This can't be New York. Way too much color. We all wear black to reflect our miserable, mournful moods. The lady with the Macy's bag? Definitely a tourist. The guy in the khaki pants looking for a train? Out of towner for sure!
Cleveland leads a slew of Midwestern towns on our annual list, but thanks to high taxes New York and Chicago make it too.
Chicago (No. 10) and New York City (No. 16). Torturous commute times and nosebleed-inducing taxes are the high prices locals pay for the cultural opportunities and corporate headquarters located there.
Botanists have discovered for the first time that the plants are carnivorous predators who kill insects in order to “self-fertilise” themselves. Garden vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes have been found to be deadly killers on a par with Venus fly traps, according to research.
New research shows that they capture and kill small insects with sticky hairs on their stems and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the animals decay and fall to the ground.
Tom Friedman who perhaps speaks for me more than any other journalist thinks the fat lady has already sung. I hope he is wrong, but am fearful he has it right.
My life spans the period of time he talks about in his op-ed piece of February 20. My emotional immaturity as a teenager led to a very untimely pregnancy while still in high school. Yes, I know it is quite common today, but not at that time.
Thanks to an evening school training program by Grumman Aircraft, I became a machinist while earning my degree at Hofstra evening school. I bought a house at nineteen and had three children by the time I was twenty-one. Try doing that today.
Thanks to our post-WWII manufacturing economy, I was able to survive and eventually prosper. I think often today about the reality that I would not be able to do what I did then in today's America.
There are only a couple of reviews at this time but that will increase as more buyers become aware of SIP productivity benefits while saving valuable water and time.
It's time to order seeds and check out SIPs if you haven't already. There is a ton of information, including consumer experience, on this site. Just surf the categories in the right column or use the Google site search (upper left).
If that fails to answer your question, post a comment. If I don't know the answer I know where to find it. I research every day of the week. It's my positive addiction.
It's good to see this video demonstrating the use of an EarthBox sub-irrigated planter (SIP) indoors. That is what I'm doing with this "coffee plantation" planter.
There is one caution however. Read the comments in the post about testing soil moisture visually and with a soil probe. I would never add water to an indoor SIP without doing this.
The video illustrates what can happen when you think of these planters as "self-watering" and believe the claim that you cannot over water. While that may be true outdoors (even that is debatable), it is definitely not true when used indoors under significantly lower light.
GreenSolarDude mentions being bothered by fruit flies. This is a common mistake of misidentification. They are more than likely fungus gnats (Sciarid flies) and are a certain symptom of over watering. Fungus gnat larvae live in moist soil at the surface.
The top layer of soil is dry when sub-irrigation is used properly and the flies therefore cannot propagate.
There is another hint of a problem and that is the comment about using "any good potting soil". That is not true.
It is important to read the planter mix label and be sure there is no "top soil" listed in the ingredients. Do not use topsoil (aka native soil, dirt) in sub-irrigation. It is too heavy and does not provide good capillary action and aeration. This too can lead to fungus gnat problems and very likely poor plant health.
SIPs are easy to use, but some very basic information is needed for success, starting with forgetting the misleading term "self-watering". They are not self-watering or automatic. You can plug in your coffee maker and forget about it but not a SIP. SIPs are simple though, once you get it.
This is the "coffee plantation" sub-irrigated planter (SIP) shown in this post. I could have done a better job of explaining how it works. The photo above with captions should help make it more understandable. Your feedback will be appreciated.
Note that this planter is for indoor use only. This type of translucent storage box will not stand up to harsh weather. Outdoors it would probably last no more than one season. Note also that there is no overflow drain hole. Monitor the soil moisture by viewing through the clear walls and use a soil probe for best accuracy in testing soil moisture.
Always add a measured amount of water into a SIP for indoor use. These planters are erroneously called “self-watering” in the consumer market. That is a clear misrepresentation. Plants do not have intelligence to start and stop drinking. It is an urban myth, an urban legend.
This method of making a SIP is applicable to any watertight container. You can even convert raised beds to sub-irrigation by lining them with sheet plastic and then following this method. Recycled nursery flats are a perfect way to convert raised beds to SIPs. You would not only grow an abundance of fresh food you would help keep these flats out of our landfills.
