GardenPool - Couple Turning Swimming Pool Into Aquaponics System

from gardenpool: We created GardenPool.org to document our journey of converting an old backyard swimming Pool in to a way to feed our family and live more self-sufficiently.

When we purchased our first home in Mesa, AZ on October of 2009, it came with a large, empty, and run-down pool.

Rather than spending thousands of dollars in fixing the pool or having it filled with fill dirt we decided to design an inexpensive & self-sufficient urban greenhouse.

Initially, we had anticipated self-sufficiency by 2012 but we achieved our goal by mid-2010. Our family gets about 8 fresh eggs a day, unlimited tilapia fish, organic fruit, veggies, and herbs 365 days a year. To our knowledge, the GP (short for Garden Pool) is a one of a kind creation.

Health Benefits of Peppermint Oil

from organicfacts: The health benefits of peppermint oil include its ability to treat indigestion, respiratory problems, headache, nausea, fever, stomach and bowel spasms and pain. Due to the presence of menthol, menthone and menthyl esters, peppermint and peppermint oil find wide applications in manufacture of soap, shampoo, cigarette, toothpaste, chewing gum, tea and ice cream.

Peppermint is a cross between watermint and spearmint and is native to Europe. Historically, the herb has been known for its medicinal uses. Hence it is often termed as the world’s oldest medicine.

Unlike many other herbs and essential oils, numerous health benefits of peppermint and peppermint oil have been studied and proved by the scientific community. As a result, peppermint oil is also sold in the form of capsules and tablets.

Peppermint oil is also used as a flavoring agent. You will find very few people who will not find peppermint suitable to their palate.

Peppermint oil contains numerous minerals and nutrients including manganese, iron, magnesium, calcium, folate, potassium, and copper. It also contains omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.

Your Vegetable Garden In June

from gardenorganic: With half the country suffering from lack of rain, and the other half from too much (or so it seems when listening to the news) now is not the time to make a general comment on the state of the nation’s vegetable gardens in June! Just remember – if your first sowings and plantings have failed or are malingering there is still time to sow some more.

Things to do in the vegetable garden this month

Encourage runner beans to climb up their supports. They twist the other way from most other beans, climbing clockwise when viewed from above.

Hoe regularly to keep weeds under control. Keep the blade sharp and hoe when seedlings are small and in dry weather for best effect.

Brassicas crops such as cabbages, sprouts, calabrese etc are favourites with many pests, from aphids and whitefly to pigeons and rabbits. Check your plants and take appropriate measures if necessary.

Sow up spare ground with buckwheat, phacelia, mustard or fenugreek green manures. They’ll help to improve the ground, suppress weeds, make a good ground cover for beetles and other predators and, if you let them flower, buckwheat and phacelia are very attractive to bees – and people.

Herbs and Spaces

from suite101: Easy to grow, herbs are a great addition to any space. Some, however, will try to take over the garden bed.

Most herbs are compact and need minimal space. But there are some that, if left to themselves, will attempt to take over the garden.

Annual Herbs

An annual plant is one that only lasts for one growing season. Many herbs are annual and will need to be replanted each year. These include basil, chamomile and dill, although dill is very good at re-seeding itself. Annual herbs won’t grow too large, so they can be safely planted in appropriate locations without fear that they will attempt to smother their plant neighbors.

Blueberry Plants to Grow in Northern Gardens

from suite101: Northern gardeners can add blueberries to a sustainable kitchen garden by growing hardy plants. Homegrown blueberries provide fresh fruit despite blueberry virus news.

Blueberry plants are easy to grow even in northern climates by choosing hardy cultivar varieties. Despite the recent news of blueberry shock virus found in Michigan, growing blueberries in a kitchen garden is still an economical way to get fresh fruit into the diet.

Blueberry plants are native throughout North America, well known as a cash crop in the Pacific Northwest and Michigan but also grown everywhere in many backyard gardens. For northern gardeners choosing varieties that have been developed to withstand very cold winters and late springs is key to success.

Drought Gardening: How Will Horticulturists Cope?

from bbc: Gardeners in the UK are facing a difficult summer after the driest spring in over 100 years. But how can home horticulturists cope?

