Photos of How to Make the Best of Small Spaces

The WOMANS DAY had an interesting slideshow on how to use small spaces for gardening. Everyone can have a garden full of safe delicious food. Look it's easy. Go here..  http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Shelter/Gardening/How-to-Maximize-Small-Garden-Spaces.html
Photo by Mat_the_W

PERMACULTURE WATER HARVESTING

How Big Is The Giant Palouse Earthworm? UPDATED 4/30/10

Well, the giant Palouse Earthworm, Driloleirus americanus, meaning lily-like worm is really big! It can be over 3 feet long, is albino-white in color and reported to smell like a lily...it was last reported to be last seen in 2005 in Washington State, in the Palouse region in Eastern Washington. It has also been seen in Idaho , and was discovered in 1897.

   This Giant Palouse Earthworm was thought to be extinct, with only 4 sightenings in the last 30 years, but burrows down deep ...down to 15 feet, and can withstand the summer heat by its burrowing ...then conserving it's body's water. It was reported to be commonly seen in the Palouse grassy lands in the 1880's.

Photo from http://www.palouseprairie.org/invertebrates/palouseworm.html
JA ROSE-BARTLETT, 'WORM GUYS'  http://www.wormguys.com/
UPDATED 4/30/10.... TWO giant Palouse Earthworms were found yesterday in Idaho.  Here's a link to the story, reported in Science News...     http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2010/04/29/Researchers-find-rare-giant-western-worm/UPI-82771272572467/

Survival Gardening Video

Weighing Your Garden Harvest By Abigail Haddock

How much is your garden worth and how many pounds of food does it bring into your household? Read Abigail Haddock's post here..  http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2913710/weighing_your_garden_harvest.html?cat=32

Photo by reynolds.james.e

Diners in the basement: Restaurant feeds worms too | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Diners in the basement: Restaurant feeds worms too The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment

Gardening Tips With Willie Nelson

Making Your Own Seed Tapes And Using Them

Here's some helpful garden information. Creating your own seed tapes.

First, What is a 'seed tape'? Well, seed tapes are used to easily plant those tiny seeds in your garden. You know like carrots etc...I guess, you can make tapes for any seed you choose, but, tapes work especially well for any tiny seeds that you need to plant.

What you'll need:

Paper Towels

Spray Bottle

Water

Twissers to pick up seeds

Package of seeds

OK ...cut your paper towel into about 2 inch strips. Spray a strip with water. In the center of the toweling  place one or two seeds at the recommended spacing that's stated on your seed packet. Fold over both sides of toweling, one side over the other enclosing your seeds. Re-spray the towel strip with water, the water will hold the newly formed seed tape together. Then, when planting  your seed tape put at the recommended depth stated on the seed pkg,....and put the non-folded side up...the germinating seeds will only have to go through a single layer of towel. It's easy and cuts down on the time needed spacing those new tiny plants and perhaps damaging them. The paper towel tapes turn into mulch and are good for your soil , worms like them too. So, there's no need to worry about them.

Hope this is helpful.

JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'  http://www.wormguys.com/

Photo by rick

Homemade Garden Watering System

Vegetables That Come Up EVERY Year...By THEMSELVES...Yeah!

I've been checking...there are some veggies that take care of themselves...you don't have to re-plant each spring. Fruit trees are so wonderful for that very reason..after they're established they give wonderful fruit year after year with only a small amount of effort

These veggies below are called PERENNIAL VEGETABLES...What a good idea! Keep them coming.

Here are some of these vegetables and how to take care of them.

RHURBARB--Well-drained soil, partial shade ok..great pies, sauces, cobblars, desserts. To get more rhurbarb plants I transplant a section of the roots in Feb-March.

KALE AND CHALLARD GREENS--Some varieties. They grow in a types of climates and soils...very versitile and delicious. Steam or boil for greens, delicious during the winter months. I use in salads too.

ASPARAGUS--Best in full sun, sandy soil. Stir fry or steam...great grilled on the BBQ.

BUNCHING ONIONS--Varities that grow in bunches or clumps and multiply on there own. They tend to be small, pink in color. Hardy in cold climates. Great for pickling, salads too. Really, I use them in beans, pasta, casseroles...so many things.

