Article: Composting Using Black Soldier Flies & Worm Bins

Hello Everyone!

Here is the link for a article that  covers Composting Using Black Soldier Flies and Worm Bins.  This article was published on Edthatmatters.com

Next I will be covering Fall Gardening for Homesteaders and more!

Enjoy!
Troy Brooks
http://www.myheirloomseeds.com

Eat 8 Vegetables To Lower Blood Pressure

Beets, leafy greens and other vegetables are high in nitrate and "may" help lower blood pressure naturally.  They do so by relaxing your blood vessels and improving circulation.

As a Certified Master Herbalist I recommend eating these plants RAW if you can as you will preserve the vitamin and mineral content which is often depleted or reduced when heat is applied in the form of cooking.

You can also juice some of the like beets, spinach, celery and kale.

Here's the list:

Many of these seeds are included in our Heirloom Seeds Packages and can be purchased directly from our website.  Several of them can even be grown indoors all year long as they are shade tolerant plants.

Kitchen Scraps That will Grow In Your Garden

Here is our list of 12 simple plants that will regrow from your kitchen scraps:

Fennel, Cabbage, Scallions, Leeks, Garlic, Bok Choy, Celery, Romaine Lettuce, Sweet Potatoes, Pineapple, Ginger and Lemongrass:

Have you planted your Heirloom Seed Garden this year?  There are so many Heirloom Seeds which you can plant all year long, even indoors.    We look forward to being your new source for Heirloom Seeds and of course our Mother Nature Proof Survival Seed Capsule. 

Hello fellow Gardners!

If you're into Square Foot Gardening here is a simple tool (chart) that you can use to help you plant that beautiful garden.  For example this chart takes the guess work out of many heirloom green peppers, tomatoes, egg plant, squash, cucumbers etc to plant.  Now you just have to figure out the benefits of companion gardening as well.   Much Success!

Planting in Plastic Bottles

Planting in plastic bottles just makes sense.  Plastic bottles are space savers.  You can hang them and we even show you how to in the picture below:

You can plant flowers, vegetables such as lettuce, onions, radishes etc., like the ones in the below picture:

As you can see we are using pop/soda bottles and water bottles.  Instead of throwing them out why not grow something delicious inside of them?

You can even use milk jugs to garden in.  It's about imagination and creativity.  Run a wooden stick through the handles and hang the entire set-up somewhere and make a dull location become full of life and beauty.

Fresh Organic Heirloom Garden Salad

Summertime is here and and what a wonderful time to eat fresh salads that are grown from your Heirloom Seeds and guess what?  You don't need to be a Vegetarian to enjoy such delicious and nutritious food.

Here is a delicious salad recipe:

Fresh young coconut strips, avacodos, tomato, cucumber, onion, garlic, lemon, oregano, cilantro, dash of olive oil and Himalayan salt!

 Bon appetite.

Lettuce in a Bottle

Self explanatory:  Lettuce in a bottle.

We advocate recycling and using these materials to grow your own food. It is so simple to cut water bottles (that don't contain BPA) in them and reuse them for growing food. 

The above picture demonstrates how just how easy it is to grow something as simple as lettuce in container.  Just call it container gardening!

You can do this in limited spaces, even on balconies and apartments.  What do you think about this idea?  Are you already doing it or know of someone who is doing container gardening?

Don't be scared to get your hands dirty!

Homemade Mosquito Trap

Here is a easy and affordable mosquito trap that anyone can made at home!

Materials:

1 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 gram of yeast (1/7th typical packet)
2-liter plastic bottle

Directions:

1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.
2. Mix brown sugar with hot water. Let cool. When cold, pour in the bottom half of the bottle.
3. Add the yeast. No need to mix. It creates carbon dioxide, which attracts mosquitoes.
4. Place the funnel part, upside down, into the other half of the bottle, taping them together if desired.
5. Wrap the bottle with something black, leaving the top uncovered, and place it outside in an area away from your normal gathering area. (Mosquitoes are also drawn to the color black.)

Change the solution every 2 weeks for continuous control and of course empty out all of those dead mosquitos trapped at the bottom of the bottle.

Let us know how you're turned out!

Pallet Gardening: For those living in apartments or small spaces

Pallet Gardening

Just because you might be living in an apartment doesn't mean you still can't grown a decent "Small Space Garden". If fact quite the opposite in my opinion.

Sure viable planting space may be a challenge, but it's not reason why you or anyone else for that matter can't have some type of garden even on your balcony if you have one.  Using pallets is so convenient and affordable.

Most pallets will fit perfectly on most people's balconies.  They don't require much space and you can grow many types of herbs and even add flowers to brighten up your living space.  

For this project, you’ll need the pallet you found, 2 large bags of potting soil, tube of plastic, and two six packs per opening on the top of the completed pallet garden), a small roll of landscape fabric, a staple gun, staples, and sand paper.

Staple down the landscape fabric your staple gun.  You only need to staple the back and both sides leaving the front opened.

This part can become a little messy.  However, open up your potting soil and fill the pallet with it.  Leave a little space so you can add your plants.  You'll do this with the pallet laying down.  Here you can add any type of plants or even flowers.  When you’re done planting, you should have plants that are completely covering every opening (i.e. there shouldn’t be any place for soil to fall out). There should also be soil firmly pushed into every part of the pallet where there aren’t plants.

Pallet gardening is an excellent way to grow herbs as well. 

Caring For your Pallet

Now, I’m going to tell you what you should do as well.  Leave the pallet flat on the ground for a couple of weeks (watering when needed) this will allow the roots of your plants to start to grow in and hold all the plants in place.

After a couple of weeks the roots will allow the soil to stick in place somewhat.  When watering in this process, tilt the pallet a little and water away. 

Use your imagination and let us know how yours pallet garden project turns out.  We would love to post your pictures.

Happy gardening!