This easy to make sub-irrigated planter (SIP) design could revolutionize personal and family food production in the United States. Think that is a bold statement?
If every citizen had at least one recycled soda/pop bottle planter and at least one box or bucket SIP we would go a long way towards eliminating food deserts in our cities and make a big impact on our national obesity problem. Everyone and anyone can learn to grow some of their own food this way, no green thumb or shovel necessary.
I encourage everyone to try growing plants in SIPs. You will quickly learn how easy it is to manage and grow some personal fresh food. You will become a believer.
Please know that I will help anyone who has questions. Just ask. There are no dumb questions. The only thing dumb is drench and drain watering of containerized plants.
The widespread use of top watering and drain hole planters is largely due to inappropriate propaganda from the USDA Extension program. At a minimum, they should be explaining the pros and cons of each irrigation method but they do not.
Thanks to Google coupled with professional experience of almost forty years, I am prepared to back up that statement.
Members of Girl Scout Troop 2164 and Leader Denise Jablonowski, with a photo of a planted EarthBox and a ready-to-plant EarthBox.
This is another timely story from the EarthBox newsletter and Facebook.
Young people like these girl scouts could be leaders in the anti-obesity campaign. Michelle Obama should enlist the help of every Girl Scout Troop, Boy Scout Troop, 4-H club and all other youth organizations to spread the word in our cities about the major benefits of gardening in sub-irrigated planters (SIPs) like the EarthBox.
There is no better way to produce fresh, nutritious, fat-fighting vegetables in urban environments. Just one SIP! That's all it takes to plant the seed of health.
Girl Scouts to Grow EarthBoxes to Earn Merit Badges
The Girl Scouts have a long history of combining innovation and community service through the projects that they develop to earn badges. Here's yet another fine example.
Watch this official USDA video. The photos below are from about the 1-minute mark. These potted houseplants are being watered by a form of sub-irrigation called flood and drain. The USDA is encouraging it because it conserves water and avoids run-off and soil pollution.
The Ficus benjamina trees below are growing in the CuGreen lab using sub-irrigation just as recommended in the USDA video. They are growing in repurposed soda/pop bottle planters. This method has been proven to grow healthier plants while saving water and time.
Do you like being misled by the USDA Extension program when they tell you to top water and incessantly lecture that you must have drain holes? It is fair to say that your tax dollars are supporting inaccurate and outdated advice. You should demand to know why.
This batch of Ficus trees (about 40) was rooted in place in these soda/pop bottle SIPs. The cuttings all rooted within a month without loss. They are now one to two months old and very well rooted healthy plants. Anyone can do this, no green thumb required. These could just as well be edible plants sprouted from seed and just waiting for spring and life outside in box or bucket SIPs.
Part of the residue from the decline in American manufacturing is an abundance of empty factory buildings that once housed workers and machinery.
The building in this photo once produced machinery for Harnischfeger Industries in Milwaukee.
It is now home to a prototype aquaponics business. It produces both fish and fresh vegetables.
There are aquaponics, hydroponics and sub-irrigated planter (SIP) food production opportunities like this in empty buildings all over the country. These buildings represent a significant potential for new green business opportunities and new green jobs.
My Hope Is That The Fat Lady Hasn't Sung
My life spans the period of time he talks about in his op-ed piece of February 20. My emotional immaturity as a teenager led to a very untimely pregnancy while still in high school. Yes, I know it is quite common today, but not at that time.
Thanks to an evening school training program by Grumman Aircraft, I became a machinist while earning my degree at Hofstra evening school. I bought a house at nineteen and had three children by the time I was twenty-one. Try doing that today.
Thanks to our post-WWII manufacturing economy, I was able to survive and eventually prosper. I think often today about the reality that I would not be able to do what I did then in today's America.
Continue reading "My Hope Is That The Fat Lady Hasn't Sung " »
Posted by Greenscaper on February 27, 2010 at 01:34 PM in Economy, Editorial Comment, Education, Green Jobs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)