soil

Even gardens have a carbon footprint. Here’s how to reduce the climate impact of urban farming

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Urban gardening might seem fairly innocuous when it comes to its overall carbon footprint, but when compared to conventional agriculture, a study released earlier this year would suggest otherwise.  The study, published in January in the science journal Nature, found the carbon footprint of food from urban agriculture is six times greater than conventional agriculture. But there are … Read more

NASA pauses Mars sample return plan until a cheaper, faster one can be developed

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NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as costs ballooned. A recent independent review put the total cost at … Read more

Plant seeds with this household waste item – ‘don’t throw them away’

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“Don’t throw them away – use them as a planter for your garden,” Robinson said. He first packs the tube with dirt, pressing the ends so it stays inside. He only fills it halfway at first, then places the seed on top of the dirt. After adding the seed, he packs in the rest of … Read more

Move over, eclipse. A rare, double brood of lustful cicadas are about to take over the skies

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As It Happens6:37So long, solar eclipse. An even rarer phenomenon is about to take over the skies Floyd Shockley is planning a road trip to witness a rare natural event that will darken skies across much of the United States — a convergence not of celestial bodies, but of two massive broods of flying, screaming, lustful insects. … Read more

Quebec multinational GardaWorld hit by $30M heist at southern California storage facility

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Thieves got away with $30 million US in cash from a money storage facility in Los Angeles by breaking into the building on Easter Sunday and cracking the safe. Now, detectives are seeking to unravel the brazen cash heist, reportedly one of the largest on record in Los Angeles. Police Cmdr. Elaine Morales told The … Read more

North Bay, Ont., and DND move to remediate ‘forever chemicals’ site that contaminated drinking water

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The City of North Bay, Ont. and the Department of National Defence (DND) are set to begin a $20-million project this spring to remediate a site contaminated with perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — often referred to as “forever chemicals.” From the early 1970s to mid-1990s, DND conducted training exercises at the city’s Jack Garland Airport with aqueous film-forming foams that contain … Read more

How technology is helping grain farmers adapt to weather woes

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British Columbia grain farmer Malcolm Odermatt says all he can do is pray for rain this spring after repeated droughts sabotaged his harvest last year. Odermatt, who is also the president of the B.C. Grain Growers Association, has been working with his father since 2012 to farm about 2,000 acres of land in the Peace … Read more

These tiny worm-like creatures in the soil can destroy pests but they can also kill crops – an expert’s guide to nematodes

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Whether you’re a gardener growing food for your household, a small scale farmer or a commercial producer, soil matters. You cannot really tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy soil just by looking at it. But there are organisms in the soil – creatures you can’t see with your naked eye – which scientists use … Read more