Free Republic

There is a lot of snow on the ground in Michigan. When the snow melts, just how much water is in all of the snow on the ground now? The top graphic shows the "snow water equivalent" for the Lower Peninsula. This means the amount of liquid if the snow in a tube was all melted at once. All of the Lower Peninsula has at least one inch of liquid in the snow. Most of the Lower Peninsula has two to six inches of liquid in the form of snow. The heaviest snowfall areas in northwest Lower Michigan have between...

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... that...

If there were awards for such things, an Australian teen would assuredly win the prize for most unique robbery attempt. According to the Queensland Times, police were called to a local 7-Eleven store after reports that a chainsaw-wielding suspect, wearing a flowerpot on his head to disguise his identity, made a memorable attempt to rob the store. Workers at the convenience store say around 4:30 a.m. Monday the suspect, Steven Frank Steele, entered the store and began terrorizing them in an attempt to rob the place. They say Steele "lunged at them" with the chainsaw and then attacked several display...

CONGRATULATIONS AFRAID FOR THE REPUBLIC 55 YEARS OF MARRIED BLISS

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... that...

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... that...

In the first installment of this two part series, we examine the factors that are influencing how individuals, major corporations, and other countries, are rethinking the most basic, yet vital resource of all, water. In part two, we take a detailed look at an increasingly popular alternative to the municipal water system, Rainwater Harvesting...

No matter how the AFC Championship game between Denver and New England turns out, the Broncos playoff run will turn out well for Justin Staley. Why? Staley's an owner of Mile High Medical Cannabis, whose location, at 1705 Federal Boulevard, is only steps away from Mile High Stadium. Last week, plenty of San Diego Chargers fans in town for their match-up stopped by the shop to take advantage of legal recreational pot sales -- something that presumably helped them deal with a 24-17 loss -- and visiting Patriots boosters are following suit. "We had around 225 or so Californians come...

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... that...

You hear the squeals of the pigs long before reaching a set of long buildings set in rolling hills in southern China. Feeding time produces a frenzy as the animals strain against the railings around their pens. But this is no ordinary farm. Run by a fast-growing company called BGI, this facility has become the world's largest centre for the cloning of pigs. The technology involved is not particularly novel - but what is new is the application of mass production. The first shed contains 90 animals in two long rows. They look perfectly normal, as one would expect, but...

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... that...

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Calif. (KGO) -- A rare pest was recently discovered at SFO in a shipment of fresh basil from Mexico. The pest is often referred to as a type of stink bug and poses a major agricultural threat. .. After authorities identified the pest, the entire shipment was refused entry and ordered to be exported from the United States. ...

Should the state of Colorado issue licenses to (for example) long-established farmers instead of retailers for the growing of medical marijuana? Will licensed retailers have the same quality, safety standards (per qrowing of recreational marijuana) that will be monitored by the state of Colorado... As in, will fertilizers used, types used, etc, be kept track of by CO state safety monitors so as to ensure that (for example) no "night soil" is used?

Soil covers only 10% of the earth’s surface, but within this small area, all of the world’s crops are produced. It provides the anchor that allows plants to grow upright and is the primary source of water and nutrients for plants. Scientists have identified over 70,000 varieties of soil in the United States alone...

Who needs fancy water purifiers? Try this easy water treatment technique instead, using nothing more than fruit peels and rubbing alcohol. With more and more eco-conscious people replacing their bottled water intake (and for good reason) with tap water, there is a growing demand for water filtration devices. But you don't need to go out and buy a fancy device to ensure that your tap water is free from pollutants. Researchers with the National University of Singapore have recently discovered a simple do-it-yourself method for filtering water using nothing more than fruit peels and rubbing alcohol, reports Wired. Researcher Ramakrishna...

(CNSNews.com) - Why say it with flowers, when you could send your love a shrub? The Environmental Protection Agency is offering Americans "Tips for February Fun," encouraging them to think outside the flower box on Valentine's Day. On one of the busiest days of the year for florists, the EPA says Americans should consider buying long-lasting silk flowers, potted plants, or live bushes, shrubs, or trees that can be planted in the spring.

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... that...

Today I have an update for you on my hydroponics adventures. The system has been up and running all season (April 20 - November 1) so there is a lot of information to be shared. The system currently includes 12 beds - 4 outdoors and 8 in a greenhouse - for a total surface area of 56 sq.ft (~ 5.5 m2). An in-depth description of the system was published last year on Survivalblog. I made only 1 substantial change since then and that is in the way the polyethylene drain pipes are connected to the beds. The connections need to...

Frank Buckley, Jessica Holmes and Mark Kriski were live from the Tournament of Roses House in Pasadena. They watched in awe as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds rehearsed their Rose Parade flyover with six F-16s soaring in formation along the Colorado Blvd. parade route.

The farm-to-table process in China starts in villages like this one in the agricultural heartland. Food from the fields of Ge Songqing and her neighbors ends up in their kitchens or in the local market, and from there goes to other provinces. The foods are Chinese staples: rice, cabbage, carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes. But the fields are ringed by factories and irrigated with water tainted by industrial waste. Levels of toxic heavy metals in the wastewater here are among the highest in China, and residents fear the soil is similarly contaminated. Though they have no scientific proof, they suspect...