The Beginning of a Food Growing Revolution

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or on Facebook will know, growing food is my absolute passion. Its something I do because its just a part of who I am and one of the things I am lucky to not only do myself, but also teach other people to do, hopefully infecting them with the same excitement it has for me.

The Incredible Edible movement has always been of fascination to me, mainly due to the fact that it not only aims for the areas that link into its ethos to grow within the public sphere but also because it brings different communities together to work on projects and so makes new communities. Often growing anything in the urban landscape is beyond the realms of possibility for many, let alone the idea of growing food, and yet places such as the amazing Todmorden in West Yorkshire have made it possible to do just that, whilst creating communities of people whilst they are gardening.

So when I tweeted last week asking why there was no Incredible Edible Bristol and would anyone be interested I wasnt that surprised to hear people saying they were definitely interested. Bristol is a city of food growing people. Many of them are allotment gardeners but equally there are a myriad of food growing projects that rely on communities to support them and help them with their growing. However, often these are hidden way and not that well publicised and so unless youre looking for a project to work with you may not realise they are there. The city farms all have amazing growing projects and there are several great community allotments and orchards. Incredible Edible Bristol wants to bring the wonderous nature of these projects together to bring food growing to the streets and to the people. We aim to be completely inclusive, to create links between the growing groups, to grow food in and on any spare land we can find both in the city centre and in every area of the city and to give people a learning expereince so that they can go away having learned how to put the idea of growing into practice for themselves.

The scary facts are that Britain is never more than 3 days away from a food crisis and that, mixed with the facts that there are people relying on food banks up and down the country and that often people dont know how to deal with fresh produce and so are slightly put off by it, are terrifying. We rely on a chain of delivery that could fall apart easily as was seen when the fuel tanker drivers went on strike only a few years ago. By creating this project people can take back the responsibility of food production, stop being reliant on the huge supermarkets who are far more interested in their profits than they are in the state of the nations health and know how and where the food on their tables was produced.

So people of Bristol, "if you eat, youre in"

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Simple Points To Remember if You Are Growing Aloe Vera

Aloe Vera is some how similar to cactus in terms of their likings to the dry climate. Aloe Vera prefers dry loose and sandy soil. You can increase the looseness of the soil by adding sand or Perlite to the soil. It will also increase the drainage capacity of the soil.

While watering keep in mind that you need to water it thoroughly so that the soil is drenched properly but also make sure that the excess water should not stay
with the soil. Too much water or water logged soil is the most frequent reasons for the death of the plant.

Though it is possible to grow Aloe Vera from seeds we strongly recommend you start with the offshoots. It is much more easier and also the rate of survival is far greater.

Keep your Aloe Vera plant in a place where it will receive enough bright sunlight. Surrounding the soil with white stones around the plant can be a great idea. It would increase the aesthetics as well as save the warmth of sun light.

Aloe Vera plants are generally pest and disease resistant. So in most of the cases you would not have to worry about pest controlling.

There are many offshoots which grows around the plant. It is for the benefit of the plant that you removes those. You can always plant those offshoots in different area and treat that as an individual plant.

Use a sprayer to spray water on the dry leaves once in a week to remove dust. It will also make the leaves green and healthy.

Harvesting:

Generally leaves are harvested from the plant. Larger thicker leaves on the outer side of the plant are the ideal one to get. Use a sharp knife to cut the leaves from the plant. The pulp is very useful for skin.


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FAQs on Onion Growing

This is another article in the FAQ series. This article is concerned with growing Onions. So here are some of the most common questions asked regarding Onion growing:


Can I grow onions from seedlings?
Yes you can. There are 3 ways to grow the plant; from the seed, from seedlings and from immature bulbs. You need to clip the top once it reaches 4 inches to stop its fall and to prevent any bending. Check this article for growing tips.

Which onion should I grow?
Depending on the required day light to form bulbs the onions can be of three types:
1. long Day Onions (Most of the onion variety are of this type and are pungent in taste)
2. Short Day Onions (most sweet onions are short day type)
3. Day neutral Onions
So if your place receives a very long day type choose Long day Onions and if the place lacks day time choose the shorter version. If you are not very sure go for the day neutral variety.


What are the different types of Onions?
Onions can be of different varieties. Colour wise they can be Red, Yellow or White. You can find detailed information about various types of onions in this article.

Should I cover the onion bulbs?
No. Do not try to cover the bulbs while growing onions. Onion plants have a very shallow root system. Any digging around the plant can actually damage it.

What is an onion set?
These are small immature bulbs which have been taken out before reaching their full size. Once they reach a size around 1/3 to 1/2 a inch in diameter they are harvested and after drying used for planting. For more details check out Onion growing tips.
 
