The Urban Farmer, Issue #017
October, 2009:
Win the Bug Wars! * Be a Supermarket Herbalist * Rooftop Restaurant Gardens
“”There are no gardening
mistakes, only experiments.”
~ Janet Kilburn Phillips
Win the Bug Wars!
Guess what? Last week we launched a whole new
section in our website, called
Pests & Plagues. This thing is great, and is sure to help you narrow
things down quickly if your garden starts looking “off it’s feed”.
It includes sections on hydro garden
maintenance and pest prevention, a pest identification page, biological warfare
(beneficial insects) and the mildest organic pesticides to consider. We also
help you identify virus, mold and mildew infestations and tell you how to treat
them.
Visit this simple, user friendly guide to bugs
and plant diseases, and make sure to bookmark it for use later in case disaster
ever strikes your own hydroponics garden.
Become a Supermarket Herbalist!
Okay, so this section is not quite “hydro-oriented”… we just
wanted to let you know of a cool website we love to visit, and know you will
too:
www.learningherbs.com.
Are you interested in herbal remedies? Would you like to learn
more about how medicinal herbs can enhance your health and well-being?
These folks have put together a free 7-day ecourse called Supermarket
Herbalism. This is a great introduction to herbal home remedies, and you
can choose written or video versions of the course. “How to make home remedies
from stuff you already have in your kitchen”. Give it a look-see. We enjoyed it
and know you will, too. (Click on the “free ecourse” link).
Rooftop Restaurant Gardens
A “green” trend: Rooftop restaurant gardens
Microgreens
Urban dwellers tend to be crunched for space and nature-deprived. However, some
resourceful chefs are taking advantage of their sun-soaked rooftops by planting
gardens up there to provide fresh produce for their kitchens. What a great idea!
At Blvd 16 at the Hotel Palomar in Westwood, Chef Simon Dolinky has set up a
hydroponic rooftop garden, where he has grown basil, thyme, rosemary, chives,
mint and micro-greens.
“As a kid in the Midwest, we always had a garden in the summer,” he said. “I
wanted to get a little taste of that here in the city. The high gas prices also
fueled our efforts to lower our carbon footprint. Growing hydroponically is very
efficient as far as water consumption is concerned.”
Dolinky has just planted his second round of herbs and veggies, so not much is
available right now aside from herbed French fries (with homegrown rosemary),
the Sunset cocktail (with Cruzan pineapple rum, pineapple, mint from the garden
and lime juice) and the Pacific Breeze cocktail (with basil-infused vodka,
cucumber and lime juice). A few months from now, fresh vegetable ingredients are
bound to be sprouting up on the menu. And how refreshing….
We hope you have enjoyed this issue of The Urban Farmer Ezine. Each month, we will bring you another inspiring photo, gardening quote or idea, plus fresh new hydroponics news, techniques & products.
Insiders tips to get you growing…
~Stella and Simon from Hydroponics-Simplified.
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