Cash for green groups; pounds 20k awarded to local projects

Byline: EMMA DAVISON

GREEN groups across West Yorkshire are celebrating after being given a cash boost. Five charity and community groups in the region - including two operating in the Huddersfield area - are sharing a slice of over pounds 20,000 worth of grants.

The green grants have been awarded by the region's gas pipeline company, Northern Gas Networks.

The Denby Dale Centre, based at Springfield Mill in Denby Dale, works with older and disabled people living in surrounding rural areas.

It was awarded pounds 5,000 to create a garden with raised beds, walkways and a large greenhouse.

Colne Valley Tree Society was handed a pounds 2,000 grant.

The group was established in 1964 and since then has planted more than 300,000 trees at sites across the Colne Valley.

Heavy rainfall and exposed land makes farming in the area difficult, and the money will help the group continue its work helping farmers create shelter by planting trees.

Other groups to benefit in West Yorkshire were Bradford's Prism Youth Project, which was given pounds 5,000 for a nature trail, treasure trail and signage at the city farm.

Working in Saltaire, the Hirst Wood Generation Group has been awarded pounds 1,600 to help it reclaim derelict areas and transform them into well-maintained public spaces.

The Wildlife Habitat Protection Fund's grant of pounds 4,990 will help create a nature trail on the outskirts of Church Fenton, Doncaster.

The scheme saw a total of pounds 60,000 gifted to grass-roots environmental projects across Yorkshire, the North East and northern Cumbria. Now in its fourth year, the initiative attracted 90 entries with the award fund being shared by 17 stand-out entrants.

John O'Grady, Northern Gas Networks' communications director, said: "We set up the Northern Green Networks' grant scheme as a way of supporting these groups that are dedicated to improving their local communities. They are the ones that make things happen.

"It's our way of recognising the effort and dedication that they make and we hope it will enable them to go that extra mile."

CAPTION(S):

HARD AT WORK: Colne Valley Tree Society volunteers planting shrubs at Meltham

April: what to do in Northern California

YARD FOOD

If you're not yet harvesting your own produce, make this the year to start. Leslie Bennett (pictured)--garden designer and co-owner of Star Apple Edible Fine Gardening (starapple ediblegardens.com) in Oakland--tells you how to get growing.

Focus on the soil "You are what you eat: If your soil isn't rich and nutritious, your food won't be rich and nutritious," Leslie says. First, check for toxins like lead; she likes the standard soil test ($10; umass.edu/soiltest) from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. (If you do find lead, plant your vegetables in containers or high raised beds filled with clean soil.) Once you've tested the soil, add plenty of organic compost.

Plant what you like "Start small, with something you know you love--if you love mint, try some different varieties," Leslie advises.

Add perennial flowers "Not only do they provide year-round beauty, perennial flowers also attract much-needed pollinators and beneficial insects," Leslie says. And they look good alongside veggies and fruit--grow them with edibles in beds, borders, or pots.

Just grow it "If something you grow dies, it doesn't mean you have a black thumb," Leslie says. There are lots of reasons that plants die--disease, bad weather--so don't give up. "Keep at it, and the veggies will come! It just takes commitment and a bit of confidence, both of which grow with the time you spend in your garden."--JULIE CHAI

HOT CROPS TO START NOW

Looking to mix up your edible lineup? Consider these--we grew (and loved!) all three in Sunset's test garden last year.

'Spanish Padron' peppers Plants produce tasty peppers--prized for tapas--early and all season long. Harvest when peppers are 2 inches or less (before they become spicy). reneesgarden.com

Cardinal' basil You can pinch the flowers to encourage bushier leaves. But with oversize, puffy deep purple blooms, why would you? We'd grow it for its looks alone. seedsof change.com

Aunt Molly's ground cherries The plant grows like a sprawling tomato and forms tart, husk-wrapped fruit that you harvest once it falls to the ground. seedsavers.org--J.S.

TRY POTATO TOWERS

Save space by growing spuds up, rather than letting them sprawl on the ground. Here's how we did it:

1 | Dig several inches of compost into the soil and place seed potatoes 6 inches apart in a 16-inch-diameter circle.

2 | Make an 18-inch-diameter cage from 4-foot-wide flexible galvanized fencing. Set over potato circle and stabilize with 2 pieces of rebar (available at hardware stores) or sturdy stakes sunk into the ground outside the cage on opposite sides. To make it pretty, wrap with bamboo screening (we got ours from a home improvement store). Cover seed chunks with 6 inches of mixed straw and compost (about 1/3 straw and 2/3 compost), then water.

3 | Keep the mix moist and add more straw-compost mix as potatoes grow--leave only the uppermost leaves exposed.

4 | By the time plants reach the top of the tower, they'll flower, maybe even produce (inedible) fruit, and eventually die. Stop watering when foliage fades and wait 2 to 3 weeks to give potatoes time to harden. Then lift the cage to collect your tubers, which will cascade down in a perfect pile.--johanna silver

How to plant perennials

1 | Dig a hole as deep as and 1 to 2 inches wider than your plant's container.

2 | Remove the plant from its pot, and if the roots are matted, gently loosen them.

3 | Place the plant in its hole--the top of the rootball should be even with the soil surface. Fill in around it with soil, then water thoroughly.--J.C.

What to do this month

SHORTER DAHLIAS We grew 'Allegro', 'Jazz', and 'Piccolo'--which all top out at 2 feet--in our test garden last year, and loved how they performed in large pots. They're perfect for borders too. Cuttings are available from Corralitos Gardens (cgdahlias.com or 831/722-9952).

