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How to Ditch Google Voice (and Keep All the Best Features)


How to Ditch Google Voice (and Keep All the Best Features)SExpand

Google Voice is a service we've loved for a long time, but any Voice user that's honest with themselves knows the service has been a second-class citizen for a while now. If you're feeling like it's time to move on, here's how to ease the transition (and even keep most of your favorite features in the process). P

Phone-ify Your Computer for Considerably Improved At-Home Calls and Texts

You know what's absurd? When you're sitting at your computer, decide you want to text a…Read more

A Note on the Types of Google Voice Accounts P

"Google Voice" is a bit of an unclear term because there are actually two types of Google Voice accounts. Anyone can sign up for what's known as a "Lite" account. You can use Google Voice Lite as your voicemail service, which includes features like transcription and personalized greetings. If you only have this type of account, you probably don't need to leave. You can still skip ahead to the features section below to add some cool stuff to your phone. P

Full Google Voice accounts, on the other hand, require you to either create or port in a phone number. This allows you to forward calls to different phones, send SMS messages from your desktop or as data from your phone without counting towards your limit, and several other features. Unfortunately, this comes with some pretty crippling compatibility problems (chief among them, no MMS support). If you're in this group, you probably need to change your number or port out your Google Voice number to another line. P

How to Port Your Number Out of Google Voice P

How to Ditch Google Voice (and Keep All the Best Features)

Whether you ported an old number into Google Voice or you created one natively in the service, you'll need to port your number out to your current wireless carrier. Before you can however, you'll need to unlock it. Google has instructions on how to do that here. P

Once you've unlocked your Google Voice number, you can freely port it to your carrier. Your carrier will probably ask for an account number to use for the porting process. The account number is the same as your Google Voice number, so provide that that a second time. P

Depending on your carrier, you may need to wait a couple of days for the porting process to fully complete. During this time, you should still be able to use your Google Voice number like normal. Once the process is completed, if you so choose, you can set up Google Voice Lite on your account so you can continue using some of the features you're used to. P

A Note on Sprint: Sprint is the only US carrier that allows you to integrate your existing phone number into Google Voice without getting a second line. However, a very small number of people are even using this function. Because of this, some Sprint reps may not have a clear understanding of how Google Voice works. Be sure to triple check with anyone you call before committing to any changes. P

How to Keep Some of the Better Features P

As we stated earlier, voicemail transcription and personalized greetings are still available with Google Voice Lite, so you don't necessarily need to find new services to keep using these. However, texting and calling from the desktop, as well as call forwarding need some extra services. P

Get Desktop SMS with MightyText P

How to Ditch Google Voice (and Keep All the Best Features)

One of the best features of Google Voice was the ability to send and receive text messages from your computer. In its absence, MightyText can pick up the slack (and even do a whole lot more). The primary difference between MightyText and Google Voice is that the former uses a client installed on your phone to send and receive texts, so you'll still need your phone on and connected to the internet in order to work. P

Start by installing the MightyText Android app on your phone. The service will use your Google account to sync, so log in to your primary account. You can then use either the MightyText Web App, Chrome extension, or you can install the Android app on your tablet to text from any device. You can also send and receive MMS messages, access your contacts, or ring your phone if you've misplaced it. P

If you're on iOS, MightyText isn't available, but you can use TextFree from Pinger to send text messages from your computer, or use iMessage to communicate with other iOS users. P

Keep Calling From Your Desktop with Gmail or Skype P

Google gives Google Voice users the ability to place phone calls from your desktop that still appear to come from the same number. Fortunately, even if you leave Voice, you can still place phone calls directly inside Gmail. In the Hangouts sidebar, click the magnifying glass icon, click the phone icon, and search for the person you want to call. Click their name and a new window will open up with a Hangouts voice call ringing that person's phone. P

If you don't want to use Hangouts (or can't because you're outside the US), Skype offers the ability to place phone calls from your desktop, though it also charges for the privilege and requires you to use an assigned number, rather than your actual phone number. P

Get One-Number Call Forwarding with Skype P

How to Ditch Google Voice (and Keep All the Best Features)SExpand

One number for all your phones was by far the biggest promise Google Voice made and, so far, it's still hard to top Google's option in this area. However, it's certainly not the only game in town anymore. Skype allows you to create a phone number that you can use to receive Skype calls, as well as forward them to your mobile phone. Unfortunately, the service isn't free like Google Voice, but it is available in more countries and, since calling is Skype's primary service, it's less likely to disappear any time soon. P

Keep Your Voicemail with Google Voice, Or Use YouMail P

As we mentioned before, Google Voice still works as a voicemail provider. If you'd like to keep using that, you can. However, if you want to separate from Google entirely, YouMail provides similar functionality for voicemail users. The service provides visual voicemail, allows you to set custom greetings based on who's calling, and selectively block callers. P

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Lawn mower problems for a novice - Lawn Mowers Forum - GardenWeb


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Lawn mower problems for a novice

Posted by dmc22 Ohio (My Page) on
Mon, May 11, 09 at 14:44

I have 6.75 horsepower 21" rear discharge rotary lawn mower model number 917.388610. I have had it for 9 years now, and just recently when I start the mower it runs for about 25 seconds then shut off. I have checked the oil,gas,gas cap, and air filter, and everything's fine with the exception of a tiny bit more oil then the line but not by much.

Like I stated I am a novice when it comes to mowers, but I am hoping I can save a few bucks, instead of taking it somewhere to get it fixed.

Does anyone having any suggestions of what the problems might be??

