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By Adrian HigginsMonday,
June 29, 2009; 7:34 PM
As a horticultural extension agent, Bobby Wilson is often approached by beginner vegetable gardeners who want to know if they should water every day.
"You don't need to water every day," he says. "I tell them to water Monday, Wednesday and Friday."
What he's really telling them is that they should soak the soil and water again only when the top three inches has dried out, determined by using that most accurate of probes, your finger.
"That's the proper way to do it, but people need a number," said Wilson, who works in Atlanta and is also president of the American Community Gardening Association.
Like a lot of us in the gardening world, Wilson has been astonished and thrilled by the sudden interest in vegetable gardening, particularly among younger adults.
Seed producers have reported sales increases of typically 30 percent over last year, itself a banner year. In an April survey by the Pew Research Center, 21 percent of those polled said they were planning to grow their own vegetables this year because of the recession.
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Wednesday, July 1, 2009
LIVING TOGETHER WITH AUTISM: Sowing the seeds of learning
By Rena Gambale/DAILY NEWS CORRESPONDENT
GHS
Posted Jun 30, 2009 @ 02:00 AM
During the summer months, parents often search for ways to reinforce skills and lessons their children learn in the classroom. If you are a parent of a child with autism, you understand how important, yet challenging, it can be to find fun ways for your child to practice their skills, including those that teach social interaction and independent living.
One idea that provides a lot of fun opportunities to practice and reinforce valuable skills and is economical is to plan and plant a vegetable garden. Depending on your child's ability, a garden can teach a number of skills from providing sensory input as you dig in the dirt to working on executive functioning skills as you plan out how to plant the garden.
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GHS
Posted Jun 30, 2009 @ 02:00 AM
During the summer months, parents often search for ways to reinforce skills and lessons their children learn in the classroom. If you are a parent of a child with autism, you understand how important, yet challenging, it can be to find fun ways for your child to practice their skills, including those that teach social interaction and independent living.
One idea that provides a lot of fun opportunities to practice and reinforce valuable skills and is economical is to plan and plant a vegetable garden. Depending on your child's ability, a garden can teach a number of skills from providing sensory input as you dig in the dirt to working on executive functioning skills as you plan out how to plant the garden.
Read more:
Plant your own vegetables at home
By JUSTIN B. MORELOSJune 30, 2009, 1:57pm
With the national government’s mission to address the country's food security, the Rizal Technological University (RTU) in Mandaluyong City, through its president Dr. Jose Q.
Macaballug, has taken the lead and initiative in the implementation of a project dubbed, Urban Agriculture. This is presently being undertaken at selected barangays in the Mandaluyong City area.
Prof. Arlene Banaria-Alon, director of the University’s Research and Development Center. its project leader, Prof. Alexander Quilang, co-project leader Prof. Norberto Bautista and Prof. Jovita Anit are currently working with the city’s League of Barangays in incorporate this project into each of the chosen barangays.
Spearheaded by Atty. Jessie Cruz, it aims to promote vegetable gardening among city dwellers and eventually teach them to grow home-grown vegetables that are pesticide-free and readily available. In the future, the concept of urban farming can be adopted by other municipalities and cities in Metro Manila.
Park Commission Horticulture Workshop
Rich Reitman • Reader Submitted • June 29, 2009
Somerset County Park Commission Leonard J. Buck Garden will present "Ground Covers & Vines What You Didn't Know," a lecture by Cynthia Megill on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.. The forum will take place at Leonard J. Buck Garden, 11 Layton Road in Far Hills, New Jersey.
Cynthia Megill is a former Horticultural Instructor at Suffolk Community College. She will explore the world of groundcovers and vines providing detailed descriptions of the best groundcovers for the home garden while examining the different varieties of these unique plants, their requirements, advantages, and disadvantages. A tour of the groundcovers and vines at Leonard J. Buck Garden will follow the presentation.
Fee for the session is $15. Pre-registration is required by calling 908-234-2677, ext. 21.
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Somerset County Park Commission Leonard J. Buck Garden will present "Ground Covers & Vines What You Didn't Know," a lecture by Cynthia Megill on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.. The forum will take place at Leonard J. Buck Garden, 11 Layton Road in Far Hills, New Jersey.
Cynthia Megill is a former Horticultural Instructor at Suffolk Community College. She will explore the world of groundcovers and vines providing detailed descriptions of the best groundcovers for the home garden while examining the different varieties of these unique plants, their requirements, advantages, and disadvantages. A tour of the groundcovers and vines at Leonard J. Buck Garden will follow the presentation.
Fee for the session is $15. Pre-registration is required by calling 908-234-2677, ext. 21.