CONTROL EROSION ON SLOPES Plant steep areas to keep soil in place. First, unfurl jute netting over the space, tamp it against the soil, and secure it with ground staples. To plant, cut small Xs through jute. Find supplies at Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply (groworganic. com or 888/784-1722).

REPURPOSED MATERIALS Find a garden seat, lawn mower, umbrella, water bowl, wood, or metal at a salvage yard such as Urban Ore in Berkeley (urbanore.com or 510/841-7283), or join a local Freecycle network (freecycle.org).

GOPHER-RESISTANT NATIVES Artemisia, columbine, mimulus, native iris and salvias, Sidalcea, and wild currant are considered gopher-resistant. For more plant choices, see Mostly Natives Nursery's guide; mostlynatives.com/gopher_list.html

LOSE YOUR LAWN

Sheet mulching, also called lasagna gardening, is a cheap, easy way to transform an unwanted patch of lawn into a garden bed or walkway.

1 | Place two Layers of plain, unwaxed brown cardboard (remove any tape or labels) on the area you want to convert, and soak it.

2 | Cover it with 6 to 12 inches of bark mulch (if you want to turn the area into a path), or 6 to 12 inches of com post (to turn it into a planting bed).

3 | For a bed, plant in the compost layer right away, or wait a few months until the materials have decomposed, transforming the area into a rich bed, full of organic material.--J.S.

BRING IN THE BEES

When your edibles aren't producing the harvest you'd like, chances are your crops aren't being pollinated. Unpollinated flowers won't set seed or form fruit, which means no food for you.

What you need are more bees--the best pollinators. (Birds, butterflies, and some other insects do help too.) Lure them to your garden by planting flowers that produce lots of nectar and pollen, and both honeybees and native bee species will zoom in.

Fortunately, bees like the same plants we do, including most flowering culinary herbs, spring poppies, summer sunflowers, fall asters, salvias, and milkweed.

For more bee favorites, see the online list for the Melissa Garden (themelissa garden.com), pictured. It's a 2-acre honeybee and native pollinator sanctuary in Healdsburg, where you can take tours and classes. And for other ways to make your garden bee-friendly, check out sunset. com/bees--sharon cohoon

Fill 'em up

You've got your containers, you've got your plants: How much potting soil should you buy? We've done the math for you--here's how much you'll need for common container sizes (soil is usually sold in quart or cubic-foot bags).

PLANT A TREE Kathy Crane of Yerba Buena Nursery (yerbabuena nursery.com

or 650/851-1668) recommends a coast live oak, which shelters and provides food for wildlife. For small yards, consider these tall native shrubs: hollyleaf cherry, Pacific wax myrtle, or toyon.

Mow grass when dry, and leave clippings where they fall to fertilize your lawn.

SHOP FOR UNUSUAL PLANTS Choose from 2,000 plants, including cottage garden heirlooms and California natives, in 4-inch pots at Annie's Annuals and Perennials' spring party in Richmond (Apr 9-10; anniesannuals.com or 888/266-4370).

SLUGS AND SNAILS Check for them around low ledges of fences, under boards and stones, and in weed piles and ivy. Pick off by hand and destroy, or place Sluggo bait around seedlings as needed.--HAZEL WHITE

CHOOSE PLANTS AND LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR ZONE:

sunset.com/plantfinder

Posts from our Facebook fans

When we asked Sunset readers to post photos of their veggie patches, we saw dozens of great ideas, from easy-on-the-knees gardens in raised watering troughs to beds framed with cast-off skis and doors. These three designs won a set of Smith & Hawken tools.

My garden is four raised beds on a cedar tog float. I live in a floating cabin and don't have land on shore. In my compact kitchen garden, I grow lettuce, chard, strawberries, asparagus, carrots, beets, onions, and herbs.

-MARGY LUTZ, POWELL RIVER, B.C.

We built a chicken coop with a garden roof and planted herbs, peas, strawberries, flowers, and onions.

--LISA BOWATER, ASHLAND, OR

Deer-proof, rabbit-proof, mole- and vole-proof, our raised tomato bed uses barrel staves and hoops.

-KEVIN AND DONNA YOUNG, NAPA

Netherthong's backyard blooms in the sunshine

Byline: LINDA WHITWAM

A NEW garden has sprouted in the Holme Valley.

And its all many thanks to Yorkshire H2o and enthusiastic kids at a Huddersfield area college. A dozen of the water enterprise personnel volunteered to roll up their sleeves and get down to some very difficult do the trick for a good result in.

In two sunny days, they transformed a neglected and unused corner of land at Netherthong Key College into a sensory garden and considerable lifted vegetable plot.

Now the 43 little ones who are members of the school's freshly-formed gardening club are unable to wait to get cracking on their response to Kew Gardens.

They have been figuring out about sowing and harvesting and have currently planted seeds in pots ready to transfer them into the new beds.

The school has ambitious ideas to improve a number of veggies and fruit, which includes strawberries, salads crops, beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, peppers and even squashes.

Teachers also intend to hold open-air lessons in a new pebbled region with an 8-seater picnic table.

The task is piece of Yorkshire Water's A person Million Green Fingers volunteering initiative.

It includes much more than 750 Yorkshire Water workers establishing sustainable, wholesome gardens in 350 principal colleges across the region.

The goal is to educate young people in an engaging way on a assortment of topical difficulties, including the environment, wholesome consuming, climate modify and perfect citizenship.

