against weeds, you need to know what you’re up against. Some weeds, such as miner’s lettuce, chickweed, purslane, and dozens of grasses, are shallow-rooted annuals. Others, such as dock, comfrey, thistles, and certain runner grasses, are deep-rooted perennials. The two types require different control methods. Arm yourself with a good field guide, then identify and inventory your weeds. After that, you can ...
Photo: (cc) Dawn Endico/Flickr
Before you can determine your best defense strategy against weeds, you need to know what you’re up against. Some weeds, such as miner’s lettuce, chickweed, purslane, and dozens of grasses, are shallow-rooted annuals. Others, such as dock, comfrey, thistles, and certain runner grasses, are deep-rooted perennials. The two types require different control methods. Arm yourself with a good field guide, then identify and inventory your weeds. After that, you can ...
Photo: (cc) Dawn Endico/Flickr
Assault annual weeds when it’s dry.
Wait for the weather to be hot and dry for several days, then attack young annual weeds with a rake, hoe, or trowel. That way, the drought-stressed weeds are sure to shrivel and die, even if your cultivation doesn't remove the entire root of the plant.
Photo: (cc) John Tann/Flickr
Wait for the weather to be hot and dry for several days, then attack young annual weeds with a rake, hoe, or trowel. That way, the drought-stressed weeds are sure to shrivel and die, even if your cultivation doesn't remove the entire root of the plant.
Photo: (cc) John Tann/Flickr
Give perennial weeds a shower.
The long taproots of perennial weeds cannot be pulled out when the soil is dry. To remove these weeds, wait for wet soil—either from rainfall or from your hose. If the soil is wet and loose, even pesky thistles should come out with their roots intact—which means they won't grow back!
Photo: (cc) Lazurite/Flickr
The long taproots of perennial weeds cannot be pulled out when the soil is dry. To remove these weeds, wait for wet soil—either from rainfall or from your hose. If the soil is wet and loose, even pesky thistles should come out with their roots intact—which means they won't grow back!
Photo: (cc) Lazurite/Flickr
Comb that grass right out of your beds.
If invasive grasses, such as Johnsongrass or bermudagrass, threaten your garden, use a pitchfork to “comb” your beds before you plant in spring, suggests an Organic Gardening reader. Work the soil until it’s sufficiently loose for planting, then go over the entire area with a pitchfork, stabbing into the ground and levering it back toward the soil’s surface. The tines of the fork will catch any buried grass roots, which you can then remove by hand. This technique has removed about 90 percent of the grasses from a reader’s market garden in Texas.
Photo: (cc) Con O'Brien
If invasive grasses, such as Johnsongrass or bermudagrass, threaten your garden, use a pitchfork to “comb” your beds before you plant in spring, suggests an Organic Gardening reader. Work the soil until it’s sufficiently loose for planting, then go over the entire area with a pitchfork, stabbing into the ground and levering it back toward the soil’s surface. The tines of the fork will catch any buried grass roots, which you can then remove by hand. This technique has removed about 90 percent of the grasses from a reader’s market garden in Texas.
Photo: (cc) Con O'Brien
Become a mulching maniac.
Deprive weeds of the light they need by covering bare soil with a thick layer of grass clippings, shredded leaves, pine needles, or other organic mulch. Any survivors that do manage to penetrate the mulch usually are so weak that you can easily remove them by hand.
Photo: (cc) Hard Working Hippy/Flickr
Deprive weeds of the light they need by covering bare soil with a thick layer of grass clippings, shredded leaves, pine needles, or other organic mulch. Any survivors that do manage to penetrate the mulch usually are so weak that you can easily remove them by hand.
Photo: (cc) Hard Working Hippy/Flickr
Cook ’em.
If you’ve got a large-scale weed problem, bake the plants beneath a sheet of clear plastic. For best results, wet the soil before you cover it with the plastic. Leave the plastic in place for at least 3 weeks—ideally, when the weather is hot and sunny. This method is especially effective against cool-season weeds and annual grasses.
Photo: Photodisc
If you’ve got a large-scale weed problem, bake the plants beneath a sheet of clear plastic. For best results, wet the soil before you cover it with the plastic. Leave the plastic in place for at least 3 weeks—ideally, when the weather is hot and sunny. This method is especially effective against cool-season weeds and annual grasses.
Photo: Photodisc
Let lettuce help your peas.
Peas and other shallow-rooted crops can be damaged easily by cultivating the surrounding soil. That's why broad-leaved weeds can easily overtake them. So why not establish an edible, living mulch to fight the weeds and provide an extra early-season crop? Sow seeds of a fast-growing leaf lettuce thickly between young pea plants. The lettuce will outperform the weeds, and you can harvest the lettuce thinnings as you pick your peas.
Photo: (cc) Buck/Flickr
Peas and other shallow-rooted crops can be damaged easily by cultivating the surrounding soil. That's why broad-leaved weeds can easily overtake them. So why not establish an edible, living mulch to fight the weeds and provide an extra early-season crop? Sow seeds of a fast-growing leaf lettuce thickly between young pea plants. The lettuce will outperform the weeds, and you can harvest the lettuce thinnings as you pick your peas.
Photo: (cc) Buck/Flickr
Squash pigweed.
If you're faced with a pugnacious patch of pigweed, fight back by planting a mixture of squash and buckwheat. The vigorous squash and quick-growing buckwheat will easily overtake the weeds. At the end of the season, harvest the squash, pull out the vines, and turn under the buckwheat. The buckwheat will add organic matter and nutrients to the soil for next year's crops.
Photo: (cc) PawPaw67/Flickr
If you're faced with a pugnacious patch of pigweed, fight back by planting a mixture of squash and buckwheat. The vigorous squash and quick-growing buckwheat will easily overtake the weeds. At the end of the season, harvest the squash, pull out the vines, and turn under the buckwheat. The buckwheat will add organic matter and nutrients to the soil for next year's crops.
Photo: (cc) PawPaw67/Flickr
Berry your weeds.
Use strawberries to smother weeds! These perennial fruits spread by runners and are vigorous enough to overcome many weeds—even in light shade. In mild-winter areas, such as Zone 9, they'll grow (and hold off weeds) all year long. Try growing them as a groundcover beneath blueberries and roses.
Photo: (cc) Amanda Slater/Flickr
Use strawberries to smother weeds! These perennial fruits spread by runners and are vigorous enough to overcome many weeds—even in light shade. In mild-winter areas, such as Zone 9, they'll grow (and hold off weeds) all year long. Try growing them as a groundcover beneath blueberries and roses.
Photo: (cc) Amanda Slater/Flickr
Till ’em two times ...
In Maine’s chilly Zone 5, organic market gardener Eliot Coleman uses a tiller to battle redroot pigweed, the seeds of which can remain viable in the soil for years. Coleman runs the tiller through his beds as early as possible in spring to bring the weed seeds closer to the soil’s surface, where they can germinate. That’s right: Coleman encourages the weed seeds to sprout! Then, a week or two later, he tills a second time to clear the area of the young weeds before he plants his vegetables.
