| How to Grow Vegetables Vertically Posted: 29 Mar 2022 09:00 AM PDT Vertical gardening is an approach used to grow vegetables up and down, rather than side to side like in a traditional horizontal garden. In a vertical garden, vegetables grow up tall structures instead of across the ground. Vertical gardening is an alternative for gardeners with limited space. Through vertical gardening, you also can obstruct undesirable views or create an area of architectural interest. Use these tips to grow vegetables vertically. [Edit]Preparing a Vertical Garden - Determine where to situate the vertical garden. Most vegetables require at least 6 hours of sun, so choose a sunny location for the vertical garden. If you live in an apartment building, a sunny balcony may be an option. If you have a yard, consider a sunny location against a south-facing wall of your house.[1]
- Select vertical structures. In order for plants to grow vertically, they need a vertical support system. Common support structures include trellises, tripods, pyramids, walls, fences, wire cages and walls. Arches or arbors can serve as focal areas while also supporting vegetables. Almost any structure that points toward the sky can be used for vertical gardening. Consider creative options like bamboo poles, tree branches, ladders, sunflowers or corn stalks.[2]
- Choose a support structure strong enough for the vegetables you want to grow. Mature plants loaded down with vegetables can be heavy. For example, tomato plants require very sturdy vertical structures, while peas may climb almost any structure without bearing much weight on it.
- Place the support system in your garden or on your patio before planting vegetables. This prevents you from damaging plants.
- Locate vertical supports on the north or east side of the garden where they won't block the sun from the growing vegetables.
- Anchor the support system securely. Vertical supports like trellises or wire cages can be staked directly in the ground. Trellises and other flat vertical supports also can be attached to the exterior wall of a home. If you attach a vertical support to a wall, leave space between the wall and the trellis for air circulation as the plant climbs.
- Prepare the soil. Whether you plant vegetables in the ground or in containers, soil quality is important for your vertical garden. Use weed-free, compost-rich soil. To encourage proper drainage in containers, mix the soil with peat moss or perlite.[3]
- Choose containers as applicable. If you are growing vegetables in containers, you can use almost any type of container. Make sure that the container is deep enough to accommodate the type of vegetable you are growing. Larger and heavier vegetables will require larger and sturdier containers. Consider hanging baskets, urns, window boxes, washtubs, coffee cans, clay pots or wooden crates. If the container does not have drainage holes, drill small holes on the bottom of the container before filling it with soil.
[Edit]Growing Vegetables Vertically - Understand the basics of growing vegetables vertically. Almost any type of vegetable can be grown vertically as long as the container is deep enough to accommodate the plant and the vertical staking is strong enough to hold the plant.[4]
- Evaluate your garden conditions. Choose vegetables that will thrive in your garden based on its lights, wind, heat and moisture. If you are growing vertical vegetables in containers, be prepared to water the containers daily.
- Plant the "vine" varieties of plants when applicable. If you are growing beans, cucumbers, squash or beans, be sure to plant the vine variety, which will climb vertically, instead of the bush variety.
- Select vegetables to grow. While most vegetables can be grown vertically, several types of vegetables are known for their success in vertical gardens. If you are just starting out in vertically gardening, consider these vegetables.[5]
 - Grow pole beans vertically. Pole beans will climb almost any structure, including other plants. The Native Americans often planted beans and corn together because the corn would provide a vertical support for the beans.
- Grow peas in a vertical garden. Like pole beans, peas will climb almost any structure and need little encouragement to twine around vertical supports. Consider growing peas on trellises, bamboo sticks or even over an arbor.
- Grow winter squash and gourds vertically. Winter squash and gourds have long vines that can extend up to for the squash and for the gourds. Because the vines grow so long and become heavy, you must provide a sturdy, secure vertical support. To provide extra support to heavy winter squash, such as butternut, wrap cloth twine or strips of pantyhose around each fruit and tie to the vertical supporting structure. Do not use string to support the squash because it may cut into the stems. Some garden centers sell materials made specifically for supporting large vegetables, like winter squash and gourds.
- Grow melons and pumpkins in a vertical garden. Like winter squash, melons and pumpkins have long vines and the fruit needs additional support when growing vertically. Grow melons and pumpkins up strong, secure vertical structures. Wrap slings made of old sheets, rags, towels or fabric scraps around the melons and pumpkins and secure them to the fence or trellis to provide needed support.
