Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/colds-p.htm
Colds: 10 Ways to Stop Spreading Them
1. Wash your hands a lot.
2. Don’t share cups.
3. Use tissues when you blow your nose, then throw them away.
4. Keep your hands away from your eyes, nose and mouth.
5. Use disposable paper towels in the kitchen, not cloth ones.
6. Wash your children’s toys once a week.
7. Cover your mouth with a tissue or your hands when you sneeze.
8. Open your windows when the weather is decent. Consider buying a humidifier.
9. Frequently clean doorknobs, light switches, telephones and counter tops.
10. Don’t let anyone smoke in your house.
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/artificiallog-p.htm
Artificial Logs for Fireplaces
1. Make sure you open the damper before starting a fire. If you have any questions about whether it is open or clear, investigate with a flashlight before starting the fire.
2. Burn one artificial log at a time, and don’t add another until the first one is out. For most major brands, each log burns about three hours.
3. Don’t add wood or paper to the fire, and don’t put an artificial log on a wood fire.
4. Always use a grate and a fireplace screen.
5. If you have a glass door on your fireplace, leave it open.
6. Don’t move, poke or break up an artificial log while it is burning. The flames can flare up to a surprising extent, and burning material can stick to the tongs or poker.
7. If you need to extinguish an artificial log, use a Class B fire extinguisher, water or sand.
8. Don’t use artificial logs for open-flame cooking or barbecues.
9. Keep an eye on the fire if children are around.
10. Close the damper only when the ashes are cool.
11. Have your chimney inspected (and cleaned, if necessary) regularly.
12. Don’t leave fires unattended.
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/holidayhazards-p.htm
Winter Holiday Hazards
* Carry a plastic bottle of sand mixed with rock-salt in the trunk of your car. If you get stuck on sheet ice, sprinkling some around the tire may provide traction. Some people fill up empty gallon paint cans with sand and replace the lids, instead of carrying bags of sand. Roofing shingles also work well.
* When shoveling snow, take your time and don’t try to do too much at once. It is an excellent cardio-vascular workout, but you have to be in good shape at the outset. One tip to make it easier: If wet snow sticks to your snow shovel, spray the shovel with spray shortening.
* Don’t pick up the pan your turkey is roasting in and discover that the “hot mitt” gloves you are wearing don’t provide enough insulation. Check to make sure before you lift the pan.
* If you have a new puppy or child in the house, don’t decorate your tree with popcorn garlands, candy canes, or other edibles. Many a big tree has been toppled by little people and animals.
* When the gas tank in your car gets to half full, fill it up. You never know when a massive traffic jam will snare you.
* Some cats love to eat tinsel. It doesn’t agree with them.
* Walking your dog at lunch time is more pleasant and safer than trying to do it in the dark before or after work. You can see icy patches more clearly, and motorists can see you better, also.
* If you have cookies baking, don’t ask someone to take over if that person is sleepy, lying on the couch and watching television. Or, if you do, make sure you smoke detector works and is loud enough to wake them.
* Traffic jams, sudden storms and detours might mean that you have to spend much longer than you planned in your car. It can take two to three hours to drive as little as 15 miles on an icy road. Put together a winter-driving kit, including a pair of gloves, a warm hat, and a blanket.
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/frostbite-p.htm
Preventing Frostbite and Hypothermia
Prolonged exposure to low temperatures, wind or moisture-whether it be on a ski slope or in a stranded car-can result in cold-related illnesses such as frostbite and hypothermia. The National Safety Council offers these tips to help you spot and put a halt to these winter hazards.
How to detect and treat cold-related illnesses
Frostbite is the most common injury resulting from exposure to severe cold. Superficial frostbite is characterized by white, waxy, or grayish-yellow patches on the affected areas. The skin feels cold and numb. The skin surface feels stiff but underlying tissue feels soft and pliable when depressed. Treat superficial frostbite by taking the victim inside immediately. Remove any constrictive clothing items that could impair circulation. If you notice signs of frostbite, immediately seek medical attention. Place dry, sterile gauze between toes and fingers to absorb moisture and to keep them from sticking together. Slightly elevate the affected part to reduce pain and swelling. If you are more than one hour from a medical facility and you have warm water, place the frostbitten part in the water (102 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit). If you do not have a thermometer, test the water first to see if it is warm, not hot. Rewarming usually takes 20 to 40 minutes or until tissues soften.
