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Here is a link to show exactly where the Space Station is over earth right now: Click Here
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Home Gardens
#164611
04/28/14 11:26 PM
04/28/14 11:26 PM
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OP
SDA
Active Member 2016
Dedicated Member
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,275
Calif. USA
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Top Natural Pest Control Methods For a Healthy Garden
by Raw Michelle
(NaturalNews) By now, people are well aware of the dangers behind eating foods that have been treated with pesticides. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 1.1 billion pounds of pesticide active ingredients are used annually in the U.S., and the EPA says up to 20,000 U.S. agricultural workers are diagnosed with pesticide poisonings annually.
Choosing organic produce at the market and even growing fruits and vegetables in the backyard are safe and favorable options. However, when growing foods in the yard, there's often the matter of having to fend off pesky intruders that chomp away at foods and even harm the entire crop with disease.
Here are some ways to safely grow foods in the yard.
Natural ways to ward off garden pests
1.) Plant marigolds. They emit an odor that many pests avoid and is the reason many gardeners plant them around the perimeter of gardens.
2.) Buy ladybugs. Many garden centers have ladybugs in bulk which can be purchased as a natural aphid controller.
3.) Create homemade concoctions. Many gardeners have been successfully maintaining their home-grown produce by turning to homemade, natural pesticides. For example, a mixture of Himalayan salt and a gallon of warm water can treat areas infested with spider mites when sprayed on the areas in question. If ants are a concern, break out citrus essential oil and combine it with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and one cup of warm water. Then shake the mixture and spray.
4.) Consider hanging a bat house. Forget the scenes from scary movies. Bats don't harm people and since they can devour hundreds of kinds of insects every hour, they're good to have around. Be sure to hang the bat house at least 15 feet from the ground in a location that receives at least six hours of sunlight daily.
5.) Plant peonies. Not only do they look pretty, but they attract a wasp that eats the larvae of grubs.
Natural methods like these are a safe way to keep pests away from the garden so people can enjoy fresh foods without exposure to pesticides.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/pesticides/
http://www.learn2grow.com
Suzanne
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Re: Home Gardens
[Re: Suzanne]
#165307
05/22/14 04:56 PM
05/22/14 04:56 PM
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OP
SDA
Active Member 2016
Dedicated Member
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,275
Calif. USA
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Small-scale Gardens Provide Sustainable Food Without Damaging Soil
by Julie Wilson
(NaturalNews) Urban and small-scale farming is a growing trend that's healthy and sustainable for the environment. Luckily, this trend is catching on fast, not just in the U.S. but in Europe too.
Today there is a waiting list of more 90,000 people attempting to acquire allotments, or plots of land used for small-scale gardening. Applicants are excited to participate in a practice that produces healthy food and is better for the environment.
Alpha Galileo, the world's independent source of breaking research news, revealed soil in Britain's allotments was "significantly healthier than intensively farmed soils."
The findings published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, discovered small-scale crop growing in urban areas produced "food sustainability without damaging the soil."
Even though chemicals leave soil damaged and stripped of essential nutrients, conventional farmers say pesticides are mandatory in order to produce enough yield to feed a growing population.
According to Alpha Galileo, conventional farming is very intensive and results in "significant declines in soil organic carbon stocks, as well as reducing the ability of soils to store water and nutrients, and damaging soil structure, which can lead to soil erosion."
Conventional versus organic
Organic farmer, Jamey Gage, operates a small family owned farm located outside of Austin, Texas. The focus at B5Farms is to provide "delicious, nutritious and synthetic-free food."
In an interview with Natural News, Gage described some of the biggest differences between conventional and organic farming, including the use commercial fertilizers such as synthetic nitrogen.
Conventional growers usually plant a widespread area of a single crop like corn, cotton or soybeans, in order to produce enough yield to compete with other producers. Each season, the growers will plow any previous crop residues in the soil, adding synthetic nutrients instead.
"These synthetic nutrients can be produced in much higher concentrations than occur in natural substances and thus require smaller applications," said Gage.
Fertilizers used by conventional growers contain "inert substances" in order to allow more widespread application. Not only do they contain harmful metals, but commercial fertilizer production requires the burning of fossil fuels.