- Grow cucumbers vertically. Cucumbers (the vine variety, not the bush variety) are ideal for a vertical garden because they naturally climb. They can be grown up almost any structure, such as an A-frame, cage or trellis, but it must be strong enough to support the weight of the vines. Initially, cucumbers may need a little encouragement to attach themselves to the vertical structure, but as soon as the tendrils wind around the support, they will climb vertically without assistance. The cucumbers will hang vertically from the plant, making them easy to harvest.
- Grow tomatoes in a vertical garden. Because tomatoes are heavy plants, they require a sturdy vertical structure. As the tomato plants grow, tie the branches to the structure with a soft twine or cotton cloth at regular intervals.
- If you use bamboo stakes or iron rods as vertical structures, buy "cane toppers" for the ends. These toppers, which can be a plastic ball or a ceramic decorative structure, keep the stakes or rods from poking you in the eyes while working around them.
- Another option is to create a tower garden using a large container and wire mesh.
[Edit]Warnings - Do not pull fruits or vegetables like cucumbers, melons or squash off of the vertically growing vines. Pulling the fruits or vegetables too hard may separate the vine from its vertical structure or uproot it. Rather, use a small knife or pruning shears to remove fruits and vegetables from the vine.
- The climbing vines of many vegetables can have sharp, prickly edges. To protect your hands, wear garden gloves when harvesting vegetables.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Vertical support structures
- Vegetable seeds or seedlings
- Compost-rich soil
- Peat moss or perlite
- Containers
- Water
- Cloth twine or strips of fabric
- Old sheets, rags, towels or fabric
- Garden gloves
- Small knife or pruning shears
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Low Acid Coffee Posted: 29 Mar 2022 01:00 AM PDT While coffee is a favorite daily habit for many people, it has its drawbacks. Coffee can stain your teeth, make you jittery and unfocused, and coffee's high acidity can irritate sensitive stomachs. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare coffee that remove much of its acidity. You can start by choosing a type of coffee that's lower in acidity and then adjust the method you use to brew it. Cold brewing is one of the most popular ways to lower acidity in coffee, but you can also boil coffee with crushed eggshells to help remove some of the acidity. You may want to try both methods to see which one agrees most with your stomach. [Edit]Choosing the Right Coffee - Select coffee that's advertised as low-acid. Some coffee beans undergo processing with steam or solvents to remove some of their acidity. Other coffee beans are naturally low in acid because of the area of the world that they grow in. Start with a coffee that's designed to be low-acid if you're concerned about acidity.
- Coffees that are processed to remove the acidity are often marketed as "mild" or "stomach-friendly."
- Many coffees grown in Hawaii, Sumatra, Brazil, India, and the Caribbean are naturally lower in acid.
- Opt for a dark roast coffee. Dark roast coffees, such as Italian and French roast, are usually lower in acid than light or medium roast varieties. That's because coffee undergoes chemical changes as it roasts, so the longer that it does, the more acid that is removed. Choose a dark roast coffee and make it using any method that you prefer.
- Dark roast coffee also causes less acid to be secreted by the stomach than light or medium roasts.
- If you're not used to drinking dark roast, use a smaller amount than you would of your usual light or medium roast until you're accustomed to the taste.
- Use coarsely ground coffee. If coffee beans are ground too finely, too much of the acid may be extracted during the brewing process. To reduce the acid in your coffee, opt for a coarser grind, which isn't likely to be over-extracted when you're brewing your coffee.[1]
- You may want to try a medium ground coffee to see how it affects your stomach. However, avoid fine and extra fine ground coffees.
[Edit]Cold-Brewing Coffee - Fill a fine mesh bag with ground coffee. Take a fine mesh food grade bag, usually used for making nut milk, and place 4 ½ ounces (128 g) of ground coffee in the bag. Cinch or fasten the bag closed so the coffee won't come out.[2]
- These types of mesh bags are reusable, so you'll be able to wash it and use it the next time that you brew coffee.
- If you don't have a mesh bag, you can mix the ground coffee directly into the water in the next step. However, you'll have to strain the coffee concentrate to remove the grounds after you've refrigerated it. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve before mixing the concentrate with water.
- Put the bag in a pitcher and fill it with water. When the coffee is secure in the mesh bag, place it in the bottom of a 2-quart (1.9 l) pitcher. Add enough cold water to the pitcher to fill it to the brim.[3]
- For the best tasting coffee, use filtered water.
- Refrigerate the pitcher overnight. Once the coffee is in the pitcher and it's filled with water, place it in the refrigerator. The coffee will need to brew for at least 12 hours, so it's a good idea to place it in the fridge the night before you plan to drink the coffee.[4]
- You may want to experiment with different brew times to see which results in the best tasting coffee. Start with 12 hours, and play around until you're happy with the flavor.
