Grow Herb Gardens from Seed - wikiHow

How to Grow Herb Gardens from Seed

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Growing an herb garden from seed is a very rewarding endeavor and a fun winter time activity. In general, herbs tolerate poor growing conditions and still reward you with aromatic leaves and flowers.

Steps

1. Soak the seeds in water for a few hours, or even overnight, before planting them.
   
2. Assemble the soil and containers for growing the seeds in. Poke holes in the bottom of your containers for drainage. Fill containers full with a soil mixture. Pat down the soil to be sure there are no air pockets or your seeds might drop right to the bottom.
   
3. Sow the herb seeds 1-3 times deeper than the size of the seed. Very tiny seeds need only to be pressed into the soil. Water the seeds and cover the containers with plastic kitchen wrap. This will keep the soil warm and eliminate the need to water until the seedlings emerge. Place flats in a warm, sunny area. Until the seeds emerge, keep the soil damp.
   
4. Remove the plastic once the seedlings emerge. If you plan to transfer your seedlings to the garden, wait until at least two sets of leaves have emerged. Once it is warm enough, start leaving them outside a few hours a day. This will "harden them off" and get them ready for the harsher outdoor conditions. Water well.
   
5. Transplant the plants by pinching off the lower set of leaves. Dig a hole deep enough to hold the plant just over the point where you pinched the leaves. These leaf nodes will grow roots. Gently turn the pot upside down and allow the plant to fall out into your hand. Don't pull the plant by the stem or leaves. Place the plant in hole and pat soil around your plant. Water once daily for a week and twice weekly thereafter. When the plants begin to get bushy, add mulch around them to discourage weeds.
   

Tips

• Use equal parts perlite, vermiculite, and coir compost for soil. Avoid sphagnum peat moss, which is an environmentally unsustainable product. These can be purchased at a local garden center or discount chain.
  
• Jiffy-Mix can be used to start seeds.
  
• Bottom water seedlings to avoid damping off by placing the plants in a pan of water.
  
• Supplement low-sunlight conditions with fluorescent lighting. Expensive "grow lights" can be purchased from garden catalogs, but a fluorescent house lamp will work.
  
• Once the seedlings emerge, water them once a day.
  
• If you make sure you grow organic herbs, you can use them in your cooking.
  

Warnings

• Over-watering seedlings can cause damping off. Damping off is a fungal disease that causes the stems to break off and the plants to die. Allow the soil to dry for a few hours each day.
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Cheaply Fertilize a Garden
  
• How to Design a Successful Indoor Garden
  
• How to Grow an Herb Garden Indoors Year Round
  
• How to Grow a TickleMe Plant
  
• How to Create a Rustic Flower Garden
  
• How to Construct a Raised Planting Bed
  
• How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants
  
• How to Create Your own Mini Garden
  
• How to Look After Houseplants
  
• How to Get Dried Sage
  
• How to Create a Butterfly Garden
  
• How to Create a Rustic Flower Garden
  
• How to Carve a Watermelon Flower Garden
  

Sources and Citations

• http://www.gourmetgardener.com
  
• http://www.eonseed.com
  
• http://www.growingherbs.org.uk
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Grow Herb Gardens from Seed. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Make Sunscreen - wikiHow

How to Make Sunscreen

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit


Commercial sunscreen products often contain propyl compounds and other chemicals questionable for your health;[1] and many of the all-natural products are overly expensive due to the addition of exotic tropical oils for their scent. In addition, many commercial products may have been tested on animals.
When all you really need is cheap, safe protection from the sun's rays, try the following sunscreen recipe.

Steps

1. Heat the cup of olive oil over a low flame.
   
2. Add 1 ounce of beeswax, broken into pieces if possible (so that it melts faster).
   
3. Stir constantly until the beeswax is completely melted in the hot oil.
   
4. Put on a pair of gloves and a face mask. This is to protect you from direct contact with the zinc oxide powder. Add one to two tablespoons of USP grade zinc oxide powder. Add a little at a time, continuing to stir constantly. Ensure that it is blended in well.
   
5. Remove the mixture from the stove. Pour it into a glass or ceramic pot that can be covered.
   
   • If pouring into a narrow neck, use a pastry bag to squeeze the sunscreen through.
     
   
   
6. Allow to cool to room temperature before use. Keep stored in a cool, dry environment. Label and date it.
   

Tips

• If you cannot find the ingredients, buy zinc oxide cream from the drugstore and apply it in place of commercial sunscreen products.
  
• Try other edible, natural oils; just about anything that is safe to eat ought to be safe on your skin.
  
• If wished, add a few drops of essential oil for a pleasant scent. If so, check the properties of the oil to ensure it is suitable for wear in the sunshine and has no side effects.
  
• Titanium dioxide may work as well as, or better than, zinc oxide. Either oxide is what does the "work" of the sunscreen.
  
• The beeswax makes the resulting product viscous, like a skin cream, holding the oxide in suspension. You can try varying the ratio of oil to wax.
  
• The beeswax and oxide, if not available locally, can usually be found at auction websites.
  

