Prospects for Ukraine to unwind grain exports to Eastern Europe have improved as Romania has opted not to unilaterally ban grain imports, but there has been no apparent progress on extending the Black Sea export deal.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made it clear on Thursday that Moscow believes its conditions for extending a U.N.-brokered deal that guarantees safe exports through the Black Sea during the Ukraine war have not been met.
“Here, almost nothing is done,” Lavrov told reporters in Havana during an official visit.
Russia has said extending the agreement reached last July beyond the May 18 deadline depends on the West lifting restrictions it sees as hindering Moscow’s agricultural exports.
Ukraine has stepped up exports of agricultural and food products through EU countries after Russia’s incursions disrupted Ukraine’s usual Black Sea routes.
Grain sales are an important source of income for Kiev, and last week a food import ban imposed by four EU member states in Eastern Europe has added to Ukraine’s concerns about its food exports.
Romania relieved Kiev by saying it would not join Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in banning food imports from Ukraine to protect local producers from an influx of cheap Ukrainian supplies.
Instead, Bucharest will wait for the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, to take steps to help farmers in central and eastern Europe.
“I think we need to wait … to see what the committee decides, and then we will meet again to set long-term rules, because Romania and Ukraine are big food producers,” Agriculture Minister Petre Dia said.
The Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta is Ukraine’s main grain transit hub, shipping about 12 million tons of Ukrainian grain in 2022 and the first quarter of this year.
Following talks with Ukrainian Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky, Daea said Romania and Ukraine would hold weekly consultations on expected grain production as Romania tried to curb imports.
Solski told reporters it was clear that the situation required a quick decision, adding: “We know that these decisions have to make Romanian farmers feel comfortable and … we wait for the European Commission.”
Grain deal hangs in the balance
The European Commission has announced plans to offer farmers in Eastern and Central Europe compensation for some of their products if the unilateral import ban is lifted, but the affected countries want to expand the list of products.
Poland went further than others, initially banning the transit of Ukrainian grain and food products through its territory. Warsaw agreed on Tuesday to lift the measures, and transit traffic resumed on Friday.
Dozens of Ukrainian food products, including sugar, meat, fruit and vegetables, are now allowed to be imported, but the products are not allowed to be sold on the country’s market.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said the council’s support measures were too little, too late, after the government approved 10 billion zloty ($2.38 billion) in aid for Polish agriculture.
Black Sea grain exports, which are more important to Kiev than exports to Eastern Europe, are being negotiated on the status of the Black Sea Grain Initiative agreement reached last July to create safe shipping lanes.
The initiative, which lifted a blockade of three Ukrainian Black Sea ports five months after Russia invaded, aims to ease the global food crisis and support Ukraine.
Russia said it had agreed to extend the deal until May 18 only, although Kiev and its allies said the terms of the deal said the agreement should continue beyond that date.
Concerned about the ability to ship food from Black Sea ports, Ukraine has stepped up exports through ports on the Danube, which flows through central and southeastern Europe.
“There is no doubt that the Danube cluster has become a key factor for global food security in the face of limited operations at Black Sea ports,” Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said on Facebook.


Guatemala El Jaguar
This coffee is so good, it’s practically wild. It’s got a rich, full-bodied flavor that will make you want to purr like a jaguar. But be careful, because one too many cups and you might just start roaring.
This coffee is grown in the lush highlands of Guatemala, where the cool mountain air and rich volcanic soil create the perfect conditions for coffee beans to thrive. The beans are hand-picked and carefully processed to preserve their natural flavor and aroma.
A medium roast Guatemala bean that permeates a delightfully fruity and sweet coffee flavor along with an clear undertone of nuts.
Best Brewing Method
This Coffee can be used with any Brewing Method because it’s so well-rounded, it’s been roasted for pourover/drip (v60, Chemex, Aeropress), but don’t be scared to bring it close to an espresso machine – you’ll be very happy with the results.


The Voorhees Education Foundation proudly supports the construction of a new greenhouse on the Voorhees High School campus. Please visit the website below to see the progress and how you can become involved.
The Greenhouse Vision
The idea for the greenhouse is that it would be used for many different populations of students on campus. It is readily integrated into the biology and environmental science courses, but the uses reach far beyond that. Students in the cooking classes could utilize the greenhouse to grow produce, math classes for statistics and art classes for inspiration. Beyond that, the grounds crew could grow plants to help to continue to beautify the Voorhees campus. Perhaps our most exciting endeavor is to allow our multiple disabled students to have real, hands-on application that can be integrated into job skills and occupational therapy.
To donate to the greenhouse project, please visit the website above or download a donation form here. The Voorhees Education Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization so contributions can be tax-deductible.


‘Sustainable Food’ book launch
On Monday, January 14, I had the pleasure of launching Michael Mobbs’ book, Sustainable Food – a logical companion to his earlier publication, Sustainable House.
Sustainable Food provides localised solutions to the global problems of food security and carbon emissions associated with growing, processing, selling and disposing food.
Expanding Australian cities reduce land to grow food. Moreover, expanding mining is taking more ground and river water. Mobbs notes, “Over 40 percent of the [Queensland] catchments [of the Murray-Darling rivers] are to be mined…[The mining] will cause the the quantity of food grown in the Murray-Darling Basin in the next 10-20 years to at least halve. About 40 percent of Australia’s food is grown here.”
By 2050, the world population will be over 8 billion, with food production falling to around 0.01 hectare per person.
Additional food must come from existing agricultural land, which will require a more sustainable approach.
Sustainable Food is an enjoyable and informative how-to guide. It breaks down the seemingly insurmountable challenges of our food security and carbon footprint into practical grassroots solutions that are eminently achievable.
Read more about the launch here.


BECKY FOSholiday cup artist
"I am a big fan of PJ’s Coffee and look forward to my daily Mocha Granita. You can only imagine how overwhelmed and honored I was to work on this project with PJ’s Coffee of New Orleans. As a small business owner and artist, I constantly look for ways to use my talents to give back. I was pleased to work with PJ’s Coffee to tell their direct trade initiative story with farmers in Honduras and Nicaragua.
PJ’s direct trade coffee truly is farm to cup. This project was a true collaboration, and I hope my artwork inspires conversations about the communities and farmers that PJ’s direct trade initiative supports.
I spoke with the PJ’s team at length to better understand their story. They walked me through a farmer's daily life harvesting coffee cherries and shared photos of farmers and their grounds.
I knew I wanted to highlight the beauty of the land in my artwork. So, I created a composition that allows the viewer to almost peer through the cherry blossoms and see the rolling hills of coffee farms PJ’s partners with – like Agua Fresca in Nicaragua or Finca Terrerito in Honduras. The farmers have a depth of knowledge that allows them to understand and care for the soil, which produces the cherry blossoms to create the most delicious cup of coffee. It was only fair for me to show pride of placement to the land and the people who keep it. I hope coffee drinkers see my artwork on their next cup of coffee and are inspired by how beautiful this landscape is.
I hope my art inspires conversations that connect the dots of how the cup of coffee in their hand came to be while valuing the business PJ's offer through direct trade. Creating this artwork is my way of helping the people who have helped me start my day with a delicious cup of coffee. It all comes full circle. We are people helping people."


It is widely reported that bee populations are in trouble. These beautiful humble little creatures are tormented by pesticides, drought, habitat destruction, nutrition deficit, air pollution, global warming and more. Given that we’ll struggle to produce food without these valuable pollinators it’s important to make sure that our gardens have plenty of bee-friendly plants that support and nourish bees.
Worker bees live for about six weeks and need food all year round. A hive will typically produce fewer worker bees in the winter, however, they will remain active during this time and replace numbers throughout the summer when they are most active. So having bee friendly plants that flower in different seasons are vital for the survival of these fascinating insects.
Five important things we can do at home to help bee numbers are:
- Support campaigns to ban the seven most dangerous pesticides, and don’t use any pesticides in the garden, especially not on flowering plants. Some of the pesticides on the list linked above are already banned in Europe, but helping to create awareness across the globe is still an important step. I’ve stopped using pesticides on my roses a few years back, even though they still get attacked I’ve seen an increase in ladybugs and other insects that prevent disease in my garden, which seem to have brought the pests under control so that it no longer cause notable damage to the plant itself. If you resist the urge to interfere, nature knows how to look after itself.
- Protect pollinator health by preserving wild habitat and adding bee-friendly plants to your garden
- Support ecological, regenerative, organic agriculture. Regenerative and ecological farming resists insect damage by avoiding large monocrops (growing the same crop every year on the same piece of land), preserving ecosystem diversity, reducing pesticide use and promoting soil health
- Avoid plants with double or multi petalled flowers
- Provide nest sites for wild bees
The Best Place to Buy Bee Friendly Plants
Before you rush off to the nearest garden centre to stock up on bee friendly plants, be mindful that many of the major garden centres across the world use pesticides on their plants which can be counter-productive in your efforts to save bees. These pesticides can last up to a year in colder climates, contaminating your garden and affecting pollinators.
Friends of the Eart has been running a campaign in the US to help stop the use of pesticides within garden centres over the last few years with great success, but there are still some that do use pesticides. You can read about the retailers who have signed up here. For those in the UK, the RHS has an updated list of Organic Nurseries on their site.
Alternatively growing from seeds could be the safest option if you are unsure as plants are often imported from abroad where regulations vary.
Bee Friendly Garden Plants for Every Season
You can find bee-friendly seed packs online that takes the guesswork and pesticides out of the process. We’d recommend buying local seed packs specific to your country as it will have the best chance for good growth.
Bee Friendly Plants for Spring (March-May)
- Crab Apple Tree
Bee Friendly Plants for Summer (June-August)
- Lavender, English Lavender is more suited for colder and wetter climates than its French counterpart
- Hardy Geranium
- Coneflower – Echinacea
Bee Friendly Plants for Autumn (September-November)
- Single-flowered Dahlias
- Japanese Anemones
- Autumn crocus
- Autumn flowering Sage