- Remove the bag from the pitcher. After the coffee has brewed for approximately 12 hours, take the pitcher out of the refrigerator. Pull the mesh bag with the coffee out of the water, and squeeze it over the pitcher to extract all of the coffee flavor before discarding the grounds.[5]
- Make sure to wash the mesh bag thoroughly, so it's ready for the next time you plan to brew coffee.
- Mix the coffee concentrate with hot water. The liquid in the pitcher will be an extremely concentrated form of coffee, so you need to dilute it with water. Mix 1 part of the coffee concentrate with 1 part of hot water for a cup of hot coffee.[6]
- Coffee that is prepared through cold brewing is 67% less acidic than coffee prepared through hot brewing.
- You can also mix the coffee concentrate with cold water and add ice if you prefer iced coffee.
- Keep the leftover concentrate in the refrigerator. If you don't use up all of the coffee concentrate, store it in the fridge. Unlike traditional hot brewed coffee, it won't go stale so it can keep for up to two weeks.[7]
[Edit]Boiling Coffee with Eggshells - Combine the coffee, water, and eggshells in a pan, and bring to a boil. Add 10 tablespoons (54 g) of medium-ground coffee, 10 cups (2.4 l) of cold water, and 5 empty egg shells that have been crushed to a large sauce pan. Turn the burner to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil.[8]
- Make sure to use a nonreactive pan for boiling the coffee.
- The pan should be partially covered while you're waiting for it to come to a boil.
- Simmer the mixture for several minutes. Once the coffee mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan completely, and allow it to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.[9]
- If the mixture isn't simmering, you may need to raise the heat to medium.
- Allow the mixture to stand for a couple of minutes. When the coffee mixture has simmered for several minutes, remove the pan from the burner. Let the mixture stand until the coffee grounds settle, which should take approximately 2 minutes.[10]
- Strain the coffee into a pot. After the coffee grounds have settled, use a fine mesh sieve to strain the coffee ground and egg shells from the mixture. Transfer the coffee to a pot, and serve.[11]
- If you find the cold brewing recipe makes a hot cup of coffee that's too weak for your taste, increase the proportion of ground coffee used to prepare the cold brewed concentrate.
[Edit]Warnings - Be aware that cold brewing extracts the coffee's caffeine much more efficiently than hot brewing, with the result that coffee brewed using this method can contain nearly twice as much caffeine as your usual cup. Cutting your coffee grounds with decaf grounds can mitigate this effect.
[Edit]Things You'll Need Cold Brewing Coffee - A fine mesh bag
- 4 ½ ounces (128 g) ground coffee
- Cold water
- Hot water, to mix with the concentrate
Boiling Coffee with Egg Shells - 10 tablespoons (54 g) medium-ground coffee
- 10 cups cold water
- 5 empty egg shells, crushed
- A large sauce pan
- A fine mesh sieve
- A coffee pot
[Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Fix Brassy Hair Color Posted: 28 Mar 2022 05:00 PM PDT Dyed blonde hair looks great, but it can be a difficult color to maintain. One of the biggest frustrations is brassiness, which tends to set in a few weeks after the initial dye takes place. Brassy tones are typically yellow or copper in appearance, turning cool blonde shades into warmer hues that you never intended to have. Luckily, there is a lot you can do to prevent brassy tones from setting in. With a little maintenance, you can keep your blonde locks looking brass-free. [Edit]Managing Your Color - Determine your brassy tone.[1] When hair color turns brassy, the tones range from yellowish orange to copper. In general, those with darker blonde shades will end up with brassiness that is copper toned, while lighter blonde shades usually lean toward more yellow tones. Once you've figured out which camp you fall into, you can more effectively combat your brassy strands.[2]
- It is possible to have both yellow and copper toned brassiness present in your hair color.
- Use a blue or purple shampoo a few times per week.[3] Violet hued shampoos will neutralize yellow brassiness. Blue (silver) toned shampoos will cancel out copper brassiness.[4] This works because blue and purple are opposite orange and yellow on the color wheel, effectively counteracting the brassy tones. There is a wide variety of options, ranging from affordable drug store versions to pricey salon products.[5]
- If you can't determine your brassy tones, or if they seem to be both yellow and copper, use a shampoo that has both purple and blue tones in it.
- Look for products that claim to be "color correcting" or "tone correcting." You can also ask a clerk at the beauty supply store for recommendations.
