Bees are a key part of ecosystems world wide and a great many plants rely on them for pollination and their reproduction and survival. over recent years disease and colony collapse have seen a dramatic and very alarming reduction in bee numbers. Certain pesticides are known to poison bees and other changes to our countryside such as monoculture also make life a challenge for them, weakening their immune systems. Keeping bees quite apart from being an end in itself with the pleasure of … Read more
The Jellyfish Barge Floating Hydroponic Garden Designed to Grow Food
The Jellyfish Barge is a floating horticultural greenhouse that is able to purify salt, brackish or polluted water using solar energy and grow crops hydroponically in a highly efficient vertical arrangement. It is therefore claimed that the barge can support two families from an area of just 70sqm. It is built with low-cost technologies and consists of a wooden base that floats on recycled plastic drums and supports a glass greenhouse for crop cultivation. The hydroponic cultivation method … Read more
Reclaiming the Desert using Permaculture Turning 10 acres of Hostile Desert into an Abundant Oasis
Permaculture Teacher Geoff Lawton has created an organic garden in the harsh conditions of Wadi Rum, Jordan and shows how 10 acres of hostile desert can be transformed into an abundant oasis, that is now successfully producing food. In the links below Geoff reveals his design process and explains the steps needed to create a paradise on earth. “If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere.” he says. … Read more
Vertical Garden Build a vertical veggie patch or flowerbed from recycled materials
Using 2 simple wooden pallets, you can build a vertical garden, to use space more efficiently. The vertical garden is both useful and aesthetic. To build the vertical garden, find two wooden pallets that haven't been treated against pests. One will serve as a construction and the other one, you will dismantle and use to build the planting spaces. The planting spaces are simply triangles with a 45 degree angle. They will be lined with a geotechnical fabric, which allows the water to drip … Read more
Home-Made Vegan ‘Milk’ Make your own sustainable, cruelty-free milk
The industrial animal industry is unsustainable and cruel, and dairy has been proven to cause many types of diseases and health issues. There are plenty of vegan alternatives out there, some are imported from overseas and all of them are packaged. Why not make your own at home! Another advantage is that you can choose your own fresh ingredients and be in control over what enters your body. Here are a couple of recipes: Almond Milk: * 20 almonds, which were soaked overnight and peeled. … Read more
Store Root Vegetables in Sand Greatly Extend their Shelf Life
Using sand to preserve food isn’t a new method by any means, but it’s certainly effective, and can be used a few different ways to extend the shelf life of root veggies and certain firm-fleshed fruit. The link below describes how to do it … Read more
Garden Towers A sustainable, efficient solution for food production
A simple, sustainable way to grow food in a rural or urban setting. Why grow food in a Garden Tower? * Saves space - you can generally grow about 40-50 plants on a 1.5 sqm space. *Saves water - since the plants are located above each other, any surplus water drips on to the next plant and is easily collected at the bottom * Pest control - since the plants are grown on a separate soil, there are much less diseases and pests to tackle. *Urban solution - suitable for balconies, roofs, or … Read more
Greenhouse of the Future Grow Food and Create Space to Relax
Interested in building your own greenhouse, but don’t know where to begin? Now, there’s the Greenhouse of the Future. Filmmaker Curt Close teamed up with Anaconda Productions and the non-profit SolutionEra to release a DVD, eBook and step-by-step guide on how to build a passive solar greenhouse that utilizes renewable energy and is built from natural and recycled materials. Follow the link for more information:- … Read more
Wicking Beds An easy way to grow food at home, save water and offset some carbon
The wicking bed is a highly productive growing system which not only produces more food from limited water, but also recycles waste organic material to provide plant nutrient and capture carbon. The essence is to form an underground reservoir of water or pond contained by a waterproof container or liner below the surface. Problems would arise if the underground pond was routinely filled by applying water from the surface. The water percolating down through the soil would absorb nutrients which … Read more
Solar Dryer for Food Sovereignty Sustainability all year round
The solar dryer is a solar-powered food dehydrator, that is entirely autonomous and “off grid”, and supports both local food autonomy and economic resilience. Once installed, it enables a farm to preserve seasonal surpluses of fruits and vegetables (which is a local traditional practice). This basic “tunnel” solar dryer is essentially a table-top greenhouse, with active ventilation provided by electric fans and a dedicated photovoltaic panel. It provides optimal airflow and temperature for … Read more
