A ten month permaculture experiment in Orlando, FL. Converting a bare lawn into an edible food forest.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
When to Plant Grass Seed?
In order to have the perfect growing grass, it is important to know the best time for planting grass seeds. There are a high percentage of lawn owners that simply get confused with the question of 'when to plant grass seed?' Due to the lack of knowledge, they take wrong decisions and plant the seeds in an unsuitable environment and season. It will be useless to take good care of soil preparation, terrain, pest control measures, etc unless the seeds are not planted in favorable conditions.
Seasons for Grass Plantation
Before taking up the job of planting grass seeds, it is important to know that seeds require constant watering for growth. During summers, it may sometimes become impossible to constant water the seeds due to high temperatures. Therefore, the best time to plant seeds is before or after summers. Moreover, there are greater chances of weed growth during summer planting. If you have no other option than to go for summer planting, make sure to give a small layer of peat moss on the plantation to prevent the seed from drying out.
You also have the option to go for planting seeds during early fall. At this time of the year, the temperature is comparatively moderate, and thus, it requires less watering. At the starting of the plantation, do not forget to apply fertilizer to the seeds. After around three to four weeks, apply more of it so that the lower younger roots are able to get the needed nutrients from the fertilizer. The weed control measures should only take when the grass is mowed for at least three times, and make sure the seeds germinate before the onset of freezing temperatures.
The grass seeds can also be planted during the spring season. Just take care to avoid the use of any type of weed control products, as this may prove harmful. It can be applied once the seed has been properly germinated and the grass is mowed for two to three times.
Calendar Schedules
Lawn owners residing in the area with whole year around sunny climate are fortunate enough to get the perfect seed plantation conditions. However, owners living in the four-season climate thoroughly research how and when to plant grass seeds. There are certain calendar schedules that help in making the activity fruitful. For the perfect grass seed plantation, it is advisable to take a sneak preview into the best months of the mentioned seasons.
During spring, the months of March and April are the best for grass plantation. Just make sure that the grass is able to well-establish the root before the high temperatures arrive in your area. During fall, the ideal time for grass planting is between August 15 and September 15. If you have missed the fall planting opportunity, then you also have the option of dormant grass planting, especially in Indian summer conditions. During autumn plantation, the seeds shall remain dormant all winter and start sprouting once spring approaches. The planting of grass seed is a well-researched process and thus, require a great deal of study; especially about the suitable time of the year it should be commenced.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Aromatherapy - Unwind with the Powerful Sense of Smell!
Aromatherapy - what is it anyway? In the dictionary, Aroma means: an odor arising from spices, plants, etc., esp. an agreeable odor; fragrance. The definition of Therapy is: the treatment of a disease or other disorder, as by some remedial or curative process. So, I guess, in layman's terms Aromatherapy is as follows - The treatment of a disease or disorder by the means of Fragrance! The treatment therefore using essential oils such as in massage therapy, where one gets the benefits of the essential oils through skin contact. You can also purchase Aromatherapy Mists to freshen the air around you or diffusers in which you place one or two drops of an essential oil onto, which then slowly releases the fragrance into the air. I love a massage, but I also like taking baths in products which contain essential oils. Along with soaking away muscle tension and body aches and pains, I also get the aromatherapy benefits of the essential oil fragrance being released into the moist air from the bath. My favorite products for aromatherapy come from Aura Cacia.
The sense of smell is a powerful thing. Have you ever gotten a whiff of something and a past memory kicked into gear? How about sitting next to someone wearing the wrong perfume; you want to get away as fast as you can! When I sit down by a lake, the smell of the water has a very soothing affect on me. You say how can she smell water? I think it has something to do with the combination of the sand, the moisture in the air, and everything that makes up water. There is more to the beach that sitting in the sun - which I don't do. I sit under an umbrella, read a good book, and enjoy the surrounding smells. However, I do not find enough time for this kind of relaxation!! This is where the art of Perfumery comes in. Looks like I may have to do some study on this; I can bring the smell of the beach to the perfume bottle. My findings on the art of Perfumery will be the topic of another article!!
How does one get therapy from fragrance? Again, the sense of smell is powerful, and I thank God for creating wonderful things of fragrance that can sooth, uplift, comfort, relax, and yes even promote feelings of sensuality. I know the guys will want to hear about the fragrances that enhance the qualities that describe an aphrodisiac. You men are such ROMANTICS!!
