Sometimes it’s better to see a pest problem as the normal way nature enters and adapts to a particular niche in the environment created by things like availability of food, cover, and absence of predators. Animals don’t appear magically on the scene for no reason, they simply exploit available food resources and habitat. Once we understand this, we can learn...
A new study found people who ate mushrooms at least twice a week were half as likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is the stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more serious decline of dementia. It can cause problems with memory, language, attention and locating objects. For the study, researchers from...
Here’s an attractive modern home built by Olive Nest Tiny Homes, nicknamed The Elsa, in some ways the tiny house that’s unlike any other tiny house you’ve ever seen. When at it’s destination, the tiny house has a separate trailer that connects with it and has a greenhouse mounted to it. In essence, a two-trailer tiny house setup that turns into one. The inside...
It’s possible to help reduce mosquito populations around your house without using nasty chemicals. Did you know that dragonflies are the biggest predators of mosquitos and can eat hundreds of them a day? This makes them a great addition to your garden and the safest natural pest control. They keep the mosquito population in check. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes, both...
“Based on extensive field research, we found that rural communities often lack the resources and infrastructure needed to access nutritious food,” DeCarli said. “We developed a toolkit that contains all of the core components needed to grow your own food, on a two acre plot of land, without the need for an existing grid. Imagine the good it can do by growing...
Traditional burial, in a coffin, takes a huge toll on the environment. Every year Americans cut down 4 million acres of hardwood forest to bury our dead. Once our bodies are “preserved” and sealed into wooden or metal caskets, they are buried in vast fields of granite tombstones, along with nearly a million gallons of formaldehyde per year. These cemeteries or...
It’s planting season in metro Detroit, and gardeners are getting ready to stock up on greenery. From tiny urban gardens to rolling landscapes in the suburbs, here are 9 hot trends for 2019, according to horticultural experts. No space? No problem The biggest issue for most gardeners this year figuring out how to tackle a small garden. According to the U.S....
Small gardens are often seen as having little or no scope for design. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can squeeze a lot into a small plot: be bold, be strong, ensure a lavish backbone of evergreens with spring color to enliven spirits after the long winter gloom – and don’t forget to incorporate the scent. But remember, in small gardens, less is...
Not to worry, Seattle, about the Seattle we fear losing. Not as long as people like Mark Storey are around. That would be the unconventional, a bit off-kilter Seattle that separates us from same-sameness that envelopes many of our cities. He’s one of the co-founders of World Naked Gardening Day, now in its 13th year, which was celebrated around the world last Saturday,...
Photo by: Agonjaka [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]So spring has arrived, and you’re feeling accomplished! You carefully transplant your young plants out into the garden and sow your seeds into the soil. Days later you come out to find all of your newly planted crops have disappeared! Birds have been eating away at your tiny...
We like to surround ourselves with friends, pets, fresh air, and sunshine, but have you ever considered the benefits of plants? According to some new research, living in the midst of healthy vegetation has proven to significantly extend one’s life expectancy. Research coming directly out of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as well as the Brigham and...
When Dennis and Danielle McClung bought a foreclosed home in Mesa, Ariz., in 2009, their new yard featured a broken, empty. Instead of spending a small fortune to repair and fill it, Dennis had a far more prescient idea: He built a plastic cap over it and started growing things inside. Thus, with help from family and friends and a ton of internet research, Garden...
Months ago I wanted to start making my own kombucha. I was buying bottles of kombucha from the health store and the costs were adding up and I felt it was time for a cheaper way. I researched a few ways for how to grow a kombucha scoby. A scoby is the white alien looking thing floating at the top of the jar. You need a scoby to ferment the tea to brew kombucha. ...
Anthracnose disease is a plant disease that affects a number of shade trees and shrubs, even ornamental plants during the growing season. Belonging to the kingdom of fungi, Anthracnose disease is generally common in the eastern parts of the United States. It was identified in 1875 in Germany. Since then, it has spread all around the world. Today, a number of nations,...
Everyone is familiar with hydrogen peroxide uses as a topical antiseptic and a personal care product. However, most people are unaware of the fact that this simple substance has amazing benefits and is something of a miracle product when it comes to gardening. In every phase and type of gardening, H202 can be extremely useful and helpful. In this article, we explore...
JESSICA GRIFFIN / FILE PHOTOGRAPH A group of Bhutanese refugees in South Philly cultivate a garden of Thai roselle, the fruit of which can be used to make a beverage. The Philadelphia Beekeepers Guild recently reported an “overwhelming demand” for beginner classes for beekeeping. And in Grays Ferry, seniors and youth tend an 80-year-old community garden. Those...
“John from http://www.growingyourgreens.com/ shares with the easiest way he has discovered to rid his vegetable plants of aphids and whiteflies without using any insecticide. In this episode, you will learn about how a Ryobi tool on clearance can be used to remove aphids and other soft-bodied insects from your plants. You will learn how the Ryobi High Volume...
Photo by Getty Images/funky-data Make the most of your space by choosing quick growers like lettuce, radishes or beets instead, vegetables that offer high yields or repeat harvests such as zucchini or chard, or high-value herbs. Space-saving forms of fruits such as cordon or step-over forms of apple and pear, cane fruits such as raspberry and, of course, compact strawberries...
Think of a formal yard or garden, and you likely envision rows of neatly trimmed bushes along with meandering walkways and sitting areas. Homeowners spend a ton of money, time and resources in an attempt to recreate that image. But another equally beautiful option for your home is a wild garden. What is a wild garden? A wild garden can carry a variety of definitions....
Shortly after a California court linked glyphosate, the herbicide in the popular weed killer Roundup, to a plaintiff’s cancer, Los Angeles County officials ordered a moratorium on that same weed killer, citing a need for further research on the herbicide’s safety risks. “I am asking county departments to stop the use of this herbicide until public health and...
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