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Prickly Seed Pods

One year I removed some dry, prickly Leonotis nepetifolia seed pods – with my bare hands. Ouch!

Having learned from my mistake, the following year I harvested the prickly seed pods and attempted to remove the seeds while wearing gloves. Alas, I was not destined to be a brain surgeon and was all thumbs. I needed a better idea.

Rather than tell you my idea, let me show you in pictures. Follow along.

Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/b90d4dThumb of 2013-12-03/greene/d61e4bThumb of 2013-12-03/greene/7e75a8;

Plastic (not glass!) container and a few small, heavy items. Mix well and shake.

Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/c5e1ab;Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/9022f4;Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/61310d;

Seems that my camera has an ‘Anti-Shake’ mode, so no photo. Here, how’s this?

Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/4e16c6;Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/2936c0;Thumb of 2013-12-03/greene/db8172
That’s it! Your seeds can now continue drying and soon will be ready to share, trade, or plant. This also works for many other types of seed pods, prickly or not. So get shaking!!

Originally published 2013

VisitThe National Gardening Association http://garden.org (formerly All Things Plants) to learn more about Leonotis nepetifolia.https://garden.org/plants/view/112255/Lions-Ear-Leonotis-nepetifolia/

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Guerrilla gardening

No, it is not a garden created and maintained by Gorillas!

Look at the spelling…Guerrilla. As far as I know, the first person to use the term ‘Guerrilla Gardening’ was Liz Christy in 1973 as she and her Green Guerrilla Group were active in New York in the area known as Bowery Houston.

Okay, let’s clear up something, especially for folks who live in Texas or students learning about the history of the US of A. Sam Houston was a great man in the history of Texas. HIs name is pronounced /ˈhjuːstɨn/, [ˈhj̊uːstɨn], [j̊uːstɨn]hyooh -stuhn, HYOO-sten.

The area in New York where Liz Christy was busy doing Green Guerrilla Gardening is pronounced /ˈhaʊstən/ HOW-stən as the street was named in honor of William Houstoun. William Houstoun was born in Savannah, Georgia around 1755 when Georgia was still part of the British Empire. He was a British citizen from birth until 1776; after which he was an American citizen until his death in 1813. He relocated to New York where he married May Bayard. He was a planter, lawyer and statesman who divided his time between Savannah and New York. And yes, I realize all the Houston street signs in New York are spelled wrong but, as we say in the South, “We don’t care how you do things in New York!”

Okay, let’s get some guerrilla gardening accomplished.

But wait. First, let’s talk about Masanobu Fukuoka and some of the books he has written that have been translated into English:

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (1978);
The Natural Way of Farming; The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy (1985);
The Road Back to Nature: Regaining the Paradise Lost (1987);
Sowing Seeds in the Desert: Natural Farming, Global Restoration, and Ultimate Food Security

Masanobu  Fukuoka did not invent the seed ball, seed bomb, seed dumpling, green grenade, but he did reinvent and introduce the method to millions.

Links to information:
http://www.ifoam.bio/en/masano…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse…
http://freedomgardens.org/2010…
http://www.seedballs.us/
https://seed-balls.com/new-gue…

Also look at:
The Seedpill Project
Subversive Gardener

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Moss graffiti:
Gather moss in a responsible manner; remove as much soil as possible. Break the moss into small, manageable piece, place into a blender.
Add the following:
2 cups buttermilk (or yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups water (or beer)

Apply ‘moss paint’ onto a wall or fence. Mist the moss once every 2 days. If there is rain, do not mist. Reapply moss paint on the days when you do not mist and when it is not raining.
When you no longer wish the moss graffiti, scrape away as much as possible, then spray the area with lime juice to kill any remaining moss.
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Guerrilla gardening is not always legal, so please, do not break the law. Do your own version of guerrilla gardening on land that you own or have received permission. If you have an area in your yard that could use a bit of color, toss some green grenades/seed bombs and walk away. Come back in a few weeks to see if your efforts have been successful.