Thanks


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

Sorry I forgot to give you the manufacturer Craftsman model 917.388610


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

A good place to start is to flush the fuel system and drop the bowl and give the carb a quick clean. Fresh fuel is a must. A carb issue is normally an up and run for a few seconds and die. Does it chug for the 25 seconds or just quit? If it just quits, there are other possibilities, maybe even a funky spark plug.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

Actually it starts and it's sounds like it's running normal for about 20-30 seconds then all of sudden just dies.

I took off the carburator and have cleaned the whole think inside and out with cleaner. I must ask though, how do you reattach the float, I can't get in to stay in place.

Thanks again


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

  • Posted by baymee LehighValleyPA (My Page) on
    Tue, May 12, 09 at 14:23

Usually they die long before 25 seconds.

If it uses a Tecumseh carb sticking out the left side of the engine, that could be the problem. They can be weird. The float sometimes hangs up, or it becomes vapor locked. Try gently banging the front wheels, using the handlebar, if you can get it started.

Sometimes the fuel just doesn't flow to the carb, especially if the tank was empty.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

Yep it is a tecumseh carb sticking out the left side of the engine.

I got the tecumseh carb kit replaced the gasket on the float, put the new float seat gasket in and reattached the carb all the lines etc.... started it and it ran for 5 minutes did 1/4 of the yard, then it stopped running and I haven't been able to restart.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

Looks like you need to clean the entire fuel system and know that the fuel from your supply can is clean and fresh. Hense flush the fuel system. Replacing the fuel line could have been a good thing too- whilst you were at the parts counter. Cleaning or even replacing a carb with out servicing the rest of the fuel system buys you about 5 minutes....


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

I'm sorry if I ask dumb questions, this is the 1st time I've ever worked on any type of a engine. How do I clean the entire fuel system?

I also heard you could buy a fuel system cleaner is that same.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

  • Posted by baymee LehighValleyPA (My Page) on
    Wed, May 13, 09 at 6:46

Use a turkey baster and remove most of the fuel from the tank and put it into a proper container. Then you can remove the fuel line at the carb connection and drain the rest of the gas into the container, all done with the engine cold and outdoors on a concrete pad. Thoroughly dry the inside of the tank with either compressed air or rags and remove any dust left behind. Hook the fuel line back up if you decide not to replace it. Put about a cup of fuel into the tank. Now loosen the bowl nut on the carb just enough until gas starts seeping out into a small container under the bowl. I like to use the bottom of an milk jug for that job. Drain out about 2 oz. of fuel and retighten the bowl nut. The mower should run. If it doesn't, you have to clean the inside of the carb, or maybe you can add something to the tank, such as Seafoam, available at NAPA and let that do it's work over a longer period of time.

Most problems like your are fixed this way, or by cleaning the main jet as I posted previously. Below.

From time to time the question is asked about why an engine will not run long, or smoothly, or will start with starting fluid and not continue to run. The problem is usually because of a blocked or constricted jet. The small ones are easy to miss.

Shown are 3 of the typical jets and the small holes. All 3 are Tecumseh jets. Briggs jets are similar with the center-bottom hole and one on the side. All these holes need to be fully clean and open for the engine to run correctly.

Some jets only have the center-bottom hole.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

Sorry been gone for a couple days, I did everything you said and it still won't start. Cleaned the jets holes and gas tank with air all the hose were replaced to no avail.

One thing I did notice today, is near the bottom of the oil stick there is a little bit a sludge, could be normal,oil reading is good. Muffler is old but, got to start a couple days before, just doesn't make sense to me.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

  • Posted by baymee LehighValleyPA (My Page) on
    Mon, May 18, 09 at 7:37

Use a small container to catch the gas and loosen the carb's bowl nut a turn or two. Let gas drip for about 30 seconds to affirm that you are getting gas from the tank and tighten the nut again. Then try to start it.


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RE: Lawn mower problems for a novice

So I took apart the carb again, and realised that when I replaced the float needle seat, originally I didn't see the original seat so I stuck the new one right on top.

I took them booth out just, put the new one in, cleaned everything while I was in there and it started. Did the whole back yard shut it off. Then it wouldn't restart, so I took the cap and air filter off put some stp gas treatment in then it started did the front and the back again to let the stp work itself in and now everything works fine (cross my finger in 2 weeks). But I shut if off 3 times and each time it started.

Thanks again everybody for the help you guys are awesome, saved me some cash I don't have at the moment.


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What really motivates us? (part 2)


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Re-growing Lettuce | Lessons in Farming


Lessons in Farming

A record of all the lessons learned along the way.

Re-growing Lettuce

If you have been on Pinterest lately you’ve seen pins about re-growing Romaine Lettuce.

It’s not a hard concept.  Stick the crown end in water after you’ve cut off all the lettuce.  I figured I ‘d give it a shot and I have to say, so far I have been amazed.  We’ll see what happens going forward.

 

Day 1

001

 

 

Day 2

001003

 

 

Day 4

002004

 

 

All I did was pop the lettuce into a jar of water.  Every other day I have rinsed off the crown and changed out the water.

PS: I do not recommend slicing a bit off the bottom when re-growing romaine.  It makes the lettuce grow slower.

 

Sliced Crown Day 2:

007

 

Sliced Crown Day 4

003

Have you ever tried re-growing a vegetable?

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252 thoughts on “Re-growing Lettuce"

  1. Ashley Austrew | April 1, 2013 at 09:40

    I hadn’t seen this yet. Mind=blown.

  2. Apparently you can also do this with scallions? But only if you just cut off the green tops, not the white part.

    • Yep, and as long as you rinse the roots often(I do them once a week) they will last through another 2-3 cuttings. After that they get spindly and I toss them into the stock starters.

