Saturday, June 22, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Grocery Store Gardening
MNN (link)
Which seeds and pits will work
In the seed category, you can save seeds from heirloom
(open-pollinated) tomatoes, peppers, melons and squash. Most legumes and
pulses and grains (especially quinoa and amaranth) will grow
marvelously in the garden. Intrigued by the color pattern on Jacob's
Cattle beans? Take one or two from the bag and plant them!
Now, you probably wouldn't want to waste (that is, not eat) any part of
a $6 tomato. But if one happens to go bad, that's great! Tomato seeds
need to be fermented (which means they need to rot) in order to become
viable. With plumbing, fermenting is pretty gross. With some seeds, it
is necessary for germination.
For dry pulses, just plant them about an inch deep and water. Quinoa
and amaranth generally do well sprinkled over soil, or lightly covered
with soil, and watered. Melon and squash seeds can be planted as they
are. For excellent information on saving and planting all kinds of
seeds, refer to Suzanne Ashworth's guide "Seed to Seed."
Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to seeds. Pretty much every
tuber you can buy will grow in your garden. Some that I've enjoyed are
horseradish and Jerusalem artichoke (sunchoke). Others that will work
are ginger, potatoes and yams. Especially when these tubers have been
sitting around too long, have become shriveled and started sprouting
roots or stems, why not plant them and maximize your returns?
Garlic is another one that will take well to the garden. Each head of
garlic can be composed of 10 or more individual cloves and each clove
can be planted and will grow a whole new head of garlic. Just remember
that garlic is usually planted in the late fall when temperatures are
going down, for a summer harvest.
Common spices like dill seed, mustard seed, caraway and nigella sativa
will grow as well, if you want to grow them. The main limiting factor is
age — how long have these spices been sitting on the shelf? They may
have lost their viability.
In the world of tree fruits, you're usually discarding the seeds
anyway. Growing them, however, can be a mixed bag as many fruits, like
apples, will not grow true (which means if you plant a Pippin apple
seed, it will probably grow a crab apple. If you plant a Red Delicious
seed, it will probably grow a crab apple. You get the idea.). Growing a
fruit tree from seed could be an edifying experience, but if you want
good fruit-bearing trees it's better to buy good young stock from a
nursery.
Making your own island - 1
BioHaven® Floating Treatment Wetlands .... Cleaning Water Nature's Way
Modeled after native wetlands, BioHaven® Floating
Islands are a concentrated form of one of nature’s water purification
systems. Made from a proprietary matrix of 100% recycled plastic,
injected with inert polyurethane foam for buoyancy, they are designed to
support vegetation above the waterline and beneficial microbial habitat
below.
Dry composting toilets part 1 (Greywater Action)
Collecting urine, that magical yellow liquid we excrete from our
bodies several times a day, is a key step in recycling human nutrients.
Urine contains most of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium we
release. These nutrients are the major components of chemical
fertilizers, and urine is an amazing plant fertilizer! It is typically
sterile, and, if separated from feces, can be easily and safely reused.
Urine collection can be as simple as peeing in a jar or installing a
urinal or urine-diverting dry or composting toilet.
The urine your own household produces is safe to use without treatment. To collect urine in your house all you need is a two-to-five gallon jug or bucket. It must be fitted with a tight cover to prevent oxygen from turning the urine's nitrogen into ammonia, which smells bad and causes some nitrogen loss. Though urine is usually sterile, it can become contaminated if it comes into contact with feces. There are also a few diseases that can be transmitted through urine: leptospirosis and schistosomiasis (bilharzia), which are found almost exclusively in tropical aquatic environments; and typhoid, which is inactivated shortly after excretion. If urine has been contaminated with feces, or if it came from strangers who may carry these diseases, urine should be purified before it is used.
Urine is easy to purify -- all you have to do is wait. Urine leaves the body fairly acidic and then the pH increases rapidly until pathogens are unable to survive. This process takes from fifteen days in warmer Mexico to over three months in the chilly Scandinavian winter.
The urine your own household produces is safe to use without treatment. To collect urine in your house all you need is a two-to-five gallon jug or bucket. It must be fitted with a tight cover to prevent oxygen from turning the urine's nitrogen into ammonia, which smells bad and causes some nitrogen loss. Though urine is usually sterile, it can become contaminated if it comes into contact with feces. There are also a few diseases that can be transmitted through urine: leptospirosis and schistosomiasis (bilharzia), which are found almost exclusively in tropical aquatic environments; and typhoid, which is inactivated shortly after excretion. If urine has been contaminated with feces, or if it came from strangers who may carry these diseases, urine should be purified before it is used.
Urine is easy to purify -- all you have to do is wait. Urine leaves the body fairly acidic and then the pH increases rapidly until pathogens are unable to survive. This process takes from fifteen days in warmer Mexico to over three months in the chilly Scandinavian winter.
How to use urine:
- Dilute it--one part urine to three to six parts water--and pour it into the soil around your plants. Don't use on young seedlings, and water alternately with rainwater or city water to flush salts from the soil, or apply urine before a rain.
- Compost it! Pour urine (rich in nitrogen) onto sawdust, leaves, or other carbon-rich materials and let it rot.
- Add it to your greywater system or constructed wetland.
- Divert it to a leach pit, ensure it's away from natural waterways or drinking water wells.
More Sub-irrigated Rain Gutter Garden Ideas (from Inside Urban Green)
More Sub-irrigated Rain Gutter Garden Ideas
Shane Cole, Hersey PA, built these rain gutter sub-irrigation (SIP) systems and Larry Hall (inventor of the basic system) posted them in a video.The two modifcations of interest are the framing system and the tote boxes. I'm wondering if the tote box SIPs have two wicks instead of just one as used with the buckets.
You can see how easy it would be to conceal the plastic containers by adding some decorative siding material, much like you would to conceal kitchen or bathroom plumbing. I'm sure we will see many more "cabinet" style planters using the rain gutter system in the future.
-Inside Urban Green
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
