Country Lore: February/March 2007
(Page 3 of 4)
I live in a very sunny spot of the globe where a simple solar collector heats my water. On top of the house I have a 100 meter roll of flexible, black half-inch pipe. This is hooked up to the water reservoir, which is higher than the roof. The water flows down the black pipe and into a conventional water heater that is not turned on. The sun heats the water and the insulated tank keeps it hot all night. We have free heat for the water 99 percent of the year. The whole setup cost me about $50 eight years ago and should last another two years.
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Most hot water is not used for drinking or cooking. But if you try this project, and you intend to drink or cook with the water, be sure that you use a black plastic that is rated safe for potable water. To read more about do-it-yourself solar water heaters, go towww.MotherEarthNews.comand search the Archive for “solar water heaters.”— Mother
Perfect Ground Cover
I have a dog yard where grass doesn’t grow well because it is a shady, damp location under large trees. Last winter I raked up the area, then sowed crimson red clover seed for a ground cover. It works wonderfully! My dog just loves to go in there and eat the clover, and I get a nice green area to admire.
Kathryn Bowlin
Owings, Maryland
Grow Potatoes in Biodegradable Boxes
The Irish potatoes that I grew in raised beds were healthy and stored well, but building a raised bed can be costly and requires hard work. I wanted an alternative that was easy to build, inexpensive, useful and attractive. My company recycles hundreds of cardboard boxes, many of which are the same shape and size. Last spring, I collected several boxes, lined them up in the garden and planted potatoes in the bottom third of the box using a light soil mixed with mild organic fertilizer. As the potatoes grew, I added more soil. The potatoes grew beautifully. I planted herbs and flowers around the boxes, and it looked so good that my neighbor is going to add some to her garden.
The boxes were free, attractive and will biodegrade at the end of the season. Plus, new ones can be set up next year in a different part of the vegetable garden to help rotate the crops. The top flaps can be closed to protect the tender plants from a late frost. It is easy to build up soil around the growing potatoes; harvesting is also easy. You can either reach in for new potatoes, or peel the biodegraded sides away at the end of the season.
Mary Swindle
Charlotte, North Carolina
Edible Theme Gardens
Many of my gardens have themes. I try to grow things together that I combine for cooking. It’s easy and the gardens make great conversation pieces.