- You can find a drug store brand called Shimmer Lights purple shampoo. If you'd prefer a salon brand, two popular options include Joico Color Balance Purple shampoo and Matrix Total Results So Silver shampoo.
- Alternate with shampoos and conditioners made for color-treated hair. You shouldn't use blue/purple shampoos every day – stick to using them only a few times each week. In between blue/purple shampoos, use hair products made specifically for color care. There are shampoos, conditioners, masques and more that will help you preserve your color and fight brassiness without the use of blue/violet pigment.
- If you use purple shampoo every day, your hair will take on a lilac or light blue tint.
- Avoid hair care products that are alcohol-based. These will accelerate color fading and dry out your locks.[6]
- Install a shower head filter.[7] Chlorine and iron deposits in the water supply can cause brassiness and fade your hair color. Investing in a shower head filter might seem a little excessive (they're about $150) but when you consider how much money can go into coloring your hair, it's actually quite an investment.
- Not only is the filtered water a bonus for your hair health, but your skin will love it, too.
[Edit]Applying Semi-Permanent Products - Boost color and minimize brassiness with a foam gloss. These lightweight foams are easy to use and meant to be applied in the shower, immediately after shampooing your hair. The foam boosts color and shine while breaking down brassy tones.[8] The whole process only takes about 5 minutes and it's extremely effective. These products are gentle enough to use as often as you like, although you will probably only need to use them about once per week.[9]
- To use, apply to your hair from roots to tip immediately after shampooing. Rinse the foam out immediately or leave it on for 3 minutes to enhance your color, then rinse. Follow it up with a good conditioner.
- For those with an ash or silver hair tone, you may want to use the mousse every day, post-shampoo.
- Foam glosses are mostly found at beauty supply stores, but there are a few drugstore versions on the market.
- Refresh color and tone down brassiness with a temporary rinse. Temporary rinses are applied after you shampoo and towel dry your hair.[10] Saturate your hair with the product and then run a comb through to ensure even distribution. After 20 minutes, rinse out the product, but don't shampoo your hair. Then blow dry and style your hair as usual.
- It's called a temporary "rinse" because the color boost only lasts until your next shampoo, which rinses the product out of your hair.[11]
- You'll need to wear rubber gloves when applying the product.
- Temporary rinses are usually sold exclusively at beauty supply stores.
- Treat brassiness with a semi-permanent toner.[12] These come in liquid or cream form and the results last about a week (or a few shampoos) before fading.[13] Semi-permanent toners contain no harsh chemicals and therefore they don't damage your hair – a major plus. You can use them weekly and there are reasonably priced drugstore versions that you can try at home.
- Apply the toner to clean, dry hair. Leave it on until you've achieved your desired color. Results should last 3-6 shampoos.
- Avoid shampooing immediately after using a semi-permanent toner. You can condition safely immediately after, however, if you like.
[Edit]Trying Longer Lasting Solutions - Enhance your color with lowlights.[14] Lowlighting means to dye darker streaks into your hair and it can add a lot of dimension to your hair color. Lowlights can also neutralize brassy orange tones by introducing darker blonde shades into the mix, creating an overall cooling effect. It's a procedure best performed by an experienced hair stylist, so lowlighting isn't the cheapest solution.
- However, the results can be very striking and it's certainly something to consider if you've tried a lot of other things with no success.[15]
- As with all "permanent" dyes, lowlights may start to fade after about 6-8 weeks.
- Try a demi-permanent or permanent toner.[16] Both of these solutions provide "long lasting" results, which range from 6-8 weeks. Demi-permanent toners are less damaging to the hair shaft than the permanent variety, with results typically lasting about 6 weeks. Permanent toners will give you about 8 weeks of results. To use, separate your hair into 4 large sections. Work with one section at a time, leaving the other 3 clipped up out of the way.
- Apply the toner in small sections, starting at the top and working your way down to the ends until you have full coverage.
- Keep a close eye on the dye as it develops and rinse thoroughly.
- Minimize fading. Preserving your color can go a long way toward preventing brassiness. Even "permanent" dyes start to fade after about 8 weeks, and frequent dyeing can severely damage you hair. Along with all of the other toning strategies, actively try to prevent your color from fading in the first place. Only wash your hair when it's necessary – try to avoid daily washing. When you do wash it, use blue/purple toning products. Limit your sun exposure and the use of heating tools, like blow dryers and straight irons.[17]
- Smoothing serums and other similar products can help you maintain color by sealing your hair cuticle when you apply them.
- Always condition your hair very well. This also seals the hair cuticle and protects your color.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário