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Articles by James Loomis
Sam Page is wrong to eye Rams cash for deficits. Here's how to use it instead | Opinion - St. Louis Business Journal
Sam Page wants to use Rams cash on budget deficits. An op-ed writer argues that would be shortsighted, and advocates a better way to spend the money.
GARDEN LIKE A BOSS: December in the Garden: Plant next summer’s flowers now!
No, it’s not too late. That’s what nature does, literally dumping seeds onto the soil to overwinter. In fact, many plants require a repeated freeze/thaw cycle to break down the seed coat, a process known as vernalization. While this process can be simulated by bringing seeds in and out of the freezer for a spring planting, that is simply too much work. Let nature do her thing.
How Doctors Can Help Patients Avoid Harmful Diseases By Simply Talking About Diet
“My doctor has never talked to me about nutrition,” says Randy, a 57-year-old St. Louis native, who once weighed more than 400 pounds. Randy suffered from a long list of symptoms: elevated cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, heart arrhythmia, heartburn, and shortness of breath. For two decades, his doctors prescribed a cocktail of pills: one to lower his cholesterol, another to bring down his blood pressure, and even a painkiller to manage all the pain.
Beyond Medical Racism
Medical Malpractice and Lack of Professional Courtesy are Central to the Death of Dr. Susan Moore Dr. Susan Moore died of COVID-19 two weeks after documenting the substandard care she had received during an emergency visit she was discharged from, despite presenting with multiple signs, symptoms and risk factors for severe rapidly evolving COVID-19 pulmonary disease. Dr. Moore is a physician who cared for a 19 year old son and parents who suffer from dementia.
Your brain on gardening: Nature’s way of boosting those feel-good chemicals
T here has been no better teacher during my time as a human on planet Earth than the garden. To be fully immersed, connected and involved with the secret world of creation has been nothing short of mystical magic. Indeed, it’s a magic that can be described with science; which, like the Dalai Lama, I believe are one and the same.
Spring ahead this fall: NOw's the timeto transplant perennials and direct-sow flower and herb seeds
The summer of 2020 was a scorcher in the Salt Lake Valley. We melted a number of previous records, with the hottest August in 143 years. As the weather finally cools with the change of the season, there’s much to be done in the garden. We recently covered planting cool weather vegetables in the garden. It’s also an ideal time for transplanting perennials as well as planting many flowers and herbs from seed.
Plant more vegetables now! Master the wild ride of erratic weather for a perpetual yield in the garden
As the tomatoes give way to endless bowls of salad greens and carrots growing sweeter as the nights grow cooler, the boss level gardener always has enough to share. Simple in theory. Yet for those of us in the Mountain West, these seasons can be a wild ride. In fact, they are often so sporadic that without a calendar it’s often nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly what season we’re experiencing.
My rowdy friends: paper wasps, yellow jackets and hornets are a gardener's midsummer allies.
We all have that “one friend”—the one you think twice about taking anywhere, knowing they’re most likely going to say the wrong thing, get in a fight and possibly cause a little property damage. Despite all these red flags, there’s some sort of endearing quality that just makes you want to keep them around. They’re always there when you need them, you know they have your back. No matter what the haters say, they’ll always be on the team. For me, in the garden, these friends are wasps.
A novel approach to extending the gardening season: August 1st is the time to plant for your fall garden!
I’m a huge fan of risky behavior in the garden. The edge is where the action is. Our seasonal weather in Utah is a wild ride to be sure, and you never quite know what the next week will bring.
Mulch: Few things have such a dramatic impact on plant health in our hot, dry climate - and are so simple
Mulching is the art of nourishing and protecting your soil with a layer of organic matter applied evenly to the surface. It mimics the way that nature recycles organic matter to build soil. Nature abhors bare soil and goes to great lengths to cover it. Wherever you find undisturbed communities of plants, you’ll find the soil surface covered with leaf litter, plant debris, and other organic matter protecting the delicate microorganisms underneath.
