Search Results for: label/genetic engineering

1 Million People Want to Know

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…mal DNA. Many Americans are concerned about the negative effects of GMO use on the agricultural economy and small-scale and organic farming. Surveys show a wide majority of Americans support mandatory labeling. At least 21 countries and the European Union have established some form of mandatory labeling. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify food products they want to avoid. So why not label? Well, here are some of the argu…

Powerscourt Gardens, Ireland

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…a Metallica concert in Dublin, my husband and I enjoyed a peaceful afternoon at Powerscourt Gardens about 30 minutes away. This magnificent estate is nestled in the Wicklow Mountains just south of Dublin and dates back to the 12th century. I find inspiration in estate gardens and appreciate the design and engineering required to envision and construct them. At Powerscourt, the designers used Sugar Loaf Mountain as the focal point from the upper t…

Wild Bees to the Rescue

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…on (most bees don’t produce honey) but it’s their colony-forming lifestyle that has made them so easy to domesticate and set to work for us. Today, the number of commercial honeybee hives in the U.S. is estimated to be about 2.4 million. Most of these hives are constantly in motion, being trucked from state to state as various agricultural crops come into bloom. California’s almond crop alone requires the services of approximately 1.3 million ho…

Curzio Caravati

300 Grow Bags Help Preserve Potato Diversity

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…Potato Grow Bag Caravati has chosen to use the Potato Grow Bags for his collection. “I’ve found that growing my collection in Potato Grow Bags is the most convenient method. I have been using them in testing since 2008. Some of my bags have been used for five years and I trust they will be used for another five years or more.” Caravati praises the high quality of the bags, which have porous fabric that aerates roots, prevents he…

kids-lawn

Report Links Pesticides to Children’s Health Problems

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Though cold winds chill the air and snow blankets much of the U.S., pesticide use remains a hot topic — and not only among gardeners. The most recent comments come from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Environmental Health, whose December 2012 policy statement makes a clear link between pesticide exposure and children’s health problems. Published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the 60,000-member AAP, “Pesticide Ex…

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What to Do With Horticultural Plastic

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…. Cline, former director of the Garden’s Kemper Center for Home Gardening, started the program in 1998. The botanical garden’s Pots to Planks program sells 6″ x 6″ timbers made from ground-up pots (No. 2 and No. 5 plastics). The rigid, heavy timbers are great for raised beds and strong enough to use for retaining walls. “They are fantastic,” Cline says. “It’s a lot of plastic in one product, but we&…

Freezing Sweet Corn

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I used to grow enough corn that we could eat it for dinner every night during August and still have enough to freeze for winter. Once you’ve been eating home-frozen corn for a few years, it’s difficult to be satisfied with store-bought. It takes seven or eight ears worth of sweet corn to fill a one-quart freezer bag. So to get 25 quarts of frozen corn (the minimum amount I try to freeze each summer) you need to start with…

Make Room for Parsley

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to double the amount you use in this recipe. Anytime Tabouli 1 cup bulgur 1½ cup boiling water 1 tsp. salt ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup olive oil 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (or 2 cups fresh) 1½ cup finely chopped parsley 3 scallions, chopped, with greens   salt and freshly ground black pepper Put bulgur in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over it. Let sit for about 20 minutes until m…

Spinosad: a New Option for Control of Lily Leaf Beetles

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…en the earth-friendly ones. At first, I tried neem, a relatively harmless spray that does wonders on aphids and controls blackspot on roses. It worked to control the larvae the first year, but I had to spray frequently (every 10 to 15 days). The second year, I couldn’t keep the larvae under control. My lily crop was hit hard, and I got few blooms. Last year, I decided to resort to a systemic called imidacloprid. The results were instantaneo…

What’s Your Fertilizer of Choice?

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…ekly or bi-weekly feedings of liquid fertilizer and keep that up right into September. I’ve used a variety of different liquid fertilizers on my flower pots, but for the past six years or so it’s been Plant Health Care. I put 2 heaping tablespoons (which is actually about the same as the 3 level tablespoons recommended on the label) into the bottom of one of my French Watering Cans and then fill it up with 3 gallons of water. Each of my big pots…