We can proudly state that all of our SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate is made with cacao from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.
You may have noticed a frog seal on SCHARFFEN BERGER packaging. This little frog represents big advancements in sustainable farming. The Rainforest Alliance is an international non-profit organization that works to conserve biodiversity and promote the rights and well-being of workers, their families and communities.
It trains farmers in some of the world’s most vulnerable landscapes to farm in a way that conserves forests, protects streams and rivers, nurtures soil health, and boosts crop yields. It also encourages cooperation between independent farmers to market certified products more effectively to cocoa exporters.
Independent studies demonstrate that Rainforest Alliance training leads to increased yields and income through programs that teach cocoa farmers how to increase efficiency, productivity, and resilience of the land.
Our mission at SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate Maker has always been to craft deeply satisfying chocolate in a socially responsible way. Consistent with our mission, we partnered with the Rainforest Alliance in 2010; as of 2012, we can proudly state that all of our SCHARFFEN BERGER Chocolate is made with cacao from Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms.
Our commitment to purchasing cacao only from Rainforest Alliance Certified Co-ops has had a significant impact on the lives and lands of those who produce our cacao.


Haikou during the Spring Festival inexpensive food outlets do not close
Hainan Daily Haikou February 2 – (reporter Guo Cui) February 2 at 1 o ‘clock in the morning, Haikou City Xiuying District Yongzhuang village guangxi nationality vegetable farmers Lu Chunping has got up.After washing his face off with cold water, he stepped out of the house, wrapped his coat in a cold wind, put on a raincoat, and rode his tricycle to the Gavang wholesale market.The car was neatly packed with four baskets of cabbage, oilseed and other leafy vegetables that had been picked the night before.On February 2, the second day of the Chinese New Year, some stalls of meiyuan Farmers’ market in Haikou City, Meilan district, were open for business, and vegetable varieties were as rich as usual.Ten minutes later, Lu Chunping arrived at jiawang market. Compared with usual, the market during the Spring Festival was a little quiet, but there were still many vegetable farmers to trade.Lu chunping rubbed his hands and clicked the calculator quickly, taking notes and billing customers.This has been lu Chunping’s fourth Spring Festival in Haikou.”People can have a rest, but the vegetables don’t wait for anyone. We need to rush to collect the vegetables from the vegetable field. A day or two late will affect the quality of vegetables.”He told Hainan Daily that days of cooling and rainfall have a certain impact on the growth of leafy vegetables, which are prone to diseases and insect pests, so he has to do a good job of protecting vegetables from the cold, instead of reducing the workload of growing vegetables.By 3am, lu chunping’s 700 jin of leafy vegetables had been sold out, and he could go home to rest for a while.And 3 o ‘clock in the morning is haikou Jiangnan market busiest time.Reporters in jiangnan market to see, a car full of vegetables into the wholesale market in an orderly long truck, workers are unloading, weighing, loading…Incandescent lamps on the roofs of greenhouses cast a long shadow over the busy comings and goings of the workers.Haikou vegetable basket sorting center in Jiangnan Market is brightly lit, as the staff carries out safety testing and sorting of vegetables delivered the previous day.At 7:00 a.m., some 80 affordable food delivery trucks started to leave.When the vehicle arrived at the White Dragon market is close to 9, in the market in haikou city vegetable basket stall, staff Huang Liying is putting vegetables, there have been citizens came to buy.Tomato 1.6 yuan/jin, melon leaves 0.7 yuan/jin, bell pepper 1 yuan/jin……Reporters see, vegetable basket stalls complete varieties, the scene set up the “one yuan vegetable area”, buddhist hand melon, white radish, coconut vegetables, white potatoes, etc., are 1 yuan/jin.”Today I bought six kinds of vegetables for only 12 yuan. It’s very convenient to buy fresh and affordable vegetables during the Spring Festival.”Zang Xiansheng told reporters.”All of our affordable end outlets will be closed during the Spring Festival and will resume normal business from the fourth day.”Haikou Vegetable Basket Group told reporters that in order to ensure sufficient market supply and stable prices during the Spring Festival, Haikou Vegetable Basket Group will reserve 3,000 tons of vegetables during the Spring Festival in 2022, including potatoes, Onions, Chinese cabbage, carrots, lotus white, white radish and other 35 varieties, and make preparations to increase storage.We will spare no effort to ensure the purchase demand of citizens during the festival, ensure the stable and orderly supply of the end of the “vegetable basket” during the Spring Festival holiday, and let citizens and tourists spend a secure, comfortable and rich Spring Festival.


There is nothing more disheartening than putting all of your efforts into plant growing and then seeing them fail to thrive. Whether it’s a beautiful bloom of flowers you have been anticipating or vegetables you planned to consume, the feeling is the same: you were looking forward to something that’s just not happening.
While it is impossible to say for sure what issues are impacting you directly, there are a few common causes when plants are failing to thrive. So rather than giving up your green-thumbed pursuits as a bad job, why not see if one of these could be causing an issue for you?
1) Plants Are Too Close Together
Plants need space to grow and breathe, especially if you are growing from seed. It can be tempting to try and make the most of the available space you have, but cramming too much into one area will just stump the growth of everything.
The back of seed packets tends to have advice on the spacing required for each individual plant. If it doesn’t, then there are general guides to follow online. Even if it looks like the space between each plant is too large, keep in mind you need to leave room for root systems.
2) Soil Problems
Some of the issues you might be experiencing might not be of your own causing at all. Unless you have lived at your home for years, you don’t know how good a quality the soil has been kept in.
To begin to see how fertile a soil you have, buy a set of cheap pH testing kit. The soil pH should be between 5.5 and 7, though some plants can handle more acidic soil better. If you see anything outside of those numbers, this might be the problem.
The other issue could be contamination. To see if this is a problem and potentially rectify it, you’ll need to bring in professionals like SESL environmental consultants to identify any issues. If you’re serious about getting a good yield from your garden, this might be a necessary step that can help prevent future issues.
If you do find that the soil isn’t to plants’ liking, then you can still garden – but you might need to make a few changes. Opting for raised beds where you can control the potting mix is ideal, and if you make your own, needn’t be an expensive option.
3) Improper Planting Times
Have you ever looked at a guide to what plants should be planted at which points in the year and thought… “nah”?
Planning when plants should go into the ground is one of the key components of a successful garden. If you plant something too early or too late, then this alone could be the reason it doesn’t thrive.
Always try and schedule your planting along the lines of what the plant prefers. Keep things simple and by the book for the best results. It might mean some precise scheduling, but the results will be worth it.


Mitnamchai requested Toneyes to produce their company brochure, which they planned to use during as a marketing tool at any agriculture exhibitions to attract potential rice buyers. As Toneyes’s first project related to the agriculture industry, our graphic design team had to learn about the rice industry and how rice is produced in order to create an effective and attractive brochure.
Mitnamchai is a rice producer that not only sells rice products to other companies as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) but also under their own brand, Chedi. To do so, the company buys rice from suppliers (growers and merchants) across Thailand and processes them in their rice mill. They currently offer various types of rice, including Thai jasmine rice, glutinous rice, and riceberry rice, and bran products, which are categorized into rough bran, fine bran, and rice husks.
Since 2016, the company has entered the cassava and tapioca market.
As a rice producer company, Mitnamchai wanted Toneyes to create a marketing brochure used for their agriculture exhibitions. The aim is to have the company attract potential rice buyers and stand out as a brand through their company brochure.
To create their company brochure, our graphic design team had to come up with a vision statement in order to craft the design around it. The vision statement our team came up with was “Turning Rice Making into Art.” We also decided to focus on the farmers for the company brochure because the company’s success lies with the farmers that have meticulously grown the rice.
After the vision statement and the focus was set, our graphic design team created infographics and illustrations so potential rice buyers can understand Mitnamchai’s rice making process, advantage, and how their “Rice Making Art” stands out when they read the brochure. Our team also used cool colors such as blue and brown as the color scheme of the company brochure to signify rice and cassava.


The recycling of waste products collected from our works allows Matt The Tree Fella to sell high quality products such as mulch.
Our 20” Bandit Chipper can make light work of even the biggest trees. We produce quality mulch, and this is available for sale which we deliver in 15 cubic metre loads.
Our High Quality Mulch can be used for various purposes – here are a few of the best reasons to consider using Mulch on your Garden:
Mulch can adjust soil temperature by helping soil retain more heat in spring and fall, and by keeping soil cool. It caneven out temperature swings during hot and variable summer conditions and help control weeds by blocking the sunlight necessary for germination.
Mulch can retain water in your garden or paddock by slowing evaporation and adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil through the gradual breakdown of the mulch material.
Mulch will repel insects and incrementally improve growing conditions by reflecting sunlight upwards to the plants, and by providing a clean, dry surface, will favour low ground-lying fruit such as squash and melons.
Mulch is also useful for erosion control – as it protects soil from rain and preserves moisture and for sediment control – as it slows runoff velocity.
Mulching is an important part of any no-dig gardening regime, such as practiced within permaculture systems.
Sydney Mulch Delivery to your Door
please call our office on 9653 2890 to arrange a delivery of mulch – minimum 15 cubic metres.