Photo: (cc) Pawel Loj
Keep Reading: 8 Weeds You Can Eat!
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-easy-ways-to-beat-weeds
Links:
[1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/117828666/
[2] http://www.flickr.com/photos/31031835@N08/5362522847/
[3] http://www.flickr.com/photos/lazurite/3616936985/
[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/3743220218/
[5] http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/3652759179/
[6] http://www.flickr.com/photos/9229859@N02/3633579484/
[7] http://www.flickr.com/photos/luschei/1367403088/
[8] http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikerslanefarm/6040503585/
[9] http://www.flickr.com/photos/limaoscarjuliet/5952580243/
[10] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/8-weeds-you-can-eat
In Maine’s chilly Zone 5, organic market gardener Eliot Coleman uses a tiller to battle redroot pigweed, the seeds of which can remain viable in the soil for years. Coleman runs the tiller through his beds as early as possible in spring to bring the weed seeds closer to the soil’s surface, where they can germinate. That’s right: Coleman encourages the weed seeds to sprout! Then, a week or two later, he tills a second time to clear the area of the young weeds before he plants his vegetables.
Photo: (cc) Pawel Loj
Keep Reading: 8 Weeds You Can Eat!
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-easy-ways-to-beat-weeds
Links:
[1] http://www.flickr.com/photos/candiedwomanire/117828666/
[2] http://www.flickr.com/photos/31031835@N08/5362522847/
[3] http://www.flickr.com/photos/lazurite/3616936985/
[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/3743220218/
[5] http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/3652759179/
[6] http://www.flickr.com/photos/9229859@N02/3633579484/
[7] http://www.flickr.com/photos/luschei/1367403088/
[8] http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikerslanefarm/6040503585/
[9] http://www.flickr.com/photos/limaoscarjuliet/5952580243/
[10] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/8-weeds-you-can-eat
Iowa State team gets grant for biomass pretreatment research
Iowa State team gets grant for biomass pretreatment research
By Kris Bevill | May 17, 2012
Iowa State University's Song-Charng Kong, left, and Nicholas Creager examine a new bio-oil gasifier developed and built on campus. It is one of three projects getting funding from the Iowa Energy Center.
PHOTO: BOB ELBERT, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
The Iowa Energy Center recently awarded three grants to research projects focused on improving thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals. The selected projects will receive one-year research and demonstration grants with negotiated renewal terms of up to three years. Projects will be conducted by research teams at Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute.
The Iowa Energy Center, which is based in Ames, Iowa, and administered by Iowa State University, awards grants annually to projects that are designed to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in the state. “Part of the Iowa Energy Center’s mission is to develop alternate energy systems that are based on renewable resources,” said Chitra Rajan, interim director of the center and associate vice president for research at Iowa State. “And so we’re excited about these grants because they support studies of technologies that produce and use biorenewable fuels and products.”
One of the projects selected for funding will research pre-treatment methods that can improve the fermentation of inedible biomass-derived substrates when subjecting them to fast pyrolysis conversion methods. The project is eligible to receive up to $315,000 for three years and will be led by Laura Jarboe, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State. The project will also include an economic analysis of the entire process to identify areas of improvement. “Our focus is on increasing the economic viability of this overall process so that the chemicals and fuels we produce will be economically competitive with petroleum-based products,” Jarboe said.
Red oak is being used as the model biomass for this project, but Jarboe said some research is also being conducted on corn stover. “There are many variables involved in our hybrid processing platform and at this time we are working mainly with the one biomass type,” she said. Eventually the team would like to expand its project to include other biomass types. The research project will experiment with a variety of chemical and biological pre-treatment processes, all targeting the contaminant compounds that currently inhibit the activity of biocatalysts used to ferment biomass during pyrolysis. One of the chemical pre-treatment methods proposed by Jarboe’s team is overliming, which Jarboe said has already been proven effective in decreasing hydrolysate toxicity. “In this manner, we can build on the results already established by cellulosic ethanol research,” she said. All of the pretreatment methods explored as part of the project will be considered in the team’s economic analysis.
Jarboe’s team includes Robert Brown, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in mechanical engineering, Zhiyou Wen, Iowa State associate professor of food science and human nutrition, Zhanyou Chi, research associate for the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, and Shengde Zhou, assistant professor of biological sciences at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.
By Kris Bevill | May 17, 2012
Iowa State University's Song-Charng Kong, left, and Nicholas Creager examine a new bio-oil gasifier developed and built on campus. It is one of three projects getting funding from the Iowa Energy Center.
PHOTO: BOB ELBERT, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
The Iowa Energy Center recently awarded three grants to research projects focused on improving thermochemical conversion of biomass to biofuels and renewable chemicals. The selected projects will receive one-year research and demonstration grants with negotiated renewal terms of up to three years. Projects will be conducted by research teams at Iowa State University’s Bioeconomy Institute.
The Iowa Energy Center, which is based in Ames, Iowa, and administered by Iowa State University, awards grants annually to projects that are designed to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in the state. “Part of the Iowa Energy Center’s mission is to develop alternate energy systems that are based on renewable resources,” said Chitra Rajan, interim director of the center and associate vice president for research at Iowa State. “And so we’re excited about these grants because they support studies of technologies that produce and use biorenewable fuels and products.”
One of the projects selected for funding will research pre-treatment methods that can improve the fermentation of inedible biomass-derived substrates when subjecting them to fast pyrolysis conversion methods. The project is eligible to receive up to $315,000 for three years and will be led by Laura Jarboe, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State. The project will also include an economic analysis of the entire process to identify areas of improvement. “Our focus is on increasing the economic viability of this overall process so that the chemicals and fuels we produce will be economically competitive with petroleum-based products,” Jarboe said.
Red oak is being used as the model biomass for this project, but Jarboe said some research is also being conducted on corn stover. “There are many variables involved in our hybrid processing platform and at this time we are working mainly with the one biomass type,” she said. Eventually the team would like to expand its project to include other biomass types. The research project will experiment with a variety of chemical and biological pre-treatment processes, all targeting the contaminant compounds that currently inhibit the activity of biocatalysts used to ferment biomass during pyrolysis. One of the chemical pre-treatment methods proposed by Jarboe’s team is overliming, which Jarboe said has already been proven effective in decreasing hydrolysate toxicity. “In this manner, we can build on the results already established by cellulosic ethanol research,” she said. All of the pretreatment methods explored as part of the project will be considered in the team’s economic analysis.
Jarboe’s team includes Robert Brown, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering and the Gary and Donna Hoover Chair in mechanical engineering, Zhiyou Wen, Iowa State associate professor of food science and human nutrition, Zhanyou Chi, research associate for the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies, and Shengde Zhou, assistant professor of biological sciences at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill.
Biofuel Breakthrough !!!
http://youtu.be/AW51_zbaPtc
May 20, 2012
U.S. military looking at wood-based biofuels
UNIVERSITY OF MAINE
In this video, UMaine faculty and student researchers demonstrate and discuss their major breakthrough in wood-based biofuels. The discovery could be an important key in making biofuels a viable alternative to traditional fuels.
