Did you guess what the #1 US export is? The #1 export of the US is…. get ready for it… SOIL. “In the United States alone, soil disappears 10 times faster than it is naturally replenished, according to this Cornell University study, at an estimated rate of nearly 1.7 billion tons of farmland alone per year.” As Theodore Roosevelt once …
Current State of Food Nutrition
I promised this story is not all gloom & doom. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. A bright shiny one. Just be patient. But, let’s just say, that for one magical moment, all the pesticides and herbicides currently being used in the market were deemed safe for consumption. I would like to know (and I bet you …
Pesticides in Food:
Once upon a time, we got some negative feedback from someone who did not believe there was a link between allergies and pesticides in food. I just blocked out names out of respect to those involved. In the end, we just told everyone that all we could do was hold up all the good that permaculture had done for us …
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Soil
The soil is like the gut When people ask us how we are able to grow so much food in one tiny townhouse we tell them that first place to start… is with the soil. What is soil anyway? Soil is not merely “dirt” the result of ages of weathering down rock. Though its rock-based mineral components are an essential …
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How to Observe your Garden
“How to Observe your Garden” Every good garden design begins by knowing how to observe your garden. Observation may not seem like something one needs to actually learn, because it’s a universal skill. Anyone can and should be able to do it. But how well you design depends on how often and how much you observe. It is such a …
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Join the Climate Victory Garden Campaign!
1916 came to be known as “agriculturally the most disastrous year for Europe and America.” This was largely due to former farmers having been called to arms during World War I. At this time, Europe looked to America to help supply their food shortage and so the “war garden” effort was born. The Victory Garden (first known simply as the …
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How to Grow Plants from Seed: 5 Tips for Success
Getting your plants started may seem, at first, a daunting process. But once you’ve taken that crucial, first step towards growing your own food, the best is yet to come. You may have gotten your necessary materials together; pot, a packet of seeds, and soil. You open your packet of seeds, bury some seeds in the soil, and water. Then …
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High Yield Crops for Permaculture Gardens
One of the foundations of permaculture is the idea of obtaining yourself a yield. In the process of awakening our senses from “modern” society and reconnecting to the natural world around us, it makes sense that our gardening efforts provide real, tangible goods we can use. These could range from aromatic and medicinal herbs to vegetables and fruits for our …