Celebrated every year on January 6
Bean Day is on the same day as the dying day of Gregor Mendel who specialized in genetics and did many experiments with all kinds of legumes.
His findings contributed to making cool hybrids with plants which is a very basic way of genetic engineering without directly altering genes like in scary science fiction books that made many people scared of doing science.
Most of the food we eat has been genetically engineered this way without us even realizing it.
Celebrate with baked beans, chili, hummus, peas and carrots or whatever you like!
Did you know that peanuts are actually also a kind of bean?


Autumn Holiday in Brixen – the colorful Alpine Landscape of the Eisack Valley
Autumn is a busy time of year at Campan Castle because of the apple and grape harvest. For centuries, meadows and slopes to Campan Castle have been planted with apple trees and vines and this is the time of year when the fruit is now ready to be harvested, stored and processed. The farm produces both excellent wine and sweet apple juice. In your autumn holiday in Brixen you will be welcomed by a sea of contrasting colors. Brick red and golden yellow foliage illuminated by the trees and dark green pines provide exciting color combinations. On the Natz/Schabsplateau the famous Apple Festival takes place this is great fun for all. The famous “Spatzenfest” (Spatzen Festival) in Castelrotto attracts thousands of fans where the popular folk group “KastelSpatzen” play.
Autumn holiday – Törggelen in Eisack Valley and the new wine
‘Toerggelen’ is an old South Tyrolean tradition that takes place every year in the autumn. The tradition comes from a time before freezers. Different Inns took it in turns to kill a pig and serve it in as many ways as possible on one plate in the middle of the table (sausages, ribs, ravioli, schnitzel, and more). It is a real feast. There are also other delicious seasonal side dishes including chestnuts and cabbage. The young wine is tasted and the evening is rounded of with ‘krapfen’(sweet deep-fried batter filled with jam) a local specialty. While walking the current season of naturally cloudy apple juice is a welcome refreshmentalong the way. Chestnutscan be harvested all along the Eisacks Valley from late October to early November. Excursions into the World Natural Heritage site of nearby Dolomites are also an unforgettable climax.


Coconut 1 Units
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The coconut tree (Cocos nucifera) is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos.The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The name comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull", after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features.


Since ancient times people in Japan have lived with plants, Plants have always been a big part of their daily lives. Japanese are proud of their unique culture of ‘bonsai’ cultivation which has a history of over 300 years. Our ongoing chrysanthemum and morning glory cultures are particularly rare and are recognized around the globe. Our new potting soil Charcoball is now heralding a new and modern indoor gardening culture.
Charcoball is excellent in water control for plant cultivation and is suitable for root development. It’s diverse functions make our lives more pleasant, and its use actually benefits the environment. This kind of potting soil has previously not been available. We hope Charcoball will be come a part of your gardening a future. We hope you will pick some up today and give it a try.


Free Cow Manure Near Me. Your localized fishing weather forecast, from accuweather, provides you with the tailored weather forecast that you need to plan your day's activities The aged manure for sale locations can help with all your needs.
Free horse manure compost near me. Many farmers are happy to give away or sell their manure. You can also find it for sale online.
Table of Contents
How To Find Aged Manure For Sale Near Me.
Free chicken feed and soil at the same time! This will help to reduce the risk of. If you live in a rural area, there is likely a farm nearby where you can ask for manure.
Video Result For Chicken Manure Free Near Me.
It is one of the best ways to get manure because it is free and likely will not contain harmful chemicals. How to find free cow manure near me. Easy to use weather radar at your fingertips!
Dust Contains Pet Hair, Dander, Mold Spores, And Dust Mites, And All Trigger Allergy Symptoms.
Sheep manure also contains about twice the phosphorus and potassium content of cow or horse manure, making it a good addition to your soil once it has composted. Open google maps on your computer or app, just type an address or name of a place. Anic cow dung pack size 25 kgs rs cow dung won t stop coronavirus and you does cow manure help gr grow quora curing cow manure thriftyfun.
Chicken Near Me, (25 Mar 2022 7.00Am), Horse Manure For The Garden.
To get free cow manure near me, the best place to find it is at farms. Contact a location near you for products or services. Your localized fishing weather forecast, from accuweather, provides you with the tailored weather forecast that you need to plan your day's activities
The Best Way To Find The Farms That Have Free Cow Manure Is To Ask Around In Your Community Or.
Another way to get cow manure is to purchase it from a garden center or nursery. Cow manure is the “coldest” of the manures mentioned here, meaning it has the lowest levels of nitrogen (only about 0.5% by weight). Get your local dust and dander allergy forecast.


It is beyond any doubt that heat pumps can nowadays be used for heating of various building types. This time it was implementing a heat pump for the heating of a piggery.
Everything started with the requirement of the farmers, the owners of the piggery, to save on costs in all areas of their operation in order to stay competitive. Heating as one of the highest budget items came second after the automation of the feed dosage.
We implemented heating in the part of the piggery where the newborn piglets are heated on mats. The temperature of the mats affects piglets’development and future immunity. The temperature is the highest after birth and the lowest after weaning. Our heating system does not heat according to the ambient temperature but according to the piglets’ age.
The original heating source in the piggery was a light heating oil boiler. This boiler did not permit accurate temperature control and therefore the temperature had to be kept a little higher than needed, due to which the consumption of heating oil was very high. And the heating oil price does not belong to the lowest.
The result was savings of € 300/month with our Convert AW16 module – calculated for the whole year and a heating season of 12 months in this case. As for the rate of return, in this
On behalf of the AC Heating team