Deep frostbite usually affects the feet or hands and is characterized by waxy, pale, solid skin. Blisters may appear. Treat deep frostbite by moving the victim indoors and immediately seek medical attention.
Hypothermia occurs when the body’s temperature drops below 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Symptoms of this condition include change in mental status, uncontrollable shivering, cool abdomen and a low core body temperature. Severe hypothermia may produce rigid muscles, dark and puffy skin, irregular heart and respiratory rates, and unconsciousness.
Treat hypothermia by protecting the victim from further heat loss and calling for immediate medical attention. Get the victim out of the cold. Add insulation such as blankets, pillows, towels or newspapers beneath and around the victim. Be sure to cover the victim’s head. Replace wet clothing with dry clothing. Handle the victim gently because rough handling can cause cardiac arrest. Keep the victim in a horizontal (flat) position. Give artificial respiration or CPR (if you are trained) as necessary.
How to prevent cold-related illnesses
Avoid frostbite and hypothermia when you are exposed to cold temperatures by wearing layered clothing, eating a well-balanced diet, and drinking warm, non-alcoholic, caffeine-free liquids to maintain fluid levels.
Avoid becoming wet, as wet clothing loses 90 percent of its insulating value.
These tips provided courtesy the National Safety Council
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/coldweather-p.htm
Surviving the Cold Weather
Prololonged exposure to low temperatures, wind and/or moisture can result in cold-related injury from frostbite and hypothermia. Here are some suggestions on how to keep warm and avoid frostbite and hypothermia.
Dress properly
Wear several layers of loose-fitting clothing to insulate your body by trapping warm, dry air inside. Loosely woven cotton and wool clothes best trap air and resist dampness.
The head and neck lose heat faster than any other part of the body. Your cheeks, ears and nose are the most prone to frostbite. Wear a hat, scarf and turtleneck sweater to protect these areas.
Frostbite: What to look for
The extent of frostbite is difficult to judge until hours after thawing. There are two classifications of frostbite:
* Superficial frostbite is characterized by white, waxy or grayish-yellow patches on the affected areas. The skin feels cold and numb. The skin surface feels stiff and underlying tissue feels soft when depressed.
* Deep frostbite is characterized by waxy and pale skin. The affected parts feel cold, hard, and solid and cannot be depressed. Large blisters may appear after rewarming.
What to do
1. Get the victim out of the cold and to a warm place immediately.
2. Remove any constrictive clothing items that could impair circulation.
3. If you notice signs of frostbite, seek medical attention immediately.
4. Place dry, sterile gauze between toes and fingers to absorb moisture and to keep them from sticking together.
5. Slightly elevate the affected part to reduce pain and swelling.
6. If you are more than one hour from a medical facility and you have warm water, place the frostbitten part in the water (102 to 106 degrees Fahrenheit). If you do not have a thermometer, test the water first to see if it is warm, not hot. Rewarming usually takes 20 to 40 minutes or until tissues soften.
What not to do
1. Do not use water hotter than 106 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Do not use water colder than 100 degrees Fahrenheit since it will not thaw frostbite quickly enough.
3. Do not rub or massage the frostbite area.
4. Do not rub with ice or snow.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia occurs when the body loses more heat than it produces. Symptoms include change in mental status, uncontrollable shivering, cool abdomen and a low core body temperature. Severe hypothermia may cause rigid muscles, dark and puffy skin, irregular heartbeat and respiration, and unconsciousness.
Treat hypothermia by protecting the victim from further heat loss and seeking immediate medical attention. Get the victim out of the cold. Add insulation such as blankets, pillows, towels or newspapers beneath and around the victim. Be sure to cover the victim’s head. Replace wet clothing with dry clothing. Handle the victim gently because rough handling can cause cardiac arrest. Keep the victim in a horizontal (flat) position.
Finally, the best way to avoid frostbite and hypothermia is to stay out of the cold. Read a book, clean house or watch TV. Be patient and wait out the dangerous cold weather.
These tips provided courtesy the National Safety Council
http://safetycenter.navy.mil/safetips/n-z/poweroutage.htm
Preparing for Power Outages
Safety Issues
* Purchase needed items for your home, office and car including: flashlights, batteries, AM/FM battery powered radio, rechargeable power failure lights, wind up or battery alarm clock, and lightsticks.
* Have a 72-hour emergency kit for each family member.
