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Onions, garlic ideal for fall gardening
A glorious thing takes place toward the end of summer. We get another opportunity to reestablish the vegetable garden with hopes of a grand harvest in the cool, fall climate. Two of my favorite veggies to grow in the fall garden are onions and garlic. Onions and garlic grow very well in our Upper Gulf Coast growing environment. As I write this column, it’s sweltering outside. But I know from experience now is the time to start planning for the fall gardening season. I plan on planting onions, as they are easy to grow and well-worth the effort. I also plan on planting garlic, especially when I recall the cost of a few cloves of garlic purchased here and there adds up over time. During my last trip to the grocery store, the cost of one cluster of elephant garlic was nearly $3. So, perhaps I’ll plant a bunch of garlic, too! Since onions have a reputation for bringing tears to the eyes, one might ask why do so many home gardeners grow onions? There are multiple reasons. They are easy to grow. They require little space in the home garden and can be grown just about anywhere, including in containers. Onions have been used for culinary uses since ancient times.
Link:http://galvestondailynews.com/story/171098
Letter: Global warming one big fraud
After reading a recent letter about global warming, I must say I am once again laughing my head off.
If one considers the facts, and tosses aside the political agendas, then one would realize the following.
The highest carbond dioxide levels ever detected were during the reign of the dinosaurs. Man was not even created or coming out of the slime (depending on your beliefs) yet. There were no SUVs or coal-fired power plants. The rise in temperature directly coincides with the solar eruptions that are, and have been, happening on the surface of the sun.
We are at the highest levels of solar activity in a century. When the sun gets hotter, so do we. So unless you have a way to cool the sun, then all your taxes and anti-CO2 protests will come to nothing. And finally, if man-made global warming was real and not just a way for Al Gore and other liberals to make a fortune and restrict freedoms, then we would be seeking a scientific solution, not a political one.
Link:http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2010/aug/25/letter-global-warming-one-big-fraud/
Ecuador offers to leave rainforest oil in the ground for $3.6 billion
Ecuador seeks $3.6 billion from international donors to protect species-rich rainforest reserve from oil exploration
Ecuador has signed a groundbreaking agreement with the United Nations to forgo oil exploration in Yasuni National Park – believed to be one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth.
Germany has already pledged $838 million; Spain, Sweden, France and Switzerland are also expected to make significant contributions.
But Ecuador says it will need a total of $3.6 billion to guarantee that the one million-hectare rainforest reserve will remain untouched for a decade. The figure amounts to half of the revenue that could be generated from extracting the 850 million barrels of oil that lie beneath the reserve, which would release millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The agreement represents a victory for local indigenous people who have fiercely resisted development in the region for decades.
Environmental groups have welcomed the scheme, saying it is a good alternative to carbon offsetting initiatives, of which some environmentalists remain sceptical.
‘Growing body of evidence’ links pesticides to bee decline
Environmental groups including the Soil Association and Buglife are making a renewd call for an end to the use of neonicotinoid pesticides, which are among the most commonly used pesticides worldwide, after a new study linked them to a decline in bee in bee populations.
The study, published in the journal Toxicology, says the effects on bees of two particular neonicotinoid pesticides, known as imidacloprid and thiacloprid, have previously been underestimated and may explain the decline in bee populations.
Community Garden taking shape
The new Liberty Community Garden Project is ready for planting. The non-profit 501(c)3 status will soon be approved.
A board of directors has been selected, bylaws approved and the LISD board has approved the use of property at 2525 Grand Avenue for the community gardens.
A community garden is a space open to the community, where individuals can rent a garden plot for a small annual fee, ($50 annually, plus a $25 security deposit) to grow either vegetables or flowers as they desire. (Seeds and plants are not provided. Soil and water are.)
Link:http://www.thevindicator.com/articles/2010/08/05/news/news40.txt
UN panel: New taxes needed for a climate fund
BONN, Germany — Carbon taxes, add-ons to international air fares and a levy on cross-border money movements are among ways being considered by a panel of the world's leading economists to raise a staggering $100 billion a year to fight climate change.
British economist Nicholas Stern told international climate negotiators Thursday that government regulation and public money also will be needed to create incentives for private investment in industries that emit fewer greenhouse gases.