The U.S. military is very interested in alternative fuels — in particular, the wood-based biofuels being researched and produced at the University of Maine. Three methods, or pathways, to producing biofuel for use in military jets are being explored by UMaine chemical and biological engineers affiliated with the university’s Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI). The pathways all aim to produce what are known as drop-in fuels — those that can be used easily in a number of fuel tanks and pipelines.
May 22, 2012
Stronger | Seattle Childrens Hospital | "HOPE"
Published on May 6, 2012 by rumsssauce
The hemoncology floor of Seattle Children's Hospital performs Kelly Clarkson's song "Stronger" NEW! Check out a quick behind the scenes clip of how the video was made http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4w1beZg8mM
Video Link: http://youtu.be/ihGCj5mfCk8
The Power of Networks - RSA Animate
Published on May 21, 2012 by theRSAorg
In this new RSA Animate, Manuel Lima, senior UX design lead at Microsoft Bing, explores the power of network visualisation to help navigate our complex modern world. Taken from a lecture given by Manuel Lima as part of the RSA's free public events programme. Listen to the full talk:http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2011/the-power-of-networks...
Our events are made possible with the support of our Fellowship. Support us by donating or applying to become a Fellow.
Donate: http://www.thersa.org/support-the-rsa
Become a Fellow: http://www.thersa.org/fellowship/apply
Wonderful presentation on networks and how everything is interdependent... Monte
Hines Farm - Wild Fungi, Wild & Tame Animals
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Morel Mushrooms
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Wild Hen Turkey
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Tame Rouen Ducks playing their "mini wood pool"
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Tame Rouen Ducks foraging and fertilizing yard...
Hines Farm - Go Anywhere Water Collection, Transport, Distribution, and Irrigation System
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320 Gallons of Water being Transported to Area of Need
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Filling 320 gallon water tank from creek
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Eileen watering fresh planting of Crimson Clover
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Taking a break after irrigation completed...
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Portable water system allows timber landscape plantings, washing of freshly placed boulders, etc.
Wayne Water Systems VIP50 1/2 HP 2,500 GPH Submersible Utility Water Pump (Amazon.com)
Submersible utility water pump can handle material up to 1/2-inch thick without getting clogged. Works excellent in getting high volume of water water from creek. It can pump 2500 gallons per hour, with a bottom suction that takes out water to within an eighth of an inch of the surface. 1 1/4in. discharge is also adaptable to garden hose thread.
Portable Utility Pump
Harbor Freight, Pacific Hydrostar - Item#65836 (HarborFreight.com)
120 ft. lift capacity.Max. flow rate: 1500 GPH/25 GPM
Brass standard water hose connections
Cast iron pump body
Brass standard water hose connections
Cast iron pump body
Easily maintains high volume of water to two 3/4" Garden hoses at 50 psi
Related Links:
http://www.permies.com/t/14834/homestead/Go-Anywhere-Water-Collection-Transport
Related Links:
http://www.permies.com/t/14834/homestead/Go-Anywhere-Water-Collection-Transport
May 21, 2012
A Twenty-One Protest Song Salute | BillMoyers.com
May 18, 2012
Singer and activist Tom Morello says it’s his job as a musician “to steel the backbone of people on the front lines of social justice struggles, and to put wind in sails of those struggles.” Here’s a list of 21 songs that have done just that — from Woody Guthrie’s This Land is Your Land to Public Enemy’sFight the Power.
Submit your own song suggestions in the comments below. If you have protest songs of your own on YouTube, include links to them or tag them “moyersprotestsongs”.
[Warning to parents and teachers: Some songs contain profanity. Also, Moyers & Companyand Public Affairs Television do not endorse any advertisements or promotional links contained within the embedded videos.]
Which Side Are You On, Florence Reece (1931)
Strange Fruit, Billie Holiday (1939)
This Land Is Your Land, Woody Guthrie (1940/1944)
We Shall Overcome, sung here by Joan Baez (traditional)
Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash (1955)
A Change is Gonna Come, Sam Cooke (1964)
Times They Are A-Changing, Bob Dylan (1964)
Compared to What? Les McCann and Eddie Harris (1969)
Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Give Peace A Chance, John Lennon (1969)
John Lennon – Give Peace A Chance by hushhush112
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Gil Scott-Heron (1970)
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised Gil Scott-Heron (1970)
Ohio; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970/1974)
What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye (1971)
Get Up, Stand Up , Bob Marley (1973)
Zombie, Fela Kuti (1977)
F— tha Police, N.W.A (1988)
Fight the Power, Public Enemy (1989/1990)
The Ghost of Tom Joad, Bruce Springsteen, featuring Tom Morello (1995)
Clandestino Manu Chao, (1998)
Sleep Now in the Fire, Rage Against the Machine (1999)
American Idiot, Green Day (2004)
May 20, 2012
Soil Stories - The Whole Story - YouTube
Uploaded by Buzatesri on Jul 13, 2011
In "Soil Stories", our protagonist, Francine, embarks on a journey of discovery that begins with her realization that soil is alive and that without soil, life as we know would not exist. In her journey of discovery she meets with soil scientists who help her "see" beneath the surface of the soil and help her understand how diverse yet ordered soil bodies are in the landscape and how much work has been done in soil survey. In the second half of the story, Francine meets with characters that help her take an up close and personal look at some physical and biological attributes of soils without which they would not function. In the final part of the video, a character from history shares an epiphany about soils with Francine and translates this to modern terms.
"Soil Stories" was born out of a collaborative effort between ESRI-SC and SC NRCS. We (Buz Kloot and Pam Thomas) wanted to get all the information about soils across, but in a way that was engaging. While facts came easy, it's not always easy to be engaging on this subject. Until that is, when I (Buz Kloot) was at a ScienceFilm workshop with Jeff Morales and Colin Bates where I began to see that the story trumps all when making videos. Colin's advice to me one morning was "why don't you make a movie about people who have a relationship with the soil?" - well, the rest is history. Credit goes to so many and I have tried to acknowledge all at the end of the video, but I fear I may still have left some out. To those I apologize. This series along with other experiences of making video for the NRCS in the last three has changed the way I look at natural resources in general and more specifically, at soils . My profound thanks to all of the professionals in the NRCS and to the many land owners who have helped shape my thinking.
May 19, 2012
Sepp Holzer's Bone Sauce/Salve How To - For Castrating & Deer and Voles Off
Published on May 18, 2012 by paulwheaton12
http://www.permies.com
Sepp Holzer explains how to make his bone sauce. And why.
It was originally for use when castrating animals. A bit of the salve was put on the "wound" and would help with healing while keeping flies away. It turns out this stuff keeps pretty much all animals and insects away. Which leads to the primary use today - to keep deer and voles off of freshly planted fruit trees.
The cast iron pots in this video are considered a bit on the small side, but since Sepp ends up saying "perfection" then they must be acceptable.