If I cant plant immediately after buying plants from the shop, how do I store them?
It is highly recommended  that once you get your plant you should plant them. But if you cant do it immediately dont panic. The onions can live sometime of their bulbs. Spread them in cool and dry area. But do not put them in water.

Why some of the onion sets I planted, go to seeds instead of forming bulbs?
Onions form bulbs in the first year and then go into flowering and seed in the next year. But if you are getting the flowers and seeds in the first year itself and not the bulbs it is may be due to the fact that the set size is too large. Instead try planting sets which are half an inch in diameter. Sets with larger bulbs tend to bolt faster.

How do I know when my onions are ready to harvest?
An onion becomes fully matured when the top of the plant falls over. Dont try to do anything to the top till then. It will damage the bulb making process.


Have More questions? Feel free to post in the comment box.

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Shoutyhalfhour

This blog post has been a long time coming but after I posted My Twitter Experience and was accused of being a troll by several people on Twitter, I thought now might be a good time to write it.
The whole thing began several years ago when I was sitting watching Gardeners World one Friday evening and getting exasperated at something and my dear husband posted to Twitter that it seemed #shoutyhalfhour was here again and it stuck. So before I go into the whys and wherefores I need to point a few things out!!
Firstly it is not a personal assault on the presenter. I do find Monty Don a tad patronising on the programme but he is only following a script and although it surprises me sometimes when things are shown that are so definitely wrong and I wonder why he hasnt picked up on it, he is a man doing a job.  Both his writing and his gardening programmes other than Gardeners World are fantastic as is the series on BBC Radio 4 that he is presenting at the moment.
Secondly much of the shouting is light hearted and positive. We all love to see Nigel and beautiful gardens such as Esther Rantzens which was shown on Friday evening. We all love to ooh and arr over the plants and really enjoy seeing what other gardeners and nurserymen are growing and producing.
However and here is the crux of #shoutyhalfhour, Gardeners World ought to be just that. A beautifully crafted programme which offers inspiration, tips, help and aspiration to gardeners young and old, ancient and modern, and whatever their skill base, and sadly this is rarely, if ever, achieved. Seeds are sown and rarely do we see them potted on or palnted out. Cuttings are taken but we never see the result, whether good or bad, and all of us that have ever worked in a nursery know that sometimes cuttings dont take and seeds dont germinate but that is never mentioned either. Every year we see a presenter planting seed potatoes and sweet peas and hear tales of blight and the horrors of not scarifying our lawns, but rarely do we see anything new, cutting edge or exciting. New plants and seeds come to the market every year so why not bring them to the fore?
Equally in the UK  we have a tradition of small nurseries, all of whom work really hard to produce beautiful plants, some of which would often be lost if it wasnt for a handful of people keeping them going. We have amazing bulb growers and companies working really hard to produce us blight resistant potatoes, and we never hear of these people. Occasionally a National Collection is shown, like the amazing Asters a few weeks ago, but there are a miriad of National Collections out there that could be shown and rarely are. Its been proven that a mention of a plant on Gardeners World means that on Saturday morning the garden centres are stripped bare of them, so why not look at what can be done for the British growers out there and support them?
Equally, and here is my personnal bug bear, make sure that the information given is correct and relevant. If you are showing how to take a hardwood rose cutting, make sure thats what it is. If you are discussing the Chelsea Chop, go into it properly and talk about the whole process or it makes no sense and it will go wrong. If you are showing how to put Dahlias to sleep over the winter, tell the viewer that youre doing it early for the sake of programming and that really its not necessary until after the first frosts have blackened the stems, or at all if you live in some areas. It is this sort of mis information that means people dont succeed and then feel that they cant do it or become too scared to even try. Sadly many are so far removed from the earth that they truly are fearful and so turn to Gardeners World for good, horticultural advice which often it just is not.
Gardening today is a whole mishmash of things. Often people have no gardens and become involved in community projects which are rarely, if ever, included. Our children ought to be inspired to garden too and yet I have yet to see a piece on gardening with children, although there are many great practitioners out there who do so and I can tell you, as one of them, that kids love to garden and are naturals as they dont worry it might not work. There are also some amazing gardeners up and down the country, many of whom open their gardens for the National Gardens Scheme, and many who dont, whose gardens would be an amazing inspiration to the viewer. There are awe inspiring allotments, school gardens, urban roadside projects, amenity landscapes and gardens, heritage landscapes, historic gardens, garden conservation projects, and many more, that are never mentioned and yet would inspire and offer not just help to folk who already garden, but to those who are also looking for ways to be able to garden.
As some of you are aware, The BBC are aware of some of these issues through viewers forums and I attended a meeting a few weeks ago where I was able to pass over 300 plus tweets I received from people saying what they thought was needed and they seemed to listen. Gardeners World is an institution to me and where I was inspired and excited by gardening from a very young age.. It horrifies me that there might be a generation who grow up without that and miss out on the wonders of working with the earth and learning all that there is to be learnt from the experience of gardening. Gardeners World is the only mainstream gardening programme that is available to us, although I have to say I have watched Beechgrove Garden this year and think a lot could be learnt from that, so it needs to be seen to be the best. We British are known as a nation of gardeners, so the presenter needs to be the Head Gardener for the nation as well as the patch being gardened on the show, so I beseech the BBC to up their game and improve the programme so that it becomes grea, aspirational TV.
And please never let any of us have to endure 6 minutes of how to jet wash a path ever again!!

