This is crazy, how come I have never seen this site/video before. The WindowFarms project is a non-profit organization out of NYC, collaborating and designing gardens you hang in your window. They have over 13,000 members all working together to create new improved systems. This is so awesome, I am thinking even a plant killing dark monkie like me could get this right. Look how cute the founder is too. Right?
The windowfarms project approaches environmental innovation through web 2.0 crowdsourcing and a method called R&D-I-Y (research and develop it yourself). Big Science’s R&D industry is not always free to take the most expedient environmental approach. It must assume that consumers will not make big changes. Its organizational structure tends toward infrastructure-heavy mass solutions. A distributed network of individuals sharing information can implement a wide variety of designs that accommodate specific local needs and implement them locally. Ordinary people can bring about innovative green ideas and popularize them quickly. Web theorists like Clay Shirky claim that this capacity to “organize without hierarchical organization” will be a fundamental shift in our society brought about by the web over the coming decades.
The early stages of making your garden involves some disturbance of your landscaping. What may be working may not be as abundant as it could be. Or as it will be. Gardening is an art, but soil prep a science. And as much as I would like it to be, it’s not always sexy. You have to be ready to get out there, get your hands dirty and sweat a little. After all, it’s the end result we’re going for here. And like the rest of life, the key is to relax and enjoy the process — the creative aspect of design and layout, the dirt under your fingernails, and finally reaping the rewards of your labors.
Fortunately, the first part is easy. Whether or not you enjoy it is up to you.
The first step is picking your plot.
Next opportunity you have to spend the day at home, settle in and take some time to observe your yard. Bring with you a good book and cup of coffee or tea and settle in. Relax, watch the weather. Maybe take out a pen and paper and jot down the time the sun reaches and later departs the site you have in mind.
Sunlight is crucial for optimum plant growth. Wind and rain patterns are also a strong influence. Find a sunny spot, avoid places that tend to channel strong wind. Six or more hours of direct sunlight is best. Vegetables especially require direct sun, but can handle some afternoon shade. Fruit trees are more forgiving, but you will find your fruit is sweeter if you choose a spot with afternoon sun. Your smaller fruits such as tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, melons, and corn will appreciate the late day heat as well.
Today is the day. I, V 01 will start my garden. YES WORLD I WANT TO BE A GARDENER. And this time I mean it.
I feel like an addict (addicted to the idea of gardening and not actually gardening). I have been saying I am going to garden, for almost 20 years (pathetic I know). I have had a few false starts, but this is actually the closes I have ever come to actually starting. Of course first and foremost, I had to pick out a visually appealing location. An area of the yard I could gaze at often. I am very visual and half the fun of gardening would be watching the thing become more beautiful with each passing day. Or maybe in my case, watching it wither, dry up and blow away. Oh lets hope not. Come on Green Monkie Juice, its time to pay off. (lots of images after the jump)
When I was in my early twenties, I live in a small village in England called Fairford. Life in the English country side was a magical experience for me. You see, I grew up in the dry boring suburbs of San Antonio Texas. One generic stick box house after the next. My life completely revolving around the maze of hot asphalt roads and shopping malls, which make up the typical American town. England was the ancient place of tiny roads, forest, small village centers and filled with people who actually walked place to place. I think my time in England shaped my love and desire to be a gardener. You see England is a country of gardeners. They have a very strong proud tradition of gardening and nothing screams that more, than the completely amazing Eden Project.
The Eden Project, in Cornwall England, is a celebration of growing things. Here is the official spill: The Eden Project is an unforgettable experience in a breathtaking location; a global garden; a place of beauty and wonder. Our world famous architecture and art draws inspiration from nature, our educational work is about creating a positive future in a world that is going to go through radical change, and we try to ensure everyone who visits Eden leaves knowing something more about their connection to the world. That’s the big stuff…Eden is also about simple pleasures; enjoying tasty food, rediscovering what puts the great into the great outdoors, imaginative play for children, taking time to stop and smell the flowers, having a good time.
Medlock Ames Winery has vin-dicated my Granny’s gardening methods. Her approach was unusual to say the least, and we all thought the lush product of her idiosyncrasy was pure coincidence. Now I’m delighted to discover an up-and-coming family vineyard whose dynamic methodologies have put an ecologically modern-day spin on the age-old wisdom of Granny.
In 1996, two young men formed a partnership to make great wine. At the time, the success of California wines had created a glut of property purchases by owners who razed the land of the natural flora and fauna to put in their steel and grid rows of grapes, greedily using up every bit of space in order to maximize profits. But Christopher Medlock James and Ames Morison had other ideas.
From the onset, the Medlock Ames Winery embraced unusual techniques by utilizing Biodynamics, a radical method in which natural occurring plant and animal interaction replenishes the living soil, creating a vitality that supports and affects the quality and health of the plants that grow in it. Sounds pretty simple, but it isn’t. The exact science has numerous factors to take into consideration and the growers must be grounded in the precise ecological knowledge of nature.
There is just something so therapeutic about working with plants. Beyond conventional therapies (possibly including many meditations) and both chemical AND natural powders and pills – I would love to see people who are sadly suffering from stress and maybe even depression simply include more plants into their lives. Its really something special.
I’m adding more and more edibles to this lovely space in Arizona, and the potential really feels endless. The Desert Space of Love! Little pockets everywhere to put in good soil with a beautiful little plant.
I’m thinking about Desert adaptable plants -
Prickly Pear Cacti
Pinion Pines
Apricots
Almonds
Figs
Plums
Pomegranates
Hardy Rosemary
Amaranth
The Wonderful World of Citrus
I’m mulching everything heavily, and giving them lots of attention. They are all doing really well – lots of flowers and new growth.
If you’re a wine drinker, you’re in a powerful position.
Viticulture (the science, production and study of grapes) is a branch of the science of horticulture. “Sustainable viticulture” goes vital steps further and views the vineyard as a whole system which creates a high level quality fruit production reducing reliance on synthetic chemicals and fertilizers to protect the growers, the consumers and the environment. Many conscientious vintners ascribe to this method and produce some very fine wines while pursing a responsible higher goal. Universities and private organizations responsibly teach and encourage these practices.
All of us greenies know its better to buy directly from the small farmers at the farmers markets, then to buy from big business farming, right? Well, in most cases I would say that is true, but not always. I just came across Benziger Family Winery here in California and I am blown away. They not only grow all their grapes organically and Biodynamically, they also have built an sustainable water system. They save all the water used in production, clean it in their man made wetlands, and then re-use it again. Almost a closed loop system. Why isn’t everyone doing this?
Mike Benziger Talks About The Water System: “Winemaking can be a pretty water-intensive business. Preventing the conditions where bacteria could thrive means being meticulously clean. And that takes water. How do we to reconcile our commitment to environmental responsibility with our need to keep clean? How about a recycling system, built right into the property.
We pump gray water, which is the water used in winemaking production, into the first of two ponds. The water then flows through an embankment of water plants into the lower pond. By the time the water reaches the lower pond, about 3 days, the root systems of the plants have acted like a filter, and cleansed the water of impurities. Once clean, the water in the lower pond can serve as an irrigation resource during years as dry as we expect this one to be.”
Below is a featured video from the Sundance Channel about the Benziger water system.
What happens when a carpenter / artist learns about primitive techniques of building and experiments with tree saplings as a construction material? Natural organic forms of art on a grand scale.
Internationally acclaimed sculptor Patrick Dougherty is known for large-scale installations that incorporate tree saplings. Working only with these saplings, the North Carolina based artist twists and wraps his medium to create large, organic sculptures. The surrounding environment and its given materials play a significant role in shaping his sculptures. Dougherty often uses saplings gathered near the installation site, adjusting his designs to the different ways local materials bend and respond in his hands.
Architect Michelle Kaufmann shows us how simple it is to make your very own modern clean outdoor non-wood burning fireplace using some simple stones and alcohol filled cans . This is part of Michelle’s Green It Yourself Projects. Continue Reading / See Additional Photos
G / Video Okay I have been in search of a spicy raw cashew cheese recipe all day and just came across this video on making a cashew cheese by DeliciousRevolution, First time seeing her.
G / Style Beat the Heat With DIY Ice-Cube Bling You Can Make in 5 Minutes
G / Food how to roast an avocado and what to do with it when you do [5 ingredients]
G / Food Cashew Ricotta Cheese (No Tofu Needed, No Milk Needed) It’s light. It’s fluffy. It’s creamy. It’s ricotta cheese.
G / Style Sustainable fashion at its best. One garment, 20 ways to wear. Check out ecovogue 365′s Butterfli.
G / Food Botanical Recipe: Dill, Grated Cabbage, Red Radish & Sweet Pea Salad
G / Design It’s amazing how easy it is to now go completely leather free, with amazing leather like fabrics by Joseph Noble. They make a range of fabrics with feel better than leather and last longer
G / Food The Ultimate Sausage and Pepper Pizza – RAW It’s Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food Chocolate Fruit and Almond Bark – D E C A D E N T and H E A L T H Y! Sooo Rawfully Tempting!
G / Food The edible cups are made entirely out of agar agar (a gelatin substitute).
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