This is for the Men; these four exotic aromas deliver unique benefits, but also share one thing in common, they create an undeniably SENSUAL atmosphere. JASMINE sets a tranquil mood and helps restore vitality and anxiety related sexual problems, while ROSE promotes serenity and well-being. VANILLA calms, comforts, and promotes inner balance, and SANDALWOOD inspires confidence and promotes inner strength. In massage, Sandalwood is valued both as a sensuous fragrance and as a treatment for conditions related to stress. So guys - if you want to set the MOOD, you may want to purchase your wife some bath and body products which contain one or more of these exotic fragrances, and the more pure the product the better! I love Aura Cacia because they deliver pure aromatherapy products in their body care line. The more pure the essential oil the better, and organic means no pesticides, and Aura Cacia guarantees their customers that their essential oils are 100% pure and unadulterated!
Before I share the aromatherapy benefits to some of the oils and fragrances I know about, I thought I would explain the difference between Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils. Essential oils, absolutes and resins are volatile, fragrant materials extracted from a single botanical source, and if the oil is certified and organic this means no synthetic chemicals are used in growing or processing them. Fragrance Oils are generally blends of synthetic oils; they are formulated for aromatic purposes ONLY and are NOT for consumption. There are also Vegetable Oils such as sweet almond oil, grape seed oil, and jojoba, olive, and rosehip seed oils which are produced from nuts, seeds, grains, and beans. They are sometimes referred to as fixed oils because they are not volatile (Meaning easily evaporated) like essential oils. Vegetable oils make an excellent base in which to dilute essential oils for body care products.
Aromatherapy products can turn your home into a private spa - or maybe even a romantic hideaway! Let's start with LAVENDER. Lavender is probably my favorite fragrance and has very soothing properties. It is best known as being an herb for relaxation, but is used to relieve headaches as well. Research has shown that the fragrance of Lavender sends a calming message to the brain which counters adrenalin producing stress signals.
Next we will take a look at MINT. Some mints boost circulation, some improve energy while building up resistance to fatigue, while others have a cleansing action and aid the respiratory system. For example; sniffing a drop of Peppermint or Spearmint oil increases cheerfulness, clarity, optimism, and the sense of being fully alive. These oils are also used in subtle aromatherapy to encourage emotional regeneration and positive change.
Moving on to the Citrus Scents; for the most part this includes SWEET ORANGE, LEMON, GRAPEFRUIT, and LIME. The citrus fragrances are clean and crisp scents that will lift an individual from a depressed mood. The Citrus Scents are known for their calming influences for the person who needs to wind down from a stressful and busy day!!
PATCHOULI is one of those scents that you either love it or hate it. This is my conclusion from listening to people talk about this particular fragrance. I happen to LOVE it, especially when combined with Sweet Orange Oil. Aromatherapists use it to help deal with stress related problems, including reduced libido, and to promote new skin cells in the treatment of wrinkles, open pores, acne, eczema, cracked skin, and fungal infections such as athlete's foot.
ROSEMARY is not only good when added to your favorite roast, but is wonderful when used as aromatherapy oil. Rosemary helps to reduce blood cholesterol levels and in massage oil eases tense, tired, and overworked muscles.
CLARY SAGE is a very intense scent. It delivers an extremely high feel-good factor which can range from relaxing, mildly inebriating, or uplifting to an almost spiritual experience, and can result in vivid dreams. This fragrance is so relaxing the aromatherapists advise clients to avoid driving directly after a massage with it.
It is considered aphrodisiac and counters stress and tension from physical and emotional sources including asthmatic spasms, muscle pain, swollen legs from standing all day, migraines, sexual problems and depression during convalescence.
I myself enjoy a massage now and then. I have a friend who is a wonderful massage therapist and I trust her knowledge and expertise. When I have finished a massage session, I usually need to go home and lay down for about an hour. I feel totally wiped out - this is a good thing. After I rest I feel quite rejuvenated. My therapist also reminds me to drink plenty of water after a session. This helps cleanse the toxins from your body after a massage.
I believe that all the wonderful aromas out there to help reduce the tension plus exercise (which I am lacking in) and my faith in God, the Creator of all these wonderful fragrant gifts, is where TRUE stress release comes from. God tells us in His Scriptures to be 'anxious for nothing'. We need to rely totally on God for our daily needs. '...worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.' This is from What An Angel Might Say Perpetual Calendar.
