Category: farming/gardening
Posted on August 8, 2018
by John Jeavons
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It’s no secret that gardening is good for the body and spirit. Gardeners have known the peace and calm that comes from tending their plants for centuries – I certainly feel it when I’m watering, weeding, harvesting or just being in the garden, feeling…
Posted on July 23, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Everyone seemed to enjoy the Lost Crops of Africa so much, I thought I’d mention another treasure from the National Research Council: Lost Crops of the Incas (published in 1989). This book is an excellent resource for anyone interested in ethnobotany and heirloom varieties,…
Category: about crops, books, Carribean America, Central America, crops, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, food security, grains, GROW THE EARTH, history, Latin America, native plant, native plants, plants, South America, vegetablesTags: central america, crops, ethnobotany, inca, latin america, National Research Council, native crops, plants, south america
Posted on July 18, 2018
by John Jeavons
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This 3-book series Lost Crops of Africa (Volumes I, II and III on Grains, Vegetables, and Fruits, published in 1996, 2006 and 2008, respectively) is a treasure for us all, but especially for the African continent, with the hope it presents of growing food…
Category: about crops, Africa, books, crops, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, food security, fruits, grains, GROW THE EARTH, native plants, vegetablesTags: Africa, books, crops, food security, native plants
Posted on June 26, 2018
by John Jeavons
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One of the most frustrating experiences you can have in the garden is to see a plant—or worse, and entire bed! —struggling with disease or pests. Conscientious farmers want to bring health to their gardens, but the chemical remedies provided on the shelves of…
Category: books, compost, container gardening, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, homeopathy, homeopathy, homeopathy, indoor gardening, nutrition, plant health, plants, practical guides, unusual techniquesTags: farming, gardening, health, homeopathy for plants
Posted on June 25, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Nora Waln was an unusual and adventurous woman. A Philadelphia Quaker and best-selling writer and journalist in the 1930s–60s, she was the first to report on the spread of Nazism in the lead up to WWII, and wrote on Mongolia, communism in China, and…
Category: books, China, ethnobotany, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, planning, sustainabilityTags: Biointensive, China, Ecology Action, fertility, history, John Jeavons, Living Libraries, Nora Waln, soil, sustainability, The House of Exile
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is a dynamic late autumn, winter and early spring grain crop that is somewhat higher in calories that other short-day crops. Added to soups, it tastes great, and thickens the broth beautifully. It can also be used as a fodder crop…
Category: barley, compost crops, crops, farming/gardening, grains, grains, GROW THE EARTH, varietiesTags: Barley, Cereal Crops, farming, gardening, John H. Martin, John Jeavons, Warren H. Leonard
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Climate change has made the “treasure trove of the past a seedbed for a whole new generation of farmers and gardeners striving for agricultural sustainability.” With an emphasis on working the land in harmony with nature and producing more food through soil improvement and water management, this book is a gem and worth a read!
Category: Africa, arid climate, books, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, history, history of agriculture, Spain, sustainability, sustainable practices, water conservation, water conservationTags: America, Ancient Agriculture, Gabriel Alonso De Hererra, history of sustainable farming, John Jeavons, Juan Estevan Arellano, Obra de Agricultura, Spain, Water Conservation
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Sweet Potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are starchy root vegetables originating from Central or South America. Not to be confused with starchier and drier yams (Dioscorea) from Africa and Asia, sweet potatoes have a long shelf life and are usually sweeter and moister than regular white potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). In addition to being delicious, they are a very important crop in diet planning, because of the number of calories they contain per pound, and for overall sustainable gardening and farming!
Category: calorie rich crops, crops, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, nutrition, sweet potatoes, varieties, vegetablesTags: Biointensive, calorie farming, farming, friedas.com, gopher cage, hawaiian purple, how to grow more vegetables, htgmv, John Jeavons, nutrition, sand hill preservation center, stokes purple, sweet potatoes
Posted on June 19, 2018
by John Jeavons
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“Hedgerows” is an old English term that refers to narrow planting strips of trees or shrubs that grow along field borders, fence lines and waterways. These borders serve as effective windbreaks and improve conditions for the nearby crops, forming an “edge habitat” that supports ecological diversity.
Category: agroforestry, books, GROW THE EARTH, hedgerows, historical use, history, interesting practices, My favorite things, shrubs, sustainability, trees, unusual techniquesTags: biodiversity, farming, hedgerow, sustainable
Posted on June 16, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Aren’t trees magnificent? They make oxygen, shade, food, building materials, fuel, habitat, and soil. They’re beautiful. They last for years – some for generations! They consume greenhouse gases and help keep our planet cool enough for us to live here. They draw nutrients from deep underground and deposit them on the surface when they drop their leaves. When they die, they form nurseries for new trees. They are a precious natural resource. Earth is currently home to ~3 trillion trees. Which seems like a lot…right? But the truth is, we could do with more. A lot more.
Category: about trees, agroforestry, books, Ecology Action, Get Involved!, GROW THE EARTH, philosophy, plants, publications, sustainability, treesTags: agroforestry, arbor day, Ecology Action, forestry, International Tree Foundation, John Jeavons, Men of the Trees, richard st. barbe baker, sustainability, tree planting, tree planting activities, Trees, trees for a change, World of Hope
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