Netherthong's class three instructor Jane Martin stated: "It has been like a Television makeover.

"We have had a awesome group of twelve volunteers from Yorkshire Drinking water. They have virtually transformed the region into a charming, attractive backyard in two days. Fortunately we ended up able to organise superb climate for them!" Mothers and fathers have also contributed to the backyard by donating pots, vegetation, seeds and a greenhouse.

CAPTION(S):

* PLOTTING: Volunteers Tom Phillips and Wendy Herndlhofer with valley pupils Emily Horrocks, Louis Skinner, Max Bennett, Harry Currell and volunteer PJ Whiteley (AC070411Dneth-02)

Garden challenge ceremony

A Exceptional tree-planting ceremony is taking site upcoming week to mark a group backyard job.

The scheme to set up the backyard in North Marine Park, South Shields, was produced by the Friends of North and South Marine Parks, alongside South Tyneside Council's park rangers.

Some do the trick has by now used position at the internet page. Now the 2nd phase is due to start off. This will include installing added elevated beds and seating as very well as the base for a sensory garden.

The tree planting ceremony will take spot on Tuesday. Coun Tracey Dixon, pictured, reported: "There has been a superior deal of work carried out currently to transform this piece of land. I am convinced when it is comprehensive, it will become awfully famous."

Help you save A MINT

Approach Forward

Develop your private salad bowl in a sunny piece of the backyard. A top- notch salad consists of distinctive colours, shapes, sizes and textures so pick out your elements from the seed catalogues for the best pick.

Professional suggestion: Sow quick rows and set up the varieties so they are prepared for harvesting above the exact interval.

kilos How considerably? Salad seeds from lbs one.35 (www.realseeds.co.united kingdom, 01239 821107).

Blend IT ALL UP

You would be impressed how a wide range of plants you can pack into a small backyard. Veg can even be squeezed into gaps in sunny borders, grown in pots on the patio or planted at half the standard area in raised beds.

Skilled suggestion: To assist strategy your unique plot, consider a no cost 30-day trial of a Computer garden planner (www.growveg.com).

kilos How much? Taster Salad Backyard - 53 crops for a one.5sq m place lbs 21.99 (www.rocketgardens.co.uk, 0845 603 3684).

HERBS

Refreshing herbs are wonderful for salads, adding colour and flavour as perfectly as an unique garnish. Decide upon varieties in accordance to what you like to cook.

Specialist suggestion: Even if you don't have a backyard with soil or significantly space, you can nonetheless grow herbs. Consider a tip from the supermarkets and raise your own herbs in pots and, if must have be, deal with them as houseplants and improve them on a windowsill.

pounds How a whole lot? Seeds from 99p a packet (www.seedparade.co.uk, 0845 544 1602).

MICRO SALADS

MICRO vegetables are a favourite with chefs so, if you want to plate up like a pro, look at increasing your unique. Sow them in the typical way but harvest them in about two weeks.

Expert tip: For the tastiest tiny greens, improve pinach, red cabbage, courgettes, carrots and asil, as well as traditional salad leaves.

lbs (w How substantially? Micro green seeds from pounds one.25 www.nickys- nursery.co.united kingdom, 01843 600972).

GREENHOUSE OR WINDOWSILL

BY investing in a greenhouse you will develop bumper crops of tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, but if you are not able to pay for it, try out growing them in pots or developing bags on the patio or even on a sunny windowsill.

Professional tip: Hold greenhouse crops bug-no cost the all natural way by planting French marigolds - whiteflies loathe the odor of them.

kilos How considerably? Tomato seeds from 89p (www.simplyseed.co.uk).

HANGING BASKETS

You should not waste seedlings, salvage a couple of thinnings of lettuce and mature them in pots and baskets for some entertaining harvesting when dining al fresco.

Skilled tip: Sink an upturned plastic bottle with the lid removed and the bottom reduce off in between your vegetation and fill with h2o to cease crops wilting on sizzling days.

lbs How very much? The value of a basket and a bottle. Cheap as chips.

COLD Frame

EXTEND your year with a cold frame. You can get all-glass frames, which are super for spring crops, or pay for or build up a uncomplicated wooden box with glass window sash as a lid.

Specialist suggestion: Put frames towards a making and in a south-going through position.

pounds How much? Cold frames commence from kilos 29.99 (Go to www.greenhousepeople.co.united kingdom, or contact 01782 398600).

Author: Anonymous

How To Eat And Think Yourself To Prosperity

We are what we think and what we eat! The people who know me, know that I believe in the power of thoughts. I myself have come from a place of thinking gone wrong. My thinking was the part of me that kept me down in my place, there with the have nots and whiners. Let me say this every moment I am becoming more aware of my thoughts and where they are leading me to. Which gets me to the subject of eating. Eating is part of our survival, just like our thinking!

I stumbled across the eating truth before I realised that I also am what I think. So although I have been on the healthy and slim side of life for a long time, riches were still alluding me. It�s not that I wasn�t ever earning anything, it�s just that the money I did earn was �hard earned� and never �enough�.

The cash would run out soon after I�d aquired it and then I would have to go looking again. I never enjoyed the financial part of my life, it left me in doubt of my self worth.

But hey this article is supposed to be about cooking and eating!

Indeed it is. After I discovered how I could achieve my true dreams and wealth by paying attention to what I was focusing on I realised that every single action I take defines the next thing that will happen to me good or bad. Now get this: That includes how I think about my food.