Update on Co-Act’s “Food Net”
First a little history: In January 2009, Co-Act held the first collaborative meeting of managers and directors of local meal sites. Common needs and issues were discovered, such as running out of food at the end of the month and a
lack of fresh produce and protein. It was not a shortage of food that was the main problem, nor was it physical facilities, willing personnel, or even creativity. Instead, it was found that the root issue had to do with “systems,” and the solution required collaboration as well as new networks of access and distribution. This community-born solution became the catalyst that inspired and launched the Berkshire Co-Act “Food Net,” a grass-roots initiative which has been dedicated to the food security and nutritional needs of central and southern Berkshire County. In 2009, Co-Act volunteers collected and transported 6,000 pounds of fresh organic produce to 14 local food pantries and meal sites. That quantity increased to 9,000 pounds in 2010.
Our plan for 2011 is to increase the numbers of community gardens, school gardens, and private gardens for low income households, and, in addition, to educate more school children and adults in food growing, cooking, nutrition, and food preservation. The plan weaves together 14 separate food-related components to create a new local, sustainable system that greatly improves nutritional access, health education, community engagement, and entrepreneurship. The main beneficiaries will continue to be the food insecure of central and southern Berkshire County who frequent the 33 meal sites and pantries.
Food Net Participants
West Side Farm Project
Project Sprout, Monument Mountain High School
Montessori School, Great Barrington
Conte School, Pittsfield
Pittsfield Public Schools
Woven Roots Farm
Peace Valley Farm
Indian Line Farm
Under Mead Farm
First United Methodist, Harvest Table
St. Stephen’s Parish
The Salvation Army, Pittsfield Corp.
Christian Center of Pittsfield
First Congregational Church
People’s Pantry, Great Barrington
Dalton Food Pantry
WIC, Great Barrington
VFW Pantry Lanesboro
First Baptist Church, Pittsfield
United Methodist Church, Lenox
The Food Net Components
The “Westside Farm Project,” located in a low-income neighborhood of western Pittsfield, was begun in 2008 by Thom Pecoraro, a Co-Act member. In 2010, the garden was expanded under the Wyomanock Center, with the help of a garden manager and hundreds of volunteer hours provided by local low-income residents, to three plots, totaling over 7,000 square feet, where 3,000 pounds of vegetables were grown, the majority of which was delivered to meal sites by the “Food Net.” The “Westside Farm Project,” which has become a central gathering and learning place for dozens of neighborhood children throughout the summer, will be the example for more community gardens in the future.
“Project Sprout,” located at Monument Mountain Regional High School in Great Barrington, is an example of a successful student-run school garden–students began
and maintain a garden that produces over 100 pounds of fresh produce weekly during the season. During the school year, the produce goes to the cafeterias of all three district schools for all the students to benefit, but, during the summer, the majority is delivered to meal sites by the “Food Net.” The garden has become a significant learning tool for the students, who teach other students and pass on the knowledge. We intend to use this example to expand the program to Pittsfield schools and the Montessori School in Great Barrington.
Private Gardens for Low-Income Households
During our growing season in 2010, the “Food Net” donated 40 starters that went into new and expanded gardens for low-income families, who were trained at the community gardens. We helped install several gardens at Section 8 houses, and the six families who participated had plenty of produce throughout the season. We intend to expand this program to 12 households in Berkshire County in 2011 and to another 30 gardens in 2012. The “Food Net” will help prepare the gardens and provide compost and tools to participants.
Farmers’ “Second Harvest”
During 2010, our “Second Harvest” program (still on-going) will yield about 4,000 pounds of produce. One of our “Food Net” participants explains what the “Food Net” has meant to her. According to Jen Salinetti of Woven Roots Farm in Lee, “In the past, we used to compost our unsold vegetable starts and crops that were unfit for resale. We’ve always wanted to reach out to community kitchens and food pantries and Co-Act is now making it possible. It feels so good to know that people in need are able to plant community gardens and eat fresh produce thanks to the collaboration between our farm and the Food Net.” We are looking to expand farmer involvement, increasing acquisitions to 8,000 pounds next year.
“Grow an Extra Row”
Each private garden in our initial program donated 30 pounds of fresh produce weekly. The program used fliers describing the program to attract participants. These were dropped off at all the garden supply stores in our area. Gardeners get the great satisfaction of serving the neediest population by working in their back yards. We intend to expand this program to 20 private gardens. This would make an additional 600 pounds of fresh produce available in the network per week.
Farmer Labor Pool
The community and school garden programs require a significant amount of labor. We rely heavily on volunteers that are trained by our community and school garden managers. The volunteers include teenagers and persons who are recovering from addictions. The more experienced individuals will become part of a labor pool to help with our gleaning program with farms, but they will also become a trained labor pool to help out farmers who have surges of staff needs corresponding to the growing cycles.
Thus far, Berkshire Organics has been a regular weekly supplier of about 200 pounds of produce per week. There are several other food distributors we would like to network with. Restaurants, resorts, and grocery stores are also part of this food network through the “Buy One, Leave One” program. In our initial program for grocery stores, the “Food Net” collected 4,200 pounds of dry and canned food. Fourteen restaurants have also participated in this program, and we intend to expand this food source.
Plant Starter Program
During our first two years, our gardens experimented with a variety of produce for our meal sites. We found that certain crops, such as the lettuces, did very well and that crops, such as kale, when dried, provide excellent winter nutrition as an addition to soups. In 2010 we supplied about 200 starters to all of our garden projects. We intend to expand this program.
We are seeking funds to purchase solar driers. Our experiments with two small dryers in 2010 led us to this approach. We want to teach food preserving classes to the pantries and meal sites throughout our region.
Extending the Growing Season
Greenhouses and simple hoops are ways to extend our New England growing season by several months. “Project Sprout” was successful in their efforts in 2009, where they are presently in use. Although the yields are less, using these would allow us to support prioritized meal sites like WIC and the prepared supper sites.
Meal Site Development
In Berkshire County there are three types of meal distributions: the prepared meal sites, pantries, and brown bag distributions. In a survey of the Berkshire meal sites, the Lanesboro VFW pantry was ranked highest. Their approach included a system of open shelves where people were allowed to choose items themselves with certain amounts allocated for each category. The “Food Net” has been supporting this approach in other pantries; however, there are several pantries that need some funds, which we are making efforts to raise, in order to renovate the space to accommodate this approach.
“Food Net” Goals and Intended Outcomes
- Enlarge and strengthen the local food network, consisting of community, school, and private gardens, farmers, produce distributors, meal sites, pantries, and WIC sites, among others.
- Reduce hunger and improve nutrition for our region’s food-insecure population through increasing organic produce donations that are delivered to meal sites and food pantries from the 2010 amount of 9,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds in 2011 and 20,000 pounds in 2012.
the number of farmers participating in the “Second Harvest” from the current six to 14 in 2011 and 20 in 2012 and reduce the waste of high quality, organic produce.
- Expand the number of school gardens and community gardens from the current two to six in central and southern Berkshire County.
- Expand the number of Section 8 housing gardens from the present six to 12 in 2011 and to 30 in 2012.
- Provide DBT machines to the farmers’ markets in Berkshire County that don’t already have them, to increase availability of fresh produce to SNAP users and to increase sales for small market gardeners.
- Provide cooking, food preservation, and nutrition education to pantries, meal sites, and school cafeterias, as well as to community and private gardeners.
- Extend the growing season of the gardens.
- Provide nutritious greens and root vegetables for the meal sites during the winter through the use of solar dryers and a root cellar.
- Provide an entrepreneurial enterprise for youth involving solar drying of organic produce, particularly kale to be used in soups, and other food preserving enterprises.
- Improve meal sites and food pantries through adding, re-structuring, and moving pantries, as needed.
- Expand the program “Buy One, Leave One” and the restaurant, grocery, and resort donation program in order to provide more food, especially protein food, in the winter to the meal sites and food pantries.
- Continue to engage local youths from low-income communities at school and in their neighborhoods, including working with troubled youths and halfway houses.
- Increase the available labor pool for local farmers and growers and provide income to low-income youths and adults through seasonal labor on local farms.
- Teach social responsibility and empowerment through the “Food Net” program of giving.
- Improve the mental health of our low-income residents, including children, who participate in the gardening projects. Results should include an increased sense of well-being, pride in accomplishment, a feeling of increased self-sufficiency, empowerment, and expanded horizons, and a feeling of connection to the earth and each other.
What you can do…
If after reading this update on the “Food Net,” you feel you would like to contribute, either through the donation of money or the donation of time, we would greatly appreciate it. Please get in touch with:


Job Description – HR Manager (ROT00413)
HR Manager-ROT00413 Cargill provides food, agriculture, financial and industrial products and services to the world. Together with farmers, customers, governments and communities, we help people thrive by applying our insights and over 150 years of experience. We have 150,000 employees in 70 countries who are committed to feeding the world in a responsible way, reducing environmental impact and improving the communities where we live and work.
As a member of the HR Solutions Netherlands team, the HR Solutions Employee Experience Market Specialist –will be accountable for the delivery of employee …


Thus, he created an experimental vineyard of 3 decares, where he planted 8 different wine grape varieties.
In 1993, after 3 years of research and evaluation, he concluded that 4 wine grape varieties were just right for organic farming. He reached this conclusion taking into account the region’s climate and soil conditions as well as their resilience to diseases in the absence of chemical intervention.During the same year he founded the winery and extended the vineyards by 15 decares.
In 1997 the winery’s first bottle enters the market under the brand name “Fellahidis Vineyard”. A limited number of Chardonnay wine bottles is made available. Devoted to his work and personally involved in the vineyards, he constantly researches the organic cultures, strives for innovation and seeks to improve the taste of the produced wine.
In 2010 he stops organic farming, but maintains the organic mentality, as he does not overload the vineyards with chemical interventions.
In 2011 he passes the torch of the winery to his daughter, Eleni Fellahidis, who maintains close contact with the vineyards and the wine making process since her childhood. Up until today they travel together through the magic path of winemaking by combining tradition with innovation.


Performance study of a sustainable solar heating system based on a copper coil water to air heat exchanger for greenhouse heating
Solar energy plays an important role in addressing greenhouse gas emissions in the agricultural sector. In this context, this paper studies the performance of a solar copper coil heating system used to heat a south-oriented greenhouse. This system relies on the circulation of a heat transfer fluid (water) in a closed loop placed in the greenhouse's roof to store heat during the day, which is then released back into the greenhouse at night. An experimental comparative study was conducted in two identical greenhouses. The first one is equipped with the heating system and the second one is not. The heat balance of the first greenhouse was used to calculate the water mass needed to heat the greenhouse during the night. Comparing the greenhouses microclimate indicated that the nighttime temperature inside the heated greenhouse is 4 °C higher compared to the control one. In the heated greenhouse, the relative humidity is 14% lower on average at night. According to the parametric study, the heat transfer fluid requires 527 L of water to sustain the temperature. The results of the sensibility study on the impacts of varying the air temperature setpoint water volume, provide useful information on how to optimize the heating system and estimate the amount of water flowing through the copper coil heat exchanger. This sustainable heating system has a payback period less than two years. It also has a low environmental impact, with a CO2 emission rate of 176 g/day compared to 41000 g/day for a heating boiler.


