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Gardening (General/Chat)

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  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 32 AUGUST 7, 2013

    08/09/2013 3:12:55 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 206 replies
    Free Republic | August 7, 2013 | greeneyes
    http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/08/06/NYC-heThe Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night Celebrate holiday on August 8!

    08/07/2013 8:07:32 PM PDT · by dynachrome · 9 replies
    All Recipes ^ | 8-7-13 | Tom Roy
    About the Holiday Inspired by the "Submit an Entry" form in a copy of Chase's Calendar of Events, Roy and his wife, Ruth, have launched several creative holidays. A few suggestions from Tom Roy's "Top 20 List for successful sneaking of Zucchini or otherwise ridding yourself of unwanted surplus summer squash:" (Note: Allrecipes does not endorse any of these activities.) •Look for out-of-the-way places which have signs posted, "Clean Fill Wanted." •Under light of full moon, either stark naked or wearing full army camouflage, carrying a machete or any garden implement, run amuck in your zucchini patch, cutting and slashing....
  • Eco-couple told to pull down their 'hobbit home' made entirely out of natural materials

    08/06/2013 6:16:02 AM PDT · by dennisw · 63 replies
    dailymail ^ | 1 August 2013 | By Stuart Woledge
    Eco-couple told to pull down their 'hobbit home' made entirely out of natural materials . . . but without planning permission Family of three is made homeless by planning inspector's decision They built their home from scratch, but have been ordered to tear it down The couple admit they built it without first getting planning permission Their labour of love was branded 'harmful' to the countryside A young couple have been left heartbroken after planners ordered their unique 'hobbit home' to be bulldozed, effectively leaving them homeless. Charlie Hague and Megan Williams, both 25, built the roundhouse from scratch with...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 31 AUGUST 2, 2013

    08/02/2013 2:00:43 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 137 replies
    Free Republic | 8/2/2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Watch ‘Crazy Rhubarb Lady’ Terrorize Her Neighbors (new internet sensation)

    08/01/2013 5:22:04 PM PDT · by drewh · 50 replies
    Mediaite.com ^ | 2:52 pm, August 1st, 2013
    Whatever happened to loving thy neighbor? An unidentified Iowan woman — “Crazy rhubarb lady,” as the Internet hath dubbed her — has rocketed to online infamy this week when video appeared online of her shouting a long string of profanities at a homeowner who caught her removing rhubarbs from a patch that had found its way outside the limits of a fence. Apparently “Crazy Rhubarb Lady” has made a habit of plucking rhubarb from a neighbor’s patch, and has been confronted multiple times, but only when the cameras are rolling does the public get a glimpse into the hilarity of...
  • Giant fungus found in China

    07/29/2013 7:11:00 PM PDT · by TexGrill · 28 replies
    BBC News ^ | 07/28/2013 | BBC
    A giant fungus the size of a tyre has been found by villagers in China's Jianshui County. The large clump of mushrooms, which weighed more than 15 kilograms and measured nearly a metre in diameter, was proudly put on display by the finder. It is not known what type of fungus it is or whether the mushrooms are safe to eat.
  • My Day in Singapore (Joe Biden Gardening Blog)

    07/26/2013 8:39:37 PM PDT · by TexGrill · 15 replies
    White House Blog ^ | 07/26/2013 | Jill Biden
    Today was our first full day in Singapore and there could not have been a more beautiful introduction than our tour of the Botanic Gardens. Singapore Botanic Gardens are known for their orchids and in 1957 the country began to name selected orchid hybrids after State Visitors to foster closer ties between nations. As an avid gardener, I am honored that they chose to name a deep purple Dendrobium orchid the “Joe and Jill Biden” during our visit today. We’ll bring some “Joe and Jill Biden” orchids back to DC to display at the Vice President’s Residence. After leaving the...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 30 JULY 26, 2013

    07/26/2013 12:53:13 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 133 replies
    Free Republic | 7/26/2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Korea losing 'kimchi sovereignty' to China

    07/22/2013 8:44:16 PM PDT · by TexGrill · 13 replies
    Korea Times ^ | 07/22/2013 | Park Si-soo
    Korea is rapidly losing its “kimchi sovereignty” to China. The country's exports of kimchi to Japan have plunged this year, with China taking up the slack. More alarming is the fact that Beijing has “banned” the import of kimchi from Seoul by radically toughening regulations on imported food. No domestic kimchi maker has sold its product into the Chinese market so far this year, according to the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation (aT). Japan is the biggest buyer of Korean kimchi, followed by the United States and China. Last year alone, the neighboring country’s imports amounted to $84.58 million,...
  • Giant "Corpse Flower" With Odor Of Rotting Flesh Blooms Next Door To US Capitol