In short, a new industrial revolution is needed to move the world away from fossil fuels to low carbon growth, he said.
"It will be extremely exciting, dynamic and productive," said Stern, one of 18 experts in public finance on an advisory panel appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Link:http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g1JSga_CNGr6cpuIGcVrNxOuOBOAD9HDEAGG0
200-Plus Companies Seeing the Value of Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services -- the benefits humans derive from nature -- can present both risks and opportunities to business. Agribusiness depends on the freshwater, soil quality, and erosion control that ecosystems offer. Insurance companies benefit from coastal protection provided by coral reefs and wetlands, while fishers rely on these habitats for commercial fish species.
Conservation program has benefits, but there are no guarantees
Both agricultural and wildlife groups praise the potential advantages of the Conservation Reserve Program, but they’ll have to hustle to realize additional benefits in Idaho.
Farmers and ranchers now have until Aug. 27 to enroll their land in the program, which pays them to not use it.
Lance Phillips, executive director of the Farm Service Agency’s Twin Falls County office, said Magic Valley farmers should apply if there’s even a chance that they want to rest some land. The sign-up period is a bit rushed, Phillips said, so farmers won’t be locked in until the FSA completes its technical analysis, planned for the end of the year.
“Once farmers find out the amount of money they qualify for, they can elect not to sign the contract,” Phillips said. “But we have to throw our hat into the ring now because this is a national competition.”
All proposals receive a score based on criteria such as government cost, erosion control, and air, water and wildlife benefits. If their land is chosen by the FSA, farmers will be paid to plant their fields with native species that benefit the soil, water and wildlife. Most contracts last 10 years, but farmers who plant longer-lasting trees will be given 15 years, said Phillips.
A farm bill, the 1985 Food Security Act, created the CRP to avoid another Dust Bowl by protecting highly erodible land with year-round plant cover. Steve Skylar of the Twin Falls Soil and Water Conservation District said the program has saved anywhere from 2 tons to 20 tons of topsoil per acre in his district. Keeping land out of production means less soil is lost during irrigation and during spring planting, when Idaho winds are strongest, Skylar said.
Link:http://www.magicvalley.com/news/local/article_db06cfb4-d583-5087-a294-5e5f74fb36aa.html
FG to spend N200m on Nnobi erosion
About N200 million is to be spent by Federal Government to check gully erosion in Nnobi community of Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State.
Also, Nnobi community has been tasked to take over the monitoring of the erosion control project and report progress or shortcomings of the contractors involved.
Senator Annie Okonkwo of Anambra Central zone, who spoke at a reception organised in his honour by the Nnobi chapter of his campaign organization noted: “As the deputy Senate committee chairman on Ecological Disaster, it is incumbent upon me to give succour to people who have suffered hardship due to the natural machinations of gully erosion.
“We in that committee have made spirited representations at the National Assembly and at the presidency about gully erosion in the South East and part of our success story is the N200 million budgeted for Nnobi gully erosion.”
Link:http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=18347
Want eco-friendly products? Tell stores
As with every growing season, gardeners are trying to fight back against black spot; powdery mildew; biting, chewing insects; and a whole range of surprise maladies that are attacking our landscapes and gardens.
Most of us want to practice organic gardening and, at the same time, protect the beneficial insects and our birds by using environmentally safe products. There are more and more options being tested and manufactured for the home garden — but many are still difficult to find when we need them.
A Master Gardener friend told me of her search locally for Serenade, a product that has been proved safe to use on edibles. Although it is an excellent product, so far, it appears that it is not available anywhere in Fort Wayne. She mentioned Serenade to the management at a local Menard's store and was told they would look into adding it to their garden center. (At this time, it can be purchased online at www.serenadegarden.com/for-gardeners, and at locations in Indiana listed at this site: www.serenadegarden.com/indiana).
My suggestion is that whenever we are looking for a specific product and can't find it, we should point that out to the management or owner of the garden center. That will help them carry things that consumers want and encourage competition at the manufacturing level. If you do find Serenade or eco-friendly products locally other than what I mention here, let me know where they are and I'll pass that information on to News-Sentinel readers.
Link:http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100806/LIVING/8060305
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