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Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 22 November , at For example, QTL mapping for phytate content has been accomplished in rice Stangoulis et al. It has also been proved that loci affecting phytate content are different than loci affecting grain micronutrient content, this suggests that the simultaneous increase of grain micronutrient content and a decrease in phytate content is possible White and Broadley, For example, in the case of Stangoulis et al. Since the QTLs of phytate are located on different chromosomal regions compared to those found for Fe and Zn, this suggests that they are genetically distinct and it should be possible to use molecular markers for breeding and selection purposes to modify the phytate concentration without affecting grain micronutrient content Stangoulis et al.
Following these studies, further population improvement should be implemented using recurrent selection to breed for low phytate content, whilst keeping yield and micronutrient uptake high. In recent decades, the potential of pearl millet and genetic variations associated with beneficial phenomic traits has been recognized. However, the use of molecular breeding technology for the genetic improvement of pearl millet is somewhat limited and progress is slow due to insufficient numbers of PCR compatible co-dominant markers Senthilvel et al.
Genetic maps enable a phenotypic trait to be linked to a gene or a region on a chromosome. Previously, genetic maps were highly dependent on morphological markers. However, recent advances in biotechnology have facilitated the creation of high-density maps that consist of thousands of molecular markers Hyten and Lee, Recently, the use of an F2 population of 93 progenies and 9 cultivated pearl millet crosses has facilitated the production of a genetic map with higher density and better uniformity of markers than previously published maps.
These efforts resulted in 3, SNPs generated for public use Moumouni et al.
The availability of large numbers of SNP markers and high-density genetic maps will enhance the progress of gene and QTL mapping in biparental populations significantly, and facilitate association analyses on panels of unrelated lines. GWAS have expanded into a powerful tool for investigating the genetic architecture in many staple crops. GWAS exploits the natural diversity generated by multi-generational recombination events that occur in a population or germplasm panels Deschamps et al. This approach results in increased mapping resolution as compared to linkage mapping populations.
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Genetic sources of phenotypic variation are an essential component of plant genetics. Taking on the lessons learned from model species, such as rice and maize, future developments are being applied to staple crops as well as orphan crops. Comprehensive maps of genome variations will facilitate GWAS of complex agriculture benefitting traits in crops.
The result of which will greatly accelerate the improvement of crops via genomics-assisted breeding Huang and Han, Recent advances toward whole genome sequencing of the pearl millet genome together with resequencing of the entries of the various germplasm populations will certainly assist in such endeavors. Findings from GWAS will be the catalyst in the mining of candidate genes. These candidate genes can be verified through Transfer T -DNA mutants or genetic transformation, which will then facilitate the genetic modification or MAS for validated genes.
These steps will then lead to more nutrient rich, improved varieties Huang and Han, Synteny studies among the grass family sets the stage for a comparative study of millets and non-millet cereals to trace common genes associated with nutrition biosynthesis pathways Muthamilarasan et al. When these genes, alleles and QTLs are discovered, they can then be incorporated into elite lines through the use of molecular marker assisted breeding or transgene based methods. Synteny studies may also facilitate the introgression of these traits of interest from the major cereals into millets.
This will largely be achieved with the role of genomics, bioinformatics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and ionomics Muthamilarasan et al. The dearth of genomic resources that has characterized most major cereal crops is going to benefit pearl millet directly. The high throughput and low cost of NGS technologies has made it possible to sequence crops with lower economic value for the development of elite cultivars with desirable traits.
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The benefits of this include i improved analysis of cereal biodiversity and the identification of useful variants; ii MAS of alleles and allele combinations of interest; and iii cloning and efficient transfer of useful alleles among members of the cereal family Nelson et al. Resources from well sequenced species will enable functional definition of many key genes and pathways Chen et al. For example, Chen et al. It was found that distinct and overlapping aspects of genetic control of metabolism exist within and between species and the mGWAS analysis indicated that the rice and maize are likely to share common genetic control strategies for a variety of metabolites.
A search for homologous loci mapped by the same metabolites or metabolites with similar structures identified 42 loci underlying the 23 co-detected metabolic features between maize and rice. This data suggests that there is potential for the identification of genes associated with traits of interest between cereals using mGWAS and pGWAS and genetic analysis of the metabolome could improve what is currently known about these complex traits. Quantitative trait loci associated with increased Zn and Fe accumulation in pearl millet are an important asset to those targeting candidate genes associated with these traits and continue to drive biofortification research.
Focus should be made on what resources could provide potential candidates for the identification of QTLs. As discussed, there are several germplasm panels that hold lines associated with high micronutrient accumulation that cover global diversity. Potential candidates for QTL fine mapping exist within these germplasm banks. For example, in the Iniadi pearl millet germplasm, certain lines have been found to be particularly high in Fe and Zn, with a highly significant and high positive correlation between these two micronutrients.
One of these lines, ICTP has been released in India and in it was cultivated on more than 0. At present, ICTP is still cultivated on about 0. Simultaneous accumulation has been reported in a wide variety of crops, including pearl millet and these positive correlations could be due to common and overlapping QTLs for grain Fe and Zn densities Kumar, Research into identifying QTLs and candidate genes for elevated levels of Fe and Zn in pearl millet is limited at this time, perhaps due to resource constraints such as lack of a reference genome.
The fact that QTLs associated with the trait have been identified in other crops will benefit QTL fine mapping in pearl millet through synteny studies. These were located in 32 non-overlapping genomic regions. Research into DNA technology has been developed extensively in major cereal crops, more so than for pearl millet. Although recent advances for the improvement of pearl millet have been well established via traditional breeding methods and MAS, genetic engineering and in vitro culture allows the gene pool to be expanded further than previously thought possible.
In vitro culture and transformation of pearl millet is established and reliable protocols have been developed and can be further improved thanks to the progress of transformation in major crop species Oldach et al. For example, improved nutritional quality and better genetic engineering methods can be used to elevate levels of minerals and vitamins in the starchy endosperm of cereal seeds.
This has been accomplished in rice, where expression of soybean ferritin a Fe binding protein in developing seeds of rice has resulted in a threefold increase in endosperm Fe content compared to the non-transformant Qu et al. Similar findings were also reported by Goto et al. GluB-1 was used to facilitate the expression of the soybean gene in developing, self-pollinated seeds of transgenic plants.
Findings showed that the Fe content of seeds from the transgenic plants was up to three times greater than that of their untransformed counterparts Goto et al. The same techniques could be applied to pearl millet for the increased Fe accumulation. Harnessing tools that facilitate genetic engineering have also been established for anti-nutrient compounds such as phytate.
The pathway of phytate from myoinositol is also considered to be well understood and the screening of mutant populations for reduced phytate accumulation is now possible. For example the identification of low phytate mutants in maize, barley, wheat, soybean, and rice will assist in the selection of similar mutations millets and incorporated into breeding programs.
In barley, grains were mutagenised with sodium azide and screened for high levels of free phosphate for the identification of low-phytate mutants. Results showed that nine out of 27 mutants had an increased free phosphate content in the grain and this was correlated with a significant decrease in levels of phytate. Allelic testing of four out of the nine mutants showed that at least two distinct loci control the biosynthesis of grain phytin a calcium magnesium salt of phytic acid. It is therefore possible to screen for and isolate low phytate mutants through identification of genes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of phytin.
This contributes to the development of low-phytin crops with higher nutritional value Rasmussen and Hatzack, As previously discussed, NA, plays a key role in metal assimilation and homeostasis Morrissey and Guerinot, Therefore, manipulation of cellular NA concentrations should be considered for the improvement of Fe and Zn content pearl millet.
This has been achieved through the use of activation and knockout mutants in rice and tobacco. A study by Inoue et al. Activation and knockout mutants were used to examine the functioning of OsNAS3 in metal homeostasis in rice plants and it was found that there was an increase in NA by activation of OsNAS3 , causing increased levels of Fe and Zn in both leaves and seeds Lee et al. NAS genes could therefore be potential candidates for the improvement of Fe and Zn in rice. Constitutive overexpression of NAS genes also resulted in elevated levels of Fe and Zn in transgenic tobacco plants Douchkov et al.
This method is desirable in the field of crop science because it is highly efficient, robust, is associated with reduced risk and enables a wide variety of agricultural applications. Genetic transmission of edits has been reported in A. In Rice, large chromosomal segment deletions, the inheritance of genome mutations in multiple generations and the construction of a set of facile vectors for highly efficient, multiplex gene targeting has been reported. In a study by Zhou et al. Due to the orphan status of pearl millet, little work has been performed so far on the nutritional enhancement of their grains via genetic engineering — thus presenting a significant gap in the literature.
In order to employ recombinant DNA technology methods, there needs to be an increase in knowledge about the Zn and Fe pathways in pearl millet and it is also important to consider factors such as cost, consumer acceptability and socioeconomics to small holder farmers. The current state biofortification research in pearl millet for nutritional purposes is still limited at this time, as compared to major crop species Shivran, In light of this, combined efforts are needed from all fields relating to agriculture, medicine, nutrition and genetics to drive this research in a safe and consumer friendly way Rahal and Shivay, To facilitate this research, Fe and Zn pathways in pearl millet must be better understood.
A better understanding would increase the safety of transgenic techniques and biotechnological applications, thus making the end-product more reliable and consumer friendly. The mechanisms behind efficient Fe and Zn uptake for improved health and productivity could be better understood by research into the root rhizosphere, dissecting the complex biological and ecological processes within the soil microbiome, elucidating the mechanisms behind cation selectivity and investigation into potential downsides such as enhanced accumulation of antinutrients and toxic metals.
Since pearl millet is commonly grown in infertile soils, which are lacking in Fe and Zn, any potential technologies should also be evaluated under real conditions. This could be greatly facilitated by transcriptomics and metabolomics. As demonstrated, the molecular mechanisms of Zn and Fe homeostasis in nutrient rich and nutrient lacking soils have been researched extensively in A. The well-established theories and protocols from model species could be applied specifically to pearl millet, allowing further improvement and increased efficiency of Zn and Fe biofortification.
Biofortified pearl millet with increased Zn and Fe content may be achieved either through conventional plant breeding methods or through the use of transgenic techniques. Genetic improvement of pearl millet results from the use of available genetic and bioinformatic resources coupled with extensive phenotyping of diverse germplasm collections. The usefulness of the available germplasm collections is not disputed, although extensive GEI analysis is needed for accurate predictions of how genotypes will suit different environments for efficient nutrient uptake, this can be achieved through real time multi environmental trials to verify the stability of phenotypic data.
Traditional breeding methods highly depend on the existence of genetic variation for the target traits in the gene pool. However, whilst there are a number of studies that show this for Fe and Zn, there are a variety of other complex factors to a consider such as; maintaining high yield and good end use quality, which can be affected by a variety of factors such as levels of phytate and certain methods of processing. In light of this, biofortification should encompass a wide range of factors and not be solely focused on increasing Fe and Zn content.
Advances in DNA-based molecular markers have already contributed to the identification and tagging of some agronomically important genes and QTLs for agricultural applications.
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- The Consequences of Micronutrient Deficiencies (Iron and Zinc).
The availability of large-scale genome-wide markers in pearl millet will further improve the tagging of nutrition relevant genes and QTLs in pearl millet, and it is hoped that as the awareness of capturing genetic variations for micronutrients in the genome increases, this will facilitate the discovery and validation of genes associated with high micronutrient uptake Kumar et al. Even though nutritional enhancement of pearl millet grains via genetic engineering should be considered as an important area of research for nutrition security, little work has been performed on pearl millet so far.
This research should be employed when the Zn and Fe pathways in pearl millet are better understood whilst considering socioeconomic factors such as consumer acceptability and feasibility to small holder farmers. It is well documented that there are severe health limiting consequences as a result of Fe and Zn deficiencies. Prevention of these deficiencies is therefore perceived as a desirable worldwide goal. The tragic loss of human potential predominantly applies to people living in poverty stricken areas, who depend on grain from staple crops that they eat on a daily basis.
