Pretty much all of us have probably heard of greenhouses. One of their main uses is to shelter plants that require regulated climatic conditions, or if you’re like my neighbors, they can be utilized to keep goats warm in the winter.
2014 saw public outrage as up to 51% of plants sold at Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe's contained neonics at levels harmful to bees. What’s more concerning is these were the plants that were labeled as ‘bee friendly.’ In response to the public pressure created by these harrowing results - and a general trend toward concern for pollinators in the recent years - many larger chains have started to phase out neonicotinoids.
Today marks the beginning of Pollinator Week, 2016 (June 20-26th) and Basmati.com is joining in on the call to protect pollinators on a regional, national, and global level.
Mentally, turning gardens into horticultural war zones for battling insects and plant diseases as enemies can lessen the joyfulness of gardening.
Cultivating a harmonious attitude towards nature is the most skillful way of gardening. Avoid using unnecessary chemicals and poisons. This doesn’t mean allowing creepy crawlers to devour all your vegetables and flowers.
I’d like to share a few concepts and tricks that I’ve learned from organic gardening workshops that have rooted deeply in me, which makes gardening more joyful—even when something goes wrong.
Monocultures: you’ve probably seen them. They account for the majority of those squares you see on the ground when flying in an airplane. But monocultures are more than agricultural art: they are the crux of agricultural production in the United States. Interestingly enough, though, they could simultaneously prove to be the downfall of the agricultural system as we know it.
So you want to grow your own food? Organically? Great idea!
Right up until a hornworm eats your tomatoes...
Meet Manduca sexta, also known as a Tobacco worm, also know as a hornworm, also known as the One Worm To Rule Them All. Oh it looks cute enough, but don't let its cute little head fool you (the head is the thing on the left side), it will annihilate your tomato plants.
We’ve all heard that bees are declining at rapid rates, and that many environmental stressors (including neonicotinoid pesticides) are the culprit. Neonics play a particularly integral role in the collapse of bees because they make the bees more susceptible to these environmental stressors that they are often otherwise immune to.
Since the 1950’s, lawns have become engrained in American tradition – a rolling lawn is about as American as the white picket fence it sits behind. But lawns can actually be quite taxing on the environment – from pollution to dissolution of habitats for wildlife. This article will explore the ramifications of lawns and the care they require – and how to mitigate the effects while still enjoying your lawn.
Lawns in general are working against the environment in terms of habitats and pollution:
Pollinators are an integral part of many aspects our daily lives: they provide food, beautiful flowers, and agricultural production. Recently, honeybees and other pollinators have been facing an increasingly threatening environmental landscape. There are steps you can take to protect pollinators on a local level, from getting on your area’s ‘NO SPRAY’ list, to making your backyard a sanctuary for these important creatures. Below is a guide on how to attract pollinators and provide them with a habitat in your backyard.
I've always been drawn to life. Plant life. Animal life. Human life. I spent a lot of my childhood digging in the dirt, pulling the Bermuda grass that surrounded my great-grandmother’s flowers, a chore I loathed then, but remember fondly now