Aromatherapy benefits can be achieved through massage therapy using select essential oils, or by walking through an herb garden and gliding your hands over certain herbs such as Lavender, Rosemary, or Lemon Balm. I love the fragrance left on my hands after touching Lavender, the fragrance remains for some time. Who needs perfume when you can grow a little herb garden!!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Part 1 - The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (Chs 01-04)
Part 1. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mark F. Smith. Playlist for The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe: www.youtube.com
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Awareness Months
I was reading an article from a magazine in the Dr.'s office waiting room that mentioned "Genital Awareness" month, once I stopped giggling, I started thinking about when I was growing up, I never heard of awareness days. So being the ever curious person that I am, I came home and started to do some research. I was amazed at what I found, there is an awareness day for almost every single day of the year.
January has National Blood Donor, Cervical Cancer, and Poison Prevention. These I thought were pretty informational and helpful things for me to be aware of. But it also has National Thank Your Customers and Hunt for Happiness, as well as, NYC Restaurant week. What do I do if I don't have customers to thank or I'm not sure where to hunt for my happiness? And I've never even been to New York.
February has Women's Heart Health, and Black History. Then there's Library Lovers, Plant Seeds of Greatness, Time Management, and National Weddings. Couldn't they for the sake of time throw the Time Management and Weddings together? Maybe get married in a library and that will cover Library Lovers too. I'm not even sure about the whole Plant Seeds of Greatness thing. Where would a person purchase these seeds? I'm not thinking in the Lawn & Garden at Wal-Mart.
March has American Red Cross, which if admirable and we all know the good work they do. I'd be more willing to give to the Red Cross than to Steroid Abuse Prevention, which is also in March. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and National Caffeine awareness are in March also. Those two could totally be combined in one day where volunteers could just pass out espresso to tired people. And Genital Awareness Month is the last week in March. If they don't feel like enough of America is aware of their genitals, it may sometimes go over into the first week of April.
April has a bunch of serious, worth while awareness days, Autism, Child Abuse Prevention, and Public Health. There's also Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Cancer Control. April is also Jazz Appreciation and Alcohol Awareness. Anyone who's ever been to a jazz club is aware of alcohol. When is Mardi Gras, anyway? May has a few good ones too. Like Motorcycle Safety and Arthritis. Then we have International Victorious Woman. Are they kidding? What does that even mean? I feel mildly Victorious just getting that all out correctly. Then there's Shoes for Orphans, Better Sleep, Better Hearing and Speech, and Ultra Violet Awareness.
June has National Cancer Survivors and Adopt-A-Shelter Cat. It also has National Headache Awareness and National Celibacy Awareness. Those two could totally be observed in one day, why stretch it out for those of us who do enjoy sex without excuses. I think we were scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill as many days up in July as possible. We've got Cell Phone Courtesy and Vehicle Theft Protection. Cell Phone Courtesy? You could turn that into an entire year of awareness and that would not change the fact that you're going to get stuck in a grocery line with someone who thinks they have to yell to be heard on the other end. So you stand there trying not to make eye contact while they give the person they're talking to a run down of what's in their basket, where they're going after this, and what crappy thing happened to them at work that day.
August is when you see everyone sporting those cute little pink bows we all know so well, it's Breast Cancer Awareness, as well as Cataract Awareness. If you don't take care of one, you can't see the other! It's also National Preparedness Month, who thought of that, the boy scouts? September has 5-A-Day, I'm only hoping they mean vegetable servings? And there's Substitute Teacher Appreciation Week, the subs get short changed even on their awareness, I bet the full time teachers get a whole month of awareness.
October is a busy month, full of Rett Syndrome, World Blindness, Interstitial Cystitis, Lupas and Liver, and Depression Screening. Which the only one I was even vaguely familiar with was the Depression. Did Scarlet O' Hara have Rett Syndrome? I've never heard of it. But then again, that doesn't say much, you could fill a stadium full of things I've never heard of. October is also Halloween Safety Month, glad they put that in October, it'd lose some of it's importance if they had it in July.
Now, we've come to November and December. As if we all don't have enough to be aware of during those months as it is. I'm way too busy hunting around for a cheap 20lb turkey to worry about it being National Game and Puzzle week, or trying to get beat the old woman in front of me to the last bag of sage stuffing to worry about it being World Kindness Day. December is always a busy month for me, almost every other person in my family, including me, was born in December. You can really tell what the couples in my family were up to in the month of March! But that's another story for another time. So why would I care if it's Learn a Foreign Language or Colorectal Cancer Awareness month while I'm busy trying to buy things I can't afford for people I see once a year?