The lack of nutritious food has forced many people to depend on food fortification, supplements and agronomic practices as interventions. However, these are not sustainable and suffer major drawbacks. Biofortification of staple crops, such as pearl millet, is considered to be the most sustainable method of intervention and is largely facilitated by traditional plant breeding and transgenic techniques.
Due to the potential role of pearl millet in addressing the challenges associated with MNDs, efforts are being made to target genes responsible to efficient Zn and Fe uptake to be bred into elite varieties. This will have a snowball effect as well-nourished children grow up to be stronger adults. Any attempt to increase Fe and Zn levels via traditional breeding or genetic engineering must first consider the mechanisms behind Fe and Zn uptake, distribution and storage. Genetics and functional genomic platforms have driven research that enhances the productivity, sustainability and nutritional quality of food production systems for a number of years Asins, and it is now possible identify QTLs and candidate genes that warrant further investigation to determine if these are accountable for beneficial traits, despite the lack of a reference genome.
The use of available genetic resources and diverse germplasm collections will facilitate this research. A positive and highly significant correlation between Fe and Zn has been demonstrated extensively, therefore there are good prospects for increasing levels of both micronutrients simultaneously, which can be achieved without compromising yield Velu et al.
Therefore, methods of processing should be considered to suitably benefit those suffering from Fe and Zn deficiencies Eyzaguirre et al. The potentially toxic side-effects of increasing levels of Fe and Zn have also been evaluated. For example, the simultaneous uptake of Zn and Cd should be accounted for and levels antinutrient compounds such as phytate should be reduced.
In light of this efforts have been made to develop low phytate lines in pearl millet. There are a variety of platforms that aid the development of nutrient rich pearl millet, including the use of genetic maps, GWAS, synteny studies, QTL fine mapping for targeting candidate genes and genetic engineering technology. Using existing genomic resources from other important crops and synteny among the cereal family, common genes associated with nutrition biosynthesis pathways can be identified among millets and non-millets and the introgression of these pathways can be incorporated into pearl millet through either transgene based techniques or traditional breeding methods.
Although transgene technologies have been established in many major crop species, methods of gene editing CRISPR , in vitro culture systems, activation and knockout mutants are still being developed in pearl millet. Author of the manuscript, wrote and designed manuscript, implemented and revised during this process. The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Front Plant Sci v. Published online Dec Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Received Oct 17; Accepted Dec 7. The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author s or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.
Abstract Deficiencies of essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc are the cause of extensive health problems in developing countries. Open in a separate window. Drawbacks in Current Strategies to Manage and Prevent Micronutrient Deficiencies Nutritional dietary supplementation is intended to provide nutrients that may otherwise not be consumed in sufficient quantities through diet alone. Biofortified Pearl Millet — Human Trials The literature reports a large number of studies that have had success from biofortified crops.
Understanding Iron and Zinc Uptake- From Root to Seed Any attempt to increase Fe and Zn concentrations in pearl millet grains using traditional breeding methods or genetic engineering must first consider how Fe and Zn are obtained from the environment, distributed and stored see Morrissey and Guerinot, for a comprehensive review. Biofortification of Pearl Millet Traditional Plant Breeding and Genetic Modification Biofortified pearl millet with elevated Zn and Fe levels may be achieved either through conventional plant breeding methods or through the use of transgenic techniques Bouis and Welch, Germplasm Collections — A Good Place to Start Managed germplasm collections are available for pearl millet, and characterisation of genetic diversity within these collections is a necessary prelude to their efficient use Varshney et al.
Traditional Breeding Methods Traditional breeding methods involve the selection of two parental lines with high Fe and Zn content and crossing them to create a hybrid that expresses the traits of interest. A Stable Phenotype and Maintaining Yield Many pearl millet studies have identified potential high Fe and Zn lines with stable phenotypes, including one by Velu et al. End Use Quality End-use quality is an important factor to consider when improving any grain crop quality trait.
Toxic Effects Any potential products of biofortification should be carefully evaluated under real conditions.
The Effect of Phytate on Mineral Bioavailability The improvement of Fe and Zn levels in plants would also need to include the reduction of antinutrient compounds such as phytate. Tools that Harness the Potential of Pearl Millet in the Field of Genetics and Genomics In recent decades, the potential of pearl millet and genetic variations associated with beneficial phenomic traits has been recognized.
Genetic Maps Genetic maps enable a phenotypic trait to be linked to a gene or a region on a chromosome. Synteny Studies and Resources From Major Crop Species Synteny studies among the grass family sets the stage for a comparative study of millets and non-millet cereals to trace common genes associated with nutrition biosynthesis pathways Muthamilarasan et al.
QTL Fine Mapping Quantitative trait loci associated with increased Zn and Fe accumulation in pearl millet are an important asset to those targeting candidate genes associated with these traits and continue to drive biofortification research. There are also areas that aren't actually affected one way or the other based on which route you take.
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The Lawn Grasses
There are four ways to plant a new lawn: seed, sod, sprigs, plugs. Seed is the traditional way, and has the advantage of relatively low cost. If you're planting a large area seed is probably the way to go. Over the last three decades of so, turfgrass sod has become widely available. Somewhere, somehow, most grasses are available as sod. Sod is a good choice when the planting area is smaller, or where time or resources to nurse a seedbed until germination. Think of sprigs and plugs as pieces of sod: they're essentially the same as sod, but divided into smaller units. Plugs are actually small squares of sod, and sprigs are pieces of mature lawn grass that can form roots and grow. There are a few lawn grasses, such as hybrid Bermuda, St. Augustine, and some zoysia varieties, that are available only as sod, plugs, or sprigs.
For a basic introduction to lawns, see "Lawns 101."
Here are brief descriptions of the different kinds of lawn grasses. The kinds that you can plant as seed include bahia, bent, Bermuda, blue grama, buffalo, centipede, fescue (all kinds), bluegrass, ryegrass (both annual and perennial), and some zoysias.
Bahia grass (Paspalum notatum) is a tough, coarse grass that is popular in the Southeast as a low maintenance and generally low quality lawn. It is drought and shade tolerant, but requires frequent mowing. Improved varieties such as 'Pensacola' are more cold-tolerant and somewhat more attractive. Seashore paspalum (P. vaginatum) has a fine-textured leaf blade, but is most notable for its tolerance of salty soil and water.
Bent grass, creeping (Agrostis stolonifera) is a fine-textured perennial grass that forms a soft, tightly-knit turf. A favorite for golf course putting greens in northern regions. Top varieties include 'Penneagle', 'Penncross', and 'Seaside'.
Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon) is the most important lawn grass of the Sun Belt. It has all the essential characteristics a lawn needs for those regionsheat and drought tolerance primarily. The very aggressiveness of Bermuda is also it's key disadvantage. When creeping Bermuda invades flower beds and ground cover, it's called "devil grass" by frustrated gardeners. Bermuda grass is tough and fast growing enough to be one of the most popular grasses for sports fields. It's good for pet owners for the same reasons: damage from whatever cause will repair quickly. Bermuda tolerates little shade and will thin quickly in shade; and it becomes dormant and brown through cool seasons. There are many varieties of Bermuda grass. Common Bermuda or "Arizona common" is widely available. It's a relatively coarse-bladed form. Medium textured varieties available as seed include 'Cheyenne', 'Guymon', 'Jackpot', 'NuMex Sahara', 'Sonesta', 'Sundevil', 'U3', and 'Yuma'. The softest and finest blade Bermudathe kinds used for southern and tropical golf greensare hybrids that are available as sod only. These include 'Tifgreen', 'Tiflawn', 'Tifway'.
Blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis) is a North American native grass that is well suited to the northern plains. Like Bermuda grass, it grows best in summer and is drought tolerant. But unlike Bermuda grass, it is very cold hardy and able to survive a North Dakota winter. Blue grama spreads slightly, but ultimately produces a clumpy, uneven lawn. Mowing it 3 or 4 times a year will make it more lawn like.
Buffalo grass (Buchloe dactyloides) is, like blue grama, a North American native grass, a once dominate grass of the vast American short-grass prairie. For obvious reasons, it makes good sense as a lawn grass in much of the low-rainfall West. The look is similar to Bermuda: slightly blue-green in the summer, then straw brown through winter. Several improved varieties are available; some sod only. The best seed varieties are 'Cody' and 'Tatanka'. A close runner-up is 'Topgun'. Top varieties to grow from sod are '609', 'Prairie', and 'Stampede'.
Centipede grass's (Eremochloa ophiuroides) prime virtue is its ability to survive and even thrive in acidic, poor soils. Because temperatures below 5°F kill centipede grass, only gardeners in the southeastern United States (and parts of Hawaii) grow it. A warm season grass, it turns brown in hot and dry weather, and is quick to enter dormancy in fall.
Fescue, fine- or needle-leaved. There are three types: chewings fescue (Festuca rubra commutata), creeping red fescue (F. rubra), and hard fescue (F. longifolia). Chewings fescue is desirable in low maintenance situations. It is particularly tolerant of sandy, acidic, and infertile soils. Hard fescue is very cold hardy and low maintenance. A naturally short grass, it requires less frequent mowing. Creeping red fescue is used most widely. All three are often mixed with Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass, adding greater shade and drought tolerance. Named varieties include 'Aurora', 'Bighorn', 'Claudia', 'Flyer', 'Ensylva', 'Longfellow,' 'Marker', 'Medallion', 'Reliant', 'Salem', 'Scaldis', 'Shademaster', 'Spartan', and 'Victory'.
Fescue, tall or broad-leaved (Festuca arundinacea). Traditional varieties, such as 'Kentucky 31' and 'Alta', are tough and coarse-bladed pasture grass. But now many improved varieties are available that nearly match Kentucky bluegrass in look and feel. Tall fescues are more heat and drought tolerant compared to fine fescues. Varieties to look for include 'Amigo', 'Avanti', 'Aztec', 'Bonsai', 'Cimarron', 'Cochise', 'Crewcut', 'Crossfire', 'Duster', 'Guardian', 'Monarch', 'Ninja', 'Pixie', Rebel Jr.', 'Shenandoah,' 'Tomahawk', 'Tribute', 'Twilight', 'Virtue', and 'Wrangler'. Somesuch as 'Rebel III', 'Earth Save', 'Shenandoah', 'Titan II', and 'Tarheel'are endowed with natural pest repellents, called endophytes.
Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis). By far the most popular type of lawn grass for most of the northern half of the country. It is also planted further south, usually in areas with significant coastal influence, such as coastal southern California. It grows there, but long term survival is rare. Notably, it does not thrive in the Pacific Northwest, west of the Cascade Mountains. Cold-hardy, soft-textured, attractive dark green color. Look for named varietiessuch as 'A-34', 'America', 'Asset', 'Blacksburg', 'Blue Star', 'Chateau', 'Classic', 'Eclipse', 'Glade', Julia', 'Loft's 1757', 'Midnight', and 'Princeton 104'on seed label.
Ryegrass, annual (Lolium multiflorum). Annual ryegrass has one redeeming virtue: its low cost. For that reason it is often used to overseed dormant warm-seasons grasses in southern regions. Because it prefers cool temperatures, most will die out of a warm-season lawn once hot summer days arrive.
Ryegrass, perennial (Lolium perenne). The best varieties of perennial ryegrass have a desirable fine, soft texture, and dark green color of Kentucky bluegrass. While occasionally used alone, they are most often combined with Kentucky bluegrass and fine fescues. Look for varieties such as 'Commander', 'Dimension', 'Manhattan II', 'Palmer', 'Pennant', 'Pick 715', 'Riviera', 'Saturn', 'SR-4000', and 'SR-4100'. 'Manhattan II' is notable for being endowed with natural pest repellents, called endophytes.
Seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) is a native of South African sand dunes and is well adapted to similar environments in the United States It is noted for its tolerance of salty soil and irrigation water. It can survive on ocean water, and is well suited to partially recycled gray water. Its look and feel is similar to Bermuda grass, and it similarly spreads with both above- and below-ground runners. It is planted by sprigs, plugs, or sod.
St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) is one of the most important grasses of the South and West. It's fast-growing, deep-rooted, and coarse-textured with broad, blunt-tipped blades. It is a spreading grass via above-ground runners. Seed of this grass is not available; plant it from sprigs, plugs, or sod only. Top varieties are 'DelMar', 'Floralawn', and 'Jade'.
Zoysia grass (Zoysia species) is often touted as a miracle grass, and while many of the claims of its virtues are true, there are also drawbacks. Three species available: Japanese lawn grass (Z. japonica), Manila grass (Z. matrella), and Korean grass (Z. tenuifolia). Korean grass is more a ground cover than lawn grass. It's wiry but fine-textured and creates interesting mounds as it grows. Only Japanese lawngrass is available as seed. While tough and resilient once established, it is notorious for its poor germination, short green season, and long dormant season. The newest varieties 'Zen 300' and 'Zenith', improve upon all three traits. Hulled and treated seed germinate in 2 weeks and can make a lawn in 2 months. The color of Japanese lawngrass is similar to bluegrass, but blades are much stiffer. Vegetative selections of Japanese lawngrass include 'Meyer' and 'El Toro'. Manila grass has stiff and flat leaves with a fine texture and deep green color. It makes a high quality lawn in tropical areas, but is planted from sprigs, plugs, or sod only. Other zoysias to plant in the same way include 'Cashmere', 'De Anza', 'Emerald', and 'Victoria'.