* Keep cash and change on hand. In power failures ATMs may not work and you may need to make a phone call at a pay phone.
* Phones with answering machines and cordless phones are power dependent. Have at least one phone that does not require power in case you need to call 9-1-1. Keep your cell phone powered up.
* Familiarize yourself with your main electrical panel. You may have to turn off the main breaker or have to reset circuit breakers after an outage.
* If you use your fireplace for heat, be responsible! Don’t burn wood with paint or stain. Do not leave an open flame. Make sure you close your fireplace screen to prevent sparks from flying. Do not store newspapers, kindling, or matches near the fireplace.
* If you use candles for lighting, place them on a fire proof surface.
* Make sure you have smoke detectors in appropriate rooms. Change the batteries regularly, preferably every 6 months, and test them monthly. If your smoke detectors are wired directly into the electrical system of your home they will not operate during a power failure unless the batteries are working. Special smoke detectors are available for people with hearing impairment.
* Have a fire extinguisher and know how to operate it. Have a fire evacuation plan and practice fire drills.
* During the power outage, unplug all small appliances and electronics to avoid damage from power surge. Leave one low wattage incandescent light on so you know when the power comes back on.
* When power comes back on you may have to reset your clocks, VCRs, microwave ovens, programmable thermostats, burglar and fire alarms.
Security Issues
* Have a plan for checking on and reuniting family members.
* Stay home and be safe during a power outage. Stores and gas stations may be closed. Don’t add to the confusion by driving around.
* During an area-wide power outage, traffic signals may be out. If so, remember the intersection becomes a 4-way Stop.
* Watch for suspicious activity. Criminals may decide to take advantage of the power outage. Always call 9-1-1 if you notice suspicious activity.
Health Issues
* Focus on children’s needs. Provide flashlights or light sticks for each child that they can keep by their bed and in their backpacks. Discuss living without electricity and how the outage is usually short term.
* Elderly people and people with disabilities who are on power-dependent medical devices should arrange for back –up power with their vendors. Power-dependent devices include: medication pumps connected to IV, including pain control, anti-arrhythmia and chemotherapy; dialysis machines; home ventilators; and backup oxygen tanks.
* People who are medically dependent on electricity may need portable generators. Safely store fuel only in approved containers, outside, never in garages. Operate generators only outside, ensuring that exhaust will not enter the home through vents or windows. Only use fresh gasoline because old gasoline can ignite. Plug appliances directly into the generator using heavy-duty extension cords. NEVER attach generators to the facility current.
* All hospitals are required to have backup power. Medically dependent persons without adequate back-up power can call 911 for transport to a hospital where power can be supplied until the outage is over.
* Have a first aid kit in your home, office, and car. Take first aid and CPR training.
* Sewer pump stations have limited storage capacity. Limit all water usage, and avoid flushing your toilet during a power outage.
* Be a good neighbor and check on any neighbors with special needs: elderly people, people with disabilities, and children who are home alone during a power outage. They may need your help.
Prepared by The Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response, City of Norfolk, Virginia
This is a product for sale, you could make your own....granny
http://www.localharvest.org/calming-cold-herbal-sinus-steam-C11717
Calming Cold Herbal Sinus Steam
Store > Herbs & Health > Medicinal Herbs > Calming Cold Herbal Sinus Steam Prev | Next
You can relax and feel better with our soothing herbal sinus steam. Just breath deep and feel your stuffy nose and sinus headache
3 oz. bag $10.95 Qty: more
less Price:
from: Morgan Botanicals
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Inhale the decongesting and relaxing aroma of this herbal sinus steam. This wonderful, natural decongestant is perfect for cold relief. The steam helps open sinuses, discourages bacterial growth and reduces pain and inflammation.
Just add the loose herbs to large bowl and fill with boiling water.
All-Organic and local grown ingredients:
# Peppermint leaves
# Eucalyptus leaves
# Sage leaves
# Spearmint leaves
# Calendula flowers
# Chamomile flowers
# Our signature essential oils
Net Volume: 3oz.
Morgan Botanicals organic herbal products are hand crafted using only 100% organic botanicals and fresh ingredients. The high quality herbs in our personal care products are blended with organic oils and solar infused in the mountains of California. We grow and acquire many of our herbs locally. The Morgan Family owns and operates a three acre apple orchard along with fresh produce and herbs in Tehachapi. Each product is full of rich ingredients, 100% naturally derived with no synthetic preservatives, colors or flavors. Only pure, unbleached, unrefined beeswax is used in Morgan Botanicals balms and salves. All products are 100% cruelty-free, Vegan, and have no artificial preservatives, fragrances or dyes. We sell locally to business, midwives, and have a booth at the local farmer’s market.
