Outside Survival Instructables 642.1K 541.7K 251.4K 592.0K 601.8K 231.9K 423.6K 531.4K 311.5K 802.7K 18010K 522.6K 424.7K 1083.2K 1237.1K 1514.4K 894.7K 31818K 1155.0K 543.9K 573.8K 1708.4K 2035.0K 42440K 1187.3K 1644.6K 515.6K 47325K 231.1K 724.7K 1434.3K 864.3K 1813.1K 403.6K 231.8K 33120K 2574.9K 33439K 855.9K 702.8K 41736K 2394.0K 746.2K 235.9K 364.3K 17811K 67831K 15921K 1505.1K 104048K 72162K 50289K 962.4K 936.8K 626.4K 864.1K 291.8K 37311K 5 Old Foods To Throw In The Garden Instead Of The Garbage About two months ago, we were FINALLY getting our seedlings put into the garden. (It snows in May in Colorado, so we get started later than most folks.) On one of the many trips inside the house to fetch a tool I’d forgotten, I noticed an old potato sporting many eyes in the pantry. Normally this all-seeing potato would probably have ended up in the trash, but since we were in the process of gardening anyway, this time I decided to plant it. I didn’t read any books or how-to guides for growing potatoes from, well, other potatoes. And now we have 5 healthy potato plants growing away in our garden! This got me thinking about other “spoiled” or “unusable parts” plants that can be re-born in the garden. Love This? Thanks for subscribing! Read on to discover more foods that should be planted, not tossed, when they begin to sprout because of age. 1. Image credit: energyandintensity via Flickr 2. Image credit: danielle_scott via Flickr Related Reading: 7 Good Reasons To Eat More Sweet Potatoes 3. 4.
ISU Forestry Extension - Trees of Iowa: An Interactive Key This interactive dichotomous tree key was developed to help identify the most common trees in Iowa. The key is based on vegetative characteristics such as leaves, twigs, fruits, and bark. It is not a complete key. It does not include all trees grown in Iowa. The proper use of the key may be compared to the use of road signs where a choice of two directions must be made at each intersection. One must always chose the best route which matches the characteristics of the tree. If at the end, the solution does not match the specimen, one can usually identify a point in the process where the choice of direction was in doubt. Acknowledgements: Some of the pictures on these web pages are from USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service Trees and Shrubs Pocket Guide, The Sibley Guide to Trees, and Forestry Images.
DIY Disaster Survival Disaster has a tendency to strike when we least expect it. A natural (or man made) disaster rarely gives you a warning before turning everything you know and love upside down, leaving you with very little to protect you against its elements. That’s why it pays to take a page out of the Macgyver manual of survival and learn these handy tricks that will help you make the best out of the even the worst of situations. [Click here for full size version] Embed This Image On Your Site (copy code below): <div style="clear:both"><a href=" src=" alt="DIY Disaster Survival" width="DIY Disaster Survival" border="0" /></a></div><div>Courtesy of: <a href=" Journal</a></div> About the Author (Author Profile)
9 Easy Garden Plants For Hardworking People It’s a common dilemma … you love the looks of a flourishing garden, but don’t have a lot of time or energy to put into keeping it up. You’re too busy with the demands of job, caretaking, and just plain living. The good news is that gardening can be a lot simpler than you think. It’s mainly a question of choosing the right type of plants. Here are 9 shrubs, flowers, and vegetables that will require minimal care. Green Plants Image credit: katerha via Flickr Shrubs Busy people tend to be impatient people, so you may wonder why we mention shrubs. Vines Vines are another choice which will provide you with both privacy and beauty. Succulents Love This? Thanks for subscribing! Succulents are beloved of busy indoor gardeners, due to their appealing appearance, low maintenance, and limited need for water. Flowers Image credit: botheredbybees via Flickr Bulbs Plant bulbs in the fall and fugeddabout ‘em. Perennials (Day Lilies) If you’re looking for a hardy perennial, the day lily is for you. Edibles Herbs