The first pot is buried in moist soil leaving an inch or two above ground. The second, upper, pot if filled with bones and a screen goes between the two pots. Clay seals the pots. A small fire is burned on top of the pots for about two hours. Then the wood is pulled away and the pots are covered with dirt. Let the pots cool overnight. Carefully clean all of the dirt off so that no dirt ends up in the bone sauce / salve.
Before putting it on trees, you can thin it out with any edible oil. Sepp mentions olive oil.
Guest appearances by Dr. Immo Fiebrig (translating), Bill Schnieders, Afia Menke, ND, the brothers Julian and Nick, and Jessi Peterson.
Relevant threads at permies:
http://www.permies.com/t/1805/permaculture/Sepp-Holzer-recipe-keep-animals
http://www.richsoil.com/sepp-holzer/sepp-holzer-permaculture.jsp
May 16, 2012
10 Fast Ways to Control Pests
Created 2012-04-17
Did insect pests get the best of you and your garden last year? Were you witness to overnight attacks on your veggie crop? Are you a bit worried that this year might bring a repeat performance? Never fear! Here are 10 timely, timesaving tips to help you take charge of your garden’s bad bugs now:
Did insect pests get the best of you and your garden last year? Were you witness to overnight attacks on your veggie crop? Are you a bit worried that this year might bring a repeat performance? Never fear! Here are 10 timely, timesaving tips to help you take charge of your garden’s bad bugs now:
Mix your signals
A confusing mix of sights and scents can help deter certain insect pests. So try to increase biodiversity and avoid monoculture by mixing plants from different families. Instead of planting long rows of a single crop, plant onions alongside broccoli, tomatoes with basil and chives, and peas with carrots. Better yet, interplant edibles with ornamentals. Add a few hot pepper plants to your flowerbeds, or edge your vegetable beds with low-growing annual flowers, such as alyssum and dwarf marigolds.
Photo: Lee Leckey
A confusing mix of sights and scents can help deter certain insect pests. So try to increase biodiversity and avoid monoculture by mixing plants from different families. Instead of planting long rows of a single crop, plant onions alongside broccoli, tomatoes with basil and chives, and peas with carrots. Better yet, interplant edibles with ornamentals. Add a few hot pepper plants to your flowerbeds, or edge your vegetable beds with low-growing annual flowers, such as alyssum and dwarf marigolds.
Photo: Lee Leckey
Attract an airborne defense squad
One of the best ways to short-circuit an onslaught of pests is to attract an airborne cavalry charge of beneficial insects. Many beneficials—including the small wasps that prey on pest caterpillars—will gratefully take advantage of the flat-topped floral landing platforms offered by members of the umbel family, which includes dill, Queen-Anne’s-lace, parsley, and carrots. (You have to allow the parsley and carrot plants to overwinter and grow into their second year to get those umbrella-shaped flowers that beneficials find so attractive.) Other plants beloved by beneficials include sweet alyssum, all kinds of mints, and chamomile.
Photo: (cc) Dean Morley/Flickr
One of the best ways to short-circuit an onslaught of pests is to attract an airborne cavalry charge of beneficial insects. Many beneficials—including the small wasps that prey on pest caterpillars—will gratefully take advantage of the flat-topped floral landing platforms offered by members of the umbel family, which includes dill, Queen-Anne’s-lace, parsley, and carrots. (You have to allow the parsley and carrot plants to overwinter and grow into their second year to get those umbrella-shaped flowers that beneficials find so attractive.) Other plants beloved by beneficials include sweet alyssum, all kinds of mints, and chamomile.
Photo: (cc) Dean Morley/Flickr
Negate nematodes
Marigolds can greatly reduce the damage caused by root-ravaging nematodes—those tiny soil-dwelling wormlike pests—but only if you use them correctly. For the best effect, grow a thick stand of marigolds as a cover crop for a season, then turn them under the soil. The next year, plant whatever you like in that area—nematdoes won’t be around to cause trouble underground.
Photo: Rodale
Marigolds can greatly reduce the damage caused by root-ravaging nematodes—those tiny soil-dwelling wormlike pests—but only if you use them correctly. For the best effect, grow a thick stand of marigolds as a cover crop for a season, then turn them under the soil. The next year, plant whatever you like in that area—nematdoes won’t be around to cause trouble underground.
Photo: Rodale
Grow your own decoy (#1)
Try allowing a single weed to grow as a decoy among your cultivated crops. Decoy crops may attract pests and help to keep the bad guys away from your other crops. Striped blister beetles, for instance, seem to prefer redroot pigweed to tomato plants growing nearby. To keep the insects from moving to your tomatoes, check the pigweed each morning and shake off any beetles into a bucket of soapy water.
Photo: (cc) Matt Lavin/Flickr
Try allowing a single weed to grow as a decoy among your cultivated crops. Decoy crops may attract pests and help to keep the bad guys away from your other crops. Striped blister beetles, for instance, seem to prefer redroot pigweed to tomato plants growing nearby. To keep the insects from moving to your tomatoes, check the pigweed each morning and shake off any beetles into a bucket of soapy water.
Photo: (cc) Matt Lavin/Flickr
Grow your own decoy (#2)
You can trap flea beetles in a similar manner using arugula, the spicy salad green. Pesky flea beetles—a voracious pest of eggplants, brassicas, and potatoes—will flock to the arugula first. Use a handheld vacuum to suck the beetles off the decoy plants before they can make their way to your main crops. You may have to repeat the vacuum cleaner escapade a few times each season to keep ahead of the invading flea beetle army.
Photo: (cc) Eunice/Flickr
You can trap flea beetles in a similar manner using arugula, the spicy salad green. Pesky flea beetles—a voracious pest of eggplants, brassicas, and potatoes—will flock to the arugula first. Use a handheld vacuum to suck the beetles off the decoy plants before they can make their way to your main crops. You may have to repeat the vacuum cleaner escapade a few times each season to keep ahead of the invading flea beetle army.
Photo: (cc) Eunice/Flickr
Grow your own decoy (#3)
Knowing that aphids are attracted to all things yellow, the staff of Ecology Action in Willits, California, have learned to plant yellow nasturtiums at the base of tomato plants to lure aphids away from the tomatoes. Monitor the nasturtiums closely, they urge. After the flowers have drawn in the aphids—and before the aphids reproduce—pull out the decoy plants and destroy their load of insects.
Photo: (cc) quinn.anya/flickr
Knowing that aphids are attracted to all things yellow, the staff of Ecology Action in Willits, California, have learned to plant yellow nasturtiums at the base of tomato plants to lure aphids away from the tomatoes. Monitor the nasturtiums closely, they urge. After the flowers have drawn in the aphids—and before the aphids reproduce—pull out the decoy plants and destroy their load of insects.
Photo: (cc) quinn.anya/flickr
Set up traps!
Earwigs, sow bugs, pill bugs, slugs, and snails all have one thing in common: They like to hide out in damp, shady places during the heat of the day. To take advantage of this trait, lure them with attractive “trap nests”—boards, pieces of paper, seashells, broken crockery, etc. Get out early every morning to check each lure, then dump the trapped critters into a bucket of soapy water.
