Posted on March 13, 2019
by John Jeavons
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In the 1980s, Ron Whitehurst of ACRES U.S.A. wrote: “Central Florida is being mined down sea level for phosphate clay; and spiraling natural gas prices are making synthetic nitrogen fertilizer exorbitantly priced. Even using all the solid and liquid wastes from the cities, there… Continue Reading “Feed the Soil”
Category: about crops, Biointensive, books, compost, compost crops, cover crops, farming/gardening, green manure, GROW THE EARTH, legumes, nutrient cycling, plants, practical guides, soil, Soil Fertility, sustainability, sustainable practicesTags: Biointensive, cover crops, edwin mcleod, feed the soil, gardening, green manure, kusa, legumes, Lorenz Schaller, nitrogen fixers, nutrient cycling, soil, soil fertility
Posted on January 30, 2019
by John Jeavons
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Each year around this time, following months of freezing cold and heavy rain, Northern California experiences a “false spring” – the sun shines, the temperature is balmy and pleasant, and the grey and wintry landscape is suddenly covered in a bright green veil as… Continue Reading “Gardening is About Living Things!”
Category: biodynamic, biodynamic, books, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, interesting practices, nutrition, philosophy, plant health, soil, sustainability, unusual techniquesTags: biodynamic, gardening, Gardening for Health and Nutrition, health, herbicides, nutrition, pesticides, Philbrick, philosophy, weeds
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,… Continue Reading “Lost Crops of the Incas”
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… Continue Reading “Lost Crops of Africa”
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… Continue Reading “Homeopathy for Plants”
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 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
Posted on June 16, 2018
by John Jeavons
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I wrote this post earlier this year, the week before Arbor day. In honor of the forest-friendly holiday, I thought I’d talk about one of my favorite trees (or, more accurately, a shrub): Eastern Leatherwood (Dirca palustris L. Thymelaeaceae), which is native to eastern… Continue Reading “Eastern Leatherwood”
Category: agroforestry, books, ethnobotany, GROW THE EARTH, leatherwood, medicinal plants, Native American, shrubs, treesTags: appropriate technology, Charlotte Erichsen-Brown, favorite species, Leatherwood, Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants—A Historical Survey with Special Reference to the Eastern Indian Tribes, Uses of Plants for the Past 500 Years and How to Grow Them, Yerba Buena Nursery
Posted on June 16, 2018
by John Jeavons
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Indoor and Containter Gardening
Category: about indoor gardening, books, container gardening, farming/gardening, GROW THE EARTH, indoor gardening, tropical plantsTags: Byron E. Martin, container gardening, Growing Tasty Tropical Plants, Indoor gardening, Laurelynn G. Martin, Logee's Tropical Plants, The Apartment Farmer
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