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Disclaimer: Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease.
Interesting books and videos about survival, gardening and building:
http://permacultureactivist.net/booksvid/community.htm
NEW! Small is Possible: Life in a Local Economy
By Lyle Estill, 240pp, 2008, $18
In an era when incomprehensibly complex issues like Peak Oil and Climate Change dominate headlines, practical solutions at a local level can seem somehow inadequate.
In response, Lyle Estill’s Small is Possible introduces us to “hometown security,” with this chronicle of a community-powered response to resource depletion in a fickle global economy. True stories, springing from the soils of Chatham County, North Carolina, offer a positive counter balance to the bleakness of our age.
This is the story of how one small southern US town found actual solutions to actual problems. Unwilling to rely on government and wary of large corporations, these residents discovered it is possible for a community to feed itself, fuel itself, heal itself and govern itself.
Select Your Location
Gift Greetings / Instructions
This book is filled with newspaper columns, blog entries, letters and essays that have appeared on the margins of small town economies. Tough subjects are handled with humor and finesse. Compelling stories of successful small businesses from the grocery co-op to the biodiesel co-op describe a town and its people on a genuine quest for sustainability.
Everyone interested in sustainability, local economy, small business, and whole foods will be inspired by the success stories in this book.
Lyle Estill is VP of Stuff at Piedmont Biofuels, and has won numerous awards for his work in the biodiesel business. He is the author of Biodiesel Power and lives in Moncure, North Carolina.
NEW! Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto
by David Tracey, 2007, 240pp, $20
The term “guerrilla” may bring to mind a small band of armed soldiers, moving in the dead of night on a stealth mission. In the case of guerrilla gardening, the soldiers are planters, the weapons are shovels, and the mission is to transform an abandoned lot into a thing of beauty. Once an environmentalist’s nonviolent direct action for inner-city renewal, this movement is spreading to all types of people in cities around the world.
These modern-day Johnny Appleseeds perform random acts of gardening, often without permission.
Select Your Location
Gift Greetings / Instructions
Typical targets are vacant lots, railway land, underused public squares, and back alleys. The concept is simple, whimsical, and has the cheeky appeal of being a not-quite-legal call to action. Dig in some soil, plant a few seeds, or mend a sagging fence-one good deed inspiring another, with win-win benefits all around. Guerrilla Gardening outlines the power-to-the-people campaign for greening our cities. Social activists, city dwellers, and longtime gardeners will delight in this fast-paced and funny call to arms. Tips for effective involvement include:
Finding plants and seeds cheap (or free), Handling city officials, Getting the dirt on soil, Planting to bring back the birds, Knowing when to ask first
David Tracey is a journalist and environmental designer who operates EcoUrbanist in Vancouver. He is executive director of Tree City Canada, a nonprofit ecological engagement group.
continued............many subjects, worth a trip to the library....
More:
http://permacultureactivist.net/booksvid/vid%20dvd%20cd.htm
Granny sez, I am a Rodale follower, NOT a Gore nut, there has to be an effort to take care of one’s self and the world, without the Gore fake science, in my opinion, yielding soapbox.
I have an indoor container garden (with supplemental lighting). I am
having a problem with several of the larger self watering containers
having their soil get absolutely soaking wet when I keep the
reservoirs full. I start my seedlings in a seed tray but when I move
them to their permanent, much larger pot then they die off. I think
the soil being so wet is the problem.
For the soil I use a mixture of vermiculite and Miracle Grow potting mix.
When the plants are bigger I can just let it go a day or so without
watering and the soil dries out sufficiently but I don’t know what to
do with the tiny seedlings in the big pot.
Does anybody have any suggestions?
Thanks
Susan
I never move my seedlings directly to a big pot. I usually transplant two
to three times between the two. I’ve a couple of tropical seedlings that
I’m wintering in pots only 1 size bigger than the Dixie cups they arrived
in. I will transplant them with more room come spring. I don’t do Miracle
Grow but it’s probably about the same as the generic I get when I’m feeling
lazy. I usually mix in even amounts large vermiculite, perlite, and peat
moss. This allows for more drainage. When I get a pot that isn’t letting
the water flow through I dump the dirt, clean it really good, and refill
with new dirt. I then put the old dirt into my bug bucket to use with
whatever I need to give it the right consistency. Hope this helps.