Photo: (cc) Charles Lam/Flickr
Earwigs, sow bugs, pill bugs, slugs, and snails all have one thing in common: They like to hide out in damp, shady places during the heat of the day. To take advantage of this trait, lure them with attractive “trap nests”—boards, pieces of paper, seashells, broken crockery, etc. Get out early every morning to check each lure, then dump the trapped critters into a bucket of soapy water.
Photo: (cc) Charles Lam/Flickr
Pull back the mulch
Organic mulches such as straw and leaves prevent weeds, maintain soil moisture, and improve soil quality. Unfortunately, under certain conditions they also can provide a home for insects that feed on tender young plants, such as slugs, sow bugs, and pill bugs. If these pests typically pose a problem in your garden, pull your mulch at least 2 inches away from the stems and stalks of transplants and young seedlings.
Photo: Rob Cardillo
Organic mulches such as straw and leaves prevent weeds, maintain soil moisture, and improve soil quality. Unfortunately, under certain conditions they also can provide a home for insects that feed on tender young plants, such as slugs, sow bugs, and pill bugs. If these pests typically pose a problem in your garden, pull your mulch at least 2 inches away from the stems and stalks of transplants and young seedlings.
Photo: Rob Cardillo
Go undercover
Sometimes the best way to head off insect trouble is to stretch some row covers over your crops. Besides keeping out pests, such as cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and cabbage maggots, row covers speed crop growth by trapping a blanket of warm air around new seedlings and established plants.
Photo: Christa Neu
Sometimes the best way to head off insect trouble is to stretch some row covers over your crops. Besides keeping out pests, such as cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and cabbage maggots, row covers speed crop growth by trapping a blanket of warm air around new seedlings and established plants.
Photo: Christa Neu
Take out the trash
Cleaning up garden debris may not be the flashiest method of controlling pests, but it is certainly one of the most effective and, by far, the easiest. By allowing insect larvae to overwinter in your garden and orchard, you are locking yourself into a cycle of repeated infestation. To break the cycle, promptly clean up all faded flowers, spent crops, and fallen fruit at the end of the season.
Photo: (cc) Jan Jablunka/Flickr
Continue Reading: Identify the Top 10 Garden Pests
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-fast-ways-control-pests
Links:
[1] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/top-ten-garden-insect-pests
[2] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/guide-starting-annual-flower-seeds
[3] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/beneficial-insects-your-gardens-most-powerful-allies
[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/33465428@N02/5881545426/
[5] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/marigold
[6] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/nematodes
[7] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/12-most-common-weeds
[8] http://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/3704266070/
[9] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/flea-beetles
[10] http://www.flickr.com/photos/ejchang/3506354260/
[11] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/aphids
[12] http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/3813801800/
[13] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/how-to-control-earwigs
[14] http://www.flickr.com/photos/kclama/1226094567/
[15] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/mulch
[16] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/row-covers
[17] http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjon/227307558/
Cleaning up garden debris may not be the flashiest method of controlling pests, but it is certainly one of the most effective and, by far, the easiest. By allowing insect larvae to overwinter in your garden and orchard, you are locking yourself into a cycle of repeated infestation. To break the cycle, promptly clean up all faded flowers, spent crops, and fallen fruit at the end of the season.
Photo: (cc) Jan Jablunka/Flickr
Continue Reading: Identify the Top 10 Garden Pests
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-fast-ways-control-pests
Links:
[1] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/top-ten-garden-insect-pests
[2] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/guide-starting-annual-flower-seeds
[3] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/beneficial-insects-your-gardens-most-powerful-allies
[4] http://www.flickr.com/photos/33465428@N02/5881545426/
[5] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/marigold
[6] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/nematodes
[7] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/12-most-common-weeds
[8] http://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/3704266070/
[9] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/flea-beetles
[10] http://www.flickr.com/photos/ejchang/3506354260/
[11] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/aphids
[12] http://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/3813801800/
[13] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/how-to-control-earwigs
[14] http://www.flickr.com/photos/kclama/1226094567/
[15] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/mulch
[16] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/row-covers
[17] http://www.flickr.com/photos/sjon/227307558/
Ban College Football: An Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate - YouTube
Published on May 16, 2012 by ForaTv
Complete video available for free at http://fora.tv/2012/05/08/Ban_College_Football
Worth watching complete debate... Monte
Worth watching complete debate... Monte
May 15, 2012
James Dyson on Failure, Engineering, and College Grads - YouTube
Published on May 14, 2012 by ForaTv
Watch the complete video for free athttp://fora.tv/2012/05/01/WIRED_Business_Conference_Inventing_Sucks
Industrial designer James Dyson discusses his design philosophy of 'lean engineering,' the practice of making products lighter, cheaper, and more efficiently. Dyson models this philosophy to his design team - recent graduates who have no fear of failure.
May 14, 2012
HOW TO HAND POLLINATE PUMPKINS
Published on May 14, 2012 by gregthegardener
To ensure a bumper crop from your pumpkin vine just follow this simple step and ye shall receive!
55 gallon drum garden
Published on May 13, 2012 by vendelkeresztyen
My soil mixed up : #1; top soil dirt and send, #2; non GMO cottonseed cake; #3; aged cow manure from dairy farm; #4; earthworm bedding with lots of worm ; #5 lot of rotten wheat straw; #6 charcoal
For more info please go to: www.uswoodpower.com
Hines Farm - Go Anywhere Post Hole Digger !!!
Larger Image
Larger Image
Larger Image
Recently we needed a 6" hole digger for transplanting larger plants and trees. We purchased a Harbor Freight 6 inch post hole auger (On sale for $49.99 - 25% Easter Day Discount), http://www.harborfreight.com/6-inch-diameter-auger-bit-95973.html, and adapted it to be used with our Milwaukee 1630-1 drill, (Voltage 120 AC Chuck Size 1/2 in. Amps 7.0 No Load Speed 900 RPM Chuck Type Keyed Spindle 5/8 in.-16 Gear Train Double Cord Type 8 ft. Fixed Construction Type Grounded Trigger Lock -- Spindle Lock No Soft Grip Handle No Length 12-1/4 in. Tool Weight 11.2 lbs.)
Overall it provides for 36" depth, but can be easily adapted for deeper lengths.
It has worked flawlessly so far. Always be prepared to release drill switch if you encounter large tree roots or rocks... (-: !!!
This with a easy start Honda 2000 generator, 100 foot Heavy Duty Drop Cord, and a Polaris Ranger XD 800 ci 6x6 UTV provides hole drilling capacity almost anywhere you want.
Related Link:
http://hines.blogspot.com/2012/06/hines-farm-fruit-tree-planting-6-23.html
Related Video:
May 13, 2012
Buz No Till Garden - YouTube
Published on May 13, 2012 by Buzatesri
This is a montage of my no-till garden in mid-Late April 2012. In October 2011 I established a cover crop of rye, vetch (3 varieties), crimson clover, Austrian winter peas, daikon radish and some oats. I rolled the cover crop as I needed the space. The residue that held best was where I rolled later (mid-April) and where the rye was well-established.