Beautiful meadow planting this summer on a Bristol housing estate.

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Growing Cauliflower Some Important Points

Most of the people are really not sure about growing Cauliflower in their garden. Some might think it is too difficult for a beginners to try their hands on cauliflower and only an experienced gardener can come up with  great results. Though I agree that it is not as easier as some of the other vegetables which I have discussed earlier, it is also not a very hard nut to crack. Follow the points discussed in this article and I am sure you will not be disappointed.

 

Though primarily it is a cool weather crop, they are very sensitive to extreme temperature so it is sensible to start with a transplant. In case you want to start with seed plant them indoors in coconut coir or other media and make the seedling and then transplant in the garden. Using paper pot also helps preventing root disturbance while transplanting.

A pH of 6.5 to 7 is best for cauliflower. Just like Cabbage, Cauliflower also flourish in nitrogen and potassium rich soil. A little bit of organic matter from time to time will definitely help the plant. Make the soil loose up to a depth of 15 inch by using a tiller and mix 2.5 inch layer of compost with it. Plant the seedlings 20 inches apart. Like most of the vegetables it also require minimum 6 hours of direct sunlight everyday.

Make sure your soil has enough moisture. Don’t wait for the soil to dry out before giving water(want to perfect your watering techniques? Check out this article). This will cause the head to open up and become unpalatable. Whereas constant moisture would make large but tender head. A thick layer of mulch will also help to keep the moisture intact for longer period of time.

Once the head(also called “curd”) become the size of an egg, it is important to cover it(also called blanching) and protect it from the direct sunlight. This is important because it will make your cauliflower milky white in appearance. Missing this step can cause brown or yellow head, which may not taste so bad but definitely less aesthetic visually(don’t cover the heads in case you are using colorful varieties of cauliflower or it is of the self blanching type). While covering use plant’s own leaves, and tie them up using a rubber band or plastic tape. While covering the head don’t forget to leave some space for air circulation and future growth. Make sure the leaves you are using for covering the head is not wet. Otherwise it can cause rotting. So it is better to cover the head in the afternoon when the plants are usually dry. From time to time unwrap the covering to check on the growth of the head and any possible pest attack.

Cauliflower matures within 50 to 60 days. Though it depends on the variety of the plant, generally a mature head ranges from 6 to 10 inches in diameter. Once you find your desired size cut them with sharp knife below the head with some leaves to protect the head. Though it is best to eat right after the harvest, you can also store them well. Cover it with perforated plastic bags and put it in the refrigerator. For more on “storing vegetables” check out our earlier blog.

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BritishFlowers

For a long time now I have been a huge advocate of the British Flower grower and in particular of the new phase of growers, who are absolutely passionate about what they do, as they should be. Buy a bouquet or have your wedding flowers done by these growers and you can be guaranteed that they will be seasonal, have been grown without pesticide use and usually to organic standards, that they will have been cut and conditioned beautifully and that they last for at least a week in a vase.

So imagine, to my horror, seeing a tweet that said that Interflora had collaborated with the RHS to make, what they are marketing as The Ultimate Love Bouquet using flowers with different symbolic meanings of love. However,to me having Agapanthus in the same bouquet as Hyacinths puts two fingers up at seasonality and whilst I want to believe their tweet that 60% of the flowers in the bouquet are sourced in the UK, I assume by that they mean bought at markets in the UK but not British grown. Perhaps the Ivy is UK grown and a few of the tulips but my overall feeling is that most of those flowers have been flown in from Africa and South America, where they are grown on vast farms that rely on pesticides to keep the plants in tip top health and use water for irrigation that is needed much more by local people.