If someone were to publish a calendar with every single awareness day marked, it would be the size of a phone book. I barely skimmed the surface on all the awareness days and weeks and months we have nowadays. I still don't feel very aware, and I'm sure the lady in the grocery store line in front of me, yelling in to the cell phone, isn't very aware either.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Increasing Your Green Productivity - Reduce Your Footprint
One of the most valuable lessons I learned growing up in Australia is how precious our resources are. In a small country like Oz, there is a respect for the land, respect for farmers who for decades made their living off the land, respect for a country that created wealth from the natural resources and respect for the earth to ensure it was there for future generations. As I grew up I saw this evidenced through practical activities like recycling, water preservation (Australia is currently experiencing its worst drought in 100 years), tree planting for soil erosion and many communities choosing to reduce plastic shopping bags.
I have noticed that lately being 'green' is a 'hot topic' of conversation, movies, magazine features, advertising and education - I think that is great! I believe the more we talk about it with our colleagues and our communities the bigger impact we can have.
What does this have to do with productivity you ask? Simple really, if we are enjoying our environment (whether that be work or home) we are going to use less energy and focus more time and attention on the things that matter most. Here are a few some simple ways you can increase your green productivity and reduce your footprint at home and work.
At Work
Turn off - remember before you leave your office to turn off anything that requires power i.e. your printer, photocopier, computer and lights. This will also have an added benefit of reducing your electricity bill.
Stop printing - encourage your team to question each time they press the print button - do you really need to print all those documents, emails, reports? Can you view documents online or print one for reference for a meeting instead of a copy for everyone? Think of clever ways to inform without needing to waste more paper.
Choose recycled paper - the quality of recycled paper is now high and is suitable for many projects. Instead of throwing away printed paper, ask yourself if you can use it again for internal use.
Use long life bulbs - can you replace your current light bulbs with longer life bulbs? Ask your office manager or office service to use more environmentally aware items for your office.
Place recycling bins on each floor - organise these for paper, plastic and aluminium. You can place recycling bins in the lunch room and also paper recycling bins in the mail room and on the floor. Encourage everyone to do their part.
BYO Coffee mug - instead of getting a new paper or Styrofoam mug from your local coffee store, take your own coffee mug and ask them to refill it for you. If we all did this we would remove so much waste from landfill.
Offer paperless to your clients - many companies have realised the cost and environmental impact of sending thousands of pieces of paper to their customers. Can you offer a paperless alternative? Smith Barney have taken this one step further and for each customer that goes paperless they donate funds to ERTHNXT
Use rechargeable batteries - this simple act will avoid dangerous lead batteries ending up in our land fill.
Offer flexibility - can your team work remotely? Can they job share? Can they travel at off peak hours? If you can allow telecommuting and flexibility this also has a huge environmental impact.
At Home
Use environmentally friendly cleaners - there are so many chemicals in our homes that are unsafe for our children and our pets. Choose a product that is non-toxic and environmentally aware.
Choose paperless - change your status with major utility companies and your telecommunications providers and request your statements and bills be emailed to you instead of posted. This small step has huge impact. It reduces paper, electricity use, fuel and labour.
Unsubscribe - remove yourself from mailing lists, journals, magazines and articles you don't read.
Buy a refillable water bottle - while bottled water is a healthier alternative to soda and some juices it is also creating a huge amount of waste in our land fill as each bottle is used and discarded. Find a non-toxic refillable water bottle that you can carry with you. Buy one for your car, your office and your gym bag.
Compost - just like you recycle paper and plastic; think about creating compost for your grass clippings, vegetable peelings, old flowers and leaves.
Choose plants with variety of purposes - choose plants that can support the birdlife, create a visiting place for butterflies and provide flowers.
Drink tap water - at restaurants and cafes, ask for tap water instead of bottled water. It is OK to drink and will save on land fill, manufacturing, not to mention fuel carting it from one side of the country to another. It is an easy choice to make.
Test your home for lead - if you have an older home ask for an expert test for lead. This simple act is also a great protection for your children to avoid lead poisoning from paint and old style windows.
Eliminate air fresheners - those plug ins and other air freshener products are full of chemicals and not necessary in your home. Make your home healthier by removing these and replacing them with soy candles or pump bottle air fresheners made of non-toxic products. I really like EON Organics products - you can buy them online at: http://www.eonorganics.com/shop/
Recycle - ask your trash company to provide you with recycling bins. Yes it does cost more, but it is a great way to make a difference in your home and to role model to your children the value of this daily habit.