HORSERADISH--The root will grow every year if not dug up when harvesting what you need each year. All types of soils and conditions. To use cut root into small pieces, grind, add salt and white vinegar. Keep in the refridge...love it with beef, chicken, meats etc.

GARLIC--Steve just keeps a bulb or two in the ground over winter.  Cold weather not a problem. In spring, he separates the cloves and plant. We always have garlic. On breads, in stews, tomato sauces, etc....you know..garlic.

BAMBOO SHOOTS--Some varities are edible. Check them out.

JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'   http://www.wormguys.com/

Photo by net_efekt

Pretty Hands And No Gloves?-----Garden Hand Care Recipes

OK, do you love to garden but don't use garden gloves? What about your hands? Here's some easy recipes for natural hand scrubs, cleaners or stain removers. Because even when you use gloves dirt seems to find your hands anyway.

 Some natural ideas using things found in your home. A old toothbrush works well for scubbing fingernails. Got these great ideas from TIPNUT. Go here...   http://tipnut.com/gardeners-hands/ 

Photo by chaps1
Recipes from TIPNUT. 

 NATURAL HAND SCRUB

2 TABLESPOONS Vegetable Oil
3 TABLESPOONS Sugar
Mix,  gently rub into hands, rinse off after a few minutes.
--------------------------------
 HAND STAIN REMOVAL PASTE

1/2 CUP Oatmeal
ADD enough Milk to form a paste
Rub into stains and rinse off.

MORE HAND STAIN REMOVERING INGREDIENTS

Baking Soda
Salt
Sugar
Cornmeal

Mix any of these with water or milk, rub into to hands and then rinse.
-----------------------------------
HEAVY DUTY STAIN REMOVER

Disolve a denture tablet into water...soak hands and rinse.
-----------------------------------------
BERRY OR FRUIT STAINS

Soak hands in some vinegar.
or use a few drops of lemon juice...rub into hands and rinse
---------------------------------------

For GRASS STAINS

Dip hands into hydrogen Peroxide and rinse after a few minutes.
-----------------------------------------

HAND CLEANER AND SOFTENER

Use your regular soap, add about 1/2 teaspoon of moisened sugar... make up a good lather..wash and rinse. Makes hands soft too
---------------------------------------------
Hope all of these ideas help keep your hands clean. Jan
JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS' http://www.wormguys.com/

Gardening Is Not For Sissies??...

Come on now...gardening is SO worth it...eating ' pretty store-bought dead cardboard' food is NOT for sissies. I found this article from  PENNLIVE.COM and it has some very good tips for lifting and turning correctly, being careful on  ladders etc. , great things to know and I wanted to give everyone the link. So, go here..  http://blog.pennlive.com/life/2010/04/gardening_is_not_for_sissies_t.html

   BUT, eating your own safe delicious veggies is so worth it...yumm..your home grown veggies always taste  like real food because it IS real food and your body will get some real nutrition from it too. Putting harsh chemicals/fertilizers on your plants and poisoning your body, when you eat those plants IS dangerous! It's easy to learn to grow healthy plants without using the harsh stuff. Let's do it. JA ROSE-BARTLETT ;WORM GUYS' http://www.wormguys.com/

Photo by ell brown

Homemade Drip Irrigation System

  YOUGROWGIRL has this great information on building a homemade drip irrigation system. From this site, "One of the best ways to provide a steady water supply to your plants without your constant attention is the gradual watering system or drip irrigation. Through this method a device is employed that slowly delivers water into the soil directly around the roots. Commercial watering spikes can be purchased from you local garden centre however, using recycled materials you can make your own drip irrigation system for free. "Click here for instructions.---

http://www.yougrowgirl.com/garden/dripsystem.php
Photo by canarsiebk

Save Your Rain Water For Gardening

We use our rainwater for gardening. By getting a few rain barrels under eves or your rain gutters spouts, you can really save on watering your plants. Here's a place to buy beautiful custom rain barrels for your home and garden. 