Heat Your Room For 8 Pence A Day Feeling chilly and don't want to turn up the heat? Here's a cheap and easy alternative to heating a small room - tealights and flowerpots. By positioning two flowerpots over four tealight candles in a bread baking dish, you can heat a small room or office. The gap between the two pots enables a flow of air that then passes warm air around the room. We have friends who have tried this method and it works well. Be aware that the baking dish and pots will become VERY HOT! NEVER leave a naked flame unattended. Tealights are fossil fuel based - this idea is just a start. SAVE MONEY, SAVE ENERGY, SAVE THE PLANET: download a FREE sample copy of Permaculture Magazine Further Resources Heat your room with 1 candle, plus flowerpots, nuts and washers How To Make a Rocket Stove from a Beer Keg with Mark Boyle A Student's Guide to Saving Money & The Planet Compact Living - how to design small interior space Efficient Energy Planning - an original permaculture design principle
20 Houseplants To Clear Toxins From The Air In Your Home! Bringing a bit of nature into your home does more than brighten the atmosphere. Introducing houseplants into various rooms in the house can help reduce the chance of getting seasonal sicknesses (such as the common cold), remove airborne contaminants (volatile organic compounds, or VOCs), reduce the chance of headaches, lift your mood, decrease your blood pressure, reduce allergies, improve sleep and much more. The 20 plants listed below are specifically known for their air purifying properties. So why not breathe a bit easier and enjoy the beauty of a new houseplant at the same time! (All plants listed will clear CO2 and may clear more VOCs than noted.) 1. Golden Pothos (Scindapsus aures): clears formaldehyde and other VOCs. 2. Ficus Alii (Ficus maeleilandii alii): Good general air purifier. 3. Spider Plant (Chlorophytum comosum): Clears benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide and xylene. 4. Lady Palm (Rhapis Excelsa): Good general air purifier. 5. Love This? Thanks for subscribing! 6. 7. 8.
21 Ingeniously Mind-Blowing Camping IdeasArs Spiritus I’ve always loved camping and being in the outdoors. Living in the middle of nowhere for half of my life, I developed various skills and learnt many things to help me not only survive, but be comfortable in the wild. But as much as I thought I knew, I stumbled upon a collection of exciting ideas which I thought was ingenious and mind-blowing at the same time. 19 Ingeniously Mind-Blowing Camping Ideas ________________________________________ 1. Source: campsaver.com 2. Source: instructables.com 3. Source: Pinterest 4. 5. source: marthastewart.com 6. Source: macbrosplace.com 7. Source: kidactivitiesblog.com 8. 9. Source: asubtlerevelry.com 10. Source: 12. Source: Hammocks.com 13. Source: skruben.blogspot.ca 14. Source: Flickr.com 15. Source: fieldandstream.com 16. 17. Sources: crasftaholicsanonymous.net 18. 19. Source: alittlecampy.com
NASA Has Compiled a List of the Best Air-Cleaning Plants for Your Home Many of us spend most of our time indoors, so it’s important to cultivate a space that’s a healthy one. A simple—and beautiful—way to do this is through houseplants; they add some green to your home while being an effective way to purify the air. NASA hardly seems like the organization that would give us insight into these types of plants, but in the late 1980s, the US government agency collaborated with the Associated Contractors of America (ALCA) to come up with a list of the most beneficial flora for your home. So, what are the best air-cleaning plants? Love the Garden created a helpful infographic that will tell you which house plants are best and what chemicals they filter: With some help from these plants, your air can be cleaner and healthier: via [Lifehacker, Freshome]
Wilderness Survival Cell Phone Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Creek Stewart. Last week we talked about the many survival uses of the tampon. But unless he specifically packed one in a bag or car, a man’s unlikely to have one on him in a pinch. So today we’re going to explore the survival uses of an everyday item you’re much more likely to have with you in an emergency: your cell phone. Ever leave home without your cell phone? For most of us, the answer these days is no. Whether in a boat, on a plane, traveling through Africa, taking a road trip, or backpacking the Rockies, our cell phone has become a regular piece of Every Day Carry (EDC). Survival Signal Mirror Each of the cell phones I cracked open had metallic, mirror-like layers of material behind the screens. Aiming an improvised signal mirror requires a little finesse. Navigation Most speakers (if not all of them) contain a magnet. Sweep the magnet across the metal wire in the SAME direction 10 or so times. Spear Points & Cutting Tools Fishing Lures