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What is a Survival Seed Vault? Survival seed vault storage is about more than creating future crops. Survival seed storage is done by the United States Department of Agriculture and many other national organizations across the world. What is a survival seed vault? It is a way of preserving seed for not only next season’s crops but also for future needs. Survival seeds are open pollinated, organic, and heirloom. An emergency seed vault should avoid hybrid seeds and GMO seeds, which do not produce seed well and can potentially contain harmful toxins and are generally sterile....

Avid grazers know about the many wild plants nature provides for our recipes. But you don’t have to be a wild forager to enjoy some unique taste sensations in your recipes. Eating squash leaves provides many health benefits and may be enjoyed just like Swiss chard or spinach. Learn how to cook squash leaves for a quick, heart healthy meal. Can You Eat Zucchini Leaves? Squash leaves of many varieties provide a rich source of the Vitamins A, B, and C, as well as minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, and magnesium....

Reducing Humidity with Plants Using plants in the home can be useful in many ways. One of the more interesting uses is their use as dehumidifiers. What plants absorb humidity? Actually, most plants harvest some moisture from the air through their leaves, but a few are extremely efficient at the process and take much of their moisture through their leaves. This is good news since high moisture levels in the home can be associated with respiratory problems and threaten the structure of your house....

Jubilee Watermelon Info Jubilee watermelons are disease resistant, making it less likely that fusarium wilt will infect your produce. Jubilee melon plants can reach 40 lbs. (18 kg.) in full maturity, but it takes a while for them to reach this point. Their extended growing season can take as long as 90 days to maturity for the sweetest taste. Jubilee watermelon info outlines a process of seeding and pinching blossoms that helps develop that sought-after taste....

About Spanish Moss Control It is important to note that while Spanish moss will not technically harm a tree, it can present a threat, in addition to being an eyesore. Trees with Spanish moss can become overly heavy when moist, which can strain branches. As a result, the branches become weakened and are more prone to breaking. There is no surefire chemical treatment to aid in Spanish moss removal. In fact, the best way to kill the moss is to remove it as it grows by hand....

How Does Water Affect Plant Growth? What does water do for a plant? There are three potential situations with water: too much, too little and, of course, just enough. If a plant’s soil has too much water, the roots can rot, and the plant can’t get enough oxygen from the soil. If there is not enough water for a plant, the nutrients it needs cannot travel through the plant. A plant cannot grow if it doesn’t have healthy roots, so the proper balance of water is key when growing plants....

Where are Lentils Grown? Where are lentils grown? Lentil cultivation occurs from the Near East to the Mediterranean, Asia, Europe, and in areas of the western hemisphere as well. Most lentil production in North America takes place in the Pacific Northwest, eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and up into western Canada, grown since the 1930’s as a rotation crop with wheat. Suited to the damper, cooler climates of these regions, lentils are primarily exported, although consumption in North America is on the rise....

The native plants of a region should be considered when developing log cabin landscape ideas. These types of plants are ready to survive without special care in their native range and can contribute not only to the garden’s beauty, but also to its sustainability during periods where the cabin is not in use. Whether the cabin is a weekend retreat, summer home, hunting lodge or has other applications, selecting the right plants can make it appealing, can encourage wildlife and can reduce upkeep when it’s not occupied....

What is a Mini Tomato? Mini tomatoes, also called micro tomatoes, are cultivars genetically developed for their compact size. All parts of the plant– stem, leaves, and fruit– are smaller than typical garden dwarf varieties. Miniature tomatoes are ideal for growing in a sunny window, apartment balcony, or sunny porch step and growing these little beauties is a great way to introduce children to gardening. Growing Micro Tomatoes While there’s nothing wrong with growing micro tomatoes in your regular garden bed, they are best suited to container gardening....

Transplanting pittosporum shrubs to a different location can save money and preserve a favorite tree or shrub. However, the larger the shrub, the heavier and more difficult it will be to transplant. If the size of the shrub is beyond the capabilities of the gardener, it’s wise to hire a professional. So before undertaking the task of moving a pittosporum, gardeners should first ask themselves, “Can I transplant pittosporum?”....