    07/22/2013 5:43:12 AM PDT · by Biggirl · 23 replies
    The Washington Post ^ | July 22, 2013l | Associated Press
    WASHINGTON — The long wait is finally over for visitors who have been yearning for a whiff of a giant flower that smells oddly like rotting flesh.
  • Giant ‘corpse flower’ blooms next to US Capitol

    07/21/2013 9:37:03 PM PDT · by Olog-hai · 27 replies
    Associated Press ^ | Jul 21, 2013 10:53 PM EDT | Brett Zongker
    The long wait is finally over for visitors who have been yearning for a whiff of a giant flower that smells oddly like rotting flesh. The giant rainforest plant known as a “corpse flower” for its terrible smell began blooming Sunday afternoon at the U.S. Botanic Garden next to the Capitol. Experts had been anticipating its bloom for more than a week and have extended the garden’s hours for visitors. …
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 29 JULY 19, 2013

    07/19/2013 12:45:12 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 308 replies
    Free Republic | 7/19/2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Honda builds a 130 mph lawn mower

    07/18/2013 5:23:29 PM PDT · by RoosterRedux · 58 replies
    FoxNews.com ^ | 7/18/2013
    <p>Honda, in conjunction with Top Gear magazine and racing outfit Team Dynamics, has built a high performance ride-on lawn mower capable of reaching speeds up to 130 mph.</p> <p>And, yes, it can still cut the grass.</p> <p>The so-called Mean Mower started out as a production Honda HF2620 Lawn Tractor before the team replaced its stock 20 hp motor with the 109 hp 1,000 cc V-twin from a Honda VTR1000 Firestorm sport bike along with its six-speed transmission and reengineered the suspension to handle a set of ATV wheels and tires.</p>
  • Hot weather: No plans to impose a hosepipe ban

    07/16/2013 6:09:41 AM PDT · by don-o · 12 replies
    BBC ^ | July 16, 2013
    There are no plans to impose a hosepipe ban despite the heatwave affecting much of the UK, the BBC has been told. Water UK, which represents all major water companies, said there was no need to panic as reservoir levels were where they should be. Many parts of the country are looking parched after more than a week of hot weather, and the situation is set to continue for another week. Meanwhile, commuters have been facing more disruption because of the heat. Train services in and out of London's Waterloo station are back to normal after severe delays on Monday...
  • Dig up the garden

    07/13/2013 9:32:01 AM PDT · by BwanaNdege · 17 replies
    Facebook | unknown | unknown
    An old man lived alone in West Virginia. He wanted to spade his potato garden but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his predicament. "Dear Bubba, I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love,...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 28 JULY 12, 2013

    07/12/2013 1:19:48 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 319 replies
    Free Republic | July 12, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • America Found & Lost

    07/10/2013 5:13:01 AM PDT · by afraidfortherepublic · 18 replies
    The National Geographic ^ | 2007 | Charles C. Mann
    The English colonists who landed at Jamestown 400 years ago undermined an ecosystem and changed the continent forever. It is just possible that John Rolfe was responsible for the worms—specifically the common night crawler and the red marsh worm, creatures that did not exist in the Americas before Columbus. Rolfe was a colonist in Jamestown, Virginia, the first successful English colony in North America. Most people know him today, if they know him at all, as the man who married Pocahontas. A few history buffs understand that Rolfe was one of the primary forces behind Jamestown's eventual success. The worms...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 27 JULY 2, 2013

    07/05/2013 1:06:42 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 151 replies
    Free Republic | July 2, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Thousands Flock to Train Lady's Massive Train Garden

    07/03/2013 11:20:02 AM PDT · by Shery · 11 replies
    The Daily Mail ^ | 07.02.2013 | Daily Mail Reporter
    Elaine Silets is a train lover like no other. Not only did she make a career out of building model train displays but her expansive estate is an homage to the locomotive. And over the weekend, Silets did something she does but once per year: she opened up her gardens to the public and something like 6,000 curious train lovers descended on her home. With10 acres of gardens, waterfalls, lakes, trestles, bridges, and replica towns and pastoral scenes, her Glorée & Tryumfant Garden Railway in North Barrington, Illinois, it’s no wonder they call her the Train Lady. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2354273/Thousands-flock-tour-Train-Ladys-massive-model-train-filled-estate-garden.html#ixzz2Y0XtGBOq
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 26 JUNE 28, 2013