You know what they say about gratitude? It keeps you connected to the source of all things. So how about showing your food appreciation whilst you are preparing it?

Vegetarianism has been my choice for many years now. I have not eaten a corpse in years. The thought of it sends shivers down my spine. Really I�m healthy, I�ve been told I glow! I believe that my food intake together with my thinking and gratitude for my wonderful life are visible.

A tomato salad to boost your vitamin intake and make your heart glow:

Choose 4 organic big sun-ripened tomatoes. I like them fresh off the tomato bush, still warm from the sun.

When choosing the tomatoes feel them, be aware of the life source in your hand, notice the colour, or they deep red or more orangey? Admire each tomato and bless it. Marvel at the miracle of how it was formed from the little yellow blossom.

You�ll also require an onion. I like the purple ones. Choose a onion, should not be to big or your salad will be to onioney. Now compare how different the onion and the tomato are in texture. Each designed with perfect individual flavour especially to nurture me and you of course. I always am amazed at God�s creative energy and diversity.

� 1 Large clove of garlic

� 4 Table spoons virgin cold pressed olive oil,

� 1 Tea spoon honey,

� 1 Table spoon white balsamic vinegar

� Sea salt

Slice the tomatoes.

Peel and finely dice the onions.

Peel and cut the garlic into little pieces. Then generously heap salt over the garlic and crush with a flat end of a knife.

Mix the crushed garlic and salt, olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar in the salad bowl.

Add the diced onions and stir into the dressing.

Leave the onions in the marinade for 10 minutes.

Then add the sliced tomato.

Gently toss!

This is a tangy lunch time snack for me but be aware that I�m used to this lifestyle. For those of you just venturing out into a new way of living you will probably still feel hungry. And if you have a family to nourish they will think you have gone insane, so be sure to complement the salad with something like these delicious polenta fries. This is real easy to make and my kids and fussy man eat it with gusto!

1 big cup of polenta.

Cook the polenta in 2 cups (use the same cup you measured the polenta with) water and 1 tablespoon of salt.

The polenta will be thick and stiff.

As soon as it has cooled down enough so you can touch it, spoon it out the pot and roll into a bread like form.

Let cool down completely.

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a non stick pan.

Cut thick slices of the polenta and fry till golden brown.

Serve.

You can also add a side dish of steamed zucchini and carrot.

Very simple, healthy and tasty. Of course add seasonings.

After the meal, casually place a big flat dish of whole sun ripened strawberries on the table. The stalks should still be on the strawberries. Let every body take from the dish and eat with their fingers. This is fast food at it�s best!

Say yum and aah whilst eating. Look at how each strawberry has its own �heart� shape. Notice the little yellow spoors on the red strawberry and just feel priviledged to have such wonderful food.

Strawberries are full of vitamins, sunshine and other glorious cosmic stuff!

I am lucky to have my own organic strawberry bed. Strawberries are easy to grow. Consider growing your own. If you don�t have a garden, you can easily grow them in a sunny spot of your abode. Other wise buy some at an organic dealer. I find that the packaged hot house strawberries from the super market have no real taste and are often sour and unripe.

If you are used to just taking every thing for granted, you can�t suddenly introduce prayers or any form of gratitude to begin the meal. Your family will be outraged. I used to be an atheist and thought believing in GOD and showing gratitude was silly. So when I began to shift my consciousness I had to get the message across to my family slowly. I had raised my children with healthy eating habits but greatly devoid of the spiritual side of life. I introduced a new awareness with comments like: Wow look at this beautiful apple. Isn�t the creator amazing? This leads to an interesting conversation and slowly you can bring in a new dimension. And as usual lead by example. Think and eat healthy your self. Your family will follow suit, with out you having to preach.

With this I wish you bon appetite and remember you are what you eat and think!

Author: Claudia Apfelthaler

How To Provide Free of cost Electrical energy at Property?

Property owners are inundated with rising expenses and discovering the newest way to create absolutely free energy using a magnetic ability generator may well be practical in conserving wealth on heating expenditures. It differs from a solar powered form of generator. As opposed to the photo voltaic, wind and h2o resources of producing vitality, it is self-perpetuating and not dependent on exterior forces.

http://www.renewableenergysystemreview.com/obtain-magniwork.htm

It is created in a similar way, utilising 3 components that are put to use to make the other kinds of generators. The magnets and extensive-lasting batteries are utilized to produce electric ability. I also realized to construct my individual Do-it-yourself electricity model cheaply by using a information that I will share even more about with you.

Massive businesses and environmental proponents are eager to obtain new substitutions for oil. While a very few controversial remarks have been done about this new generator, there has not been a specific defect determined. The United States will benefit from applying this option energy resource. If there is a bit more of it generated this way, there will be a lot less dependence on oil from overseas. There is no restrict to how a lot heating rates can be lessened.

The generator operates by applying magnetic forces. A physics pro named Maxwell learned the law of electromagnetism and created it for practical use. One of the magnetic generators can be constructed employing sections ordered at a nearby hardware shop.

Two opposing magnets establish a pressure and the 3rd magnet balances that power. Motion is perpetuated, thereby creating electricity. It is lengthy-long lasting compared to photo voltaic, wind or drinking water ability.

Following becoming launched to the public in 2002, it grew famous in a brief time. It can heat a home, run the washer and dryer and light up the whole creating. This generator will give the other 3 variations some competitors. The suppliers of individuals other folks are crucial of this new 1. Potentially they are frightened of that practical opposition.

