“A crucial battle in a long-brewing conflict over organic farming came to a head Wednesday when an influential government panel met to discuss whether soil is an essential element of organic farming.
On one side: “Dirt first” traditionalists who say that fruits and vegetables must, by definition, be grown in soil to qualify as organic.
On the other: Agri-technophiles who say “controlled environment” methods like hydroponics and aeroponics are just as deserving, dirt or no dirt.”
“Troy Albright, a Phoenix based pharmacist and farming entrepreneur spoke to students at ASU’s Polytechnic campus on Oct. 25 about the potential of aeroponics.
Aeroponics is a process of growing plants without the use of soil by suspending plants and nourishing them using mist.
Albright was invited as part of the Science and Mathematics Colloquium Series, a series designed to expose students to the work of researchers and practitioners in various fields.”
Read the FULL Article, at “StatePress.com“
“If I were to plot my journey as a gardener, it would start with a basil plant from Tesco. I kept it on the windowsill of my university hall bedroom (it could have easily become an ashtray if left in the kitchen) and, when I came home in those cerulean-hued nights of summer term, its sweet heady scent would hit me like a forgotten essay deadline.
That was 10 years ago and, last summer, when I was writing my first book, How to Grow Stuff, I made sure to include herbs – from seed and supermarket – because my experience would suggest that once you’ve learned how to keep a shop-bought basil plant alive, you’ll wind up wanting to grow your own from seed eventually.”
Read the rest of the story at: “Telegraph.co.uk“
“For more than a decade, Laxmi Nadendla was fond of the vegetables she grew in her own garden in Hyderabad. Being a nutritionist, she knew the importance of consuming home grown healthy food.
In 2013, when Laxmi got to know about a local non-profit, Aranya Agricultural Alternatives (AAA), she enrolled for a permaculture design course and learnt how to apply permaculture practices in urban spaces, such as a home garden (about 280 sq yards). She soon stopped using pesticides and depended heavily on organic compost. Today, her family gets 60-70 per cent of their vegetables from the garden in winters. In fact, last summers, some days the output was about 17 kilos of fruits and vegetables per day.”
View the FULL Article at: “DownToEarth.org.in“
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“Inside a glass dome in Northern Norway, lives a family of five. In the inhospitable Arctic climate the Heart Followers have found their unique way of life. In the garden around the little house, they grow their own food all year round. In this nature friendly shelter, they are protected from all kinds of weather, and lives in harmony with the spectacular surroundings, and the elves in the forest.”
Hjertefølgerne / The Heart Followers from Deadline Media on Vimeo. / Images via GoodHomeDesign
Bruce Morgan is into making his chickens do the work around the house using a series of wire tunnels.