    06/28/2013 1:01:56 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 236 replies
    Free Republic | June 28, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Plants 'do maths' to control overnight food supplies

    06/26/2013 8:27:44 PM PDT · by SeekAndFind · 18 replies
    BBC News ^ | 06/26/2013 | Helen Briggs
    Plants have a built-in capacity to do maths, which helps them regulate food reserves at night, research suggests. UK scientists say they were "amazed" to find an example of such a sophisticated arithmetic calculation in biology. Mathematical models show that the amount of starch consumed overnight is calculated by division in a process involving leaf chemicals, a John Innes Centre team reports in e-Life journal. Birds may use similar methods to preserve fat levels during migration. The scientists studied the plant Arabidopsis, which is regarded as a model plant for experiments. 'Astonished' Overnight, when the plant cannot use energy from...
  • Man, 92, in strawberry fields for 87th year

    06/25/2013 6:42:49 AM PDT · by FlJoePa · 10 replies
    Sun Gazette ^ | 6-25-13 | Savannah Dempsey
    LINDEN - Elmer Weigle claims he's not as quick as he used to be. However, the 92-year-old Linden man still picks strawberries with a speed that can be admired. Since the season began a couple of weeks ago, Weigle has spent every morning picking strawberries at Berried Treasures in Linden. Weigle is a humble man who doesn't like to brag. "I will say that I don't know anybody who can beat me," he said, after much coaxing. "But Mother Nature takes a toll on you as you get older, it starts to slow you down." 92-year-old Elmer Weigle, of Linden,...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 25 JUNE 21, 2013

    06/21/2013 12:40:17 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 227 replies
    Free Republic | June 21, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Florida Man Left Beaten, Robbed and Nude During First Date: Deputies

    06/18/2013 1:17:10 PM PDT · by nickcarraway · 70 replies
    NBC Miami ^ | Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013
    <p>Shaun Paul Williams, 34, was found by deputies as he was walking on the side of the roadway nude and disoriented, the sheriff’s report said.</p> <p>A North Florida man is recovering after being beaten, robbed, forced to strip naked and abandoned during his first date with “Tree,” a woman he had recently met at a convenience store, according to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.</p>
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 24 JUNE 14, 2013

    06/14/2013 12:44:34 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 342 replies
    f | June 14, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Organic growers lose decision in suit vs. Monsanto over seeds

    06/10/2013 8:04:34 PM PDT · by Theoria · 31 replies
    Reuters ^ | 10 June 2013 | Carey Gillam
    Monsanto Co. on Monday won another round in a legal battle with U.S. organic growers as an appeals court threw out the growers' efforts to stop the company from suing farmers if traces of its patented biotech genes are found in crops. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a previous ruling that found organic growers had no reason to try to block Monsanto from suing them as the company had pledged it would not take them to court if biotech crops accidentally mix in with organics. Organic farmers and others have worried for years that they...
  • Quality Garden Tools - Sources?

    06/10/2013 1:23:55 PM PDT · by fwdude · 42 replies
    Self | 06/10/13 | fwdude
    I'm needing some recommendations for brands, lines, suppliers of quality garden tools - spades, forks, hoes, etc. Not the flimsy cr@p that's sold at the big box garden and hardware centers (I bend/break those in no time flat), but quality stuff to last a lifetime. I've read enough times to be believable that footing the bill up front for quality tools is more cost effective in the long run. I have heavy clay soil that turns to concrete in our Texas summers, so please be aware that I am talking about REAL QUALITY, INDUSTRIAL STRENGTH tools.
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 23 JUNE 7, 2013

    06/07/2013 1:13:59 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 174 replies
    Free Republic | June 7, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 22 MAY 31, 2013

    05/31/2013 12:45:59 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 165 replies
    Free Republic | May 31, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Morels

    05/30/2013 3:56:55 PM PDT · by oldsaw · 13 replies
    5/30/2013 | oldsaw
    i know it is late for most of you, but I was curious how your mushroom season was this year. Here in Minnesota I have had a banner year.
  • Pests, Be Gone! 10 Natural Ways to Make Your Home Critter-Free

    05/29/2013 10:36:07 AM PDT · by Kartographer · 78 replies
    Yahoo News ^ | 5/29/13 | Jennifer Noonan
    Cats love catnip. Mosquitoes? Not so much. According to Science Daily, catnip repels mosquitoes more effectively than DEET. Grow it in your garden or apply undiluted catnip oil to the skin for up to two hours of protection.
  • Centuries-old frozen plants revived

