[links] making rope + bull's eye diet

[kettunainen]

from Instructables:
Make rope out of dead plants -- with no tools

Reuse old printer ribbons and video tape to make rope!

from Casaubon's Book:
The Bull's Eye Diet
Premise: 'instead of one 100 mile (or 200 mile or whatever) diet, we think in terms of a bulls eye model, which emphasizes bringing as much of your diet as possible home to your local

Comments

[ewtikins]

You can probably do some small stuff on windowsills. I've heard of people keeping potato stacks indoors as well. And there's always the old standby of sprouting seeds...

[kettunainen]

I have no idea how to work with the windowsills I have. Otherwise, I'd have windowboxes out the wazoo. Plus, I have cats who like to eat plants and then throw them up or get sick enough to go to the vet. Indoor plants frighten me because of the cats. I have not yet found a way to have indoor plants out of reach of the cats. :(

And so I envy those who can do the things I wish I could.

[ewtikins]

There's a lot to be said for overturning a seive on top of any indoor plants, at least while they are small, to keep the cats off them. Old fireplace grates work well for this too and you might be able to do a whole windowsill at once with one; it depends on the windowsill really. I suppose determined cats could get around either of these barriers, but if you start out by NOT growing any catnip they'll probably take a hint after a while.

Sprouting beans and seeds can definitely be cat-proofed if you use the bag method, and it's a good way to get yummy healthy greenstuff in your diet while it's as fresh as possible.

[tamago23]

I'm going to buy a copy of Bountiful Container soon - I got it from the library and it's a fantastic resource for container gardening. Some veggies only require 8-10" of soil, so you'd be able to do that in a deep windowbox.

[kettunainen]

I *think* L has a copy of this book somewhere in storage. It's awesome.

Don't know how to do a windowbox here. Our windowsills are retarded.

[tamago23]

I've actually been pondering that table/shelf thing that's behind your couch - that's wide enough that you could have at least a round pot with mixed herbs. And if you spray it with Bitter Apple, after one taste, those cats are going to leave it the hell alone. :)

[kettunainen]

That's certainly a possibility... though how would spraying an edible herb with Bitter Apple be helpful for the people who want to eventually eat said herb?

[eumelosdrizzle]

We're gonna try some beans... its hard to grow stuff to eat on the hot balcony. We have sage and oregano (which has been neglected sadly, they have flowered now - maybe next year they'll be back even stronger than before).

[kettunainen]

I take it your balcony is already concrete (a light- / medium-toned colour)? Don't really know what to suggest for that, other than, perhaps, laying a sheet of something white down underneath the plant containers to reflect the sun...

[ewtikins]

A sort of tent or umbrella made out of old light-coloured bedsheets will still let some light in on the hottest days but provide some shade; just make sure there's lots of air circulation too.

Balconies are pretty rough on plants, they tend to get really hot in the daytime and quite cold at night.

[ewtikins]

They're both perennials so they should come back quite happily next year...

:)