The concept of food forestry can be overwhelming to a typical household. A food forest is an edible landscape modeled after the ideas of layers of a forest including a canopy formed by tall trees, shrubs, vines, low groundcover, and all of the associated wildlife. Planning a food forest in … Read more
I’m currently overlooking the lovely Tivoli Gardens in downtown Copenhagen, and there’s two things that have struck me on my trip so far. Firstly, it’s the sheer number of bicycles on the road – there’s easily more two wheelers than four-tired gas guzzlers speeding around the city, and my jog … Read more
Foraging for food is an ancient aspect of the human condition but to most urban dwellers it is a concept and a skill long lost to history. Many view foraging as a “primitive” and “uncivilized” way of living but this ignorance of the wide variety of edible plants simply leads … Read more
You know the benefits of composting; reducing your waste, creating valuable fertile soil for your garden, as well as the fulfilment that comes along with watching waste naturally transform back to into a useable earth. If you do your composting at home then you know that without proper aeration of … Read more
10 Composting Basics for beginners & for homeowners step by step The composting basics can be broken down into 10 easy steps. 1. Choose a Wise Location Choose an open level area that will be readily accessible from the exit closest to your kitchen. Although outdoor waste will be added … Read more
What is the difference between annual plants and perennial plants? It’s quite simple. Annual plants are plants that complete their life cycle in one year or less, while perennial plants are plants that can take anywhere from two to 20 years to complete their lifecycle. Many people like to use … Read more
Introducing kids to gardening is one of the best ways to teach sustainable living, basic biology, and healthy eating. Some plants are much better suited for kids than others. Asparagus, for example, is not a kid-friendly plant to grow because it takes two years for the plant to mature. In … Read more
Terrance farming is an ancient technique common in mountainous terrain common in Asian, the Mediterranean, and South America (especially the Andes Mountains of Peru). This method of sustainable agriculture allows otherwise infertile regions to be productive for sustainable farming. Terrace farms and their methods have largely been replaced by ‘conventional … Read more
Conventional greenhouses rely on natural gas designs to keep them warm in the winter. Although heat can be felt during the winter months in an unheated greenhouse, the ground will still become very cold and most plants will hibernate or die. Solar greenhouses use thermal banking designs to create a … Read more
Most horse owners will simply stockpile their horses’ manure on a daily basis. Meaning that the farmer will remove any fresh piles from the day and add it to a larger pile where it is stored for later use. This pile can be out in the open field where there … Read more
Who doesn’t want a fresh garden-picked strawberry in the middle of a cold snowy winter? Hydroponic strawberries are an easy and sustainable method to meet this desire. Large scale or small, the principles of growing hydroponic strawberries are the same Strawberries are one of the best plants to grow hydroponically … Read more
Good fences don’t just make good neighbours (if you believe that, anyway). In gardening, fences can find many uses. As a barrier, sure, but also as a means to increase growing area or trellis plants. They can also effectively mark a growing boundary, clearly demarcating the area where you want … Read more
An heirloom plant refers to any plant that was cultivated by humans and passed during early the earlier periods of our history. Most heirloom plants are no longer cultivated commercially on a large scale because most use open pollination to make their fruit and commercial farming has become less and … Read more
Compost tumblers are awesome. They create a compact, easy-to-turn space for your discarded food scraps and yard waste that will produce rich compost. Commercial systems can range anywhere under $1,000, which is outrageous. Smaller home versions can be found used at a discount or even free (check out Craigslist). This … Read more
A wonderful addition to any school science program is the construction and maintenance of an aquaponic garden. The advantage for schools is that aquaponics is a scalable system; it can be a small table-top endeavor or occupy a large area of the school yard or even the rooftop. School Aquaponic … Read more