According to Gage:
"These 'inert substances' have been found to contain industrial wastes, toxic metals, and byproducts of fertilizer manufacturing. Some nutrients like nitrogen are quickly depleted by soil microbes and growing plants (particularly corn) and must be replenished with every planting by conventional growers.
This synthetic nitrogen is relatively cheap and fast acting. Studies have shown that synthetic forms of nitrogen damage microorganisms in the soil and, over time, deplete carbon stores. This limits the water holding ability of the soil and contributes to atmospheric CO2 levels. These forms of nitrogen have also been shown to easily leach into waterways creating algae blooms and harming aquatic life. Also, quick infusions of nitrogen are notorious for creating insect (particularly aphid) and spider mite population explosions that require applications of pesticides."
Soil sustainability
Attempting to measure sustainability in Britain's allotments, ecologist Dr. Jill Edmondson from the University of Sheffield, sampled soil from 27 plots on 15 allotment sites and also took samples from local parks, gardens and nearby agricultural land.
Edmondson measured a variety of soil properties including "soil organic carbon levels, total nitrogen, and the ratio between carbon and nitrogen (which are all directly related to the amount and quality of organic matter in the soil) as well as soil bulk density, an indicator of soil compaction."
The ecologist found significant differences between the samples and found that allotment soil was substantially healthier. She found that "allotment soil had 32% more organic carbon, 36% higher carbon to nitrogen ratios, 25% higher nitrogen and was significantly less compacted."
Carbon helps soil maintain moisture and is removed by the atmosphere, while nitrogen facilitates plant growth.
Carbon and other nutrients used by organic farmers help maintain a healthy ecosystem by feeding microorganisms. These microorganisms make additional nutrients available to crops. Organic farmers also apply nutrients in smaller applications.
Also, studies have shown that organic forms of nutrients are less likely to leach into waterways than their synthetic counterparts.
Energy use
Small-scale sustainable farming also wins when it comes to energy use.The Rodale Institute found that growing organic corn requires 10,150 megajoules of energy (approximately 78 gals of gasoline), compared with 17,372 megajoules of energy for conventionally grown corn.
The synthetic nitrogen-based fertilizer makes the difference, representing up to 41 percent of energy used in conventional techniques. Nitrogen is also used for organic farming, but is less-energy intensive and often derived naturally.
"I plant beans to supply nitrogen to my crops, even when I do not anticipate selling the beans," said Gage.
Gage also plants beans, peas and peanuts in areas that will be planted with heavy feeding crops the next season to provide nitrogen without additional cost or carbon footprints. When he needs outside inputs, he uses waste from other agricultural productions, like manure from poultry and mushroom producers located in the county adjacent to his. This requires little transportation costs or carbon expenditures.
"Native Americans were known to grow corn, squash and beans together as a classic example of companion planting that is still practiced by organic growers today," explained Gage.
Additional sources:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/o/organic_farming_methods.htm
http://www.epa.gov/oecaagct/torg.html
Suzanne
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Re: Home Gardens
[Re: Suzanne]
#166145
06/23/14 06:33 PM
06/23/14 06:33 PM
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OP
SDA
Active Member 2016
Dedicated Member
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,275
Calif. USA
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Urban Gardening Survival Secrets: Some Ways To Grow Food In Any City Even When Your Life Depends On It
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) If you want to grow enough food for yourself and your family - enough that can sustain you in hard times - you'd need several acres of prime farmland, right?
In a word, no. All you need is some guidance on what to grow and how to grow it, as well as a few trips to the local home improvement store. Oh, and some friends who share your vision.
The community garden concept: An increasingly popular option in the urban/suburban environment is the concept of a "community garden." As Natural News has reported in the past, this concept has been adopted by organic- and fresh-produce-minded people in cities large and small, and the movement is definitely "growing," if you'll pardon the pun.
One organization, in fact, is dedicated to the spread of a version of community gardening known as "urban farming" (which just happens to also be the name of the organization). The group began in 2005 with just "three gardens and a pamphlet." Today, its website boasts over 62,300 "residential, community and partner gardens that are part of 'The Urban Farming Global Food Chain(R).'"
The concept is simple: Find an empty lot and get together with your neighbors to plant, cultivate and harvest a range of crops. Everybody shares in the labor and everybody shares in the harvest.