So, and heres to the power of Twitter, Interflora asked for my number and their Commercial Director, Helen Quinn rang me. Knowing how Interflora work, (they are all franchises and the individual florist is responsible for buying their own stock), I asked how they felt they could be certain that any of the flowers were UK grown, to be met with the reply that after speaking to a couple of their florists today they had found that up to 5 out of the 10 stems were UK grown but this could not be guaranteed as they are countrywide and obviously there is no way that all the florists could be contacted. So at the most, the ivy, tulips, hyacinths, myrtle and chysanthemums (although I question the chrysanths and I am not alone in that) may be in some part UK grown. However, in the conversations they had with The RHS where the plants were grown was never discussed, it was all about the symbolic use of the flowers. And I just want to reiterate that Interflora cannot guarantee any of the bouquet will be British grown.

At this point I want to say fair play to Interflora for their transparency. But in the mean time  I also want to ask what the foremost horticultural charity, The RHS, is doing to promote the growers in this country and sadly it appears they are doing very little if anything at all. They were included in all the tweets today and there was not one single reply, so at best theyre hiding in embarrassment and at worst? The RHS do stirling work in its gardens and with initiatives such as Britain in Bloom and their growing in schools projects but the British horticultural industry, of which our flower grower are an integral part, needs them to be behind it and this seems to show, not for the first time, that they are not.

There will, of course, be some people doubting that there are enough flowers being grown in the UK at this time of year to create beautiful Valentine bouquets, but to them I say, have faith and look around you. There are beautifully scented flowers around right now as well as amazing bulbs such as narcissi and hyacinths coming from Cornwall and the Channel Islands. I for one would rather have 10 stems of stunningly scented Sarcococca than roses with no scent that have been flown half way across the world, quite literally.

So heres my thoughts. Dont not buy flowers, but be aware of the fact that there is an industry in this country that grows and prepares and sells and does floristry with, stunning British grown flowers all year round. As a nation weve become used to picking up flowers in the supermarket for tiny prices but be aware of the environmental impact those flowers are having and think twice. Surely flowers are a luxury, not to be taken forgranted and so rather than picking up a bunch unthinkingly, ask where they are from and if the shop has a British equivalent, and if not ask why not. All British flowers in the supermarkets are labelled as such and your florist really ought to be able to tell you the provenance of their flowers, and if they cant, speak up and ask them to find out. Tell your friends and neighbours about the British flower industry and ask them to support it too. Explain to your partner why you are asking for British grown flowers, and be proud to support an industry that is thriving and exciting.

And for all you non-believers, here are a selection of flowers from Common Farm Flowers in Somerset, an artisan florist business that both grows beautiful flowers and prepares them to send out across the country every day. All these flowers are seasonal and available now.

And finally, thank you from all the flower growers, large and small, for taking the time to read this and if you fancy joining in the chat there is a #britishflowers hour every monday from 8-9 on Twitter and all the growers are online and have Facebook pages that you can follow all year around.

There is an adendum to this now.
I spoke to the RHS earlier this afternoon and they have apologised, mainly because when the bouquet was first tweeted their press stuff wasnt ready and thay had hoped to offer the Interflora bouqet alongside the Tregothnan one, with the whole thing being a bit tongue in cheek. They are aware that this has gone awry for them and I think are mortified that the British flower industry and all our small growers have felt so maligned by them. I am going to do some work with them to try to improve relations between growers and the RHS so watch this space for more details.

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Growing Okra Some useful tips

Okra is also known as ladies finger and Bhindi (in India). The edible part of the plan is the pointed seed pods. The flower of an okra plant resembles hibiscus and can be used as an ornamental plant.

Pods in the plant

Okra is a warm weather crop. A full sunny spot is ideal for the plant. If you are from the cooler region wait till the weather warms up before planting okra. Cold weather can really kill your plant.

While growing okra from the seeds, the first thing you will notice is that the seeds are much bigger than some of the other vegetables and it is easy to handle. Before planting the seed soak them in warm water. You can either sow them directly in the garden soil or you can choose to first grow the seedling indoor and then transplant them into the garden. If you are planning for the second option, use some seedling tray available in the market and use coir or peat moss as the growing medium. Mix a generous amount of compost along with the soil before planting.

The plant can resist drought and heat very well. But inch deep water weekly is ideal for best pod production.

Okra plants generally get large and it also spread its branches. So you need to do some thinning once the plans reach a height of 6”. It is recommended to leave at least 18” to 24” gap between two okra plants. In case the plant don’t get enough space to grow, the production of the pods will greatly suffer.

If you have used compost you don’t need to add any more fertilizer. Okra plants grow very quickly especially once the pods starts coming. The pods can grow with in 3 to 4 days. It appears first on the bases of the plant and goes upwards. A standard sized plant can grow up to 6 to 8 feet.