    • You can use most of the white, too. I’ve tried this one. the hard part is finding something that doesn’t allow the onion to fall over in the water. My mom suggested putting them in a pot with dirt and just keep the dirt moist. That should work, since I’ve cut scallions already in the dirt and they do regrow.

      • Put rubber bands over top and around bottom. Will keep things in place.

      • I have a green onion that I stuck directly in the soil. It’s growing great! it has a nice size bulb and some greens popping up. I should harvest it but I’m to fascinated that it actually grew.

      • What if a person stuck toothpicks in the onions, like you do for Avocados to re-start a plant? You could use toothpicks in any of the veggies to keep in upright and they won’t fall or tip under the water level!

      • Use toothpicks on each side and put into a glass. I just read that you can do this with carrots, potatoes and onions. I might just try it.

      • Vmeakins, how do you grow the scallions? I always cut the roots off, before using them. Do you cut them within an inch from the roots, in order to grow them up again?

      • Use short skinny glass as in the kind that pimento cheese spread comes in as the scallions or green onions stand up in perfectly

      • Cover glass with plastic wrap and punch hole for the onion.

      • My lettuce wouldn’t stand up either until I put toothpicks in three places around the lower part. The lettuce is doing great now.

      • Regina McGlashen | January 27, 2014 at 15:49

        use a screen material and place over top of container, make holes large enough for stalks. you can hold the screen down on the outer edges with a rubber band or a string. this allows sunlight through and is easy for rinsing and replacing water.

      • How about stretching old pantyhose over the jar and poke a hole in the nylon for each onion.

      • I’ve planted my in the garden & they have spread & regrown for the past year

      • you could also try cutting an x in a square of spundge and placing the white end of the scallion in ot then submerging the spunge in water this will hold them up right and access to water

      • Toothpicks could work like when sprouting an avacado seed or pineapple top. It would beeasier and cleaner

        too

      • That does work, put the white part with the brown spindly ends into the soil and water, i have had this going for a few months, i just cut the green and it continues to grow. it is on my kitchen window sill. just remember to water it.

      • stick 4 toothpicks in the union and put it on top of a glass of water! works great!

      • Daniel Squires | March 14, 2014 at 05:29

        tooth pics stuck in the onion to support it above the water line will work, also works well with avocado pits, and most any vegetable.

      • How about in bud vases?

      • That would make sense, because, if you haven’t ever had a yard full of them, wild onions do exactly the same thing when you mow them down! :) Thanks for the tip! Very excited to give this a try with the lettuce, as it does get pricey in the grocery store at times. :) Science project here we come!! :)

      • use baby food jars

      • how about using florist tape across the top of jar like they do to make flower stem stand straight and apart.

    • Maybe I cut too much off. It has never worked for me. Also, I usually stick them in the soil quite soon — maybe too soon… [sigh]… Well this is encouraging me to try again.

      • they have to be organic for sure. otherwise they are gmo to prevent regrowth

      • Denise Borchert | January 31, 2014 at 02:57

        Are you trying to grow new life in city water that is chlorinated? I once tried sprouting alfafa seeds and they wouldn’t sprout until I changed to using well water (or botled purified water) to sprout them in

      • GMO was designed to enable glycophosphate to be used in fields to control weeds, not to prevent regrowth. The chemical stays within the plant grown and is ingested by us making this very dangerous. The more chemical free we can be the safer we will be. Try using distilled water instead of water with chlorine. Garden Cynde

      • I saw a couple mentions of using purified water here instead of tap water. Harvesting rain water is super easy, effective and free as well. Just a matter of leaving out a container when it rains.

    • I’ve cut my green onions/scallions down to a half inch and regrown them. :)

    • The white part is the root so you would not want to cut that off..I did this last year and I found that I had to stick them into a gravel base (like the aquarium kind, that small) to make them stand up and not rot. and keep it wet. I also had to rinse them nearly every day because it got kinda funky. There is probably a better way to do it….

    • Hi…I regrow scallions all the time….growing now…as long as you plant the root part it will grow….have them in a small planter in my front window….

    • I used scallions and celery last summer…. they both did well.

    • Chef Tor Sporre’ says: cut the scallion off 1/2 inch above the base, not including roots. Plant outside preferably and harvest the part you need, white part too. Llike chives it will grow forever. AND survives the winter in our CT zone 6.

    • I have grown chives and grren onions every year. I live in the mountains and just leave them out side. When winter hits the chives die out like the onions BUT COME BACK IN THE SPRING WITH WATER.

      THEY ARE IN THE DIRT

    • I put scallions right into the soil. it works great. I clip each time I need some and they just keep growing. love the lettuce. will do that next.

  3. I tried this with celery, but the cats kept drinking all the water out. Didn’t work so well. :-(

    • Darn cats! Mine like to chew the leaves so I have to chase them off the counter all day and protect the plants with the window blinds each night!

      • I heard that if you clean your counters with vinegar the cats will stay away from anything on it.

      • put pieces of aluminum foil on the counters the cats step on that and they don’t like they will jump right off ..dont lay it just flat kinda make it wrinkled a little

      • Mine don’t bother my basil plant but does chew on flowers in a vase, that vinegar idea sounds good!

      • My cat usted to jump up on counter for anything he could find. I don’t like cays on the counter so I set a couple of mouse traps on counter. One encounter with the mouse trap and no more cat on counter. Won’t hurt the cat just scare the hell out of him.

    • I keep several celery going and when they get up so high I make another pot of potato soup!