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Carpio Vegetable Farm Awarded $20,000
A year from now, students at MSU-Bottineau will be able to get a hands-on experience with a greenhouse, thanks to a grant given to a local organic vegetable grower.MSU Bottineau`s Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture awarded North Star Farms $20,000 to build a greenhouse. The greenhouse will be passive solar for production of organic vegetables and transplants. North Star farms is 1 of the only certified organic producers in North Dakota. This partnership will not only allow North Star Farms to grow more product for their company, but it will allow MSU-Bottineau to do research on North Dakota produce.
"This partnership, as North Star Farms becomes an extension and test site for the ECH, is a very positive step towards increasing the production capabilities of North Dakota,"says Holly Mawby, Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture. MSU-Bottineau`s Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture is hoping to have credit classes available for students next year. They will then get a chance to work with the greenhouse as well.
Watch video:
"This partnership, as North Star Farms becomes an extension and test site for the ECH, is a very positive step towards increasing the production capabilities of North Dakota,"says Holly Mawby, Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture. MSU-Bottineau`s Entrepreneurial Center for Horticulture is hoping to have credit classes available for students next year. They will then get a chance to work with the greenhouse as well.
Watch video:
World's first ever 'self-watering' plant discovered in Israel
Scientists have discovered the world's first 'self-watering' plant in Israel's Negev desert – one of the driest regions on earth.
By Murray Wardrop Published: 7:00AM BST 30 Jun 2009
The Desert Rhubarb can hold 16 times more water than its rivals and has developed a unique ability to effectively water itself in its barren habitat.
Researchers were confounded by the metre-wide plant's giant leaves, compared to its desert counterparts, whose tiny leaves stop dangerous moisture loss.
But they found the plant's large leaves are the key to its success, because they are covered in microscopic streams through which water can be channelled.
Scientists claim ridges in the leaves act like mountain valleys, funnelling the water slowly and directly into the plant while stopping it evaporating.
A team from the Department of Science Education-Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim, in Israel, said the leaves act like a mini irrigation system.
Lead researcher Professor Gidi Ne'eman said "We know of no other plant in the deserts of the world that functions in this manner.
"We have managed to make out the 'self-irrigating' mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert.
Read more:
By Murray Wardrop Published: 7:00AM BST 30 Jun 2009
The Desert Rhubarb can hold 16 times more water than its rivals and has developed a unique ability to effectively water itself in its barren habitat.
Researchers were confounded by the metre-wide plant's giant leaves, compared to its desert counterparts, whose tiny leaves stop dangerous moisture loss.
But they found the plant's large leaves are the key to its success, because they are covered in microscopic streams through which water can be channelled.
Scientists claim ridges in the leaves act like mountain valleys, funnelling the water slowly and directly into the plant while stopping it evaporating.
A team from the Department of Science Education-Biology at the University of Haifa-Oranim, in Israel, said the leaves act like a mini irrigation system.
Lead researcher Professor Gidi Ne'eman said "We know of no other plant in the deserts of the world that functions in this manner.
"We have managed to make out the 'self-irrigating' mechanism of the desert rhubarb, which enables it to harvest 16 times the amount of water than otherwise expected for a plant in this region based on the quantities of rain in the desert.
Read more:
Plant of the Day - Cosmos bipinnatus
Cosmos bipinnatusFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Cosmos
Species: C. bipinnatus
Binomial name: Cosmos bipinnatus Cav.
Cosmos bipinnatus, commonly called the garden cosmos or Mexican aster, is a medium sized flowering herbaceous plant sometimes grown in gardens. It can be found in the wild in much of North America where it is a garden escapee, sometimes becoming weedy.
This species is considered a half-hardy annual, although plants may re-appear via self-sowing for several years. The plant height varies from two to four feet. The cultivated varieties appear in shades of pink and purple as well as white. Its foliage is finely-cut into threadlike segments.
Some of the varieties of Cosmos bipinnatus in cultivation today include:
- Sensation is a widely available mix of tall varieties
- Versailles and Sonata, developed for the cut flower trade, are shorter than the species, with heights remaining below three feet
- Daydream features a pink inner ring on a white background
- Seashells features quilled petals
Growth characteristics of this plant include:
- Germination takes between 7 and 10 days at the optimal temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 °C); flowering begins between 60 and 90 days after germination
- It prefers a soil pH between 6.0 and 8.5, reflecting its native habitat in the alkaline regions of Central America
- Flowering is best in full sun, although partial shade is tolerated
- The plant is tolerant to drought after germination, and is seldom subject to insect or disease damage
The flowers of Cosmos attract birds and butterflies, including the Monarch butterfly.
Read more from Wikipedia:Cosmos pictures from Google Images:
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