Bring back the Victory Garden
Shit gets real. Earthquakes. A global pandemic. Grocery store aisles stripped bare. Restaurant dining rooms, bars, and many businesses are closed. Despite our state’s misplaced reputation for emergency preparedness, harried citizens are waking up before dawn to get to the grocery at 6am in hopes of securing toilet paper and hand sanitizer. It seems all around me, most people are somewhere between pretty worried and total panic. But not me, I’m winning.
Gardeners, it's time to quit your tiller!
We are here for an intervention. Dark, luscious, fertile soil; weed-free, loose, loamy and teeming with life: This is the foundation every gardener dreams of starting each season with. Well-structured, full of nutrients, and wriggling with worms, an epic harvest with a minimum of effort awaits.
Let's get weird | Catalyst Magazine
Try something new and unusual in your garden this year! It’s a great time to be a human on planet Earth. Never before have we had so much access to so many new potential experiences. Each year in the garden, I love experimenting with new plants; novel fruits, sinister-looking flowers, or perhaps discovering a new resource that can be cultivated. When I discovered that I could grow my own luffa sponges, an item I thought came from the ocean, a whole new world of possibility unfolded before me.
The Utah Farm and Food Conference
A cross-cultural gathering of growers, makers, purveyors and eaters Now in its fourth year, the Utah Farm and Food Conference returns to Cedar City to showcase an impressive array of farmers, writers, agricultural university professors, lawmakers, artisans and artists. In Cedar City on February 6-8, the conference is packed with content to intrigue, educate, and entertain everyone who cares about food.
Paradise vs. a parking lot
We often don’t know what we’ve got till it’s gone The history of Salt Lake City is one of self-reliance, community and agriculture. When the Mormon pioneers first arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they quickly went to work building their very own “Zion.” Taking advantage of the rich soils and fertile grasslands on the eastern side of the valley, early Salt Lake City’s residents produced nearly everything they consumed.
It's all about healthy growth
Cultivating gardens while sowing the Seeds of Success In the summer of 2016, Wasatch Community Gardens launched an ambitious new project: to build and grow a 1.4-acre farm out of a weedy, trash-strewn lot that hadn’t seen human stewardship in almost two decades.
City gardening: Should you be concerned?
No! Just follow these simple rules (and always wash your produce!) The motivation for fresh, clean, organic food gets me out into the garden as soon as I’m off work, and often beforehand. The rewards of this lifestyle are many; the bounty of fresh, clean, organic produce is worth every drop of sweat.
My “Beef” with the Men’s Health Review of ‘The Game Changers’
“I’ve cut back on meat by 80% and I have never felt better. My doctors are happy and I haven’t lost a step in the gym. I’m not a vegan, but I respect people who choose to be 100% plant-based, and I think it’s more possible now than ever. One of my mottos is “Stay hungry”, which for me means constantly learning and trying new things and climbing the next mountain. The Game Changers was an incredible learning experience for me, and I was blown away by the athletes and the science.
Pomona Produce | Catalyst Magazine
Molly Doktor meets the challenges of the modern-day farmer with equanimity Less than 15 feet from one of the busiest streets in the city, Pomona Produce thrives in stark contrast to the pavement and harried hustle of commuters.
Aiming for the best at Top Crops
A Westside love story This is a love story. To be fair, all tales of small farms are to some extent love stories. Ask any member of this new generation of farmer their reasoning behind choosing such a challenging and demanding profession for their livelihood and you are sure to receive a passionate answer. However, the story of this farm is also a story of romantic love from the beginning.
Beyond honey bees
A look at some of Utah’s native bees Bees are crucial to almost every meal you eat, and are hands down the most important pollinators in our ecosystem. But the rampant introduction of honey bee hives over the last decade to “save the bees” is the equivalent of introducing massive herds of cattle into Yellowstone park to “save the bison.” Now sure, honey bees are super cute and I must admit I do love honey.
The people and plants are fine
Community, Garden, Local Harvest By James Loomis | April 29, 2019 Freak explosion destroys infrastructure at the Green Team Farm Late Sunday night on March 24, the Wasatch Community Gardens’ Green Team Farm in downtown Salt Lake City suffered a catastrophic explosion and fire to the heart of their operation. The core of the farm was made up of two 40-ft.