    • Hahahaa, cats can be so crazy sometimes! I have a nutty cat too! :D

    • Try growing wheat grass for your cat. My cat kept eating my chives (throwing it up later) I bought pet grass for him. He doesn’t eat my chives now. :)

      • Cats don’t like vinegar so maybe spray the jars? Or something. Good luck. I want to do this soon.

      • Try not to let your cats eat anything onion/chive/garlic related. From what I’ve seen and read, that family of veggies are toxic/lethal to cats

      • Jackie, buy wheat grass at the grocery store. Its the same as “cat grass" from the pet store but much more economical….

      • I think Chives might be in the onion family and that is bad for cats. Onions can make them really sick.

    • haha that sounds like what would happen if I did it

    • Nothing I mean NOTHING is going to keep a cat off someplace it wants to go.

    • Teresa – please ignore the advice about mouse traps; those are a recipe for crushed toes, and nobody should be suggesting it unless they plan on paying to have your cat’s mangled paws surgically repaired or pay to have the limb amputated!!!

      I have multiple cats, and they have been known to jump on the counter. You can get a motion-sensor device at a pet store that attaches straight to a can of air (after taking off the top to expose the tube) and it sprays a harmless loud SSSSHHHHH at them when it sees movement. It scares the heck out of them, and nobody has the chance of getting harmed.

  4. I never heard of this! Amazing!

    • ladys vegs does not hurt your cats or dogs i take and give my animals a mixer i make weekly

      i take chix livers jiffy cornbread mix Onion power garlic power 2 eggs and cheese and mix all in my blender and pour it up in a baking dish and bake for 35 minutes when it ids done i slice up in strips and small peaces and but in snack bags and freeze till i need them i take out a couple of bags mic. for 30 seconds and that is my snacks for my babies they love it and keeps fleas off of them because of the garlic fleas don’t like the glaric that comes out of their pores so no vegs are not harmful ;like the vets say they just won’t you to buy their food and snakes

      • Raw onions in quantity can poison dogs. Fleas don’t care one way or the other about garlic, they will feed on an animal reeking of garlic. Take it from a vet tech who’s seen way too many animals “treated" with garlic who need real flea preventative. Save your pets the torment and spring for something that actually works.

      • as a veterinarian I will back up what daclifford said, and also add that garlic can poison your dog as well, the eggs and chicken livers are excellent sources of proteins/vitamins, the jiffy cornbread mix is eh, and I would avoid the onion and garlic powders you mentioned at all cost.

      • Pets and Onions

        Each Layer Can Poison Your Pets

        Onions

        Many people love onions, and there are plenty of foods that we enjoy that contain them. As always, we must remember that what is great and tasty for us can be extremely harmful for our pets.

        Onions contain an ingredient called thiosulphate which is toxic to cats and dogs. The ingestion of onions causes a condition called hemolytic anemia, which is characterized by damage to the red blood cells. Onion toxicity can cause the red blood cells circulating through your pet’s body to burst.

      • I have heard the garlic does help w fleas and I use to chop it into their soft food, they r still around but that was a tough yr for fleas, garlic and brewers yeast didn’t help! Although switching away from “frontline" to “advantax" worked! I think the fleas have gotten resistant to frontline!

      • Velma Griffith | March 29, 2014 at 20:14

        Onions will kill dogs. They can’t digest them. The powders might be okay,because they will mix with the other veggies. My vet told me never give a dog onion, garlic, chives and that sort of veggie.

  5. I saw something similar with pineapple on pinterest.

    • We’ve tried that! We can get the plant to regrow, but we could never get it to grow fruit.

      • I understand it take about 20 months for the pineapple to fruit. Don’t know if I’m that patient. But it has nice foliage.

      • I have done this with pineapple a few times. It makes a nice plant but I have never gotten fruit from it.

      • Just FYI, pineapple foliage is poisonous to cats. I tried to grow one years ago and it nearly put my cat in a coma.

      • the regrown pineapple will never fruit. They are regrown as house plants

      • I planted a pineapple top – loved and cared for the beautiful plant for 5 years and she finally grew a baby pineapple. The baby took 6 months to mature. It was a very small fruit, but a fruit none-the-less.

      • It takes 16-24 months for pineapples to produce fruit and if you get cooler temps you most likely won’t get fruit at all.

      • Amanda pineapples take at least 2 yrs to produce fruit. I have been growing them for yrs just be patient

      • We cut off the tops of the pineapples and plant them in soil. Takes a little while to ‘mature enough – but eventually they will grow a pineapple and thereafter will grow a new pineapple every 2 years. (We live in Florida – so we

        put them directly in the yard – but I suppose they could be grown in tubs.)

      • Be patient…. It takes a pineapple plant about three years to produce one fruit. I have heard the process can be sped up some, byt grinding up about 1/2 of an aspirin tablet in 1/2 cup of water & pour the solution into the center of a 2-year-old pineapple plant.

      • With a pineapple, you can’t cut the top off. You have to twist it off, so the root buds stay intact. This is the only way the new plant will produce fruit. Also it’s time consuming. Don’t expect to see fruit from this type of planting until at least the fourth year. The first couple years, it will just be a plant. Then the next couple years, you will get red or blue blooms, then the fruit will produce.

      • It takes a long time for pineapple’s to grow.

      • It only produces fruit once in 3 years. But left alone to grow with regular care, it will produce.

      • it takes two years for the fruit to grow….good luck

      • Take it from someone that grew up in Florida. It will take 2 years to grow your first pineapple… it works just hang in there.