Now, for individual efforts:
Bucket veggies: You'd be surprised what you can grow in a five-gallon bucket you pick up from Lowe's or Home Depot.
"Even if you don't have much sunny ground, you can still experience the pleasure of harvesting your own vine-ripened tomatoes and other crops. All you need is a generous-size container, good potting soil, and a suitable spot - a patio, deck, or corner that gets at least six hours of full sun a day," Sunset magazine notes.
Sprouting: Growing your own sprouts is a great way to augment your other crops. As noted by Jules Clancy, creator of The Stone Soup food website, "sprouting turns legumes and grains into living plants with more vitamins, such as vitamin C, B and carotene. It also helps the absorption of minerals."
Rooftop raised gardens: Don't live in a house with a deck? With a little help from neighbors and permission from the landlord, you could build some raised gardens on the roof of your apartment building (provided you have easy-enough access to the roof). Your crops will get plenty of sun, though you will likely have to irrigate them at some point (which is true of anything you're trying to grow).
Window boxes: Though limited in what you can grow in them, window boxes are another way you can grow fresh. Herbs and sprouts do well in window boxes.
Orchards in the middle of town? Depending on the climate where you live, it may be possible to actually plant a small orchard - and communities all over the country are doing just that.
As reported by Britain's The Guardian newspaper, one such orchard - and urban farm - exists in Detroit, of all places, thanks to the enterprising nature of 38-year-old Mark Covington.
"The result is a transformation of the area around his childhood home. Local kids come to movie nights held amid the crops. Residents love the free, fresh food in an area where no major supermarkets exist. The Georgia Street Community Garden is never vandalized," the paper reported.
With a little ingenuity and help from your neighbors, there is no reason for you (or them) to go hungry. You can plant and grow everything from tomatoes to potatoes to corn to fruits of all kinds on small lots in cities and suburban communities, in buckets and other containers placed on your deck or porch, from raised beds on apartment rooftops, in window boxes outside your door and in any other place where you can put topsoil and seeds.
Sources for this article include:
http://www.urbanfarming.org/
http://www.sunset.com
http://www.theguardian.com
Suzanne
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Re: Home Gardens
[Re: Suzanne]
#166416
06/30/14 12:29 AM
06/30/14 12:29 AM
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OP
SDA
Active Member 2016
Dedicated Member
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,275
Calif. USA
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Gardening Key To Helping Cancer Survivors Heal Emotionally and Physically
by Raw Michelle
(NaturalNews) In an effort to determine the role between gardening and the health of cancer survivors, experts at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) studied both survivors and gardeners, pairing them together and noting the outcomes. (1)
The study, Harvest for Health, concluded that cancer survivors who became involved in gardening were more inclined to eat the fresh foods that were grown in the garden, while also obtaining more physical activity and developing an improved outlook on life. All of these factors play a role in helping those stricken with cancer heal.
Fresh vegetables are important for cancer survivor self-care
Among the top suggestions for cancer survivor self-care, according to the Mayo Clinic, is exercise. (2) The Clinic explains that physical activity reduces anxiety and fatigue, which is common in such individuals, while also improves endurance and self-esteem. Furthermore, the Clinic advises eating a balanced diet that contains "five or more servings of fruits and vegetables every day."
The National Cancer Institute suggests that cruciferous vegetables, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage and broccoli, contain compounds known to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. (3)
Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, Ph.D., R.D., the associate director for cancer prevention and control in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains that starting a vegetable garden may be the catalyst needed for many cancer survivors to improve their health. "We asked the question: If cancer survivors started a vegetable garden, would they eat more vegetables? We found they not only ate more vegetables, they also got more exercise," she said. "And their physical functioning improved dramatically. (1)"
The connection between gardening and self-esteem
As for topics such as self-esteem, Demark-Wahnefried acknowledged that it's not simple to measure its tangible benefits from a scientific standpoint. However, she said that the program " . . . seems to be contributing to improved quality of life and self-esteem...helping to produce a sense of peace in the survivors who participate."
One woman who knows all to well about the toll cancer can take on one physically and emotionally is Susan Rossman. In 2010, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, but, in 2011, she became involved with the Harvest for Health study. She worked with other gardeners and grew foods, such as lettuce, kale and spinach. To this day, she still grows such foods, but has now added blueberries and strawberries to her gardening routine.
