Family Grows Garden in Backyard Swimming Pool When Dennis McClung takes a dip in his backyard swimming pool, it isn't to practice his backstroke or cool off from the hot Arizona sun. It's to tend to the subterranean garden – chock full of vegetables, fish and even chickens – that has become his family's primary source of food. That's right. Instead of spending thousands of dollars fixing up the crumbling swimming pool in their backyard or filling it up with dirt, the McClung family turned the potentially dangerous, run-down pool into their own minifarm in the desert. McClung, 30, said that when he and his wife Danielle first saw their Mesa, Arizona house in 2009, they knew it would be perfect for their young family. "We loved everything about it except for the pool. The realtor said they'd have to fill the pool with water or dirt, but McClung said he devised a third option: to create a "garden pool" that could generate enough food to help his family reach its goal of self-sufficiency. Garden Helps Family Save on Groceries
Family of Four Grows Their Food in a Swimming Pool Images: Youtube screen grabs Food Doesn't Get More Local Than That A family living in Mesa, Arizona, has decided to convert an old unused backyard swimming pool into a very productive DIY urban greenhouse, which they named Garden Pool. Within a small, mostly enclosed space, they grow all kinds of vegetables and herbs, as well as raise chickens and tilapia fish. They started this project in 2009 and expected to be "self-sufficient" by 2012, but they've reached that goal this year, getting "8 fresh eggs a day, unlimited tilapia fish, organic fruit, veggies, and herbs 365 days a year" (though I'm not sure if by self-sufficient they mean that they could theoretically live off the amount of food the Garden Pool produces, or if they actually do it). Check out the video tour of the Garden Pool below. An Oasis in the Desert There's a more detailed list of things they grow and facts about the Garden Pool here. Photo: GardenPool.org The Garden Pool is also off-grid thanks to solar PV! Via Gardenpool
Carbon Farming Gets A Nod At Paris Climate Conference Las Cañadas is an ecological cooperative in Veracruz, Mexico that's working to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change while producing food, materials, chemicals and energy. Courtesy of Ricardo Romero/Chelsea Green Publishing hide caption toggle caption Courtesy of Ricardo Romero/Chelsea Green Publishing Las Cañadas is an ecological cooperative in Veracruz, Mexico that's working to sequester carbon and mitigate climate change while producing food, materials, chemicals and energy. Courtesy of Ricardo Romero/Chelsea Green Publishing This week, world leaders are hashing out a binding agreement in Paris at the 2015 U.N. "This is a game changer because soil carbon is now central to how the world manages climate change. Leu is referring to the United Nations Lima-Paris Action Agenda, a sort of side deal aimed at "robust global action towards low carbon and resilient societies." Currently, the Earth's atmosphere contains about 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide. YouTube
Cob Home Photo Gallery Pat's First Cob (1998) This was Patrick's first cob project on his own after taking a one week workshop with Cob Cottage Company (CCC) in 1997. He built the foundation and then used beach logs for the frame. CCC then taught a 2 week course, after which Patrick finished the walls and roof. Tracy and Patrick did the plastering. Hilde's Cob (1999) The major construction of this cob was completed in the summer of 1999. Garden Cob (2002) Elke and Patrick built the Garden Cob during an 8 week apprenticeship course. Christina's Cob (2002-2004) There are 3 separate cob projects on this site. Kate's Cob (2003) Kate's cob is our largest cob house project to date. Deaconvale Farm Cob (2005) Tracy and Patrick were the instructors for this intensive 9 week, 9 person apprenticeship program. Lee's Courtyard (2000-2001) This courtyard was 2 separate workshops over 2 summers. Charles' Cob (2001) Charles wanted to use only materials from his site. Blacksmith Shop (2001) Community Garden (2004) - Tracy Calvert
Omega Hydroponic Garden Gets Five Times As Much Food Per Watt We often wonder about the benefits of indoor hydroponic gardening, given that the sun is free. After all, Illegal hydroponic installations are often discovered by their abnormally high electricity use. Last month Sami introduced us to the Omega Garden system; looking at it a bit more closely I wonder, can it make high tech urban gardening economically feasible and actually more energy efficient than growing outdoors? But Vancouver based Omega Garden's Carousel system rotates the plants around the bulb. They claim a lot of advantages; the light is always even and exactly the same distance from every plant, at a close enough distance to get maximum light efficiency. They also claim that it reduces water consumption by 99% and eliminates runoff. But the most interesting claim is that the rotation of the plants actually increases the yield significantly: Geotropism relates to the effect of gravity on plant growth hormones called Auxins.