      • Pineapple will regrow it takes 3 years for it to bear fruit. We had a plant in our backyard when we lived in Florida and the plant when we moved in had a pineapple on it we read up and replanted the top and wen we moved 3 years later our plant that we replanted had 3 pineapples on it and we ended up giving the plant to a friend as it was to large to move with us. There are some tips and tricks to trick the pineapple plant to produce sooner but have not had the time to try them yet.

      • It takes a long time to regrow pineapples…took me two years.

      • I’ve had good luck with the pineapple tops. We planted a top & quite a while later had a delicious pineapple & the mother put out pups.

      • it takes a full year for a pineapple to grow.

    • We have replanted our pineapples for years. They do take two years to produce a pineapple. After you cut that one, one or two more will grow (at the same time), then that is it. The plant will no longer produce fruit. So we pull that one out and plant another. We have several fifth and sixth generation plants. The best pineapple you will ever taste! Just be careful because the rabbits know when they are almost ripe and we have lost several.

    • Pineapples do well, i have done them and at this time have 2 going, the fruit is not quite as large, but just as sweet and yummy. Just stick them in the ground, no need to put the tops in water, yes the tops. Makes a beautiful plant while waiting for the fruit,i put mine out under a tree that gets semi hot sun.

  6. Do you need to add anything to the water to receive nutrition (vitamins,minerals etc?)

  7. It wouldn’t hurt to put a pinch of Miracle Grow in the water. I have gotten fresh basil that has roots and all, and planted it, that grows well. Potatoes would be really slow to get more, but the vines are neat.

    • Nooooooooooooooo! Miracle Grow is NOT an organic fertilizer!

      • Anwen, what do you suggest?

      • Suzy, you can create your own fertilizer using many household items, like spent eggshells, old hair, vaccuum bag dust and coffee grounds. The best way is to mulch your used food items and mix it into the soil. The drawback is that mulching can be stinky and takes time. For a price there are mulching containers available at local hardware stores.

    • The whole purpose of growing veggies yourself is to stay away from GMO and poison. So why would you want to put Miracle Grow in it?

      • The whole purpose of growing veggies yourself, for some people, is to not have to constantly buy them. Not everyone is concerned about fertilizers.

      • Uh, the -whole- purpose? That might be a common purpose, but I would do this because vegetables are expensive despite being an absolute necessity for any sort of healthy diet. It’s difficult to afford a vegetable based diet, and this is a way to significantly cut that cost. Most of us can’t afford to use our dollar vote for non-GMO and organic products, unfortunately. It’s not like we could afford miracle grow, either, though.

      • or because you want to grow your own…

    • Use spirulina.

  8. I have done this with celery and I now have cabbage rooted in water. After a week I have cabbage leaves. I am going to try planting it soon and see what happens.

    • I did this last year,ended up with two nice solid heads of cabbage by the end of summer. Tried Broccoli this year—started out good but then rotted..will try again.

  9. Is a certain temperature range required or a certain amount of daylight per day, I live in an apartment?

  10. you can do this with avacado seeds also you put toothpics around the seed to keep it from falling in the glass of water if you dont get fruit you will have an amazing plant

    • My understanding is that there are male and female avocado plants and that they need to be in the vicinity of each other to produce fruit.

      • I read an article where most avocado plants grown this way produce no fruit, that they have to be grafted. They said it was best to just buy a grafted plant for $10 bucks. The one I started is too small and if it never gives avocados, I’ll know why.

        I may start sever just to see if the mail female thing is an issue but I do plan on buying a couple of grafted ones too.

      • Miguel A. Gonzalez | January 27, 2014 at 21:21

        My dad has a single avocado tree… no others in the vicinity… produces lots of fruits yearly. But, as some have mentioned, grafting is necessary to get fruits from a young tree. When grown straight from seeds, they take years to fruit. Can take anywhere from 5 to 10 years before you see a fruit produced. Same goes for many other tropical fruits like mangoes and others. They need to be grafted with a fruit bearing mature tree for it to fruit.

    • The man next to me has planted both avocados and mangos from the seeds (pits) The mango produces great fruit still but the avocado is now slowed down its production of fruit because of the age.of the tree. These trees are about 20 feet high. He also planted a pineapple and it did grow fruit but took a long long time. He died about 5 years ago but was really proud of his accomplishments in his trees.

      • I now have about 6 young (2-3 years) grown from seeds, and 2 older trees. Trees grown from seed require about 6 years to produce fruit. The fruit is not always identical to the seed used to grow them. (i.e. Haas seeds may produce fruit that is somewhere inbetween Haas and other, larger, avocados). Some trees produce every other year. My 2 older trees, now 8-10 years old, are over 40′ tall and this year produced about 100+ excellent avocados. They produced about half of that two years ago but very little last year. The amount & size of fruit also depends on fertilization and watering. If you use grafts your tree will produce sooner, and the fruit will be identical to the parent tree. My trees grow in SW Florida.

        I grow most vegetables by simply cutting off the root end (even if just a stub, like most vegetables purchased in stores) and sticking it in good soil. This includes lettuce, onions, spring onions, carrots, celery, etc. I also have 3 pineapples grown simply sticking the tops of store bought fruit in soil. They take several years to produce a pineapple. I grow orange, grapefruit and other fruit trees from seeds saved from purchased or grown fruit, and most other trees from cuttings. Most herbs can be grown from cuttings using water or soil..

    • We started an avocado tree from a seed, this way. I think it took 7 years to get the first avocado fruit. Fall, 2013, was the first year the tree bore fruit. Of course unknown soil condition may also have been an issue.

