we like it wild: bottle gardens As much as we love to garden, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do it all. If there’s a way we can shorten our to-do list, we’ll take it. This week’s project, a no-fuss recycled windowsill herb garden, has knocked watering the plants off our list. Self-watering planters like these aren’t a new idea; we remember our own childhood craft books that taught us how to poke holes through Dixie cups or invert two liter plastic bottles to grow our own little bean garden. This grown-up version is much better looking and works great for small herbs and plants. We used beer bottles for ours, but you could make a larger garden with wine bottles too. Although this project may take a little more effort than your average windowsill garden initially, the pay off is worth it for us: we get to usefully recycle bottles, we get fresh herbs we don’t have to dote on, and we get a sparkling window display. CLICK HERE for the full (photo illustrated) project steps after the jump!
Living Sculpture Website Template Printable PDF version Related videos: In turf works, we create living sculpture by shaping soil and covering it with grass or moss. These sculptures take on many shapes and sizes, from sod animals and other figures, to more abstract creations. One of the most popular forms is a very literal translation of the term “lawn furniture.” No matter what shape the sod seating takes, the basics of construction are the same. Design The sky’s the limit when it comes to design and there is plenty of inspiration in the home and lawn furniture that we encounter every day. Another design consideration is to carefully examine the space at hand. Almost any site with adequate drainage and sun exposure will work. Materials Soil Sod Shovels Water Ground staples A large, knife for cutting sod Hammer or mallet Some notes on materials: Soil quantity: The biggest question when it comes to soil is: how much do we need? Sod: You can expect to pay about $.40/square foot of sod from a sod farm. Construction
Growing Carrots In Plant Containers Makes For Easy Cultivation I love growing carrots... at least NOW I do! Disfigured, maggoty, muddy, stunted carrots - does that ring a bell with your experience. That was certainly my experience a lot of the time whilst growing carrots. Container Gardening Ideas Video - Planting Carrots in Containers Pots, troughs, growing bags etc. are one of the answers to growing vegetables in your garden if you haven't got the room for a large vegetable plot - like I haven't. It is the ONLY answer if have a balcony and no garden... and great for the kids to grow there own in them too. 263K+Save So now, growing carrots is a real pleasure, and that is because I do use plant containers. The advantages of growing carrots in containers are: No poor soil problems if using shop bought compost.No weeding and digging concerns.And no soil pest problems. What you do need to keep in mind though is a little more attention will need to be given to watering and feeding. What kind of plant containers are best for growing carrots?... Home Page
The Guerrilla Gardening Home Page slide to the right -> : string gardens ph-acid-alkaline-food-chart Testing your ph is done with what is called a pH strip. The proper strip to purchase for testing both saliva and urine is one that is a "NARROW " or "SHORT" range pH strip. This means that the calibration on the strip goes from about 4 to 9. An acidic pH can occur from, an acid forming diet, emotional stress, toxic overload, and/or immune reactions or any process that deprives the cells of oxygen and other nutrients. The reason acidosis is more common in our society is mostly due to the typical American diet, which is far too high in acid producing animal products like meat, eggs and dairy, and far too low in alkaline producing foods like fresh vegetables. To maintain health, the diet should consist of 60% alkaline forming foods and 40% acid forming foods. Generally, alkaline forming foods include: most fruits, green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils, spices, herbs and seasonings, and seeds and nuts. Remember, the key here is BALANCE. Shifting Your pH Toward Alkaline...
Organic Gardening: Creating Natural Pest Barriers Deer and rabbits are beautiful creatures, but they can wreak havoc on your beautiful gardens and landscaping, and the damage can be expensive to fix. And while you may be tempted to use pesticides to keep insects from eating away at your plants, you could end up killing beneficial insects as well, throwing off the ecological balance of your yard. This video will show you how to create natural pest barriers using plants and beneficial natural predators that will deter the types of insects and animals that are harming your gardens. There are many options for pest barriers that target specific pests, from rabbits to stinkbugs. Deer can consume large amounts of foliage in a short period of time, leaving a jagged and torn surface on twigs and stems. Cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil are another easy, non-toxic way to keep rabbits from devouring your ornamental and edible plants. In addition to plants, you can encourage healthy populations of natural predators that prey on insect pests.
Big Blog Of Gardening ~ organic gardening and organic lawn care 5 Secrets to a ‘No-work’ Garden It took over 20 years of gardening to realize that I didn’t have to work so hard to achieve a fruitful harvest. As the limitless energy of my youth gradually gave way to the physical realities of mid-life, the slow accretion of experience eventually led to an awareness that less work can result in greater crop yields. Inspired in part by Masanobu Fukuoka’s book, One Straw Revolution, my family experimented with gardening methods which could increase yields with less effort. Fukuoka spent over three decades perfecting his so-called “do-nothing” technique: commonsense, sustainable practices that all but eliminate the use of pesticides, fertilizer, tillage, and perhaps most significantly, wasteful effort. Here are the strategies we used which enabled us to greatly increase our garden yield, while requiring less time and less work. 1. With ‘no-till’ gardening, weeding is largely eliminated. 2. Gardeners are always on the lookout for free sources of clean organic mulch to add to their garden.
Herbalism guide - growing and using your own herbs The hands-on herbalism guide begins! Welcome to the main page of my herbalism guide. One of the subjects I hope to be covering on the Container Gardening For Food website is that of Herbs and Herbalism - mainly because I've taken up herbalism as a hobby. During future growing season, I intend to dedicate some of my small garden to growing herbs, and hope to be writing articles and making videos as I go. I've already created a small apothecary in the utility room and have stocked up on dried herb ingredients to get me started, but during the year I hope to be growing my own herbs and foraging for them in order to replenish my stocks. The following video is a basic introduction to my apothecary... There are two main reason as to why I have decided to take this herbalism theme up. As new articles are added, I'll make links to them below... Herbal Preparations How to Make a Herbal InfusionOne of the easiest ways for anyone to engage with herbalism. Herbalism Guide Books Overview video...
How to Make a terrarium How To Make A Terrarium Here are some great projects on making your own terrarium in a variety of different styles from a dish terrarium to a soda bottle terrarium or animal terrarium. What is A Terrarium? A terrarium is a miniature landscape with living plants and even sometimes small animals like lizards or turtles. The fool proof Guide to making a beautiful terrarium in 1 hour The Fool proof guide to making a beautiful terrarium in one hour! New: My Terrarium Making ebook I spent eight days writing this 40 page ebook and made three terrariums specifically for it. it is my ebook: The Secret art of terrarium making: Revealed! New project: A terrarium in a terrarium We put together this fun little terrarium. Freeze your moss to store it If you are not going to use all the moss you collected or bought you can freeze it to keep it long term. Make a mini Greenhouse Starting out plants or taking cuttings for plants is a great thing. Make an Assassin's Creed Terrarium Moss Terrariums!