Buy organic - where possible choose products that have been grown naturally, without chemicals and with more awareness of natural breeding and living conditions for the animals.
Buy local - get to know your local Farmers Market and produce stores. If we all buy more locally we support our communities and avoid those huge tractor trailers sitting on the freeways burning fuel and causing more damage. It is fun to spend a Saturday morning investigating what the local farmers have grown and it tastes 10000% better than something that has been picked green and left to ripen in cold rooms and on trucks.
Select your supermarket - many major supermarket are choosing to support their local farmers and produce i.e. Wholefoods and Wegmans in the US and Coles in Australia. Choose to support these grocery chains. Look for an organic line of items at your local grocery store.
Stay no to plastic bags - invest in a few fabric tote bags and carry them with you to the store. Leave them in your car to remind yourself to take them to store. Say no to all plastic bags, these don't break down and cause damage to our landfill, our oceans and our wildlife.
There are so many ways you can help our environment but making small daily choices. While this list is not exhaustive there are many great websites and books dedicated to this topic. Check out your local bookstore for more resources. Check out the following books and websites:
Green Living: The E Magazine Handbook for Living Lightly On the Earth
Monday, November 21, 2011
Part 2 - Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis (Chs 06-09)
Part 2. Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mike Vendetti. Playlist for Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis: www.youtube.com
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Friday, November 11, 2011
Cold Frames for Your Allotment and Veg Plot
Cold frames are the unsung heroes of allotments, veg plots and gardens. Whilst the upmarket and expensive greenhouse grabs the headlines (along with that comfy old chair, stack of gardening magazines and full tea-brewing paraphernalia) the hardworking, unassuming cold frame pays back its owner hundreds of times over and asks for little in return. Where a greenhouse could be compared to a pampered pedigree pooch demanding attention at every turn, a cold frame is an undemanding, loyal, no nonsense friend. Every garden should have one.
First and foremost a frame allow gardeners to over winter those slightly temperamental seedlings and, thinking ahead, allows seedlings to become acclimatised to nippy spring temperatures. In other words, the addition of a frame instantly extends the growing season at both ends of the calendar. You know what it's like in April - windowsills are groaning under the weight of seed trays and pots, the weather forecast is saying frosty nights and your seedlings are getting more leggy and drawn by the day. A cold frame is ideal for getting those seedlings used to outdoor life without actually plunging them into cold, wet soil with air temperatures getting down to zero degrees C. Think of a cold frame as the reception class for your seedlings before big school starts for real!
And at this time of year your gooseberry and soft fruit cuttings will benefit from the protection of a cold frame. Even though plummeting temperatures do little harm to most fruit bush cuttings, a cold frame will physically stop foxes and other wildlife rummaging around your hardwood cuttings. And fewer disturbances allow more roots to grow.
There are plenty of options when it comes to deciding on which cold frame to buy. The trick is to buy the largest one you can afford both wallet-, and space-wise. Remember you will need to get access from all around the frame, or at least three sides, so consider that before buying. Another important factor to consider is the weight of the cold frame. To be honest, I've known the cheaper, lighter versions blow away in winds the breezier side of gusty. Heaven knows what would happen if a real hurricane struck. Wooden frames are good (look for FSC to ensure good wood management) and aluminium or plastic frames cheap are light. However, most of the weight is in the frame and comes from the glazing. Horticultural glass is good but can break if your children aren't too accurate with the football. Plastic is cheaper, lighter and takes some bashing. It's also common for the plastic to be twin walled and that means great insulation.
The lids (or lights, or simply the top of your cold frame) can be hinged opening or sliding. Sliding lights are less prone to being whipped up into the air on windy days but the hinged ones do offer some protection for your cuttings and seedlings from the rain. Whichever you choose make sure you open the lights on warm days as diseases can quickly get growing in the warm, moist atmosphere of a well stocked cold frame.
Now, I've used a few cold frames in my time and seen the lighter ones blown across allotment sites, seen some smashed by an errant cricket ball (it was a good shot though!) and even not seen one disappear from my plot due to thieves (it must have taken some lifting - complete with seedlings) so my advice is to buy big, buy heavy, pin it down and never look back again. Gardening just won't be the same.
Monday, October 31, 2011
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