    • I’ve tried so many times to grow avacado…. Never works for me :/

  11. I have re grown pineapple and did get it to give fruit… the pineapple was very small compared to those you purchase in the store but it was very sweet. It does take approx 2 to 3 years to produce

  12. Works great with Leeks too!

  13. I out the cut out sprouts off of my potatoes and put them in my garden. At the md of summer when I was cleaning out the garden I found 5 potatoes. It was so cool!!!

    • Growing up, we had a huge potato field. We would harvest enough to fill a 12 ft x 12 ft bin that could get 2-4 feet high. We ate off of them all winter long (every night for dinner was a potato dish), plus we canned up the new baby potatoes. By early spring, there were more than enough potatoes sprouting to replant. We cut the potatoes into pieces, leavening plenty of flesh around each eye/sprout. These are called potato seeds. Potatoes like a well drained, sandy-blend, fertile soil. I have heard/seen potatoes grown in bales of hay, totes filled with soil, and many other options. They are cheap enough, experiment away!

      • Growing vegetables in hay can produce lots of weeds and mice infestation. Straw is a much better alternative. Make sure though to follow the directions and use a heavy nitrogen fertilizer and water it to allow the straw to heat up before planting. Garden Cynde

  14. Pineapple can grow a smaller pineapple. I grew one many years ago as my science fair project. It isn’t anything that can be done fast but it can happen. I have one that I started this past summer, I can’t wait for it to warm up so I can set it back out in the sun. :)

  15. So totally going to try many of this suggestions! Thank you for posting this.

  16. oh me too!! I’m concerned about the amount of sun these veggies need to re-sprout.. any suggestions?

    does it have to be full sun in the window, or just in a window that gets good daylight??

    • Most sun loving plants….(almost all vegitables and fruit are sun loving) NEED 6-8 Hours of Direct Sunlight :-)

    • I am so excited about the possibilities here! We have a mason jar with green onions in them in a northern facing window and the grow really well and their taste is mu stronger that store bought, Can wait to try the other ideas. Just Brilliant!

      Thank you for sharing this!

  17. GROWING GARLIC RIGHT NOW, AND TRYING ONIONS TOO

  18. someone wrote it works with ginger too, does anyone have experience?

    • I didn’t use my ginger and it started to sprout. I planted it in soil in a clay pot on my front porch and it’s growing leaves. I did the same thing with fresh turmeric root. I haven’t attempted to harvest the roots yet. I live in a year round mild climate.

    • I grow ginger regularly; live in coastal BC so it’s indoor except short part of summer. Small, but potent roots and tasty leaves – worthwhile!

  19. I’ve done it with green onions but that’s all.

  20. This is awesome!! I’ve saved the seeds from favorite flowers, then planted them in the Spring, never having to buy new seeds. My Grama was raised on a farm, growing everything from scratch, and as I remember, she always had plant cuttings started in jars on all the window sills. Can you imagine how pure the food would be with no additives like in stores today?

  21. can you regrow spouts. ( like alfalfa sprouts )

    • You can grow all kinds of sprouts in a jar. I got my seeds at a health food store but I would think a store like Whole Foods would carry them and you could find the instructions on line.

    • I grow sprouts all the time from dried lentils. Soak them overnight. In the morning, wash them off and cover them lightly with see-through plastic (I use a Chinese takeout container that comes with lid and don’t close it completely). Rinse once a day (you want them to stay moist) and recover them, and in about 5 days, you have sprouts for salads and sandwiches. You can soak them for a bit when they’re done to help separate the shells out. Let them dry and store in the refrigerator.

  22. Does this have to continue in water, or can you replant in potting soil? Can it grow indoors during the winter?

    • I’ve put my stuff in soil after it grew a little in the water. That way out gets the nutrition it needs :) I just put them in the window in the window and move them somewhere warm when it gets really cold.

  23. google growing sprouts as I have seen it somewhere … using a jar and wet paper toweling, I believe

  24. Has anyone ever tried to harvest broccoli ?

    • Broccoli will regrow smaller heads after the original heads are cut off. I grow them outdoors in the fall and winter in Florida.

  25. Take a stalk of lemon grass.. put in water until it roots about an inch of water in a vase will do.. change water weekly. roots will grow .. then plant outside.. you will have a bush in a month or two.. harvest the stalks before the frost..

  26. You can grow just about anything like this. If you have something you use the cut leaves of, like herbs you can cut a small section off with about 3 or 4 leaves. Very carefully use a razor blade to scrape off the green from one side of the stem, revealing the white pith inside. Do not remove or touch the pith. This works best if you dip the cut in an organic root starter. Let it sit for a few minutes while you fill your small jar. You can kep them from falling over by making a tight grid over the jar with duct tape or rubber bands. Or cut a ice of foam to fit into the top. Cut a tiny hole in the center of the foam and 1 cut from center to outer edge. Insert sprig by opening the split and sliding the stem into the little hole. Inset the foam and stem into the top of the jar.

    Aso, all methods work best if the jar is painted or covered to recreate the darkness of soil. You can paint with different dark colors to make a pretty arrangement. Be sure to change the water every 2 days or so. If you want to fertilize use organics. No fertilization until roots are well set. Use 1/2 the amount because there is no soil to take any up.

    • When I put them in the jar, do I want the bottom to be far above the water line, just barely in the water? Im simple minded.

  27. When I use green onions I leave the white part with the roots and a about on inch of the green part, put in a pot of soil and there you go, Green onions when you need them. I always have green onions for my recipes.