Welcome to Larry Kus Mint Farms. Located in St. Johns, Michigan, the farm was established in 1925 by Frank Kus on the rich, black organic soil in Clinton County.
Yellow onions were one of the first crops grown on this organic muck soil. As time progressed, potatoes, peppermint and spearmint were included in the crop rotation.
All crops raised on Larry Kus Mint Farms are grown, harvested and packaged on-site. Strict safety procedures and close attention to detail and cleanliness are implemented to meet Michigan standards and consumer safety requirements.
Peppermint and spearmint essential oils are available for purchase. For more details on product availability, please visit our products page.


Who we are
We cultivate and harvest the best organic Greek biomass since 2018, CBD Extraction produce the highest quality CO2 Full-spectrum CBD oil and a variety of CBD based products.
CBD Extraction is the first Licensed and Certified CBD Extraction and Processing facility in Greece. Our operation allows us to produce the full gamut of CBD based products and byproducts: superb flower (trimmed or not), Full spectrum oil, Distillate, and a variety of consumer products with the desirable THC.
Since 2018 we cultivate and harvest the best organic Greek biomass, produce the highest quality CO2 Full-spectrum CBD oil and a variety of CBD based products. Our mission is to inspire humanity for a healthier lifestyle, while staying loyal to our customers, brand and values.
Our Products and Services
Our state of the art extraction facility, inventory management, testing methods and strategic partnerships with leading agricultural and pharmaceutical universities in Greece and abroad, ensure that you will always receive the best quality CBD products available.
We grow our own hemp in the outskirts of the Olympus Mountain and have fine-tuned our extraction and sales process to make it easy for our farmers, customers and partners.
is to have the highest caliber CBD processing facility in Europe to fulfill our customer and partner needs.
We enjoy the close cooperation and supervision of the
Agricultural University of Athens
Pharmaceutical University of Athens.
All products leave our premises with a strict chain of custody record and independent third-party authority Certificate Of Analysis.


We harvested our garlic around July 2nd this year. I haven't harvested this much garlic all at once, so I tried a couple different approaches. I tried using a pitch fork to loosen the soil, but the soil was too hard. The soil was so dry that large cracks had formed. The pitch fork approach might still work with different soil conditions. Next, I tried a drain spade which worked pretty well. The soil came up in clumps of dirt with the garlic in the center. I tried getting closer to the garlic in order to have smaller clumps, but I think I ended up bruising a few bulbs. Next year, I'll make sure to put some ground cover around the garlic to prevent soil from drying out.
Once harvested, we tied the garlic in bunches of 10 and hung them in our garage to dry for about 3 weeks. I had a fan on a timer blowing air against them. We also opened our garage when we woke up and closed it before bed to ensure good airflow and prevent overheating.
Once the garlic dried out enough, we bundled them up to hang in our basement. We watched videos and read articles on how to braid garlic. It was very difficult to do with hard-neck garlic. We ended up just tying them in such a way that the bulbs weren't squished together. This was going in our basement, so we didn't care how it looked.
The total harvest was ~100 hard-neck bulbs and ~20 soft-neck bulbs. We started with about 25 hard-neck bulbs and 4-5 soft-neck bulbs. I'm pretty happy with the 400% yield and will save the biggest bulbs to be planted this fall.


parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his
way. 26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. 27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? 28
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until
the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
37 He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; 38 The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom;
but the tares are the children of the wicked one;39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. 40 As therefore the tares are gathered and
burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Lessons from Matthew 13:24-30
- We have good seed in the world today.
- We have tares in the
- The tares offend and do iniquity.
- There are people asking and wondering why the world has tares.
- There are people who do not know where the tares came from.
- There are people who want to go and remove the tares.
- The Lord does not want the tares to be removed by men.
- Men cannot distinguish wheat from tares.
- The Lord wants the tares and wheat to grow together.
reapers are the angels.
- The angels shall harvest the tares for burning.
- The angels shall gather the wheat for the Lord
- The tares shall be cast to the lake of fire
to burn in great agony.
- The wheat shall enter into the kingdom of God and shine.
- The righteous can not shine now as they should.