Pernkat
I only used SWCs outdoors.
I used the soil recommended in Ed Smith’s book about growing in SWCs: 50%
compost and 50% soilless mix (which is a mix of vermiculite, perlite, and
peat moss).
I suppose you could try changing the soil, but I think very possibly SWCs
are not well suited to indoor use (especially in winter). In which case,
transplanting your seedlings to regular (non-SWC) containers would seem to
be the answer.
Pat
—
In Pennsylvania’s Northern Tier, northeastern USA.
Website: www.meadows.pair.com/articleindex.html
[SWC = Self watering container]
To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ediblecontainergardens/
You will need to join this group to reach this information on cancer:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/soilandhealth/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/soilandhealth/files/CANCER%20TREATMENTS/
CANCER DIETS
THE CANCER DIET IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS THE CANCER TREATMENT. IF THE CANCER DIET IS NOT, IN AND OF ITSELF, TREATING THE CANCER, THEN IT IS INTERFERING WITH THE CANCER TREATMENT! taking any alternative cancer treatment is like putting gasoline in your car - you are on your way to killing cancer cells, etc. But having a bad diet, while you are on a cancer treatment, is like putting water in that same gasoline tank!! Some foods feed the cancer, and some foods destroy cancer - learn which are which. bestsurprise...
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NARRATIVE OF RESEARCH
•November 23, 2008 • No Comments
What influences the Melbourne community’s ability to garden for self-sufficiency in a sustainable manner?olympic-v-comm-garden-n-backyard-0241A redefinition of waterwise gardening which includes edible plants may be necessary.
All self sufficiency or food gardeners across Melbourne need support in keeping their productive gardens producing in a drying climate. The active Melbourne garden community has recognised this and has developed the grassroots network, the Food Gardeners Alliance, as well as many innovative projects and partnerships.
A significant number of respondents interpreted sustainable and self sufficient as the same thing, whereas others shared the assumptions of the research that self sufficiency gardening was the act of, or outcome of productive gardening, and sustainable was the preferred garden method.
Respondents attributed a variety of interconnecting variables and themes that were leading to an increase in self sufficiency gardening in the community and offered a range of anecdotal evidence to support their opinions. The far majority of respondents referred to environment-related issues.
One of the most common suggestions from respondents was that growing environmental awareness in the community has led more people to make the connection to growing their own food. Drought is having a strong impact. According to varied views, climate change is encouraging people into self sufficient gardening, while its impact on hydrological regimes is significantly deterring and impeding others.
Food plants require a lot of water, and water restrictions were found to be a significant problem for food growing at home and in community gardens. However, it appears that a number of people in the community are moving toward sustainable gardening practices before giving up altogether. There is need and opportunity for water conservation in the vegetable patch.
Perceived health benefits are encouraging food growing, due to quality, freshness, nutrition and therapeutic benefit. Health benefits are tied in with the embrace of organics and a rejection of chemicals in the garden. The cost of food is also a factor, as was the broader costs of living. Economic conditions could become another significant influence, and concern about community food security is growing, though the food miles concept is having more impact.
From the perspective of the research findings, as a concept, sustainable gardening is currently much more prevalent on the minds of the community than self sufficiency gardening. The variable of gardener effort may be at play here, simply due to the fact that it may be easier to keep your garden alive, but not as easy to keep it productive in these times of low rainfall.
Peter Cundall in his demonstration garden patch
Peter Cundall in his demonstration garden patch. Grow Beans, Grow Potatoes, rip up you lawn and Grow Potatoes
Community food security is neccessary. Growing the food where we are living reduces embodied carbon emissions (food miles) and water in food production, and builds community networks. Growing our own food allows us greater diversity of foods on our plates, harvest sharing between friends and neighbours, and more balanced food nutrition on a limited budget. With climate change, heirloom seed preservation becomes more urgent.
