WMICENTRAL.COM – This has become a rallying cry by gardeners, natural landscape enthusiasts and ecologists. To let fallen leaves stay where they land in yards across America is becoming a popular trend. Not because homeowners and gardeners are lazy (so we claim), but because the leaves provide a protective habitat and ecosystem for the insects, critters and...
On November, 30th people all over are celebrating National Mason Jar Day! This day celebrates the invention of the mason jar and its usability in homes everywhere. Since hipsters and homesteaders alike are making mason jars a staple, let’s drop some facts about mason jars and their fascinating past! “The origins of the mason jar started with John Landis...
FARMERSALMANAC.COM – You can easily repurpose your Halloween jack-o-lantern by turning it into a bird feeder provided the pumpkin is not rotted or decorated with unsafe accents. If you used a real candle to illuminate your jack-o-lantern, be sure to scrape away any wax or blackened areas on the flesh first. Cut the pumpkin in half so it resembles a bowl, or...
THESUZGAZETTE.COM – November is one of my favorite months in the California garden. Fragrances are earthy and fresh, especially after a rain, with hints of spice and healthy soil. I watch leaves descend, winds sway even large tree branches, and sheets of rain (hopefully!) wash off a year’s dust. Birds and even some late butterflies, moths and bees work feverishly...
HERALDANDNEWS.COM – Gardening in all forms — from window boxes to major landscape renovations — surged in 2020. Whether for mental peace, food security, or a meaningful “socially distanced pastime,” people turned to gardening this year. Increased interest in all things gardening led to temporary shortages in seeds and plants this year, causing a similar...
Never before has it been more important to consider growing you own vegetables. But how? American gardening guru Ron Finley, aka the Gangsta Gardener, shares some down-to-earth advice with Sanet Oberholzer. Is not having green fingers really a thing? We all have green fingers because we all are carbon, we come from the earth and where do we go back to? We turn into...
BobVila.com – Throughout the growing season, garden plants work together with microbes to break down and use organic matter within the soil. During the off season, unprotected garden beds are at risk of erosion, a process that strips away the topsoil resulting in a loss of nutrients, and soil compaction, which reduces water infiltration and drainage, damaging...
Record-Eagle.com – Today’s mass-produced food landscape is often detrimental to food sovereignty efforts. Indigenous ancestral teachings are anchored in creation stories and cover science, math, history, and sociology. They shaped the food systems of each community for thousands of years before colonization. “Our foods speak their own ancestral language,”...
OAOnline.com – As your summer gardening winds down, it is a good time to plant a few herbs for your holiday cooking. Nothing is better than stepping out your backdoor and picking fresh herbs. Parsley, rosemary, sage, oregano, cilantro and chives are all great additions to dishes for the fall. Lavender and mint can be used for cooking, as well as teas and essential...
Saving tomato seeds is a popular tradition amongst most gardeners. They take their most prolific plants, and favorite varieties and pay special attention to harvesting seed for the following year. Hybrid vs. Heirloom and why it matters: Hybrid plants are a combination of two different sets of genetic material. If a hybrid tries to mate with another plant, even another...
WSJ MAGAZINE – Linda Goode Bryant will be the first to tell you she didn’t know much about farming when she decided to open a community garden in Brooklyn, New York back in 2009. “I have actually never been very good at putting seed in soil and watering it,” said Goode Bryant, an accomplished artist and filmmaker-turned-agrarian who founded Project EATS,...
LeAndra Estis checked on the growth progress of vegetables in her backyard garden in St. Paul. Her daughters Quaia, left, and Lonna help in the garden and post their successes on social media. (Jeff Wheeler/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS) MINNEAPOLIS — When a suspicious-looking sprout appeared in the St. Paul garden of LeAndra Estis, she plucked it. The willful plant...
Summer is coming to an end, and your gardens are bursting with produce! It’s time to break out your dehydrator to start preserving your fruits, vegetables, and herbs so that you can enjoy them later on in the season or throughout the fall and winter months. Here are some of our favorite Instagram posts that deliver awesome dehydrated food inspiration! 1. Watermelon...
A survey by the Royal Horticultural Society found that 80% of millennials own a houseplant of some sort. But did you know that caring for indoor plants also comes with its share of benefits? Besides improving our well-being by boosting moods and concentration, indoor plants are beneficial to our home. Growing plants indoors, especially edibles, eliminates the need...
Samuel S. T. Pressman had wanted to build a food garden on the rooftop of his Clinton Hill apartment for years. The artist and sculptor had lived on a farm when he was younger and had studied Sustainable Environmental Systems at Pratt. But in a city with a “time is money” mentality, he never found the right moment to start his passion project. That changed when...
Growing food at home is one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself and your family right now. Maybe you feel like the current growing season has passed you by, and you will need to wait until next spring to start? or maybe you want to try something new this coming fall or winter? Regardless of why you found yourself reading this article, we’re going...
BOISE, ID (CBS2) — “Now more than ever it is especially important to know where your food comes from, the importance of environmental education is huge,” explains Executive Director of Boise Urban Garden, Lisa Duplessie. “Getting outside of that traditional classroom where they get to put their hands in the dirt.” Boise’s Urban Garden...
OLEAN — A group of Olean residents are enjoying the “fruits of their labor” this summer as they work in two community gardens sponsored by Healthy Families Allegany-Cattaraugus and Rural Revitalization Corporation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the self-reliance of communities to provide for their own food needs. In collaboration,...
“Just because we live in a big city doesn’t mean we cannot become small-scale farmers,” said Erik Caldwell, the city’s deputy chief operating officer for Smart & Sustainable Communities. “The urban farming website is a one-stop shop with a lot of great information to help San Diegans produce their own food.” According to a city statement, urban farming...
Left: Urban farmer Victor Edalia (in white shirt) with three beneficiaries of his free veggies (left to right): Sheila Musimbi, a single mom; Celine Oinga, who comes from a family of 9 siblings; and Jackline Oyamo, jobless due to the pandemic. Right: Edalia uses modern urban farming methods, including this spiral planter that holds up to 100 seedlings. Photo: THOMAS...
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