    05/29/2013 7:02:58 AM PDT · by JoeProBono · 18 replies
    bbc ^ | 27 May 2013
    Plants that were frozen during the "Little Ice Age" centuries ago have been observed sprouting new growth, scientists say. Samples of 400-year-old plants known as bryophytes have flourished under laboratory conditions. Researchers say this back-from-the-dead trick has implications for how ecosystems recover from the planet's cyclic long periods of ice coverage. The findings appear in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They come from a group from the University of Alberta, who were exploring an area around the Teardrop Glacier, high in the Canadian Arctic. The glaciers in the region have been receding at rates that have sharply accelerated...
  • Am I Turning Liberal, RINO, or what (Vanity)

    05/28/2013 5:46:53 AM PDT · by 2nd Amendment · 102 replies
    5/28/13 | Steve Roden
    I need help from the Freeper Community. My entire bean garden was wiped out by a cottontail rabbit this weekend. The rabbit can be seen in my backyard mocking me with her twitching nose. I have been an avid hunter and have killed myriads of game before but I am having difficulty (with my wife's advice) from sending this Obama rabbit to the great carrot garden in the sky. My question is thus: Is my hesitancy in expediting this rabbit a sign of liberal or worse RINO behavior? Am I caving in to the zeitgeist of the times by not...
  • Question about wheat berries- food storage

    05/24/2013 4:17:05 PM PDT · by daniel1212 · 14 replies
    Daniel1212 | 5-24-13 | Daniel1212
    After 20 years in the same place, we have to move (by the end of June) as the landlady wants to move and has sold the place. In 20 years you tend to collect things, one of which is about a 200lb or more food storage drum of hard wheat berries. They were given to us from some good hearted Christians who were taken in by the Y2K scare - thus the wheat is 13 years old. It was sealed using the dry ice method, and it appears the drum is still sealed well, as it is quite concave. They...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 21, 2013

    05/24/2013 3:09:29 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 190 replies
    Free Republic | May 24, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Collegian, 21, Is Rescued Off Mountain After Getting High On Mushrooms, Stripping Off Her Clothes

    05/22/2013 9:41:56 AM PDT · by servo1969 · 57 replies
    The Smoking Gun ^ | 5-20-2013 | TSG
    Meet Taylor Powers. The college student, 21, had to be rescued yesterday afternoon off a Colorado mountain after she ingested mushrooms, stripped off her clothes, and scuffled with two classmates with whom she had been hiking. After receiving a 911 call that a female hiker was “high on mushrooms and in distress,” Boulder County Sheriff’s Office deputies and other assorted rescue personnel (35 in total) responded to Chautauqua Park. Powers, seen above, was located by a park ranger who discovered that the University of Colorado undergrad had “removed all of her clothing and was being restrained” by two male companions....
  • Danish teenager makes rare Viking-era find with metal detector

    05/17/2013 4:30:09 PM PDT · by Doogle · 26 replies
    FOX NEWS ^ | 05/16/13 | AP via FOX
    COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Danish museum officials say that an archaeological dig last year has revealed 365 items from the Viking era, including 60 rare coins. Danish National Museum spokesman Jens Christian Moesgaard says the coins have a distinctive cross motif attributed to Norse King Harald Bluetooth, who is believed to have brought Christianity to Norway and Denmark. Sixteen-year-old Michael Stokbro Larsen found the coins and other items with a metal detector in a field in northern Denmark.
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 15 MAY 17. 2013

    05/17/2013 1:01:42 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 261 replies
    Free Republic | May 17, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Farming on Mars: NASA ponders food supply for 2030s mission

    05/16/2013 10:15:24 AM PDT · by BenLurkin · 25 replies
    Space.com via CBS ^ | May 15, 2013, 10:30 AM | Clara Moskowitz /
    The first humans to live on Mars might not identify as astronauts, but farmers. To establish a sustainable settlement on Earth's solar system neighbor, space travelers will have to learn how to grow food on Mars -- a job that could turn out to be one of the most vital, challenging and labor-intensive tasks at hand, experts say. "One of the things that every gardener on the planet will know is producing food is hard -- it is a non-trivial thing," Penelope Boston, director of the Cave and Karst Studies program at New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, said...
  • How Plant a Garden on Mars — With a Robot

    05/14/2013 6:32:36 PM PDT · by BenLurkin · 52 replies
    universetoday.com ^ | May 14, 2013 | Nancy Atkinson on
    Mars in particular is a key target for future human planetary adventures even though on the face of it, it seems so hostile to human life. In fact Mars actually has the most clement environment of any planet in the Solar System outside of Earth and is known to have all of the resources necessary in some accessible form, to sustain life on the surface. So how might we survive on Mars? The crucial things for humans on Mars are the availability of oxygen, shelter, food and water, and not just endless consumables delivered to the planet from Earth. For...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD MAY 10, 2013