Get to know us. Get to know our Hemp. Get to harvest your own.
***** UPDATE 9/23/20** Each AM/PM ticket displays floating times- come anytime within the 2 hour window to Harvest Your Own. KIDS WELCOME – we will have some fun games available for kids. They may also join you in Yoga/Tai Chi ****
Disconnect. Enjoy the sweet aromas. Check out our fields. Have a picnic. Join in a session of Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qigong, and harvest your own sun-grown, pesticide-free hemp!
- From seed to harvest we do it all! Yup, our sweat and tears are in these fields.
- We believe in responsible farming and pure products. We are different.
- We always provide our expertly tended to Craft Cannabis directly from our farm to you – but this Harvest Season you can choose your own fresh buds directly from our fields! Learn a little about farming and curing, and enjoy some aromatic Yoga, TaiChi and Qigong Sessions.
- Our entire Harvest event is completely FREE. You do not have to harvest or buy anything to attend; come enjoy the fields and have a picnic.
- Choose to take home as little as one small hemp flower or as much as an entire plant! You harvest, you choose.
- Know where your product is coming from and support local! We are a family owned and operated company based in NC.
- Need an excuse to come out? Check out this handy list we have created to help you carve out the time during this COVID pandemic. We want to create a safe environment during Phase 2.5 and will require each person coming in the gate to have their own ticket – even kids.
- Not sure if this is a good event for you? Checkout this helpful guide.
- Not sure what to bring? We can help with that. Check out our recommendations here.
- Connect with humans, nature, oh and bring home a Cannabis Consortium SwagBag of goodies.


Agricultural Pole Building Construction
Serving Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia
Agricultural Pole Barn Builders in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia
A pole barn is a versatile structure that can be used for a wide variety of purposes. People often choose to build pole barns on farms. A pole barn can be used on many types of farms for several purposes and can be customized to suit the farmer’s specific needs.
Shelter for Horses or Livestock
If you raise animals on your farm, you need a place to shelter them at night. An agricultural pole building can be used as a shelter for horses or livestock. It can be partitioned into stalls so each animal has its own space to prevent conflicts. Stalls can be made in the right size for a specific type of animal and can be arranged in nearly any configuration.
Storage for Animal Feed and Hay
An agricultural pole building can be used to store a variety of things on a farm. If you raise animals, you need a place to store their hay and feed. A pole barn is the perfect solution because it is a large building with an open floor plan that makes it easy to move hay and feed in and out. An agricultural pole building can provide shelter from rain and snow to prevent moisture and mold that could ruin the animal feed.
Storage Space for Farming Equipment
If you use your farm to raise crops that you sell, you probably have a large amount of farming equipment that you use to plant, tend, and harvest the food. Tractors, combines, and other types of equipment need to be protected from rain, snow, and extreme temperatures that could cause them to rust or make them not start. A pole barn is the perfect place to store farming equipment. With an open floor plan and large doors, it is easy to drive a tractor or other equipment in and out of the building. It will be kept shielded from inclement weather to prevent damage so you can tend and harvest your crops on schedule.
Protection for Vehicles
An agricultural pole building can be used to store vehicles that you use on your farm. If you raise horses, you probably have at least one trailer and a truck that you use to haul it. Those vehicles need to be protected from harsh weather. A pole barn can be built in the right size for any vehicle.
Get a Quote for an Agricultural Pole Building in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia or Virginia
A pole barn is the ideal solution for your agricultural storage needs. Whether you need a place to store vehicles and equipment, a safe place for your animals to rest, or a place to store their feed, a pole barn offers the size and versatility you need. A pole barn can be designed in a variety of ways and can be customized to suit your individual needs.
CHA Pole Barns has designed and built pole barns for many people who operate farms. We can work with you to design a pole barn that meets the specific needs of your farm. Contact us today to get an estimate.


In partnership with:
Compeer Financial • FairShare CSA Coalition • Iowa Farmers Union • Land Stewardship Project • Michael Fields Agricultural Institute • Minnesota Farmers Union • UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems • Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services • The Land Connection • Great Lakes CSA Coalition
RESERVE YOUR ROOM
To make a reservation at Chula Vista Resort, Call special reservation line: 1 855 923 8144
Booking ID Number #F51475
BUILDING COMMUNITY - BUILDING RESILIENCY
Wisconsin Farmers Union is proud to announce the the Midwest CSA Conference, set for Dec. 7-8 at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells! Stay tuned for the full list and conference schedule!
Dec. 7-8, 2017
Wisconsin Dells, WI
Early bird pricing for the conference has been extended to Nov 10.
Brought to you by:
Wisconsin Farmers Union, working in partnership with a range of Midwest organizations, will again convene the Midwest CSA Conference, December 7-8, 2017 in Wisconsin Dells at Chula Vista Resort.
With the continued growth of the CSA movement in the Midwest comes opportunities and complexities. The conference will provide a forum for CSA farmers and advocates to come together for deliberative discussion and peer-to-peer learning. Full-group sessions will discuss shared values of the movement and strategies for promoting cooperation and shared risk among farms and communities.
A set of workshop tracks, each with four workshops, will provide hands-on and peer-to-peer learning for CSA farmers in the areas of:
Beginning CSA Farming ~ Production & Logistics
Building Community ~ Financial Management & Business Planning
The conference registration will open up at 10am on Thursday, December 7th. We'll come together for lunch at noon. There will be a general session panel with CSA farmers and member voices to kick-off the convention.


The weekend fast approaches. What will your free time consist of this weekend? For our many enthusiastic gardeners and smallholders, fair weather may see some planting going on. St Patrick’s Day just past heralded the start of the growing season. Potatoes are traditionally planted this time of year. Early season crops which will be ready in time for early summer eating. Later on in the season, main crop potatoes like Roosters and Kerr Pinks will be ready as the autumn approaches. You don’t have to have a big patch of land to grow your own spuds. A small plot in the garden can yield enough for family eating for several weeks. Raised beds are also good. These can be made out of old scaffolding boards or railway sleepers to create rectangular beds which are filled with soil or a mix of soil and compost. Make traditional ridges in the soil and plant the spuds in the tops of the ridges, building up the earth over to cover them and protect them from light. Smaller still, a few fishboxes can be given a new life as growing pots. One standard plastic fish box of the kind fishermen use to bring in their catch will be big enough to plant 8-12 potatoes, making sure they are well spaced. These will grow into individual plants with about 1kg of potatoes per plant. Enough for a few dinners there! Plant up two or three boxes with different varieties, staggering the planting so you have an extended harvesting season. A few ideas to keep you going this weekend!


Planting Your Garden
“Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: the first flower ever to appear on the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare and isolated phenomena since conditions were most likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet – if a perceiving consciousness had been there to witness it.
Much later, those delicate and fragrant beings we call flowers would come to play an essential part in the evolution of consciousness of another species. Humans would increasingly be drawn to and fascinated by them.”
The Flowering of Human Consciousness
A New Earth Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose
I have always been fascinated with flowers. I’m not sure if it is a hereditary thing (my paternal grandfather taught botany at Harvard and owned a nursery in Milton). Or that I am fascinated by the colors, textures, and smells of all the different varieties of plants, or that it is a rewarding and joyful experience that has taught me patience and the ability to respect nature and the circle of life. Wait, maybe it is all of these things.
Spring is the time of year that I look forward to. The thought of creating my garden each year is something I just can’t wait for. That last frost, I wait for with bated breath. I can't wait to start looking for the flowers and plants to grow throughout the season. I get so excited at the thought of each new bloom from every plant.
Planting Your Garden:
The most important aspects of gardening: It can be any size you choose. It does not have to be expansive or expensive. Start off small, and then if you enjoy it, work your way into bigger areas.
If you are going to create something outside, make sure the last frost is done. Choose a place that you can see from inside your home too. Out a window that you look at often, or next to a seat you sit in often so that you can continually enjoy watching the miraculous change every day.
Once you have chosen the spot, make sure to clean out the area well, getting rid of any grass and/or weeds. Loosening the soil after cleaning the space. Once this is done, I purchase an all-purpose gardening soil. Spread the mixture out over the space and mix in with your loosened soil. This will ensure that the soil is healthy enough to grow your plants.
Before you start buying your seeds or plants, take notice of the spot that you have chosen. Watch throughout the day and see how long the sun is on that spot and how long the shade is in the spot. This will dictate the types of flowers that you will use in your garden. 6 or more hours of sun is considered full sun. 4 to 6 hours of sun is considered partial sun/partial shade. Less than 4 hours of sun is considered shade. For in-depth information on sun and shade, click here. Using plants that are suited to the amount of sun they will get is the first step in keeping your plants happy.
I usually choose both annuals (flowers that bloom only for one year) and perennials (flowers that come back year after year) that way I get a variety of colors and styles, and each year I don’t have to start from scratch with my garden.
I also visit local nurseries, to get an idea of what flowers will thrive in my part of the world. Choosing plants that are suited to your location, will have a much better chance of growing well. Also, any questions you have about the type of plants needed for the sunlight or shade in your area will be happily answered by the people working at these nurseries. And you will notice that the prices from one nursery to the next are sometimes greatly different.
Once you have scoped out the flowers that you think you would like in your garden, decide whether or not you would like to start them from seed, or buy them already established. Again, I usually do both. I will plant some already established flowers along with mixing wildflower seeds in there too. Sometimes, already-established options like flowering trees will save you time. It can be time-consuming to wait for a long while to see tiny seeds blossom into desirable flowering trees. By choosing both options, however, you don’t lose out on the benefits of what each has to offer. The most important thing is knowing how to nurture both to grow and remain healthy.
This again gives you the ability to have plants growing throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons.
When buying the plants and seeds, there is always a tag or directions that will tell you what zone you’re in, what type of light it needs, and the best soil your plant will need to grow. This is another good way to check and make sure that you have chosen the right flower/plant for your garden.
Start planting your flowers. Arrange them according to the directions for the flowers, size-wise and deepness-wise. Water according to the directions. Each day spend a moment to notice the difference in your garden. Try new ideas and new flowers. See what works best for your garden.
I would love it if you would share any photos you may have of a garden already established or the new one you are creating.