Warnings

• Zinc oxide itself may be a health risk, so avoid breathing the powder. A face mask should be worn until the product is all in suspension.
  
• It's better to dedicate a pan, stirring spoon, and any other necessary utensils for this purpose, never using them for food again. Mark them well so that you know that they're only for non-cooking use.
  
• It is possible that the oxide will settle while the product is cooling, or during transit in a hot environment. If, when you are applying it, it is translucent, you will need to stir the oxide up from the bottom. If you don't do this, you won't have an effective product; just a false sense of security! A viable product will be opaque.
  
• Keep out of direct heat or the wax risks melting. Place in the fridge to solidify if this occurs.
  
• Keep out of reach of curious children and pets. It should not be ingested.
  

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup olive oil or another natural oil
  
• 1 oz / 28 g pure beeswax
  
• Pure (USP grade) zinc oxide or titanium dioxide
  
• Saucepan
  
• Spoon for stirring
  
• Gloves and face mask
  
• Stove, even a camp stove will work fine
  
• Glass or ceramic pot with lid for storage
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Stay Safe in the Sun
  
• How to Prevent a Sunburn
  
• How to Use a Trangia Camping Stove
  
• How to Make a Simple Beverage Can Stove
  
• How to Survive in the Desert
  
• How to Choose Sunscreen
  

Sources and Citations

• This research was made possible, in part, by a land grant from the City of the Sun, http://directory.ic.org/records/?action=view&page=view&record_id=20103; however, the specifics of the research were not coordinated nor endorsed by COSF.
  
• HealSoAZ.org, http://healsoaz.org/less_toxic_personal_products.htm, original source of this recipe.
  

1. ↑ EWG, CDC: Americans carry burden of toxic sunscreen chemical, http://www.ewg.org/analysis/toxicsunscreen

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Sunscreen. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Recycle - wikiHow

How to Recycle

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Recycling is the processes of collecting, processing, remanufacturing, and reusing materials instead of discarding them. This helps conserve raw materials and energy that manufacturers would otherwise use in producing new products. Recycling also reduces the amount of material going into landfills. Recycling helps lessen the pollution that may result from waste disposal. Reducing our consumption of materials and reducing the waste of materials also adds to the conservation of our resources.

Steps

1. Find out what recycling programs or centers exist in your area. It's no use trying to recycle something if no processing center exists. A good resource for programs in the U.S. can be found at NRC-Recycle.org.
   
2. Determine what categories of items can be recycled in your area, then designate a separate location for each category. For example, if a nearby center accepts aluminum cans, plastic drink bottles, and newspapers, you will want to have separate bins for each type of item, as well as a waste bin for non-recyclable wastes.
   
3. Leave your bins in an appropriate collection area, or take your recycling to a processing center yourself once you've accumulated enough to make it worth the trip.
   

Tips

• Many states provide small cash rewards for each item recycled, so it's a good idea to save up the items until you have enough to buy something with the rewards.
  
• Some centers require you to wash items or remove labels or lids. Find out what your center requires before making the trip.
  
• Try to avoid making special trips in your car to recycle, as you will be using fuel unnecessarily. Combine it with a trip you are making anyway.
  
• If you are in school or at work where you use a lot of paper and then throw it away, try having a recycling bin under your desk, or a recycling pocket in your file. Make a mental note to put all recyclable paper in there each time you feel like heading for the normal trash bin.
  
• Don't just think of the normal items you can recycle, do some research and expand it. Some things you might be able to recycle easily are:
  
  • Batteries (very important)- car batteries, equipment batteries, flashlight
    
  • Beer and wine bottles, jars, other glass items
    
  • Paper and plastic bags (reuse first if possible)
    
  • Magazines, newspapers, phone-books
    
  • Plastic bottles, plastic containers
    
  • Packing peanuts (plastic loose fill) can often be recycled at local postal services. You can locate one at http://www.loosefillpackaging.com/
    
  • Cans and tins
    
  • Juice/soup/milk cartons
    
  • Any items with recycle symbol on them
    
  • Cell phones
    
  • Old televisions
    
  • Old computers
    
  
  
• It is vital to separate the magazines glass cardboard etc and it is especially good to recycle styrofoam because it is one of the things that take FOREVER to decompose
  

Warnings

• Some items, though recyclable, have few processing centers available.
  
• Recycling aluminum is still good. It saves money and energy--that's why they pay you for cans.
  
• Remember to wash/rinse cans and plastic before putting them in their bins. If the bins are inside, this cuts down on any smell. And if your bins are outside, rinsing reduces the likelihood of pets or wandering animals digging through them!
  

Things You'll Need

• A local recycling center
  
• Water to rinse the items
  
• Reusable bags
  
• Bins in a convenient location
  
• Recyclable items
  

Related wikiHows

• How to Recycle Old Plastic Bags
  
• How to Help Prevent Global Warming
  
• How to Curb Side Recycle
  
• How to Save the Planet Earth
  
• How to Clean Dishes on a Camping Trip
  
• How to Recycle Cardboard with a Baler
  
• How to Cut Down on Garbage Pickup Expenses
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Recycle. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.