One of the reasons I established this garden (it's on an unused lot on my street) is that my neighbor who was a farm girl was incredulous that you could grow vegetables without plowing the place up. I took that as a challenge last year and it's been interesting watching my neighbors skepticism begin to vanish as we go through the project. Early days yet -- weeds will be an issue and I am running around the neighborhood with wheelbarrow collecting leaf mulch to fill in places where the cover crop mat has melded.
May 11, 2012
How to Make Banana Bread
Published on May 10, 2012 by allrecipes
See how to make the best banana bread. Month after month, this banana bread recipe is the most viewed on Allrecipes. Shelley Albeluhn's recipe has been saved to more than 150,000 recipe boxes and has thousands of rave reviews. And why not? This banana-banana bread is always super moist and has amazing banana flavor. Try it toasted!
Get this top-rated recipe for Banana Banana Bread athttp://allrecipes.com/recipe/banana-banana-bread/detail.aspx
Wayne Keith - Woodgas, 92 Dodge Dakota cold gas flare demonstration
Published on May 10, 2012 by waynekeith01
May 10, 2012
25 Famous People You Didn’t Know Were Also Farmers | ViJuvenate
Posted on February 23, 2012 by ViJuvenate
Sometimes called the world’s second oldest profession, farming has been the career of choice for countless individuals over the millenia. Among these countless farmers you’ll find heads of state, royalty, actors, and other renowned individuals who made contributions to the history of both farming and mankind.
While all of the 25 farmers-turned-famous highlighted in this article were not proponents of organic methods, we’ve highlighted several that did promote organic agriculture and other sustainable practices.
Read More... (ranging from George Washington to Howard Buffett)
Sometimes called the world’s second oldest profession, farming has been the career of choice for countless individuals over the millenia. Among these countless farmers you’ll find heads of state, royalty, actors, and other renowned individuals who made contributions to the history of both farming and mankind.
While all of the 25 farmers-turned-famous highlighted in this article were not proponents of organic methods, we’ve highlighted several that did promote organic agriculture and other sustainable practices.
Read More... (ranging from George Washington to Howard Buffett)
May 9, 2012
The Secrets to Successful Planting
One sunny morning coming soon, you’ll feel an irresistible urge to plant your garden. Before you pick up a trowel or open a seed packet, check out these hints to help you succeed.
Transplanting Seedlings
Whether it’s a flat of bedding plants from a nursery or seedlings started indoors, you don’t want the transition from pots to garden bed to induce transplant shock.
The first rule of thumb is to watch where you put your thumb. “Never pick up a seedling by the stem—it is the plant's lifeline,” cautions April Johnson, staff horticulturist at the Rodale Institute, near Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Always handle seedlings by their leaves. “Leaves will grow back,” Johnson says.
Hardening Off
Hardening off gradually introduces seedlings to the conditions in your garden. Bring all seedlings—store-bought and homegrown—outdoors and expose them to a steadily increasing amount of sun, wind, and temperatures lower or higher than what they were used to indoors. This will take about 2 weeks. Don’t rush it.
When to Plant
The ideal time to plant is when it’s overcast, with rain in the forecast and no frosts or heat waves expected. If conditions don’t cooperate, then try to plant in the late afternoon or early evening to minimize the time the seedlings bake in the sun. The day before planting, water the plants so that the soil in the pots is moist.
In the Ground
Keep your seedlings in the shade until you’re actually ready to plant each one. Don’t pull a plant out of its container until you’ve dug the hole for it. If you can’t easily pull it out of its container by the leaves, hold the pot in one hand as shown below, flip it upside down, and give it a sharp tap on the bottom. The rootball should slip out into your other hand. Snip away any damaged roots with scissors or pruners. If the roots are a solid mass, gently tease some away from the center, trying not to break them.
Carefully slice into peat or newspaper pots with a knife to give the roots an escape hatch in case the pot doesn’t break down quickly. Once the pot is in the ground, tear off any part of it that extends above the soil line. It will dry out and pull moisture from the soil.
Plant the seedling at about the depth it was in the container, or a bit deeper. If your soil is cold or very wet, planting too deeply could rot the stem. But plant tomatoes quite deep. Studies by the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, in Immokalee, Florida, showed that tomatoes planted up to their first set of true leaves set fruit earlier, and yielded more and larger tomatoes, than tomatoes planted at rootball level. This held true when the studies were repeated in the colder soils of Ohio and Massachusetts.
Firm the soil around your seedlings, but don’t press so hard that you compact it. Give each seedling a thorough watering.
Transplanting Seedlings
Whether it’s a flat of bedding plants from a nursery or seedlings started indoors, you don’t want the transition from pots to garden bed to induce transplant shock.
The first rule of thumb is to watch where you put your thumb. “Never pick up a seedling by the stem—it is the plant's lifeline,” cautions April Johnson, staff horticulturist at the Rodale Institute, near Kutztown, Pennsylvania. Always handle seedlings by their leaves. “Leaves will grow back,” Johnson says.
Hardening Off
Hardening off gradually introduces seedlings to the conditions in your garden. Bring all seedlings—store-bought and homegrown—outdoors and expose them to a steadily increasing amount of sun, wind, and temperatures lower or higher than what they were used to indoors. This will take about 2 weeks. Don’t rush it.
When to Plant
The ideal time to plant is when it’s overcast, with rain in the forecast and no frosts or heat waves expected. If conditions don’t cooperate, then try to plant in the late afternoon or early evening to minimize the time the seedlings bake in the sun. The day before planting, water the plants so that the soil in the pots is moist.
In the Ground
Keep your seedlings in the shade until you’re actually ready to plant each one. Don’t pull a plant out of its container until you’ve dug the hole for it. If you can’t easily pull it out of its container by the leaves, hold the pot in one hand as shown below, flip it upside down, and give it a sharp tap on the bottom. The rootball should slip out into your other hand. Snip away any damaged roots with scissors or pruners. If the roots are a solid mass, gently tease some away from the center, trying not to break them.
Carefully slice into peat or newspaper pots with a knife to give the roots an escape hatch in case the pot doesn’t break down quickly. Once the pot is in the ground, tear off any part of it that extends above the soil line. It will dry out and pull moisture from the soil.
Plant the seedling at about the depth it was in the container, or a bit deeper. If your soil is cold or very wet, planting too deeply could rot the stem. But plant tomatoes quite deep. Studies by the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, in Immokalee, Florida, showed that tomatoes planted up to their first set of true leaves set fruit earlier, and yielded more and larger tomatoes, than tomatoes planted at rootball level. This held true when the studies were repeated in the colder soils of Ohio and Massachusetts.
Firm the soil around your seedlings, but don’t press so hard that you compact it. Give each seedling a thorough watering.