Someone Give This Man A Nobel Prize Already. He’s Going To Save The Planet! Tiny Free House Gardening Tips - 7 Habits of Successful Gardeners Originally published January 2009 Or is it the Seven Pillars of Horticultural Wisdom? As everyone's resolutions remind us, we love attaching a number to advice, a number smaller than the one I regard as most realistic: The Twenty Three Thousand Four Hundred and Sixty-Two Things It's Important to Remember Before Getting Out of Bed. So be warned: I haven't really honed it down to only seven; these are just the first seven essentials that came to mind when I decided to do this. Make CompostUse CompostPlant Crops in Wide BedsMulchFeed the Soil, Not the PlantsShare SomethingBe There Photo: The compost bins at Stonecrop Gardens in Cold Spring, N.Y. 1. Short version: Mother Nature never throws anything away. Longer version: Composting is the rare silk purse from sow's ear, something for nothing, win-win. It's easy to fall into thinking that compost's last name is bin, and that careful layering and turning are part of the deal. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. If you've got a garden, you're rich. Got seeds? 7.
Urban Agriculture Today the average food item travels 1300 to 1500 miles from farm to plate. For Vertical Farming see - www.inspirationgreen.com/vertical-farms Source Frank Lloyd Wright's Broadacre City - Plan for The Living City. Source Front Studio Architects - propose 'Farmadelphia' a transformation of urban Phili by introducing farmlands into the city's abandoned plots. Farmadelphia - the re-greening of Philadelphia. Source There are 40 square miles of abandoned land in Detroit... Rendering by Bryan Christie To this... The City of Frankfort has farms at its doorstep. The residents of Cuba have been local and organic since the fall of the soviet bloc. Pic by drippen pitch City gardens in Fulong, North Taiwan. Phili Farm. Source Numerous farms have sprouted up within the city of Chicago. Source Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis' truck farm is not stuck in one city...they're in for a ride... The Youth Center Roof Garden in Chicago is designed to both educate and feed those it serves. The Youth Center Roof Garden in Chicago.
Storybook Homes How to Grow 100 Pounds of Potatoes in 4 Square Feet | Apartment Therapy Re-Nest On many occasions, we've been tempted to grow our own potatoes. They're fairly low maintenance, can be grown in a pot or in the ground, last a fairly long time if stored properly, and can be very nutritious (high in potassium and vitamin C). Here's more incentive: according to this article, you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 sq. feet. Learn how after the jump... According to this article from the Seattle Times, potatoes planted inside a box with this method can grow up to 100 pounds of potatoes in just 4 square feet. Lumber Seed potatoes Soil Careful attention to watering The Times' guide for building a potato growing box yields up to a 100 lbs. of potatoes in a mere 4 square feet is shown below: Plant as early as April or as late as August 1, with an approximated 3 month till harvest turnaround time. Here are some pointers from the article: Cut apart larger seed potatoes, making sure there are at least two eyes in each piece you plant. Seattle Times via LifeHacker.
Food Choices Affect the Climate Our Food Choices Affect the Climate From the “Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health” The Environmental Working Group's new report takes into account the full “cradle-to-grave” carbon footprint of each food item based on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated before and after the food leaves the farm, from the pesticides, fertilizer and water used to grow animal feed through the grazing, animal raising, processing, transportation, cooking and, finally, disposal of unused food. Don't say 'Cheese' The surprise for me is cheese! But the good news is that meat, eggs and dairy products (especially low-fat) that are certified organic, humane and/or grass-fed are generally much less environmentally damaging than conventional meat and dairy. To ease the guilt of those of us who love cheese, the EWG notes that less dense cheeses produce fewer greenhouse gases since they take less milk to produce. Full Lifecycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Common Proteins and Vegetables To Note:
O2 Treehouse Where is the Hunger? Where is the Hunger? Prevalence of undernourishment in Developing Countries Light Gray: Insufficient DataBurgundy color: > 35%Orange/Red: 25-34%Yellow/Orange: 15-24%Yellow: 5-14%Green: < 5% This map shows the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population of Developing Countries as of 2006-2008 (the most recent period for which complete data is available). Undernourishment exists when caloric intake is below the minimum dietary energy requirement (MDER). Africa's population more than tripled during the second half of the 20th century, growing from 230 million to 811 million.The United Nations projects by 2050, that Sub-Saharan Africa’s population could be almost three times Europe’s and by 2100 might even be three-quarters of the size of Asia. The consumer who pays the largest percentage of their spending on food, is hit the hardest when it comes to food prices.