Freshly harvested Okra

Okra plants have spines. It is not wise to harvest the pods bare hand. They can be scratchy and irritating. Use gloves while harvesting the pods. The best time to harvest is when the pods are 2”-4”. At this time they the tender and tasty. Though sometimes larger sized pods are also tender and can be used as food. The best way to check its tenderness is by snapping off the end tip of the pod. It will not snap in case the pods have become fibrous. Keep picking the pods and there will be a new one in its place.

Like many other vegetables, okra is also best when eaten fresh. You can also store them in refrigerator for a week. Check out vegetable storing tips in this article.

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Answer to Fuel Food Crises

 

Aaron Baum at work. All photos courtesy of The Algae Lab

 by Alice C. Chen 

Microscopic spinning orbs and spirals of green goo are the answers to our planets energy crisis and arable land shortage. At least thats what Aaron Baum, a 40-year-old Harvard graduate and Stanford PhD, has concluded.
And Baum should know. After a mid-life crisis of sorts, he spent months researching the types of science that would most benefit the world and concluded that algae are it. Now, he wants to share his passion with the public by creating communities of people with their own algae farms. Imagine that – you can have a personal algae tank that provides fresh, ultra-nutritious food on a year-round basis.
Baum is a research consultant for NASAs OMEGA project, whose mission is to create massive amounts of algae for biofuel, fertilizer and food. The San Rafael, California algae-phile knows not everyone has access to professional grade equipment – which can cost tens of thousands of dollars – so Baum has started teaching seminars on how to raise spirulina inexpensively and in ones own home. The day-long workshops cost $150 and hell also provide you with a kit that includes a tank, spirulina starter stock, a nutrient mix and other equipment for $200. Through these workshops, Baum hopes to continue forming a collaborative community that shares knowledge about algae farming.

The seminars grew out of Baums first venture in algae. In 2008, he created what he says was the worlds first communal algae farm. The project was based in Berkeley and consisted of more than a dozen 55-gallon tanks of algae. It eventually got so massive that it wouldve required full-time staff, so Baum closed it down when he traveled around the world last year to attend algae workshops and visit algae farms. When he returned, he thought it would be more manageable to have the farms in peoples homes. I talked with him about his adventures in algae, and his plans for the future

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Alice Chen: How did you get interested in algae?
Aaron Baum: As a scientist, Im completely committed to doing good things for the environment. I earned my Phd in applied physics from Stanford in 1997 and worked for several years in Silicon Valley as a program manager on technologies I developed in graduate school. I realized I was working my butt off to make computer chips run faster. I kind of lost faith in what I was doing.
I dropped out of that field, worked as an artist for several years and realized I miss science -- the intellectual challenge and making contributions and changing peoples lives. I decided to get back into science on my own terms.
I thought about it for a long time and decided I wanted to work in a field where I could be sure I was doing something good for the world. I started doing a lot of research four years ago and after a few months, algae started to stick up out above everything else. Back then if you searched for algae, what came up was how to kill algae and how bad it was because of algae blooms. That was happening for a while but now its exponentially worse. I started working in that area. Now if you search for algae (online), about half of what you find is good.
AC: Whats so great about algae?
AB: Algae is a way to grow really high quality food in a small area, on the surface of a body of water or in wastewater. Or you can grow algae in dilute urine which is an easy way to get the right nutrients and reduce your impact on the environment.
Most marine biologists consider that the number one danger to marine life is eutrophication, an excess of nutrients in the water from agricultural runoff due to application fertilizer. When it hits the ocean or lake, there are massive algae blooms. When they decay, they wipe out oxygen and everything dies.
If you can find a way to keep nutrients out of water, you reduce the size of dead zones. You can create controlled algae blooms, harvest algae and eliminate nutrients that way. Or you can take wastewater, give it to algae directly and absorb nutrients. You come out with clean water, fuel, food, fertilizer and extra oxygen. And on a small scale in your own house if you grow it in dilute urine, you reduce the fertilizer load on the local ecosystem.

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AC: Tell me about algae as food. Why are people so into it?
AB: The idea was first proposed in the 1930s in Germany. They were trying to develop it for growing food. You can grow a lot of food in a small area. Its extremely nutritious on a gram-for-gram basis. You can mix it in with other food. It didnt take off until spirulina in the 1970s. Now theres chlorella.
Normally you get spirulina in a powder or pill form. Its grown in large outdoor ponds normally, and you sieve it out of water. Its kind of special. It grows in corkscrew filaments making it relatively easy to strain out of water using a special fabric. Most other kinds of algae are too small and roundish, very difficult to filter.
Algae as a food is extremely healthy. Its high in complete protein, antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and its effective against infections. It has defenses against viruses and you can acquire defenses as well. Its good to protect against environmental toxins. There were dozens of experiments where they fed rats a regular diet and another group with spirulina. They exposed them to mercury, lead, pesticides, radiation and mutagens and found that spirulina-eating rats do much better.
In powder form, spirulinas great, but when you want to eat a blueberry, you dont want it powdered. You want it fresh. You can eat fresh spirulina thats basically alive. It tastes better.
AC: What does it taste like?
AB: The problem with most algae is it tastes like seaweed. A lot of people are not turned on by that taste. I think its really good in certain dishes. When you eat it live, fresh, the taste is much lighter, creamy, and buttery. You can spread it on crackers. We mix it with brown rice and guacamole so its vegan. The easiest way is in carrot juice.

