The Three Sisters: An Ancient Symbiotic Plant Relationship
The Three Sisters I first heard the term permaculture about five years ago from my friend John, after I mentioned to him that I was interested in learning to grow plants. At the time I was a botany major, but save for some early childhood experiences I had very little real time experience in a […]
Cheerios is Giving Away Wildflower Seeds that Might Harm Your Local Eco System + 5 Ways To Help!
We all want to help out the bees and when the help comes with your cereal you were already going to buy, it seems like an easy win-win situation. But as Cheerios hands out free seeds while encouraging you to save the bees, you should probably do a little bit of digging to make sure […]
Tomatoes Hate Cucumbers: Secrets of Companion Planting + Popular Planting Combinations
Did you know that tomatoes hate cucumbers? Consider companion planting. While they might taste great together in a salad, tomato plants dislike growing in close proximity to any member of the cucurbit family, which includes cucumbers. Tomatoes love carrots and basil, however – so planting these together will actually make them each grow more vigorously! Sounds […]
No Yard? No Problem. How to Garden in a Small Space
So you’ve been bitten by the RV bug but still want to garden? Container gardening might be your solution! Maybe you’re still dreaming of the boundless life while living in an apartment right now. Again, container gardening might be your solution! If you’ve got a bit of spare space outside your front door that gets […]
Grow Food Year Round in a $300 Underground Greenhouse
The word Walipini, derived from the Aymaran language and an indigenous Bolivian tribe, is translated as “a place of warmth” and is an earth sheltered cold frame or transparent-roofed enclosure. This underground greenhouse was created for the cold regions of South America to maintain food production year round, but is now being adopted by gardeners […]
Innovative Preschool Combines Urban Farming and Nursery Education
Gardening preschool? As a homesteading parent that also unschools (child led life-learning), I know just how educational time in the garden can be. Recently, we have been planting our spring garden and identifying plants with the Like That Garden smartphone app. The kids love the time in the sun and there is never a shortage […]
How to Make a Self-Fertilizing Hay Bale Garden Bed
I’ve recently found an even better idea than straw bale gardening, and that is hay bale gardening! Straw bales are usually comprised of stalks of plants, mostly corn, that have been dried out and baled. Most straw bales consist of genetically modified plant matter, from corn or soy. It is definitely important to know the […]
Grow A Garden From Table Scraps
If you’re planning your very own garden, it may be a smart idea to start with your kitchen scraps. After all, if it’s already in your kitchen, chances are you use it often. The ability to grow most of these vegetables from their leftovers is as simple as sticking the bottom end of them into a […]
Aquaponics Greenhouses Grow 1 Million Pounds of Food on Just 3 Acres!
Have you heard of aquaponics? It’s the food production method that combines raising fish and growing vegetables to create a sustainable living ecosystem. The plants are positioned above the fish tank. The water from the fish, which is filled with their feces, is pumped into the vegetable bed in order to provide nutrients to the […]