 This is a great idea! Save Rain Water for gardening etc. Go to this web site to learn more. http://www.rainbarrelman.com/ .Got this photo from the site.

Life Without Onions?...NO WAY

This week end, we noticed that a 50 lb. bag of plain dried yellow onions that we use to buy for under $7.00 at the grocery outlet store 2 years ago, was now selling for over $30.00 at the same store! Well, that got our attention because we use onions ALL the time...everyday in fact. Onions are so wonderful with all types of beans, in soups, eggs, rice, and pasta dishes. etc...just think about it. We're eating more of these easy on our pocketbook foods now...as living costs rise and wages don't seem to be. 'What would we do without onions?'

I looked today online for yellow onion seeds or sets for our garden, we want heirloom onions too for saving for next year...most places were 'out-of-stock'...'WHAT?' Well, It is spring and some places were closed on Mondays. BUT, I love onions and garlic in my cooking and 'could not imagine' life without onions...cool. So, kept looking.

If you love onions or need more garden seeds etc. TERRORITAL SEEDS in Oregon have done a fine job for us before and have onions still..Go here if you need garden seeds. http://www.territorialseed.com/ Jan
Photo by iLoveButter
JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'   http://www.wormguys.com/

Top Secret Gardening ...Ways to Feed Yourself for Less

A couple of  our top secret ideas for our garden this year..

1. Plant our vegtables in a hay bale. That's a bale of hay or straw. Why not? Hay or straw are both great for mulch and will decompose next winter into excellent mulch that will help your 'normal' garden and make a home for worms, hay is affordable. I know hay or straw holds moisture, putting newspapers under the bales may help with less watering and newspapers will turn into great mulch [Steve and I like using cardboard...usually contain less ink than newspapers and worms seem to just love cardboard and move into your garden and help with your garden]....hopefully....less watering too. We'll see this growing season and know more next fall.

2.  Another new idea that I like is from Kim Wood .. and  we will use this year...using wire fencing in the garden. By that I mean , a a roll of welded wire.  cut into several lengths  and  3-foot widths, they are placed as a dome over each garden bed after they are planted. This prevents kids, pets etc. from walking on small delicate new plants. The wire also acts as a support for plastic if weather turns cold unexpectly in the spring.

    And,all the plants that spread out in a garden,  Kim uses a welded-wire cage, around a compost pile of dried leaves, horse manure  and other organic material, the wire fence pieces are held together with zip ties. DO NOT plant your garden/plants in the compost inside this wire cage that's been created. The compost will get too hot and damage plants. But, plant your veggies etc. along the outside of the wire fence, the plants can be tied to the fencing if needing support during the growing months so the vegetables are off the ground.   Water  only the inside of wire cage by hand by pouring a bucket of water in side this compost cage or use a hand held hose to water inside the compost, and let the water run out into the plants, this slowly fertilizes the plants.  I think this is a great idea,  and I will be trying it this year, I will be be careful and watch the compost pile for heat and use aged manure only.

Kim Wood's  favorite book on this subject is “Tips for the Lazy Gardener” by Linda Tiglner, which I will find and read right away.

For Kim Wood..go here.. KIM WOOD's Site

Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'  http://www.wormguys.com/

Window Farm Video

Worms Say..'Be Careful How You Till'

    Dennis Linden,  at U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service soil lab in St. Paul, Minn., discovered this about worms...'When worms find a good eating hole...they tend to return again and again.'...Kind of like us. when we you go to the same favorite eating spot over and over. Worms are sign of healthy soil. They loosen the soil, create pathways for plant roots, drain and aerate the soil and spread organic mulch around your garden.
     When worms find a good food source they remember the location and keep coming back for more..Worms eat organic matter...leaves, old vegetables, fruits etc.,... now if you till your soil and till this 'worm food' deeper than 6 inches, worm tunnels will tend to be horizonal and when the worms look for their meals, they create horizonal holes. BUT, if you keep this mulch--organic matter closer to the surface, the worm tunnels or burrows will tend to be vertical instead of horizonal. This is much better for your garden's health.. Your garden's soil will have better air and water penetration, helping with removal of chemical toxins. Vertical tunnels also encourage more beneficial microbes growth, these microbes break down pesticides and fertilizers.
Let's keep our earthworms happy and  have them coming back for seconds. They will remember our gardens and return year after year.
JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS' http://www.wormguys.com/
Photo by [177]

Water Features To Accent The Home Garden

Running or quiet still water features add a great deal to your gardens, they can provide lots benefits. In addition to the natural beauty of  the water, a water source is important for the well-being of beneficial insects, birds, wildlife , plants, trees and shrubs and give your family a calming 'oasis' to unwind, relax and focus.