  28. Im growing a pineapple like that and its doing good.

  29. I’ve tossed the seeds from bell pepper in soil and they’ve grown and produced

  30. IF you have a craving for pineapple, the same thing works for pineapple.

    It’s exactly how the plantations re-grow their fields in Hawaii.

    They use the same plant for about 4 or 5 seasons (harvests), then replant the fields with the crowns of the last harvest.

    The new fruit grows out of the top of the pineapple. So, each time one fruits, cut off the crown of the fruit, and plant that one. The sweetest harvest is normally the third or fourth harvest – or so I’ve heard.

    * * *

    In commercial farming, flowering can be induced artificially, and the early harvesting of the main fruit can encourage the development of a second crop of smaller fruits. Once removed during cleaning, the top of the pineapple can be planted in soil and a new plant will grow. Slips and suckers are planted commercially. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineapple ]

  31. I am living in Northern Ontario and it is cold up here. I have recently heard about doing this with a green onion and put 3 end cuttings into a glass jar under a week ago. I’ve changed the water every couple of days and the roots are really growing as well as a bit of green growth coming up from the bulb end. My window gets a morning sun and a draft. I keep the kitchen around 15′C at night and 18′C in the daytime, so it is not like a hothouse at all.

    I had purchased some pots to plant herbs in last fall and was not able to buy any seeds as it was too late in the season. I am very interested though in growing basil, parsley and a few other things in my kitchen come May (once our snow is melting). Any suggestions? i HAD been interested in doing cherry or grape tomatoes and some other food in a large planter inside my dining room (full window to almost the floor), but read that the soil needs to be acidic for the tomatoes and I have no idea what would grow well with it, unless perhaps a flower of some sort?

    Is anyone experienced with doing this at all? If so suggestions are more than welcome as we get our groceries shipped up and they are not fresh by the time they arrive, not to mention the cost added to the items for the shipping is out-pricing my desire to purchase fresh produce if possible!

    • Suzanne Monge-Kosic | January 24, 2014 at 10:02

      There are many sites which will instruct you as to how to grow indoors. Just plug in your question in your search bar and see what “grows" for you to read!

      • Do you have any idea how many times you can re-grow the same plant? What I mean is can you use up the romaine, do the jar and water trick to re-grow, put it back in your fridge, use it all up again, and do the jar and water trick again? Or is it more of a one time thing?

    • I am in Ontario (more southern), and have garlic greens and green onions in a pot of soil in my kitchen. I cut the greens every two days. I have the best luck with herbs if I go them in a pot all summer and then bring it in the same pot. I have trouble getting enough light indoors to grow basil without it getting leggy.

  32. Do you have to plant every starter in soil? I just leave my green onions in water all of the time. We used to put them in soil but it go too hot so we brought them in in water and they are great.

    Would Broccoli work too? That’d be exciting. If you can grow indoors you can get everything all year round!

  33. Can you do this with Iceberg lettuce?

    • Just why would you ever use Iceberg Lettuce, There are no nutrients in that.

    • Iceberg Lettuce has very few nutrients. The easiest lettuce to grow would probably be romaine or any of the loose leaf lettuces. In the south we refer to the loose leaf lettuces as “cut and come again lettuces".

    • Katie, I’m not going to judge you for liking iceberg. It tastes good and is full of water, which your body needs. I am not going to question someone why they drink water when there is no nutrients in it. Water is good for you if you get it through food or drinking it.

      • exactly! Iceberg lettuce is better than no lettuce at all :)

      • But there are nutrients in iceberg, just not as many as in other varieties! Plus if you like the taste and it’s not junk, why not? On my sandwiches, I prefer iceberg, but in salad, I like other varieties. And water is always good for you!

  34. Suzanne Monge-Kosic | January 24, 2014 at 09:58

    This past summer I planted mango seeds directly into the earth. I now have 5 2.5 foot trees!!! I live in Savannah, Ga and have fruit trees in the area, so I’m hoping the will give fruit in around 5 years until then I will continue to watch the beautiful tree grow.

  35. The nice part about growing this way witch I do all winter long in Ontario is get your kids involved. If you have multi kids place their names on their container and you can really get the excitement going. Also if you have a hard time getting your kids to eat veggies then you can grow COLORED veggies. All you need to do is place a few drops of food dye or natural coloring like beet juice to your carrots and get a really purple carrot/potato ect. for green use parsley juice and so on.

  36. I planted some seeds the other day, and, viola!!!! They are growing into plants that I expect to able to eat….

  37. While I was living in Florida I did plant and grow pineapples. The do take about 2-3 years to grow a fruit. It was small but very sweet. I was advised to plant more than one for better results. I will tell you they take up alot of room. Can’t wait to try the celery.

  38. Reblogged this on Pop-Up Diners and commented:

    Lettuce re-grows from water

  39. But u r using bottled or reverse osmosis water tho right? In order for it to be organic u can’t use tap water right? You rinse it every day but do u also. Change the water in the jar everyday as well? I definetly want to try this!!!!

  40. Giving this a try right now!

  41. Reblogged this on mahnamahnaddddd and commented:

    Just for the onions and lettuce this is going to be great!

  42. Does it need to be suspended vs. sitting on the bottom of the jar or vessel?

  43. my lettuce was growing beautifully…nice and tall…then it started to rot from the inside out :-(

    I changed the water everyday…anything else I can do?

    The lettuce tasted a little bitter.

    The celery was also growing nicely then it went limp :-(

    I’m not having good luck!

  44. Charlene LaVine | January 25, 2014 at 15:31

    I have grown sweet potatoes just for fun but right now I have green onions growing. I cut the bottom of a pop bottle off to start them in. It has little pockets to hold the bulbs in. Them moved them to a used plastic container so they can stand up.