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AC: Is anyone else doing what youre doing?
AB: Were at the very beginning of growing it. A few people have worked on it. Some people in France grow spirulina on a small scale in their house. Outside of France, theres been very little work. Im not aware of anyone in the U.S. working on it other than us.
AC: Why havent more people already started growing algae in their homes?
AB: There are technical barriers. You need to grow live spirulina. You need a seed reactor, a nutrient mix to put in the water and a special cloth. You must maintain proper balance between acidity and alkalinity, and the proper temperature. What Im doing is putting together a kit to provide live spirulina.
AC: How is this a communal project?
AB: Im starting out by building the community and showing people how they can do it themselves. Well do it together and share information through our website.
Previously we built a whole algae lab all based on volunteer labor. We built it for about 1,000 times less money than what we spend in places like NASA. What were aiming to do is cultivate algae based on free material. We grow algae and are investigating it as fertilizer, biofuel, and growing it in dilute urine.
Wed like to create an international network of people growing all kinds of algae in their homes in a small community scale, sharing information, doing it all in an open source way. Wed be like the linux of algae – do-it-yourself with low-cost materials and shared information.
I get emails from all over world. Theres been a huge wave of interest in algae, driven by biofuels and by the growing awareness of the lack of farmland. If you want to make new farmland, you have to destroy ecosystems. The biggest impact humans have on the world is through agriculture. If we want to grow more food so people can eat better, we either destroy the last remaining ecosystems on the planet or find a new way to do things.

AC: Whats the market like for spirulina?
AB: The world consumes about 100,000 tons of spirulina a year. Its used for animal feed and its a nutraceutical (that is, a food that provides health benefits). Its kind of expensive, usually about $80 per pound for powder. Its a very nutrient dense food. When I eat spirulina – I eat vegan – I dont have cravings for meat or sugar. Food is more satisfying when it has spirulina. I eat a lot, 15 grams a day. Most people would consider 5 grams a day to be fairly high. If youre eating 10 grams a day, youre spending about $200 a year on it.
AC: How did you transition into algae as a career?
AB: I got interested in algae and decided to create an algae farm project at Burning Man in 2007. I got together a community of people and we created an installation on a trailer. We had 16 bioreactors with live algae that was eating the exhaust of a generator. They grew great – it was very successful. We had a lot of educational material. There were big posters jammed full of text explaining what we were doing and why it was interesting.
Ive worked at the Exploratorium. Theyll tell you that anything beyond one to two sentences, theres no way youre going to get anyone in the public to read anything more than that. On the night of the Burn, the craziest night of all with partying and dancing, I went to the installation. We had forgotten to turn the lights on. In the dark, I was surrounded by people all using headlamps, leaning close and reading every single word wed written. As soon as they knew I was part of it, they started peppering me with questions. A guy from NASA was inspired by this project and then joined the OMEGA project. And then he gave me a call.

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AC: What are you doing for NASA?
AB: Were developing large-scale systems that are combining biofuel and fertilizer production with wastewater treatment and production of fresh air and fresh water. Were using large membrane enclosures floating in bodies of water. Its a low-energy, low-resource way of growing algae.
One budding thing of NASA technology – were working on a clever way of removing algae from water.
Were focused on the biofuel aspect at NASA. For biofuel, you want a species that produces a lot of oil. Many species of algae can produce huge amounts of oil -- they can be more than 50 percent oil by weight, compared to normal plants that only produce a few percent.
Algae can produce about 100 times more than typical oil plants like soybeans, on a per acre basis. You can grow enough algae to replace all of the fossil fuel in an area thats small enough to be manageable. You dont need to use farmland, theres not much remaining in the world ready to be used, and you dont need fresh water. The nice thing about algae is while they cleans water and air, they can produce very valuable things like fuel, fertilizer and food. Theyre precursers for bioplastics, cosmetics and medicines.
Its a new kind of farming, potentially very low impact and sustainable.