The Report & educational weblinks are on the right. New posts continue to explore the topic. To contact the report and blog author, email danielchristophermoss@gmail.com
Has interesting and informative links and info.....granny
[Remember that you cannot save hybrid seeds for next years planting, and get the same plant from them, but LOL, you can eat them now...granny]
http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/wolcott61.html
Start a self-sufficiency garden even in a cramped apartment
By Nancy Wolcott
You are sitting there in your recliner chair in your small city apartment desperately longing for the day when you can escape to the country and become a homesteader and become more self-sufficient. Well, don’t just sit there. Get a head start. Bloom where you are planted until you can actually make the big move. Don’t waste valuable time in pointless dreaming. Begin making your dreams a reality, now.
White bloom colonnade apple tree.
White bloom colonnade apple tree.
Stark colonnade apple tree with a petunia
Stark colonnade apple trees with basket of apples
Stark maypole flowering crab apple and Stark emerald spire
Stark Sensation Miniature Peach
You dream of growing your own fresh, pesticide-free, organic vegetables. So do it. Go dumpster diving and trash mongering and collect all the free containers you can find that will hold soil and that you can poke a few holes into. Wash and disinfect the containers thoroughly. Then get some potting soil suitable for veggies.
Make your own compost to add to your potting soil in a dark corner (or under the sink) by putting shredded newspaper, kitchen wastes (not meat or grease), and coffee grounds in a large container and adding a few earthworms (which you can either buy or collect for free after a rain at the nearby park). Maybe you can get some leaves and grass for your compost bin at the park too. Keep the composting materials moistened.
While you are waiting for your earthworms to make the fertilizer, you can order your seeds. Here, I can give you another shortcut. Since I’m stuck in an in-town situation myself at the moment, I’ve already done the research to find which vegetables are best for small space and container gardening, and where to get them. Here are a few recommendations to get you started. (Keep in mind that this list is by no means all-inclusive. It is only meant as a suggestion.):
* Small miracle broccoli, from Park Seed are little beauties that can be planted as close as eight inches apart so you can fit many in a small space. Broccoli is a heavy feeder so compost well and maybe add a sprinkling of blood meal as a side dressing once or twice during the season.
* Early sunglo corn is also from Park Seed. This corn grows on small stalks so they can be planted close together. Enrich your soil with lots of compost and a sprinkling of bone meal and blood meal. You should then be able to plant the seeds about four to six-inches apart each way. Keep the soil moist, but not soaked. The ears will be small but tasty.
* Dynamo mini cabbage, from Johnny’s Selected Seeds can also be planted close together like the broccoli. The same planting instructions apply.
* Kinko mini carrots, from Johnny’s Selected Seeds, grow only four-inches long but you will need a pot at least six-inches or more deep. If you don’t have a pot that deep, Bountiful Gardens offers Parisian rondo heirloom which is a little, round, bite-sized carrot which doesn’t need much space at all. You can plant your carrots two- to three-inches apart each way.
* Superb super bush container tomatoes, from Shepherd’s Garden Seeds, promise to yield abundantly on 2½- to 3-foot space-saving plants. They also boast “firm, juicy fruit with a full tomatoey flavor.”
* Park’s creamy hybrid yellow squash are a straight-necked squash which grows on 18-inch plants. Park Seed also has green magic II zucchini which grows on an 18-inch compact plant as well.
* Sweet pickle peppers, from Park Seed, are the ones to try for an abundance of sweet salad peppers, although most any pepper can be grown in a pot.
* Little gem lettuce, from Park Seed, or little diamond gem lettuce, from The Cook’s Garden, both produce lovely, tiny, sweet, space-saving heads. Each head makes an individual salad.
* Pole (green or yellow) beans of any kind can be grown in a tub. Just make a bean tepee using three or four bamboo poles sunk into the outer edge of the soil in your bean tub. Tie the poles together at the top. Plant four bean seeds around each pole. Emerite, from Cook’s Garden is an “incredibly productive and easy to grow” green, stringless pole bean which should suit your purpose well.
* Pronto baby beets, from The Cook’s Garden is a good beet choice for container growing, because they are small. So, you can fit a lot into a small space. They are also reported to be sugar sweet and are said to retain their tenderness as they mature.
* The Cook’s Garden is also famous for their lettuce mixtures. They offer cutting mix lettuces, fall mix lettuces, and winter mix lettuces. Plus they offer Cook’s tangy mesclun mix and Cook’s mild mesclun mix. Wouldn’t Peter Rabbit be in seventh heaven?
* Most types of radishes and scallions (little green onions) can be grown in pots.
For a container culinary herb garden, Shepherd’s Garden Seeds has a container herb garden seed collection which includes piccolo basil, dukat dill, cilantro, French thyme, Italian parsley, French chives, plus complete seed starting instructions and a brochure on how to care for and harvest your container herbs.
