Free Republic

Controversial Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez left millions of Americans scratching their heads this week; saying she was “shook” and stunned by her own garden and declaring “food that comes out of the dirt” is “like magic.” “Look! Oh my god, look at this! I am shook. Honestly, gardening, food that comes out of dirt, it’s like magic. The tomatoes died though… This is so exciting!” said Ocasio-Cortez in her video.

Fertilizer. What is it? How does it work? Is it safe to use? What's the difference between Organic and Synthetic fertilizer? Watch the video: https://youtu.be/IeMvR4tmMJ8

A skunk may be after my flowers. I used to have a flower garden in my backyard. A few years ago I decided to move my flowers to the front yard so my neighbors could enjoy them. I found that I could keep some them blooming in the winter by surrounding them with water in containers and covering them with transparent tarps. On warm days I uncover them so can enjoy the ones that are still green or even blooming. They often begin growing again in early March so they are doing well by the end of April. A week...

I used to have a flower garden in my backyard. A few years ago I decided to move my flowers to the front yard so my neighbors could enjoy them. I found that I could keep some them blooming in the winter by surrounding them with water in containers and covering them with transparent tarps. On warm days I uncover them so can enjoy the ones that are still green or even blooming. They often begin growing again in early March so they are doing well by the end of April. A week before Christmas I got a letter from...

A look at chillies from across India and the world, the hot and the not-so-hot One of the distinctive qualities of Indian food is its “hotness”. From Manipur to Bijapur to Bilaspur, across India, you’ll find foods that are spicy in varying degrees. Several culinary dishes have chilli in them in some form or the other. In a number of Indian homes and restaurants, it is customary to serve raw or semi-fried green chillies as an accompaniment to the main course. Steaming hot curries, thick sambars with a variety of vegetables, different kinds of bhaaths (rice dishes), mutton rassas, onion...

PLANT IDENTIFICATION REQUEST: -------------------------------------- My guess is this is some type of blue lavender. Smells nice but I can't be sure of the exact type. I have to buy one or two and plant them for a relative who is in hospital and doesn't know what the landscaper put in there. Another similar plant I looked up is lavender, but that is purple and smaller, while this grows about 60% larger and is blue, not purple. I included a photo featuring a Home Depot bucket included in the shot to provide a general sense of size of the plant. What...

We were trying to count the people standing in a breadline when William Contreras arrived. The line was forming outside of a bakery in the Caracas run-down neighborhood of Catia, about 20 people long with a half dozen more sprinting past me and our photographer, Cristian Hernández. It was a perfect illustration of the desperate situation of a country that was, a few years ago, boasting of its oil-funded socialist prosperity. Contreras was our government minder, a bulky 50-year-old alderman with salt-and-pepper hair. When he pulled up to us, he seemed oblivious to the snaking line.

The mystery of why supermarket tomatoes smell delicious but taste watery and bland has been explained by scientists. Tomatoes gain their flavour from a combination of sugars, acids and aromas, but a new study has examined exactly how different elements influence their taste.

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. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no...

Jamie Oliver is urging U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to take a greater stand for better food. While speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday, the 41-year-old celebrity chef expressed his concern for the fate of First Lady Michelle Obama’s beloved White House vegetable garden once Trump takes term on Friday. “There’s a symbolic visual,” Oliver said during the discussion. “If you cut down that garden then you’re cutting down hope. And he ain’t going to do that, whether he believes in it or not.” “I think when you know the basics of growing and cooking, I...

First lady Michelle Obama is making sure that whoever inhabits the White House next doesn’t rip out her iconic vegetable garden — at least not without a big fuss. Obama Wednesday afternoon unveiled a much bigger version of the garden that uses cement, stone and steel to make it a more permanent fixture on the South Lawn. The updates are seen not just as preserving Obama’s garden — recognized globally as a symbol of local food — but also as a way to dissuade, say, a President Donald Trump from scrapping it the way Ronald Reagan tore out Jimmy...

We had high winds here last night and this morning three of my large papaya plants were laying flat on the ground. I chopped the stems and put the leaves into compost but I now have 150 - 200 pounds of papaya that are to green to ripen indoors. Does anyone have a favorite recipe that would use these or do they just get thrown out (BTW I am allergic to Papaya, I grow them for the wife, and grandkids)

Being a groundskeeper in a garden of a historic castle doesn’t typically fall under the world’s most dangerous jobs category… except when it comes to England’s Alnwick Castle. The country’s least populated county is home to a collection of some of the world’s most deadly greenery. The property hosts a garden dedicated solely to plants with the power to kill you in a matter of minutes. According to the Alnwick Castle website, the garden was founded in 2005 by the Duchess of Northumberland with the mission of bringing awareness to the lethal dangers of harmful and illegal drugs. The intoxicating...

Turning your cottage into the ultimate weekend getaway has never been more simple thanks to Adam Holman, as he drums up some easy, quirky and fun DIY projects that you can do next time you’re at the cottage.

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. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no...

Since it made its debut in April 2007, the publication has hewed to its own course, focusing on everything Southern from ham biscuits to bird-dog trainers... it remains tightly focused on food, drink, the land, travel, and the sporting life, including bird hunting and shotguns. Roughly 72% of subscribers live in the Southeast or Southwest... “Our audiences are very different,” said Sid Evans, the former editor-in-chief of Garden & Gun who now edits Southern Living. He noted that more than 90% of Southern Living’s subscribers are female. Women account for about 47% of Garden & Gun’s subscribers.... At a time...

The most important factor in determining when to plant a certain type of vegetable in your garden is the “Last Freeze Date” in the spring for your area...

Tomatoes - A complete planting guide including state specific planting dates and varieties, tips for soil preparation, planting, watering,fertilizing, insect and weed control...

Yesterday Governor Mike Pence of Indiana signed into law the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The action has drawn sharp criticism by people and politicians who directly oppose religious freedoms and by those who are simply unaware of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, the federal model for Indiana’s new law. Here is what you should know about these types of religious freedom legislation: What is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act? The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is a 1993 United States federal law aimed at preventing laws that substantially burden a person's free exercise of religion. The legislation was introduced...

Pieces of old gates, rusty chains, scrap metal scattered, which together have the form of Jesus, hung on the cross, is what has made a young Argentinean artist, Alejandro Marmo, friend of Francis, also referred to as "the artist of the Pope". "Christ worker", is the name of the work that a few days ago a good impression in the heart of the Vatican Gardens. The irons used for its development are all from a local Pontifical Farms in Castel Gandolfo where these irons and gates abandoned, scraps of yesteryear, were herded.