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AC: So whats your vision -- to see every household have algae?
AB: I dont see why not. It should be easier than a vegetable plot. Algae is such a super food. Its so productive on a daily basis that with one tank in a window you can significantly supplement the diet of one person. If you use a whole window, you could probably do two to three tanks year round and have even more. Every day you could be eating algae.
Algae is an incredible resource we havent tapped into. Human beings havent gone there yet because its microscopic. I didnt know what algae were until quite a bit later in life. They dont really teach you about it in school. It produces approximately 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe. Its the basis of 95 percent of life thats in oceans.
Even people with no dirt can grow fresh food for themselves. If youre in an apartment complex on the 25th floor, you can still grow fresh food.

 

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

 special thanks to 

Alice C. Chen 

 

Alice C. Chen developed her storytelling skills while exploring the Amazon Rainforest as an undergraduate at Stanford University. She went on to earn her masters degree from Northwestern Universitys Medill and is now an award-winning journalist.
Alice has nearly a decade of experience across media and has produced stories for the web, print, TV and radio. Her pieces have appeared everywhere from the San Francisco Chronicle to BNET and Newsweek.com. Alices specialties include business and health care reporting, and shes also interested in narrative writing, profiles and inspirational stories.
Previous to Alices freelancing career, she was an education reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, one of the largest daily newspapers in the country. Alice resides in the San Francisco Bay Area.

More info about AlgaeLab on

 http://www.algaelab.org/

CCRES SPIRULINA 

project of 

Croatian Center of Renewable Energy Sources

(CCRES)

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Onion Growing tips

Today we are going to discuss about some growing tips of Onions. Though it is not one of the easiest vegetables to grow, it is not very hard either. You can definitely try your hands on them provided you know some basic information.

Onions can be off various types: red, white, or yellow/brown. It can be round, or spindle shaped.

How to Plant?

You can grow onions from seeds, smaller bulbs or transplant.

If you are planning to start with the seeds, it is better to first grow the seedlings indoors. Use special seedling trays (or can alternatively opt for used Egg cartons) and good quality potting soil.

If you are planning to buy transplants from the market, talk to your nearest garden or nursery shop. Though in transplant, the choice of variety is limited, the survival chances are pretty high.  

You can also grow onions from immature bulbs. The best part of choosing bulb is that it is easy to plant, less disease prone and earliest to harvest. Choose bulbs which are smaller in size (diameter less than ½ “). The big sized bulbs are much more prone to bolting.

Onions need sunny weather. 6 hours of full sunlight is ideal for the plants.
Raised garden beds are a very good option for growing onions. It provides warm soil and ideal air circulation to the plant. The ideal pH range is from 6 to 7. If your soil is not in this range you can make it to that region by adding Limestone (if your soil pH is lesser than that), or Peat moss (if your soil pH is greater than that).

Adding sufficient amount of compost also help in reducing the pH of the soil as well as provide the nutrient to the plant.Whatever you do make sure the soil have a very good drainage. Good soil drainage is compulsory for growing onions.

Plant them 4” apart. It will make the onions to mature fully. In case you are planning to harvest green onions (scallions), you can leave a smaller space (2”).

Onions have shallow root system. Which means, that the roots can not get water from the depth of the soil and so take it mostly from the surface and little beneath. Which means while watering, you need to make sure the base of the plant doesn’t become dry. Over watering can also be a problem. One of the sign that your plant is getting more water than needed is tinge of yellow on the leaves. If you find that happening with your plant, reduce the amount of water.

Onions can not compete with most of the weeds. So make sure your soil has minimal or no weeds. You can check organic weed control to know more on how can you remove weeds from your garden. Using a thick layer of Mulch can be a good idea.

Growing onions is all about getting the bulbs. Once you see the top of the plant turns brown or yellow, you should be ready to harvest.

Pull or dig the onions out.  After that, leave them in the open sun for two days to dry.  This will help prevent rotting.  

After drying, the skin of the onion will have a uniform texture. Now it is time trim the roots and detach the stem from the bulb. Remove any soil that is present in the skin.

These onions are now ready to eat. You can store them in plastic bags and keep them in dry and well-ventilated space. We have discussed how to store various vegetables in our earlier article. You can check that article if you want to know about the basics of vegetable storing.

Onion is a very versatile crop. They are used in so many recipes. We are sure you will enjoy the vegetable much more once you grow them in front of your eyes.  

Have any more questions? Check out FAQs about onion growing.

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Marigold Some Growing Tips

Though Marigold represent a single type of flower their variety is endless. They can be single or double and come in many colours which can range from orange, yellow, bi-colour even white.

The best thing about growing marigold is you dont need to think much about the soil. They generally grow in any kind of soil, provided it is well drained and has some nutrients in it. Plant them in a place which receives sufficient amount of Sunlight and chances are that you will get a good amount of yield.