Shepherd’s Seeds also has an herbal tea collection which includes lemon balm, cinnamon basil, chamomile, and anise hyssop. These also come complete with instructions from planting to harvest.
SEED SOURCES
Stark Brothers
P.O. Box 10
Louisiana, MO 63353
Johnny’s Selected Seeds
Foss Hill Road
Albion, ME 04910
Henry Field’s Seed and Nursery Co.
415 North Burnett
Shenandoah, IA 51602
The Cook’s Garden
P.O. Box 535
Londonderry, VT 05148
Bountiful Gardens
Ecology Action
5798 Ridgewood Road
Willits, CA 95490
Park Seed
Geo. W. Park Seed Co. Inc.
1 Parkton Avenue
Greenwood, SC 29647
Shepherd’s Garden Seeds
30 Irene Street
Torrington, CT 06790
So, now that we have your container vegetable garden squared away, let’s talk about your balcony orchard. Orchard? No, I’m not crazy.
You don’t have to live in the country to produce a substantial amount of fruit. If you have a four-foot by six-foot space, you could produce apples, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries and peaches. I’m not kidding. First, however, check with your landlord to find out how much extra weight your balcony can hold before you purchase any trees. With that information in hand, now you can choose your combination of trees:
* Stark Brothers Nursery offers colonnade apple trees which can be planted in containers as small as 17 inches. The trees grow eight-feet tall and two-feet wide and come in five varieties. When mature, they produce an abundance of full-sized, deliciously flavored apples. But, you will need to plant at least two for proper pollination.
* Henry Field’s Seed and Nursery will sell you a strawberry tower which takes up only two feet by two feet of space, is on casters for easy moving, and comes in two heights. The two-foot version holds 45 strawberry plants and the four-foot version holds 90. At a recommended 25 plants per person in the household you can do some serious strawberry picking here. By the way, I hear that Ozark beauty strawberries grow well in towers.
* Henry Field’s also offers a new cascading cranberry which can be grown in hanging baskets. They like acidic soil and don’t even mind shade.
* Dwarf top hat blueberry plants, again from Henry Field’s, grow only two-feet tall, but produce full-sized berries. They are even self-pollinating.
* Finally, Stark Brothers has developed the cutest little peach tree called Stark sensation. When it matures, it will produce full-sized fruit but is small enough to be grown in an 18- to 24-inch container. And, if you have a wee bit of extra space, they will sell you a mini apricot and a mini-nectarine tree as well.
So, with your vegetables, herbs, and fruits established in pots, your apartment gardens and orchard are all transportable. That means you can take them with you and continue to enjoy a measure of healthy food until you finally make that move to the country and get your full-sized garden and orchard established. Truly the best of both worlds.
May I ask why post 8954 was removed?
I don’t understand why beans and rice history and recipes are offensive.
Is it the source?
May I ask why post 8954 was removed?
I don’t understand why beans and rice history and recipes are offensive.
Is it the source?
Thanks Granny I will check it out.
A lifetime is not enough time to check out all the recipes over there! LOL!
It was suggested that I attempt to contact you and ask why my post was pulled.
When I type ‘moderator’ it puts a _ in it and goes to a poor Freeper, who will be sure that I am nuts.
See below for my effort to ask and what happens to your title.
Do you know why it is happening?
Thanks.......
To: moder_ator
May I ask why post 8954 was removed?
I don’t understand why beans and rice history and recipes are offensive.
Is it the source?
8,956 posted on Saturday, December 20, 2008 9:03:45 PM by nw_arizona_granny
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2140670/posts?page=2164#2164
Above is the link to a beautiful/wonderful/fantastic Christmas post, with our friends the Cats and Kittens who offer so much love all year.
Fantastic Dolly Cali, it is Fantastic.......and your recipe for the babies is below....Thank you.
CHRISTMAS CAT TREATS
(bet you have a cat owner on you list who would like these – for their kitty)
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1/4 cup soy flour
1/3 cup dry milk
1 teaspoon catnip
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons Butter
1 Egg
1 tablespoon Unsulfered molasses
PREPARATION:
1. Mix dry ingredients. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Roll on a greased cookie sheet.
2. Cut into bite sized pieces and bake at 350° F for 20 minutes.
3. Let cool. Store in air tight container.
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