I believe an artistic, beautiful calming water focal point in your garden is well worth the time and expense in creating one, and the peace of mind they give is priceless. Adding lighting and music to the water are  are just two creative ways to make your garden very unique and special to you...who would want to live indoors with this beauty at your doorstep? Really, it extends the living area of your home. We find that we spend more time in our 'special' space and in the warm weather months than ever before...in warm weather that's where you will find us.

Think about creating your own unique 'water space' in your garden too.

JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'Worm Guys'  http://www.wormguys.com/

Photo by pvera

So, What Do Composting Worms Really Want?

Well, have you ever asked yourself...'What do composting worms really want?'  I didn't think so, I hadn't either... until I started learning about these wonderful creatures and all they do for us. And, we started raising them for our garden.

   I'll give you my answer first. The Answer: Composting worms want to COMPOST, of course. So, how do they do that and how can we help?

1. Give worms a home...Welcome them into your life. See them as helpful creatures, which they are...don't go running off into the night after seeing a worm.  Teach your children how they safely turn kitchen wastes into valuable rich soil, so,we can all raise safe healthy food, taking care of ourselves without putting  harsh chemicals in our gardens or our bodies. Our children will  keep this with them and pass it on to their kids too.

2.  Raise some worms. Yes, this is fun and easy. Just get some worms.  Where? Worms can be found online and can be shipped right to your home. That's easy. Some composting worms are named Red Wigglers or Red Worms...there are about 900 to 1000 Red Wigglers per pound..they are small, but eat lots of kitchen wastes and make great castings or soil for our plants. Put them in a worm bin [there are several types also found online or most gardening stores, or easily make one yourself with a big plastic or wooden tub].  You can also raise worms indoors or outdoors. You can read more about worms in a book by Mary Applehof called 'Worms Eat Our Garbage'.

   Worm castings are safe for even the most delicate of plants.  Just sprinkle a small amount on the top of the soil around your plants..castings are food for plants. Plants love castings. It is  dark rich crumble sweet  pleasant earth-smelling 'worm poop'. Compost tea can be made with castings too, by mixing water with the castings and pouring this on your plants.  You can more read about this in a book by Dr.Elaine Ingham PhD , called..'The Compost Tea Brewing Manual'.

3. Feed worms your table scraps. That's what they like. Worms like vegetables, peels and scraps, fruit rinds and peels, some coffee grounds. tea bags are fine, things we throw away.  Just don't feed them meat, meat products, milk, milk products or grease...these things will spoil and start to smell up your worm's home and attract flies too.

4. After raising your very own worms.  In no time, you will  see how really easy and fun it is.  How happy your plants are and how much safe and delicious food your garden produces. You'll wonder why we didn't know about how wonderful and safe worms were before now.

I just love worms. JA ROSE-BARTLETT 'WORM GUYS'.  http://www.wormguys.com/
Photo by Comrogues .

So..You Don't Have Room For A Garden...Now What?

So,You do not have a yard to plant a garden, there are veggies and flowers that that grow well in containers: Like.. beets; cabbage; cucumbers; lettuce; lima beans; onions; peppers; radishes; spinach; squash and tomatoes, tulips, grasses and any annual plants.

Go to this site for great info..

http://www.njeffersonnews.com/local/x552029592/Great-gardening-tips-for-beets-and-cabbage

Photo by Maggie Hoffman

How To Care For Blueberries Video

Seed Starting 101

This site has some very informative information about starting your seeds. Go here..  http://kathysgardenandart.blogspot.com/2010/03/seed-starting-101.html
Photo by Swami Stream