Like most other plants Marigold can be grown both from transplants and from seeds. Although you can easily buy seedlings from your local nursery shops, you can use a much cheaper option of starting from seeds.

If you are growing from seeds try planting 2 months prior to frosting date. Use soil-less media to fill seedling trays. Put the seeds and cover them with the mixture. Then cover the tray with plastic wrap keep the tray in a worm place. You dont require any sunlight for seed germination.

It generally takes 3-4 days for germination but you should check the tray everyday to see any sign of germination. Once you see the germination remove the plastic cover and move the tray in the sunlight.

Once they develop two sets of true leaves you can transplant them to their permanant pots or in the garden.

Care:

Marigold is a plant which requires very little care. You just need to provide them water regularly so that the soil doesn’t go dry. Depending on the variety you may need to put some support to protect them from strong winds.

While growing the plant you need to remove the dead stems and leaves from the plant so that seeds and flowers can grow easily. Unlike Tomato or Roses the pruning is not that essential.

Pest and prevention:

Marigold plants have a pungent odour which help them repel pests. So in most cases you probably would not need any pest preventive system from outside. Besides, the roots of the plant help in reducing nematode population beneath the soil.Due to this unique property marigold plants are used in companion planting. You can find more about that in this article.

Additional point:The petals of the Marigold flower are used to add colour and flavour in many dishes across many cultures. It is also an good alternative to the expensive saffron, and used in many rice preparation (like Biriyani). More on edible flowers in this article.

What Do you think about the article? Please post them below in the comment box. We are eager to know from you.

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How to Grow Tomatoes Growing Tomatoes With Simple Tips Tomato Growing Tips

Tomatoes are one of my favourite vegetable. It is very easy to grow as well as enjoyable to eat. Though technically tomato is a fruit of the plant but we all prefer to call this a vegetable. If you take proper care of your tomato plants, the yield can be overwhelming.

Scientific name : Lycopersicon sp

The tastes of tomatoes are very sensitive to the surroundings. So rather than focusing on only one variety, it is always sensible to try 3 to 4 varieties. It will help you find out which is the best variety suitable to your locality.

Tomato Plants and Sunlight:

Keep your tomato plant to a place where the plant will get plenty of sunlight. The fruit formation of a tomato plant requires at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. You can read more about the effect of sunlight on different plants in our earlier article here.

Tomato Cage for Supporting A Tomato Plant:

A Tomato plant needs support for its growth. You need to build cage or stakes at the time of planting. Staking keeps fruits off the ground whereas a tomato cage help the plant to hold its upright position.

Tomatoes require plenty of water, specially during the summers. But while watering a tomato plant do not wet the leaves or the stem of the plant. Always put water directly into the soil near the roots(see watering guide for details).

Pruning Tomato Plants:

Take out any shoot that grows between the stem and main branches, these shoots always hinder the fruit growth. In gardening this process is called pruning of plants. With the same logic cut off the tip of the plant. It will help the plant to become more bushy with much more fruits.

How To Plant Tomatoes:

You can start either from seed or through seedlings purchased from nurseries. If you are starting from seeds, it is recommended to use seedling trays.fill these trays with potting soil and sow the seeds there. It is important to keep the trays indoor until the seeds germinate. Once they have grown up to 15- 20 cm you can transplant them outdoor. See transplantation techniques for detail.

Before planting the seedlings make the soil ready by tilling and mixing compost or manure with the soil. It is recommended to plant the seedlings 2ft apart.

It is necessary to keep the soil fertile. Add fertilizers two week prior to picking and two weeks after the picking.

Tomato Pests and Diseases:

Tomatoes are particularly susceptible to many pests and diseases. Horn-worms, Aphids, white-flies are few of the tomato pests which can reduce the production of the plant. Late blight (specially during monsoon) and distorted leaves are the common diseases to the plant. It is always wise to plant basil along with your tomato plant. Basil is a fantastic companion plant for tomatoes. It will help in distracting little pests from your tomato plant. This type of planting is called companion planting.

Harvesting Tomatoes:

Never pick tomatoes in green condition they will rot before get ripe. Leave them on the vine as long as possible. Never try to refrigerate ripe tomatoes. It will spoil the texture and taste of the perfectly ripe home grown tomato which is best eaten sun warm from the kitchen garden.

I hope these simple tomato growing tips helped you in growing tomatoes. Do these simple steps and you can enjoy your home grown favourite vegetable and also find the distinctive flavor and taste which are definitely missing when you buy those from the stores.

Thanks for reading. Keep your comments coming.

Read more about tomatoes: 
FAQs About Tomato Growing
Top 8 pests of Tomatoes
Simple steps to save tomato seeds 

Top Five Companion Plants For Tomatoes

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