All the Dirt on Gardening

A creative approach to reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is being explored. How about capturing the gas and burying it in the ground? It's an idea that has not been actually tested yet but MIT engineers have worked out the software to determine how much CO2 can be sequestered safely in geological formations. The Future of Coal, says that capturing CO2 at coal-burning power plants and storing it in deep geological basins will reduce its effects on the atmosphere. They are not sure yet just how much can be stored without underground faults becoming tunnels that send the CO2 back up. The scientists think that one river basin would hold 5 gigatons of CO2 which is more than half of CO2 emitted by the United States each year. (Half? 10 gigatons is what the US emits EVERY year? Yikes.) MIT reported the new idea in managing greenhouse gas. Science Daily has the story on their email newsletter this weekend. Click on the Science Daily link to read more. I am grateful ...

BRIGHT ORANGE MELONS WITH MORE NUTRIENTS A new, more nutritious melon has been invented, the Avant Gardener reports. The cultivar is available to growers from ARS Crop Quality Unit . The link takes you to the usda.gov site with the original report. The new melon was bred to have fewer pathogens in the skin and more vitamin A, C, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, anti-oxidants and sugar. Watch for 'Orange Dew' in a farmer's market near you. LOVE THE WORD FREE MIT is offering the course materials for 1500 classes free online for everyone. Click here for the index of classes. Topics of interest include soil behavior, architecture, design for sustainability, kitchen chemistry, how to make almost anything, industrial landscapes, environment and society. Then there is also magic, witchcraft and the spirit world. At the top of the page you can register for monthly email updates. TODAY IN THE GARDEN Three-hours out in the sun today! The rest of the last bulb shipment...