Weather Report: Oil, Micro-Economics, Food & Limited-Space Gardening Info

OIL: Two pertinent articles at seeking alpha.com recently help us to put oil availability in a realistic perspective. The most recent first, “ Ominous for the Globe but Good News for Oil Bulls “ by Cam Hui . Mr. Hui notes in his article that Russia ( second largest oil producer in the world ? ) may use its oil as a weapon and that Saudi Arabia intends to leave some of it’s new oil discoveries “ untapped to preserve oil wealth … for future generations… “ thereby further restricting future oil availability for world markets. This article appeared 8/29/08.

The second article, “ PEMEX Expects Oil Depletion in Seven Years “ by Carlin Lee, was presented on 8/06/08. It noted that the U.S.’s third largest oil importer, Mexico, had informed the U.S. that “ Supplies of it’s economically exploitable resource was running out. “ A time line presented a depletion target date of about seven years.

MICRO ECONOMICS: msnbc.com on 8/26/08 in an article entitled “ Pinching pennies like your grandparents “ by Allison Linn, noted that a web site ( HillbillyHousewife.com) was presenting traditional recipes and money-saving food preparation tips in response to the economic hard times that many were currently experiencing around the country. The site recently saw traffic increase to about 300,000 unique hits per month by presenting … “ the type of serious. cost-saving home economics common a generation or two ago. “ in the face of skyrocketing increases in the cost of food staples.

The article went on to say that “ Many expect grocery prices to rise as global-demand increases and farmers and ranchers pass on higher costs for everything from chicken feed to fertilizer. “

FOOD: “ Food, Fuel and Water Crisis Converging “ headlines a brief article by Thalif Deen, IPS at energy bulletin.net (8/26/08). The 8/22/08 article speaks to a “tipping point “ reached “ because the scarcity of water poses a threat to the food supply just when the agricultural sector is stepping up production in response to riots over food prices, growing hunger, and rising malnutrition. “ in quoting Lars Thunell, the Executive VP of IFC ( a member of World Bank group).

Energybulletin.net, continuing on 8/26/08, posts another article referring to global fertilizer cost increases entitled “ Tackling the global fertilizer crisis” . This article, by Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury (American Chronicle) points out that the “ Worldwide fertilizer crisis is getting worse with no sign of dramatic resolution…or downward trend of the price of fertilizer.”

LIMITED-SPACE GARDENING INFO: Our great interest in limited-space gardening here at ’PrudentHome’ derives from the kind of information presented above and the observation that most of us in our country don’t have the benefit of a large plot of land to garden on. For a great many families, the need to have a productive garden far outstrips our resources ( not only in land but in skills, finances and time). The following information will hopefully help to bridge the gap.

We’re recommending here an excellent book on container gardening entitled “ The Bountiful Container “ by R.M. Nichols McGee & M. Stuckey, 2002, 431pp. @ our last listing for $ 16.95

The book covers “ vegetables, herbs, fruit and edible flowers, with information on what kinds of containers to use, soil mixes, plant combinations and recipes.” It should be noted that almost ANYTHING that can be grown in a traditional garden can be grown in a container garden

We want to note here also a very inexpensive packet of information on “ Limited Water Growing “. This 6 page packet contains information on water saving techniques in gardening for about $1.

Next week we’ll continue with our “ Weather Report” and some further suggestions on small-space gardening .

Until then, keep your eyes on the horizon.