Summer is a time of excitement for gardeners conjuring up manicured lawns, immaculate roses, and a cornucopia of other flora.

But this year the usual optimism is in danger of drying up.

Across England and Wales spring rainfall was 86.9mm - the driest since 1893, according to the Met Office. It's meant problems for gardeners.

The dry spring "knocked gardeners off balance", says Peter Gibbs, presenter of BBC Radio Four's Gardeners' Question Time. This menace contrasts with the usual threat of spring frosts.

Already this has meant gardeners have had to plant seeds quicker and be more selective when deciding what to plant. They also need to consider how plants that will fare well in a hot dry summer will do when the cold eventually returns.

E. coli bacteria easily killed with spices like garlic, clove, cinnamon, oregano and sage

from presscore: A recent outbreak of a virulent strain of E. coli has killed 19 people in Europe and infected more than 2,000 in at least 12 countries. The source of the outbreak hasn’t been pinpointed but the World Health Organization and the CDC are focusing on fresh naturally grown foods like tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers which were packaged in Germany. Entire suspect crops are ordered destroyed by the WHO and the CDC every year when an E. coli outbreak is declared. Why does the WHO and the CDC order crops destroyed? In recent years there appears to be a concerted effort by the WHO and the CDC to target only the foods that are essential for a healthy diet and life for millions of people. Foods which helps prevent disease, illnesses and viral infections. Every year the WHO and the CDC issues E. coli outbreak bulletins and they always accuse anti-cancer, anti heart disease and anti-microbial foods like lettuce, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, peas and beans. No E. coli alert have been made against processed foods that make up the entire menu at fast food outlets. Fast processed foods are linked to heart disease, cancer, obesity, viral infections and a host of other ailments and illnesses. The intent of the WHO and the CDC is to destroy only the healthy natural food groups. Yes the death of 19 people is a good argument in favor of destroying a crop linked to an E. coli outbreak but the destruction of the entire crops affects millions. Without these healthy food crops thousands, even millions will become inflicted with disease, illnesses and viral infections and die.

No Matter What, Always Be Encouraged

from rawfoodnation: The sun always comes once the clouds have parted from the rain. There is always a lesson learned and an upside to various situations, it merely depends on your point of view, on how you look at things. There is experience to be gained in all that we do, there are stories to live and stories to be told. There is wisdom gained and knowledge to be passed on to others who endure something similar.

We know that it is not always easy to make lifestyle changes. Whether you are new to raw foods and holistic health, or a seasoned raw foodie looking to shake things up a bit, we encourage you all to take it one step at a time. For just as learning to walk or ride a bike for the first time left you with a couple bruises or scrapes, so might you unintentionally fall off track or take a wrong turn. No worries though, because we want to encourage you that at any point you can get back up again and get back to the raw food lifestyle.

Ten Reasons to Become Self-Sufficient and Ten Ways to Get There

from activistpost: We are now three to five generations removed from the rural backbone that strengthened America. The world at large has undergone a similar transformation as the promise of easier work has created a migration to big cities. These mega-cities could be seen as an experiment gone awry, as general well-being has declined, with suicide rates increasing across the world. Crowded conditions and economic strife have led to rampant crime, pollution, corporate malfeasance, and a dog-eat-dog type of competition that can be described as a temporary insanity.

The economic crisis we are living through has been the final straw for many people, as promises of a better, easier, and more creative life seem to have been sold to us by carnival-style tricksters who are laughing all the way to (their) bank.

Here are the top reasons for becoming self-sufficient; these are based on fundamental, systemic concerns for why undertaking this life change will not be a fly-by-night fad, but rather a long-lasting means for personal independence.

10 Tools that Could Revolutionize Your Gardening Experience

from treehugger: Every gardener has their favorite tool, one that's always close at hand when they're at work.

I asked the gardeners I know on Facebook and Twitter what their "must-have" tools were, and found that (like me!) most of them were both particular and passionate about what they liked and disliked in a garden tool.

This list of 10 tools that could revolutionize your gardening experience includes some of their recommendations for great gardening tools and a few of my own "must-haves." A great tool makes gardening so much easier -- and your garden will flourish.