    05/10/2013 2:41:33 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 168 replies
    Free Republic | 5/10/2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Cicada Swarm 2013: A Pictorial Guide To The Bug Plague

    All around the Northeast -- from Pennsylvania to Maryland to Connecticut -- billions of cicadas are starting to emerge from the ground after 17 years of underground adolescence mostly spent feeding on the fluid inside tree roots. While this emergence is the biggest in the Northeastern U.S. in a long while, the Southern states have had recent visits too. There are about 15 distinct broods of cicadas that emerge regularly in the U.S. In 2011, the Great Southern Brood popped up across the American Southeast.
  • Five Days Below the Poverty Line

    05/09/2013 1:00:07 PM PDT · by wbill · 26 replies
    Yahoo Finance, reuters ^ | Dan Wilchins | Dan Wilchins
    My wife Becky and I experimented with radically cutting our food costs last week as part of a fundraising campaign created by a hunger charity. Under the "Live Below The Line" campaign sponsored by the Global Poverty Project, an Australian charity, for five days we spent $1.50 per person per day on food, which is the extreme poverty line globally, according to the World Bank. Living in New York, we typically spend about $140 a week on groceries for our family of four. What drew me to the campaign was seeing if we could shrink that amount drastically. It was...
  • 105-Year-Old Texas Woman Reveals Bacon as her Secret behind Long Life

    05/08/2013 10:39:20 AM PDT · by Red Badger · 12 replies
    www.scienceworldreport.com ^ | 05-08-13 | Staff
    A 105-year-old Texas woman has earned a place in almost all headlines by revealing the most unlikely secret to her long life. Strangely, her key to longevity is bacon. Yes, you read it right; 105-year-old Pearl Cantrell loves to eat bacon and feasts on it almost every day. Her story, for sure, will be a subject of research for most health scientists. Pearl Cantrell, who's mostly referred to as the '105-year-old bacon woman', said in an interview with a local NBC station, "I love bacon and I eat it everyday. I don't feel as old as I am, that's all...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 18 MAY 3, 2013

    05/03/2013 1:37:50 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 205 replies
    Free Republic | May 3, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 17 APRIL 26, 2013

    04/26/2013 12:37:55 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 193 replies
    Free Republic | April 26, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • 72,000 Ladybugs Released Inside Mall of America On Earth Day In Place Of Pesticides

    What sounds like an April Fools’ Day prank was actually intentional -- the Mall of America celebrated Earth Day on Monday by voluntarily releasing 72,000 ladybugs into its indoor shopping facility. The ladybugs were released in the Minneapolis mall in an effort to protect the large amounts of the mall's greenery, which are usually plagued by aphids. Mall of America Senior Manager of Environmental Services Lydell Newby told Kare 11 that the bugs take the place of commonly used pesticides to control pests that would otherwise eat away at the mall's tropical plants.
  • WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 16, APRIL 19, 2013

    04/19/2013 1:07:02 PM PDT · by greeneyes · 220 replies
    Free Republic | April 19, 2013 | greeneyes
    The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you. This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and...
  • Academic unearths new lead to fabled Babylon gardens

    04/18/2013 5:03:00 AM PDT · by Renfield · 6 replies
    The National (United Arab Emirates) ^ | 4-9-2013 | John Henzell
    Ever since the peak of the Hellenic empire, visiting the seven wonders of the ancient world has been the way to pay homage to the early achievements of human civilisation. But there was one catch for those who wanted to see them all. The farthest one from Athens, the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon, in what is now central Iraq, existed in reports but its exact location had never been definitively proven. Of the other six, the pyramids of Giza remain relatively intact and there are ruins or at least traces of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the statue...
  • Slot Together Pyramid Garden Planter

    04/12/2013 3:21:07 PM PDT · by Kartographer · 33 replies
    instructables.com ^ | 4/12/13 | Gareth0123
    I have been busy with my Pallet Dismantling bar again, and this time I have made slot together pyramid garden planter from the reclaimed Pallet timbers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipQLy-0Pfag This planter took me approximately 90 minutes to make: The design is simple, and so is the required level of woodworking skill, the only tools required are a square, pencil, electric/cordless drill and suitable spade end drill bit, and a tenon saw; although a chisel and some sand paper would be useful for tidying up the slip joints. I cut down some 2.4 metre long pallet deck planks that were 9 cm wide...