The First Days
Your seedlings have become established when you see healthy new growth. This can take a few days to a week, depending on the weather. Wilted leaves or drooping stems can be symptoms of transplant shock. Seedlings can go into transplant shock if they weren’t hardened off completely or if the weather is extreme. Most plants recover in a few days, but until they do:
Check that the soil is firmly around the plants so that no air pockets are drying out the roots.
Protect the transplants from sun and strong winds with row covers, sheets, or cloches.
Water only if the top inch of the soil is dry. Don't water if the soil is already wet; it won’t help.
In The New Seed-Starters Handbook (Rodale, 1988), author Nancy Bubel recommends waiting a week to 10 days after transplanting before fertilizing your seedlings. They will have sent out new feeder roots by then and will be entering their most active stage of growth.
Direct-Sowing Seeds
How hard is it to put a seed in the ground, anyway? Not hard. Nature does it all the time. But of the thousands of seeds a plant may release, only one or two might germinate and grow. Hedge your bets by not planting every seed in the pack. If any seeds don’t sprout, you’ll have extra to fill in the empty spaces.
Planting Depth
Plant seeds too deeply, and they may never germinate. Plant them too shallowly, and the topsoil might dry out during germination. Generally, you can plant a large seed at a depth equal to three times its diameter (not its length). Seeds of peas, squashes, and sunflowers and those of similar size are considered large seeds. Plant smaller seeds about 1/8 inch deep. The seed packet will give the proper planting depth for that particular seed.
Some seeds need light to germinate, so you can’t bury them. Either sift fine soil over them or leave them uncovered. But make sure the seeds make firm contact by pressing them into the soil.
To Hill or to Mound
Most gardeners sow seeds in rows—seeds spaced evenly in a line. But another way to plant seeds is in hills. When a seed packet recommends planting in hills, it means planting them in a cluster—not necessarily in a mound, as you might expect. Mounding the soil is optional. Cucurbits are often planted in elevated hills, because they need warm soil and good drainage.
Squash and melon expert and author Amy Goldman, in Rhinebeck, New York, plants her cucurbits in flat hills. She’s found that raising seedlings above the surrounding soil level causes them to dry out too quickly. She suggests mounding only if your soil is compacted or waterlogged. Jeremiath Gettle, owner of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, in Mansfield, Missouri, skips hills entirely and simply plants his cucurbit seeds in rows. He advises gardeners who plant in elevated hills to check the seedlings after a heavy rain to make sure the soil hasn’t washed away from the roots.
Your seedlings have become established when you see healthy new growth. This can take a few days to a week, depending on the weather. Wilted leaves or drooping stems can be symptoms of transplant shock. Seedlings can go into transplant shock if they weren’t hardened off completely or if the weather is extreme. Most plants recover in a few days, but until they do:
Check that the soil is firmly around the plants so that no air pockets are drying out the roots.
Protect the transplants from sun and strong winds with row covers, sheets, or cloches.
Water only if the top inch of the soil is dry. Don't water if the soil is already wet; it won’t help.
In The New Seed-Starters Handbook (Rodale, 1988), author Nancy Bubel recommends waiting a week to 10 days after transplanting before fertilizing your seedlings. They will have sent out new feeder roots by then and will be entering their most active stage of growth.
Direct-Sowing Seeds
How hard is it to put a seed in the ground, anyway? Not hard. Nature does it all the time. But of the thousands of seeds a plant may release, only one or two might germinate and grow. Hedge your bets by not planting every seed in the pack. If any seeds don’t sprout, you’ll have extra to fill in the empty spaces.
Planting Depth
Plant seeds too deeply, and they may never germinate. Plant them too shallowly, and the topsoil might dry out during germination. Generally, you can plant a large seed at a depth equal to three times its diameter (not its length). Seeds of peas, squashes, and sunflowers and those of similar size are considered large seeds. Plant smaller seeds about 1/8 inch deep. The seed packet will give the proper planting depth for that particular seed.
Some seeds need light to germinate, so you can’t bury them. Either sift fine soil over them or leave them uncovered. But make sure the seeds make firm contact by pressing them into the soil.
To Hill or to Mound
Most gardeners sow seeds in rows—seeds spaced evenly in a line. But another way to plant seeds is in hills. When a seed packet recommends planting in hills, it means planting them in a cluster—not necessarily in a mound, as you might expect. Mounding the soil is optional. Cucurbits are often planted in elevated hills, because they need warm soil and good drainage.
Squash and melon expert and author Amy Goldman, in Rhinebeck, New York, plants her cucurbits in flat hills. She’s found that raising seedlings above the surrounding soil level causes them to dry out too quickly. She suggests mounding only if your soil is compacted or waterlogged. Jeremiath Gettle, owner of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, in Mansfield, Missouri, skips hills entirely and simply plants his cucurbit seeds in rows. He advises gardeners who plant in elevated hills to check the seedlings after a heavy rain to make sure the soil hasn’t washed away from the roots.
6 Plants to Direct-Sow
Carrots. Sow seeds after danger of frost. For even distribution, mix the tiny seeds with sand before sprinkling them in your bed. Cover them with fine soil or more sand, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Carrot seeds can take up to a month to germinate, so keep the soil evenly moist. To speed germination, Gettle suggests placing a 1-by-6 board over the newly seeded and watered-in row to hold in moisture. Check the underside of the board daily for slugs and remove it in about a week.
Corn. Warm soil, above 60°F, is essential for seed germination. Seed heavily (up to four seeds per foot) to make up for any losses to birds; you can always thin later. Corn is wind-pollinated, so to ensure pollination, you must plan on a minimum of 16 plants in a block of four short rows.
Cucurbits. Members of this family include cucumbers, pumpkins, summer and winter squashes, and zucchini. Seeds should be sown after frost. Plant in hills, with six to eight seeds per hill. Space the hills about 6 feet apart, and enrich each one with a large shovelful of compost or well-aged manure. If cucumber beetles are a problem in your area, wait to thin, and then take out the ones with the worst beetle damage.
Lettuce. These tiny seeds need light to germinate, so just press them into the ground and sift some fine soil over them. Though it loves cool weather, lettuce can take a couple of weeks to germinate in cold soil outdoors. Protect seedlings from hard frosts with row covers, newspaper, or sheets. Thin plants to 3 inches apart. Sow seeds weekly for successive harvests.
Morning glories. Sow seeds after the last frost. Nick each with a file or soak them in lukewarm water before planting. Since these vines don’t flower well in rich soil, site them in a place where you haven't added a lot of organic matter.
Peas. Plant peas in early spring, as soon as you can work the ground. Pretreat the seeds with inoculant. Peas will germinate in very cold soil (40°F), but this can take weeks. Pea seedlings tolerate frost better than mature peas.
Before You Begin
Decide in advance how many of each vegetable or flower variety you want and where you’re going to site it.
Label your plant markers with the variety name and date before you head outdoors.
If your shoes get muddy when walking around the garden, then your soil is too wet for sowing or transplanting. Wait for a drier day.