When Do Chrysanthemums Bloom? One of the easiest, low maintenance plants is the hardy chrysanthemum. Mums are common nursery and gift plants and produce prodigious amounts of flowers in the later season when few plants are blooming. This attractive trait, along with the myriad of colors and forms of chrysanthemum flowers, enhances the popularity of this readily available plant. In most regions, mums will survive outside as perennials and bloom annually....

Help, No Fruit on Passion Vine! Passion fruit varies in color from purple to a yellow-orange. The purple passion fruit is much more sensitive to cold temperatures than its yellow counterpart, as well as more susceptible to soil diseases. Although sweeter than yellow passion fruit, it is far more likely to be affected by disease or cold temps that result in no fruit on the passion flower vine. So, the cultivar that you selected to grow may be directly related to why your passion flower is not fruiting....

Parasitic wasps parasitize different garden pests depending on species. These garden good guys can help control: Aphids Scale Leafhoppers Caterpillars Roaches Flies Beetles Whiteflies Ticks Read on to learn more about these beneficial insects. Parasitic Wasp Identification Parasitic wasps belong to the family Hymenoptera, which includes friendly honeybees and those angry, stinging wasps. Size of parasitic wasps vary greatly. Larger species can be nearly an inch (2.5 cm.) in length, while species that develop within the egg of a host insect tend to be miniscule....

There are a number of pebble walkway ideas, from the simplest to the more complex, such as creating a mosaic pebble pathway. The following article contains ideas and instructions on making pebble walkways and how to create a pebble mosaic walkway. DIY Pebble Walkway Ideas Sure, you can use pavers or even have a pathway poured, but a much more natural approach is making meandering pebble walkways that look much more natural within the landscape....

If you have no experience with planting sunflowers, you may have some questions about how to plant sunflower seeds and when to plant sunflower seeds. When to Plant Sunflower Seeds Knowing when to plant sunflower seeds is important. Most package directions for how to plant sunflower seeds suggest sowing directly into the ground after all danger of frost is past and that’s fine if you live in an area where your growing season is long enough, but if your season is short, you may not have enough time for an outdoor planting....

Polka Dot Plant Info An interesting bit of polka dot plant info is that the plant was miscategorized for years. It is now recognized as a member of the Hyphoestes group of over 100 plants. Polka dot plants are from Madagascar. They are perennial herbaceous shrubs whose stems get woody as they age. In its native habitat, the plant can get up to 3 feet (1 m.) in height, but pot-grown specimens will usually be smaller....

Preventing Garden Vandalism I live across the street from an elementary school where there are no sidewalks. Every fall I dread the little feet that will trample all my little plants at the front of the property. They do not care if they are killing a plant and enhance their contempt by throwing garbage in the yard as well. I do not want to sound like a curmudgeon, but the damage irks me nonetheless....

Taking Forsythia Cuttings Prepare a pot before you take your cuttings so they won’t dry out while you work. Fill the pot to within one-half inch (1 cm.) of the top with perlite or sand. Moisten the perlite or sand and allow the pot to drain. In June or July, take 4 to 6 inch (10-15 cm.) cuttings from the tips of the current year’s growth. Remove the leaves from the lower half of the cutting and dip 2 inches (5 cm....

Garden Plants and Chickens There’s nothing like a freshly laid egg for breakfast. For this reason and because more and more people are concerned about how their food is grown, urban chicken farming is all the rage. Adding chickens to your landscape has more benefits than just fresh laid eggs, but it can also have its share of problems. Chickens scratch to get at bugs, often a boon to the gardener, but all that aggressive scratching can wreak havoc on tender plants....

The Incas held quinoa sacred, calling it chisaya mama, or mother of grains. It was one of the few nutritionally complete crops that could survive the harsh mountain latitudes. This Peruvian native became a staple in the Incan diet, and it has been grown in the Andes Mountains for over 5,000 years. In Bolivia, where people depend on quinoa to meet their nutritional needs, exporting the crop to North America has led to malnutrition....