Most of us understand the value of eating and buying local. Taking back our food, goods, and services from multinational corporations and sourcing them from small growers, producers, artisans, and entrepreneurs benefits our families, our environment, and our communities. Heal Local argues that "100-mile healthcare" can be equally valuable in terms of how we treat illness and injury and maintain wellness. This innovative guide demonstrates that by harnessing multifaceted whole plants, we can rel...
1,001 Gardening Tips & Tricks (1,001 Tips & Tricks)
by Mary Rose Quigg
Over 1,000 Tips for Planting Vegetables, Flowers, Houseplants, Shrubs, Herbs, and Trees! This comprehensive collection of practical tips covers all aspects of gardening, from flowers and houseplants to planting shrubs, vegetables, herbs, and trees. In addition, find advice for dealing with garden pests, learn about the tools that will make your life much easier, and find valuable ways to avoid the aches and pains that often go along with the hard work of gardening. Woven throughout are poems and...
In daily life, we can take control of the resources and services we depend on. Electricity and energy don't have to come off the public utility grid-alternatives abound in solar, wind, and water generated power. Design decisions can drastically affect power consumption, and bio-diesel and alternative fuels can help break the oil habit. Dave Black describes alternatives for eco-pimping your home and lifestyle for independence, economy, and a more integrated way of life. Equally valuable for the u...
How to maximize your food production in an urban environment. The idea of bringing agriculture into the city has been promoted by many on both sides of the political fence: proponents of sustainability and prevention of climate change as well as those who worry about government and social instability. To address the urgent need for a shift in the way our food is produced, The Ultimate Guide to Urban Farming offers a practical education in everything there is to know about city agriculture: how...
The Meaming of Herbs presents vivid portraits of herbs favoured through the ages, drawing on botanical, mythological, and historical sources worldwide. In ancient Rome, for instance, a leaf of basil placed in the hand of the dead was said to ensure that the gates of heaven would open for them. An age-old legend asserts that when Mary washed Jesus' swaddling clothes she left them on a lavender bush and ever since, the smell of heaven has lingered on the plant. Recipes, spells, mystical applicatio...
This beginners guide for anyone interested in starting an herb garden explains in simple terms everything you need to know about choosing the site, preparing the soil, choosing the plants, caring for them, dealing with pests and diseases and what to do with the harvest at the end of the summer. Included are easy-to-follow garden plans, lots of helpful tips, expert advice and useful figures.
Few areas of contemporary life remain untouched by the beneficial use of herbs. Combining the expertise of well-known herbalist Deni Brown and London's Chelsea Physic Garden, Herbal is a guide to the 150 most important herbs in use today, presented as an A-Z, with the traditional Latin names complemented by the more accessible current or colloquial tags. With a foreword by Sue Minter, curator of the Chelsea Physic Garden (founded in 1673), and packed with essential facts on their cultivation and...
From eliminating urban pollution in your garden to growing the most beautiful edible plants in your limited outside space, this book is aimed at anyone who doesn't have the luxury of a country garden. This book shows how to get the best soil, gives advice on garden design and supplies recipes which highlight the taste of the food you grow. The plant directory also advises upon the most suitable varieties of crop to grow in very small numbers. Whatever your "garden" space, be it a window box or a...