"I'm feeling more empowered by what I'm doing here," Rossman said. "When I started gardening, it really brought to my consciousness that this was something I could focus on. It was something I could control so that I didn't think about cancer every day."
Sources for this article include:
(1) http://www.sciencedaily.com
(2) http://www.mayoclinic.org
(3) http://www.cancer.gov
Suzanne
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Re: Home Gardens
[Re: Suzanne]
#180270
04/19/16 11:27 PM
04/19/16 11:27 PM
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OP
SDA
Active Member 2016
Dedicated Member
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Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,275
Calif. USA
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Gardening Is More Effective Exercise Than Going To The Gym: Burns More Calories... More Rewarding And Enjoyable
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) In addition to enhancing your life skills and boosting your food security, there is another major benefit of gardening, researchers have found: fitness.
Long-time gardeners have always know that putting plant and seed in the ground and then maintaining plants and crops as they grow is hard work. But chances are good that they weren't aware of the health benefits of that work.
Medical researchers and doctors now say that a half an hour of digging, raking and pushing a lawn mower is just as good as going to a gym. Thirty minutes of digging burns 150 calories; raking burns 120 and pushing a mower burns 165, the UK's Daily Mail reports.
Though a half-hour jog, on average, burns up to 240 calories, doctors are nonetheless attempting to encourage more people to take up lighter activities that can be woven into our daily lives – activities that also burn calories and boost fitness.
Because many people feel too intimidated by gyms and strenuous fitness exercise, experts are instead concentrating more on getting people to include more moderate activity and exercise daily that they are less likely to give up on over the long haul. Researchers are finding that moderate exercise like gardening and walking will also cut the risk of heart attack in half, adding as much as seven years to an average life span.
30 minutes a day is all that is required
"Gardening is great - it gets you outside, it helps build muscle and it burns calories," Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in metabolic medicine at Glasgow University, told the Daily Mail Online.
"The key thing is sustainability. The way to keep exercising is to do something you love - such as gardening - or do something for a reason, such as walking or cycling to work," he added.
Britain's National Health Service recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, which includes activities like walking and gardening, or 75 minutes of strenuous exercise like running or playing soccer. In the U.S., the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition recommends 60 minutes of physical activity daily for children ages 6–17, and at least 30 minutes daily for adults.
In Britain, however, the NHS says that four of five people fail to reach their daily physical activity target, which has played a major role in contributing to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. The same is true in the U.S.
Toned forearms, thighs, behinds
The Daily Mail Online reported that the Royal Horticulture Society surveyed 2,000 people, asking about their experiences with the pastime. About 80 percent of respondents said that overall gardening definitely improved their fitness level, while 60 percent said they felt physically energized after gardening. In addition, 53 percent said their moods improved after a bout of gardening.
The society further noted that some 70 percent of respondents said gardening helped tone their forearms, while 52 percent said their thighs were toned, and about one-third said the activity toned their behinds. One-fifth of respondents said gardening was their primary form of exercise, which means that, for many people, it has had a major impact on them, health-wise (and there's that food security angle, too).
"The evidence is that strenuous exercise gives you a bit more benefit, but not that much," Sattar said. "And it comes at a cost, with a greater burden on the joints, and if you are moving from a sedentary lifestyle there is a risk of going straight in to strenuous exercise as there's a strain on your heart.
"That's why there's a shift at the moment to focusing on light to moderate exercise, which can have a huge benefit and is easier to weave into your daily routine," he added.
Learn more about growing your own healthy, nutritious food by signing up for the Home Grown Food Summit! Interested readers who sign up for a Lifetime Pass before March 31 even get a special bonus gift!
Sources:
DailyMail.co.uk
Fitness.gov
Buzz.NaturalNews.com
-Suzanne-
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Re: Home Gardens
[Re: Suzanne]
#180383
04/27/16 02:06 AM
04/27/16 02:06 AM
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Medical researchers and doctors now say that a half an hour of digging, raking and pushing a lawn mower is just as good as going to a gym. This is an incentive to using a push lawn mower over a ride-on lawn mower. 
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Here is the link to this week's Sabbath School Lesson Study and Discussion Material: Click Here
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