If it's been more than a couple of weeks since you’ve turned the soil and prepared your beds, then they’ve probably crusted over from rain. Drag a rake over the area a couple of times to break up the crust (you’ll likely need to weed, too).
Seed-Packet Glossary
Seed packets have their own vocabulary. Here are some terms you’ll need to know.
Average last-frost date. The last day in spring, on average, that your area has experienced a hard frost. Each seed packet tells you how many weeks before or after that date to plant the seed.
Broadcast. To scatter seed over a selected area (as opposed to planting in a row or hill).
Inoculant. Living bacteria that helps peas, beans, and other legumes take nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in the soil. Peas and beans grow best when they’re inoculated before you sow the seeds. Inoculant is sold in a powdered form and needs to be fresh to work. Buy a new packet every year.
Scarify. To create openings in the hard coats of certain seeds to admit moisture and initiate germination. Large seeds are usually nicked with a file or knife; small seeds may be rubbed gently inside a folded sheet of sandpaper.
Soak. To soften the outer coats of hard seeds by immersing them overnight in warm water. Sow them immediately after soaking, or they will wither and die.
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/secrets-successful-planting
Links:
[1] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/5-steps-sowing-success
[2] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/starting-seeds-indoors
[3] http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/
[4] http://www.organicgardening.com/paperpots
[5] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-easy-soil-tests
[6] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/tomatoes-growing-guide
[7] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/carrots-growing-guide
[8] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/sweet-corn
[9] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/squash
[10] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/long-lived-lettuce
[11] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/peas
[12] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/pretreatments-slow-germinate-seeds
Carrots. Sow seeds after danger of frost. For even distribution, mix the tiny seeds with sand before sprinkling them in your bed. Cover them with fine soil or more sand, 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Carrot seeds can take up to a month to germinate, so keep the soil evenly moist. To speed germination, Gettle suggests placing a 1-by-6 board over the newly seeded and watered-in row to hold in moisture. Check the underside of the board daily for slugs and remove it in about a week.
Corn. Warm soil, above 60°F, is essential for seed germination. Seed heavily (up to four seeds per foot) to make up for any losses to birds; you can always thin later. Corn is wind-pollinated, so to ensure pollination, you must plan on a minimum of 16 plants in a block of four short rows.
Cucurbits. Members of this family include cucumbers, pumpkins, summer and winter squashes, and zucchini. Seeds should be sown after frost. Plant in hills, with six to eight seeds per hill. Space the hills about 6 feet apart, and enrich each one with a large shovelful of compost or well-aged manure. If cucumber beetles are a problem in your area, wait to thin, and then take out the ones with the worst beetle damage.
Lettuce. These tiny seeds need light to germinate, so just press them into the ground and sift some fine soil over them. Though it loves cool weather, lettuce can take a couple of weeks to germinate in cold soil outdoors. Protect seedlings from hard frosts with row covers, newspaper, or sheets. Thin plants to 3 inches apart. Sow seeds weekly for successive harvests.
Morning glories. Sow seeds after the last frost. Nick each with a file or soak them in lukewarm water before planting. Since these vines don’t flower well in rich soil, site them in a place where you haven't added a lot of organic matter.
Peas. Plant peas in early spring, as soon as you can work the ground. Pretreat the seeds with inoculant. Peas will germinate in very cold soil (40°F), but this can take weeks. Pea seedlings tolerate frost better than mature peas.
Before You Begin
Decide in advance how many of each vegetable or flower variety you want and where you’re going to site it.
Label your plant markers with the variety name and date before you head outdoors.
If your shoes get muddy when walking around the garden, then your soil is too wet for sowing or transplanting. Wait for a drier day.
If it's been more than a couple of weeks since you’ve turned the soil and prepared your beds, then they’ve probably crusted over from rain. Drag a rake over the area a couple of times to break up the crust (you’ll likely need to weed, too).
Seed-Packet Glossary
Seed packets have their own vocabulary. Here are some terms you’ll need to know.
Average last-frost date. The last day in spring, on average, that your area has experienced a hard frost. Each seed packet tells you how many weeks before or after that date to plant the seed.
Broadcast. To scatter seed over a selected area (as opposed to planting in a row or hill).
Inoculant. Living bacteria that helps peas, beans, and other legumes take nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it in the soil. Peas and beans grow best when they’re inoculated before you sow the seeds. Inoculant is sold in a powdered form and needs to be fresh to work. Buy a new packet every year.
Scarify. To create openings in the hard coats of certain seeds to admit moisture and initiate germination. Large seeds are usually nicked with a file or knife; small seeds may be rubbed gently inside a folded sheet of sandpaper.
Soak. To soften the outer coats of hard seeds by immersing them overnight in warm water. Sow them immediately after soaking, or they will wither and die.
Source URL: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/secrets-successful-planting
Links:
[1] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/5-steps-sowing-success
[2] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/starting-seeds-indoors
[3] http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/
[4] http://www.organicgardening.com/paperpots
[5] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/10-easy-soil-tests
[6] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/tomatoes-growing-guide
[7] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/carrots-growing-guide
[8] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/sweet-corn
[9] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/squash
[10] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/long-lived-lettuce
[11] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/peas
[12] http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/pretreatments-slow-germinate-seeds
May 8, 2012
Successful Setup and Maintenance of Purple Martin Houses - YouTube
Published on Apr 11, 2012 by TheRmeyPilot
Learn from my past mistakes in setting up a successful purple martin colony. In the first two years, I had my apartments decimated by mite infestations and murderous starlings. I have since had full apartments and a few hundred fledged martin babies using these simple tips which I have refined over the past eight years. In this short video you will learn about choosing the proper housing, figuring the proper placement of the apartments, and doing the regular maintenance that is essential for a healthy Martin habitat. I'll explain the importance of Starling Resistant Entry Holes, the importance of stripping out invasive nesters, what to clean your housing with, and how to prevent mite infestations using completely inert "Diatomaceous Earth". To get information on building your own starling trap, check our "melcher NBT" on YouTube. (I have no affiliation or relationship with him) And lastly, if you liked my video, please give me a thumbs up so that others will be drawn to it. Enjoy!
Related Links:
http://purplemartin.org/
http://purplemartin.org/main/mgt.html
DIY: Purple Martin Houses | eHow.com
Crimson Clover Cover Crop - YouTube
Uploaded by Buzatesri on Apr 6, 2010
Scott Utley and Ronnie Barentine discuss the 1200 or so acres of AU Robin Clover planted in Turner Co. - they cover the benefits as well as some of the practical aspects (including potential objections to) this cover crop. The news to me was that this cover crop keeps on seeding and it fixes between 100 and 150 lb/ac of N a year - how cool is that?
Full Size Image
Full Size Image
Related Links:
Trifolium incarnatum - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Crimson Clover
May 6, 2012
Wayne Keith - Wood Gas Part 2: Extras and In-Depth Info
Published on Apr 28, 2012 by ecojaunt
Wayne Keith takes us through the ins and outs of his wood-gas powered trucks. He explains details and shares comparative efficiency stats.
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