It is able of lowering heating payments by fifty percent. There are no safety matters, but a little more analysis is currently being performed. There is no question that this magnetic ability generator can provide no charge electrical energy. The only problem is, how a lot? The initial cost could very well be substantial, but irregardless of that, buyers can help save cash for ages into the long run. House owners are hopeful that it will be produced commercially for those who do not want to develop their possess. I have personally managed to produce my possess family home Do-it-yourself electric power technique plainly subsequent a Do-it-yourself tutorial online.

Writer: Gary Ashby

Plan Now for Your Summer Lawn and Garden Irrigation Needs

With the snow melting, temperatures rising, and the heavy spring rains coming down, it�s hard to think about hot dry summer days. Yet this is the perfect time to start planning your lawn and gardening irrigation needs.

Your plan should include looking at your current lawn and garden irrigation tools you may have stored away. Pull them off the garage shelve and see if then need to be repaired or replace. What�s your garden water hose look like? What is the shape of the hose and fittings? Do you have enough garden hose to reach all parts of your lawn and garden? What is your plan for your irrigating your garden? Thinking of a drip irrigation system or sprinkler system? What�s the condition of your lawn sprinkler? Do you have water timers to conserve water and save you money?

Before you go and buy everything you think you need, let�s look at 10 ways you can plan your lawn and garden irrigation needs. These 10 ways can also help you conserve both water and time and save you money.

Ten Ways You Can Plan Your Lawn and Garden Irrigation Needs:

1) The layout of your garden is important to saving water usage. When setting the footprint of your garden, think about where the water will run off. Running water naturally into a garden bed will keep more water in your garden.

2) Group plants according to their water needs. This allows for a more efficient watering usage.

3) Use good mulch and layer it thick. This can prevent up to 70% water loss.

4) Water the highest parts of your garden first to utilize any run off.

5) Dig a small trench around trees to hold water and use a digital water timer to shut off water and stop excessive usage

6) Water roots, not leaves with drip a irrigation system

7) Water lawns only when needed and early in the morning to stop evaporation loss and use a water timer to reduce over watering

8) Aerate soil to allow for more penetration.

9) Cut lawns higher. Taller grass holds water better.

10) Select drought resistant grasses and plants.

Now take action and get the lawn and garden irrigation supplies that will work best for you and your watering needs. Most importantly, look for quality products when looking for garden hoses, drip irrigation systems, lawn sprinklers, and water timers. Pay a little more now and save both time and money for the long run.

In conclusion, there is no better time than early spring to get your summer lawn and garden irrigation needs ready. Plus there is plenty of time to find what you need and what works best for your lawn and garden.

Author: Dave Berning

Grow your own veg scheme

A COMMUNITY centre is holding an open day to encourage people to grow their own fruit and vegetables.

Meadow Well Connected, on Waterville Road, in North Shields, North Tyneside, will be holding the event on Friday from 10.30am to midday.

The centre has received a pounds 193,000 grant from Local Food, a pounds 57m funding programme supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

The cash will be used to extend the group's site to include an extra 30 raised beds and a poly tunnel, as well as providing 30 volunteer placements, two permanent positions and six shortterm trainee posts.

In addition, residents will be supplied seeds and garden equipment, and given advice on how to grow their own food.

Carole Bell, project manager, said: "We are delighted we have been awarded a grant. This project will be a huge asset."

CAPTION(S):

PROJECT Carole Bell

Hay Bale Gardening

Hay bale gardening technique is a low-cost and convenient way of growing flowers and vegetables. Growing vegetables in a hay bale garden is similar to the technique used to grow vegetables in a raised bed garden. If you are just getting your bales, give the bales a thorough soaking, and let them begin to break down before you plant your vegetables. Hay or straw bale gardening is another great way have your garden if you have limited space, terrible soil, a bad back or those who are confined to a wheel chair! So much time is saved by not having to weed or hoe or even water as often as well. This project was first researched by a Dr at the University of Minnesota Extension says, "Hay bales provide a well-aerated, disease free growing medium that is perfect for growing vegetables.

The popular method of hay bale gardening is getting more popular in town, a friend told him how to get prosperous crops using nothing but wheat straw, potting soil, a little fertilizer and some tomato plants "Every fall I get some bales and let them sit out all winter to get good and soggy, I plant a few every year and I've had real good luck. Another friend who was in the landscaping business showed him how to use wheat straw to garden "He had all kinds of crops including cucumber, squash and green beans, you can raise almost anything except corn, because it's too tall and the bale will fall over .

