41–50 of 103 posts
Where I grew up (41.3 deg N, on the Atlantic coast) I was always amazed by our neighbor, who would bury his ~15 foot tall fig tree every year to protect it from freezing. For some reason in my child mind it seemed to defy the laws of nature, though of course it was quite the opposite!
"Training small citrus plants was key to extending their cultivation across all regions of the Black Sea coast, where until then it had been impossible. This was achieved by pruning and guiding citrus plants into a creeping form, which reduced their height to a mere 25 cm." People complain about cubicle farms, but there's so much we can do to train workers to be productive in them, if we start them young enough.
Do IT workers really need legs?
Climate-controlled cultivation will likely become a necessity for food production as climate change intensifies. Spain, South Africa, many Middle Eastern and other countries are already heavily reliant on greenhouses. Also given that megadroughts, floods, and hurricanes are likely to be the new normal, sufficient capacities of solar-powered desalination will be important to sustain food production levels. My main imm…
This is interesting, as massive greenhouse are seen in fiction as the only way to grow crop in hostile environments: Mars, the Moon, Space.
Who knew we would be making our own planet a hostile environment.
I’ve often thought about the fact that most food into places like Barrow, Alaska is flown in, and wondered whether it would be practical to set up local infrastructure like this to grow food locally (with “practical” meaning “the CapEx of doing so would be repaid in logistical OpEx saved over a small number of years.”)
Where I grew up (41.3 deg N, on the Atlantic coast) I was always amazed by our neighbor, who would bury his ~15 foot tall fig tree every year to protect it from freezing. For some reason in my child mind it seemed to defy the laws of nature, though of course it was quite the opposite!
I’ve often thought about the fact that most food into places like Barrow, Alaska is flown in, and wondered whether it would be practical to set up local infrastructure like this to grow food locally (with “practical” meaning “the CapEx of doing so would be repaid in logistical OpEx saved over a small number of years.”)
Might work in other places though.
I grow a few things in a (relatively small) suburban garden in London. My experience so far with fruit normally associated with warmer climates: Grapes - grow very well outside, lots of tasty fruit, sensitive to mildew Figs - grow well outside, fast, but not much fruit yet Citrus (lemon, lime and kafir lime) - Any frost is damaging, can only grow in pots and bring in during winter. Grows slowly and doesn't produce mu…
Though not inappropriate for the climate, when I lived in Ohio, I grew tomatoes, corn, and pumpkins in containers on my balcony. The pumpkin vines grew into the adjacent tree, and in the fall, there were small orange pumpkins hanging from the tree limbs, like fruit.
In Texas, I grew all kinds of citrus trees in containers on my balcony, as well as watermelons. The trick with watermelons is to hang the fruit inside panty hose so they don't get damaged. It made them wonderfully round.
Again, not a climatic challenge, since they say, "You can plant a broomstick and grow brooms in Houston."
I grow a few things in a (relatively small) suburban garden in London. My experience so far with fruit normally associated with warmer climates: Grapes - grow very well outside, lots of tasty fruit, sensitive to mildew Figs - grow well outside, fast, but not much fruit yet Citrus (lemon, lime and kafir lime) - Any frost is damaging, can only grow in pots and bring in during winter. Grows slowly and doesn't produce mu…
You can do a lot with an apartment balcony, too. Even though it's space-limited, the warmth of the building will help. Though not inappropriate for the climate, when I lived in Ohio, I grew tomatoes, corn, and pumpkins in containers on my balcony. The pumpkin vines grew into the adjacent tree, and in the fall, there were small orange pumpkins hanging from the tree limbs, like fruit. In Texas, I grew all kinds of citr…
The Hanging Gardens were given their name because of the trees growing above the ground ("hanging").
What was considered a wonder of the world is now something you can just do for fun.
Where I grew up (41.3 deg N, on the Atlantic coast) I was always amazed by our neighbor, who would bury his ~15 foot tall fig tree every year to protect it from freezing. For some reason in my child mind it seemed to defy the laws of nature, though of course it was quite the opposite!
I oddly really want to do this, but I live in California so that would be quite pointless and most likely detrimental.