Grow a living mulch!
Kickstart your soil mojo with mycorhizal fungi and under cropping Nature abhors bare soil. Bare soil is constantly losing soil carbon and the fertility associated with it. A garden bed with a full canopy of plant growth is actively increasing the fertility and life of the soil that comprises it.
earthships: recycling at it's finest
On a vast expanse of the northern New Mexico desert, just outside of Taos, lies a housing development like no other. Actually, “development” isn’t quite the word to use here as it implies an inherent conquest of the planet. No, here at the Greater World Community the homes seem not to be “built” but rather to be coaxed out of the earth, comfort cultivated from clay soils. This is the desert where the “Earthship” was born.
Beyond organic and sustainable
“Regenerative” farming can feed the world – and maybe even reverse effects of climate change. My friend, I have some wonderful news for you. This is news of a new paradigm, of a cultural shift. For too long, the environmental movement has been focused on harm reduction.
Farmers and foodies unite
Calling all lovers and growers of “real” food: Meet Joel Salatin, Sally Fallon, Gary Paul Nabhan and others at the 2019 Utah Farm and Food Conference in Cedar City. The Utah Farm Conference is back for its third year, and the organizers are once again pushing the envelope by bringing in an all-star roster of speakers and presenters.
Dear James: An open letter to my next garden season's self
Hey there buddy, glad to see you’re still looking suave as hell, even when sweaty and dirty. I wanted to drop you a line to remind you of all those little things you somehow manage to forget every single season and end up making more work for yourself as a result. I also have some new ideas and insights to share that occurred to me a little too late to implement this year. Let’s begin at the beginning. Seeds.
Plant Sex Ed | Catalyst Magazine
What you should know before deciding to save your plant’s seeds for replanting Becoming more self reliant and resilient was one of the main reasons I began gardening almost 20 years ago. I am constantly searching for ways to wean from the machine. Consequently, I am a proponent of gardening strategies which allow me to be less dependent on purchased inputs. I get even more excited when I learn strategies that help me achieve more while working less.
Intelligent Design
Great planning and an eye to innovation reap garden bounty at Frog Bench Farms. I’m a permaculture enthusiast cursed with an English garden aesthetic. The duality doubles down once you factor in my love for gadgetry and technology. Often I find myself in the company individuals of one persuasion or another: barefoot raw vegan naturalists with no email addresses, or tech geeks growing lettuce under lights in shipping containers.
Keepin' It Wild | Catalyst Magazine
Playground East is an experiment in permaculture. Tucked away in the Highland Park neighborhood, “Playground East” clearly lives up to its name. The plot is indeed a playground for permaculture enthusiasts, a research station for them to further their land stewardship techniques in an urban setting.
Keeping Bees Healthy With Fungi
Science shows that fungi can boost the immune system of a hive. Fungi are the original source of our antibiotics, and are providing some of our most reliable current anti-viral research. Certain mushrooms are proving to be effective in combating a variety of cancers. What is of particular interest to me is the ability of some types of fungi to seriously boost our immune systems.
Every Gardener a Witch Doctor
Every good organic gardener I know is some kind of worm shit witch doctor. They weren’t born that way, but years of going steady with food-producing plants will do that to a person. We’ve all run through a forest or field at some point as children, picking random berries, bark, and pebbles to stir together in a pot in an effort to create mud magic.
Garden Like a Boss: Choosing Seeds
Imagine yourself curled up on the couch while winter still dominates the outdoors, salivating over visions of future vegetable grandeur leaping from the pages. “This is my year,” you proclaim, as selections are circled and seeds are ordered. But how often have you purchased seeds, whether from a catalogue or seed rack, only to find their performance underwhelming?
Build soil from now till spring!
The makings of deep mulch, sheet mulch and leaf mold Call me a dirt perv, but few things are sexier to me than luscious, rich, fertile garden soil. When it comes time to plant next spring, this beautiful,weed-free soil is where you’d like to start, yes? Embrace the cycles of the season, get on Momma Nature’s team, and be ready to win. As a permaculturist, my first mode of action is to observe natural cycles and mimic and enhance them to achieve my goals.
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