Bales first should be situated in a full sun formation, with twine and wire ties kept in tact. Since bales may be used two seasons, synthetic twine can be used to provide the most durable binding. For optimum root penetration and plant growth throughout gardening months, bales should be placed with strings wrapped horizontally and straws set vertically. The next step is hydration, the key to successful hay bale gardening. A form of hydroponics, the hay bale is like a sponge, and you can't let them dry out, or your crop just does not work. While watering the bales twice per day, fertilize them every other day for six days with one-half cup each of a high nitrogen fertilizer. Working with the bales is much easier than working on a traditional garden. You're putting your garden at eye level, you can see your progress, you can weed it a lot easier and harvest easier. (Posted by Denise in Creative Organic Gardening). Straw bale gardening is an interesting option for those who have either limited soil, limited space or have difficulty bending over. This is important if you intend to get two years possible out of each bale in your straw bale gardening efforts. Remember several things about placing your bales in your straw bale gardening layout. Straw bale gardening layouts can be placed end-to-end to create long gardens or grouped into traditional bed shapes or even set up as maze types of gardens. How crazy does it sound, growing tomatoes in bales of hay. I planted peppers, tomatoes, flowers and beans in the hay bales in different arrangements that were pleasing to the eye. Somehow I find it oddly interesting kind of like growing tomatoes upside down. In my garden adventures with hay bale and straw bale gardening I have tried several different gardening techniques. While I like growing melons and gourds in the bales both are heavy feeder so I created a hay bale/ straw bale square garden technique to use with these crops. Lay the bales out to form a square with an open section on the inside. Now it's time to prepare the bales for planting. Straw bale gardening has many positive aspects. Valerie Everett I prefer straw bales as they contain less seed and last longer but straw is more expensive so my choice for the garden depends on the best buy I can get or which crop I am growing. For squash plants and gourds I use hay bales. First get bales that still have the string tightly around the bale. And if you know where you want your garden position the bales. For more information and tips on gardening go to www.Teegoes.org

Author: Timothy Samuel

The eggs aspect

A day-to-day basket of free-assortment eggs is the organic and natural extra that comes with Carolyn and Bill Johnstone's Kirkintilloch house, but far from currently being a Wonderful Living type smallholding, the couple's detached Victorian villa is a refined mix of modern sophistication and time period detail.

This quite time period property, named Forthbank, was constructed in 1886 and has been house to the Johnstones for the past 12 a long time.

"As numerous of our neighbours were presently trying to keep chickens, we decided to join in with 3 of our unique," states Carolyn. "We have a major established backyard with tons of mature trees and all-natural raised beds, so they are cost-free to roam.

"Although we're only 5 minutes from the regional grocery store, gathering your very own eggs is a novelty. If the long term proprietors want clean eggs every single day, we are a little more than glad to encompass the chickens in the sale."

Forthbank sits opposite a church in the extended-established Westermains spot of Kirkintilloch. It was developed by a Mr Fletcher for a member of his unique relatives. As the local builder, he was responsible for plenty of of the qualities in this region."

"There are really a couple of person characteristics, such as the cabinets in the lounge, made from wood that Mr Fletcher brought back from Australia open them and you are likely to see the Brisbane stamp inside of."

The home will probably be Victorian, but it has been upgraded by the Johnstones who have re-slated the roof, changed windows exactly where correct, as well as setting up a new kitchen area and bathrooms.

In phrases of reconciling the architectural character of the household with the demands of modern residing, the sizeable bathrooms gave the Johnstones the flexibility to inject present day vitality devoid of intruding on the essence of the house.

The lounge is more classic in character, with a traditional fireplace, intricate cornicing and stained glass folding doors depicting Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Darnley.

Various rooms are about assorted moments and, when open, the doors help the mahogany panelled dining room to be incorporated into the lounge, although a by-the-hunting-glass archway intertwines the dining room with a curved sun-room.

When the loved ones number one moved in, the lounge carpets were lifted and the unique wood flooring reclaimed and enhanced with stenciled Celtic knot borders. A area reproduction plaster firm restored the original ceiling roses and cornicing.

"As we have a sitting space at the front of the property, as well as a relatives area off the kitchen area with French doors opening to a decked place, we can near the door on the lounge and help you save it for exceptional events, not compared with a Victorian parlour," points out Carolyn.

On the other hand, the breakfasting region off the kitchen area, with its massive photo window looking on to the backyard, is 1 of the family's favorite gathering places.

Forthbank is relatively considerably an indoor/outdoor area with the boundaries blurred around the sociable layout of the inside and the sizeable backyard. It can be a home that lends itself to casual entertaining, extraordinary events, as very well as a gathering destination for Cameron and Iain's colleagues.

With four bedrooms and a family members bathroom laid out on the upper degree, the generous room matches round a great site visitors spouse and children schedule as perfectly as offering most people who lives there with a diploma of privacy.

Forthbank is on sale for delivers through pound(s)390,000. Contact Slater Hogg & Howison on 0141 772 6488

Author: Heather Macleod

CAGEY UPDATES ..FOR Less

Wire Cages GABIONS - wire cages filled with stone, cobbles, tiles, bottles and logs - make incredible screens, benches or retaining partitions for raised beds to reflect your individual style.

. ?professional suggestion: Gabions location suitable position to hide garden rubble. Place helpful things at the front to develop a decorative fascia. lbs how substantially? From pounds twelve.99 (www.stones3.co.uk, 0845 230 0013).

inseCt containers MAke your garden eco-friendly by building open- sided insect containers from scrap timber packed with bamboo.

. ?professional tip: Produce a tower block of "apartments" to appeal to varied bugs by stacking the boxes large and filling them with logs, layers of stone and outdated textbooks to make a ornamental display screen between areas of garden. lbs how substantially? Free.

MosaiC Paths Save funds and give your backyard a personal stamp by generating mosaic paths from broken bits of china, flat stones and other discarded objects bedded into wet cement.

? professional tip: Timber shuttering would make a fantastic mould for creating concrete paving slabs, stepping stones or wall plaques.

pounds how a good deal? more quick cement pounds 5.04 (www.wickes.co.uk, 0844 892 2701).

plAnting tuBS ?GALVANiSED containers have uncomplicated, rustic appeal, wonderful for country gardens and where by you want plants to have a informal cottage backyard look and feel.

. ?pro suggestion: if your patio is south-going through metal containers can cook your plants so hold them in the shade or line with bubble wrap or plastic and make drainage holes.

.metal them or plastic and make drainage holes. lbs lbs 24 (www pounds How a great deal? Vintage galvanised tubs pounds 20-lbs 24 (www.gardart.co.uk, 07732 674994).

RAil SlEEpERS RAiLwAY sleepers are exceptional for building less expensive and resilient raised beds, retaining partitions, simple steps, paths and h2o characteristics. But examine they have not been taken care of with creosote as it is poisonous to plants.

. ?expert tip: Merge with sections of gravel to break up monotony and prepare to make stepping stones or bridges. pounds How significantly? Untreated reclaimed hardwood sleepers from pounds eleven.fifty (www.uksleepers.co.uk, 01536 267107).

REcYclEd fEncing MAKE a resilient and attractive fence with secondhand floorboards from outdated properties.

? expert suggestion: Non-matching timbers are more cost-effective and interesting. Paint them repeatedly with preservative. lbs How noticeably? Old floorboards commonly fee about 65p per foot from salvage yards (www.salvo.co.uk).

Writer: Anonymous

CAGE RAGE

WIRE CAGES

GABIONS - wire cages stuffed with stone, cobbles, tiles, bottles and logs - make beneficial screens, benches or retaining walls for elevated beds to reflect your personal model.

Pro tip: Gabions spot high-quality position to conceal backyard rubble. Place captivating products at the front to build a decorative fascia.

INSECT Bins

MAKE your backyard eco-friendly by making open-sided insect containers from scrap timber packed with bamboo.

Specialist tip: Develop a tower block of "apartments" to appeal to several bugs by stacking the containers huge and filling them with logs, layers of stone and previous textbooks to make a decorative display screen concerning regions of backyard.

MOSAIC PATHS

Help save dollars and give your backyard a percaGe RaGe sonal stamp by doing mosaic paths from damaged bits of china, flat stones and other discarded objects bedded into wet cement.

Pro tip: Timber shuttering may make a exceptional mould for creating concrete paving slabs, stepping stones or wall plaques.

PLANTING TUBS

GALVANISED containers have basic, rustic appeal, terrific for region gardens and where by you want vegetation to have a informal cottage backyard appearance.

Skilled suggestion: If your patio is south-facing metal containers can cook your vegetation so retain them in the shade or line with bubble wrap or plastic and make drainage holes.

RAIL SLEEPERS

RAILWAY sleepers are fine for generating low-priced and tough raised beds, retaining partitions, tips, paths and water benefits. But verify they have not been treated with creosote as it is poisonous to plants.

Expert suggestion: Merge with sections of gravel to break up monotony and arrange to make stepping stones or bridges.

RECYCLED FENCING

MAKE a resilient and enticing fence with secondhand floorboards from older properties.

Skilled suggestion: Non-matching timbers are much less expensive and significant. Paint them frequently with preservative.

Author: Anonymous

Establishing a Elevated Backyard Bed

You can help save profit by building your unique raised backyard bed. These can be utilized for flowers and even for vegetables. They are gaining in recognition mainly because they are painless and low-priced to build up, doing them useful pieces of the landscape. Moreover, they are fairy very easy to plant and retain. They are even rather uncomplicated to weed. In addition to getting convenient and practical in maintenance, they also drain faster as properly as warm up quicker. This would mean that you can plant before in the period, resulting in the chance of a number of harvests if you use your elevated gardens for veggies. You can make your garden a short-term bed or a long lasting bed, and reap the gains of a rather simple way to like your landscape more and even dress it up a small bit.

The primary factor you might need to do is make sure that you have all of the appropriate equipment and components. You can make your beds out of rocks, concrete blocks, bricks, naturally rot-resistant wood (cypress is highly slow to decompose), or wood taken care of with a secure preservative. It is valuable to make confident that taken care of wood does not have something hazardous in it that could leach into the soil and as a result be absorbed by the plants. This is notably integral if you program to eat whatever you are expanding in your raised bed. Other stuff that you will require comprise of optional wood preservative (like sealant) or sheet plastic, spading fork, shovel, iron rake, hammer and nails, measuring tape, compost, and topsoil. All of matters are mandatory for setting up a successful raised backyard bed.

When producing a permanent garden bed, you should certainly make confident to use further long-lasting elements. If you approach to use your bed for flowers as a prominent element of your landscape, bricks make fairly nice beds, as they are beautiful and many times complement most customary landscape models and vegetation. The bed can be as very long as you would like it to be, but it would be wise to be at least an individual foot deep and no extra than four ft large. Wider beds can make it problematic to attain the center of the bed to get care of facts like weeding and fertilizing. If you have the bed in opposition to a household or fence, large beds make it complex to get to the backside of the bed as effectively.

Temporary beds, not like everlasting beds, allow for you to adjust the layout every year. If you like the plan of staying able to make compact variations to your landscape every single increasing year, then short-term beds can assistance you acquire this. At the same time, they are simpler and much less high-priced to do away with if you consider that you would like to just take them out. Wood is most suitable for these kinds of beds, as the wood can quickly be taken apart. Deciding upon appealing woods can create to the search of your landscape pattern. You can also decorate the wood with non-toxic paint if you would like to have a minor several appearance. As with long term beds, make certain that you form them at minimum with a foot of depth and not exceedingly broad.

When planting your beds, whether or not everlasting or momentary, you need to start by preparing the bed. Eradicate rocks, sticks, and debris from the beds and make confident that they are ready for plantings. Be certain to permit for drainage. You can construct your bed on a patio or on soil, but possibly way you will need to assure that there are sufficient pathways for extra moisture to escape. When employing brick or concrete blocks, they can be stacked in a staggered style to enable drinking water out of the bed. When creating on the best of soil, loosen the bottom soil with a shovel or spading fork. The bed must be stuffed from bottom to top rated with a compost and topsoil mixture. Following this is undertaken, rake the leading of the bed so that it is smooth.

The moment the bed is ready, you can plant flowers, herbs, or vegetables within the bed. Tall plants will need to be put in in opposition to a fence or wall, or on the bed�s northern aspect. Make guaranteed that you take correct care of your plants in your bed, and keep in mind that elevated beds can dry out sooner. They could possibly demand a tiny a little more water. Keep clear of stepping on the bed as much as conceivable to prevent soil compaction, and stick to up your planting with a accurate software of mulch.

Writer: Janeth Duque

Previous Rubber Tyres - Not A Recyclers Nightmare

In buy to keep safe and sound on the roads, you might need to make certain that your car's tyres have superior, deep tread. The hazards of a blowout can be catastrophic. On the other hand, this frequent desire for new motor vehicle tyres will mean that the old ones have to arrive off. And then what do you do with them? You can re-tread a car tyre, but even this can only be accomplished so some times ahead of the structural integrity of the tyres is compromised. And then you have to make a decision what to do with the older tyre.

At to begin with glance, a used tyre is an environmentalist's nightmare. Even while it's constructed generally from a organic and renewable resource (rubber), tyres are not quite biodegradable and they will sit for millennia in landfills taking up invaluable area, and if you burn up the factors, they release some notably nasty smoke and air pollution into the air. So what do you do with them?

Effectively, if you get an additional seem at an outdated tyre, you realise that you have a little something that is extraordinarily rot-resistant and is fire-resistant. These facts just have to be assets.

Major scale recycling merchants can recycle older tyres up to a point. From time to time, shredded automobile tyres can be made use of as thing of the substrate (basecourse) in building roads, which reduces the absolutely need for quarrying stones. Unlike other waste supplies that have possible for this use (e.g. slag from refineries), shredded tyres do not build toxic leachates that can be washed out of the roads when it rains into the surrounding soils and waterways (other supplies these as cullet (crushed glass) are also recycled into roads - 1 transport engineer the moment called roads "horizontal landfills"). Tyres can also be shredded and utilised as a soft surface beneath playground products - though this use can get children's clothes dirty (but the black from tyres does not stain).

All-around the household or in your nearby neighborhood, you can do your own recycling of outdated auto tyres. Right here is a checklist of possibilities:

1. Use an normal car tyre to make garden ornaments. If you can uncover a way of reducing the tyre and if you are clever with paint, tyres can be built to resemble swans.

two. Any sized tyre can be created into play tools. The most basic choice of play gear likely with a tyre is to tie it to a stout tree branch and make it into a swing (it can be oriented so it lies horizontally or vertically - the two orientations operate and just about every has its person challenges and limitations for play). Greater tyres from trucks or tractors make wonderful sandpits that will not crack like industrial plastic ones and are normally deeper. A 4x4 tyre by alone can have a ton of potential for play - young children can roll it close to like a massive and serious hoop, they can sit in it and pretend its a boat, they can turn it on its edge and experiment with to journey it like a horse (which provides a problem - it moves and you have to attempt to stability on it)... Scaled-down tyres can also be chosen as hoops or as targets. With a bit of creativity, it could be plausible to construct a entire playground out of older tyres. A playground this author realized as a boy or girl had a pyramid (all ideal - cone, for those mathematicians out there!) crafted from tyres bolted securely with each other, with tremendous tractor tyres at the bottom and automobile tyres up the best. You could climb up the outdoors of the stack or down the within of it.

3. Since tyres are black, they take in warmth. This tends to make them tremendously acceptable as backyard beds for facts that like warm soils (e.g. potatoes and yams). To give up weeds coming up from underneath, put a thick mat of plastic or newspaper (alot more recycling/reusing) down beneath the tyre, then fill the tyre with soil and compost. And plant your greens. You can stack the tyres to no matter height you want - a stack of greater tyres can come to be a elevated garden bed, or you can add one particular added layer over the soil and put a "lid" of obvious plastic on the major to generate a mini-glasshouse (if you do this, consider to (a)just take the lid off in hotter weather conditions to end the plant evolving into overheated, (b)h2o the plant, considering the fact that the lid stops the rain coming in and the plastic beneath stops moisture coming up.

4. Nevertheless in the garden, tyres can be chosen to make compost bins. Just stack them up and pop in your backyard waste. The warmth absorbed by the tyres implies that the proper temperature for effective bacteria will be preserved, but it might probably get too very hot for a worm farm unless you ventilate the sides by reducing smaller holes in the tyres.

five. The tread on an old tyre is not ample to maintain a tyre on the road, but it is however adequate to continue to keep a person's ft from slipping. It is feasible to make your unique fairly informal (!) thongs/flip-flops out of previous tyres by cutting a piece of tyre to in shape your ft and then incorporating holes for some rope to preserve them on your ft. You may ought to pad the best surface of the flip-flop to make them snug ample, and make certain you use soft rope so you do not get blisters. Alternatively, you can use aged tyres to re-tread wellington boots or other footwear by gluing items of old tyre to acceptable areas on the sole.

Writer: Nick Vassilev