  45. sweet potatoes is way to

  46. Danya Montesinos | January 25, 2014 at 22:01

    I bought a bunch of mint. I was trying to keep it as fresh as possible so I put it on a jar with water and now it has roots and neww sprouts. So now I’m growing or at least attempting to grow anything I can possibly can. ^-^

  47. Leave the mint in a container or else it will spread like wildfire and take over. I am still pulling up lemon mint in my herb garden from 4 years ago!

    • Same here

      , we have spearmint it smells so good. Roots like burmuta grass.

    • The trick to planting a spreading plant like mint… take something like a metal wash tub- anything you can knock out the bottom of and literally bury it in the ground. it will contain the Mint, lemon balm, catnip, spearmint etc, but allow it to grow. And sure to harvest it all in the fall and dry it.. great tea…and weed it out rip tons out in the spring or fall, and give it away to anyone who wants it. :)

  48. so does the lettuce actually root and produce a whole new plant, or does it just send up a few more leaves and then that’s it?

    • as an added post – I planted the remaining stalk of romaine and iceberg lettuce, and about 4 days after putting in water they’re both sending up new growth like little champs (just tap water, no special filtered water or add-ins)

  49. Hat dies auf Good Food for us rebloggt und kommentierte:

    Salat, Basilikum, Möhren, Ingwer… undandere kann man wieder wachsen lassen- wundersame Vermehrung der “Abfälle " aus der Küche

  50. You can with turnips too

  51. I have tried the celery and yes it did work I think I could have replanted outside when it gets to be 4inches the stock seemed to be weaker so I cutting and lett it regrow can’t wait to try what the others have done

  52. how much sun does/do these veggies need?

  53. this is too cool.

  54. For fertilizer I use dried milk, sugar, and ground up minerals. It makes the plants very strong and healthy.

  55. Can’t wait to try all the god ideas

  56. I may be missing something here, but don’t plants need more than just plain water to grow? I know these will all START to grow! I’ve been doing that sort of thing since Kindergarten (1962).

    But what does rinsing accomplish? And how do you deal with the fact that tap water is full of chlorine, etc?

  57. I have grown pineapple by cutting off the top and placing it in wet sand until it starts to look like it is growing and then transplant into dirt.

  58. Did this with green onions and they are still growing outside, and survived the winter.

  59. Do you know how to do the ginger?? I haven’t tried that and am dying to. Ginger is so good at settling my stomach.

  60. Amazing post, love it. Thank you for posting!

  61. Amazing. Saw this on an an FB share and came to look. What about fertilizer? I am guessing you are going to need some kind of nutrition for the lettuce? Liquid food?

  62. I have regrown spring onions, celery, ginger, among other vegetables. Except for the spring onions, I cut a small slice off at the bottom of the root, and watch them grow!!! never thought of using the small wide mouth cannin jars though, GREAT insight.

  63. Pingback: Kitchen Gardening for the Busy Parent | Imagining Ima

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  65. Really great indeed! May I ask, where did you buy the little jars? I have a lot of them but not as beautiful as the one you use. Thanks in advance!

  66. Pingback: Hyroot's Magical Light Show w/ Natural Recycled Veganic Living Soil - Page 7

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  68. Mary Helen Northam | February 15, 2014 at 13:25

    Cool

  69. Do I plant my lettuce in dirt or should I keep letting it grow in water? It’s getting some nice new roots.

  70. Pingback: Growing Your Own Groceries | My Health Blog

  71. Green Onions

  72. Pingback: Not Before My Morning Irish Coffee: 3/17/14 | The Universal Spectator

  73. Thanks. I’m totally going to try this!

  74. Reblogged this on kriyaLiving and commented:

    This is pretty cool.

  75. I’ve been re-growing iceberg lettuce from the core. I want to cut it, but I’m too amazed that it grew. Every time my grown daughter walks by it, she says: “That’s crazy." Love it.

  76. Why not try never have. Give it a shot!

  77. Nice blog! The rabbits came and ate some of my lettuce. I had four plants growing in a rectangular pot outside. They been growing all year, but anyway, after the rabbit came and left one uprooted, I put it in a glass container for looks and it is so healthy. I’m going to try this out! Also, I’d like to try this with ginger.

  78. Could I ever save some money doing this with Romaine!!!! My diet requires a lot of this type of stuff and am I ever going to give it a try. It is expensive and usually browns within two days (at least some of the leaves) and becomes a soggy mess soon after that. When I buy it, I’ve got to concentrate on that package for meal after meal until it is gone in order to get my money’s worth (HA). I’ll be going to the vegetable stand I have near me today and finding proper vessels for a bunch of it. I may never have to actually buy the stuff for a long time. TANKS!!!!

  79. Regrowing is the best thing ever! I do it with my green onions and my husband and I have been impressed how fast they grow! Thank goodness you can freeze green onions!

  80. Deb Hudson Sullivan | March 25, 2014 at 15:54

    Did this with both red and green swiss chard about 2 weeks ago. My green chard has only grown about an inch and the red swiss chard is now about 3 inches. I water as needed and change all water once a week. Am going to try more things now that I know it works. I have a perfect window that gets sun more than half the day.

  81. this is a very inciteful site , gonna try these methods this spring wil let u know how I do!

  82. I’ve tried to do this about a hundred times over the last 5 years, and the celery always starts off really well, grows about 3 inches and then the whole thing gets moldy and dies. I don’t know what to do. I change the water almost every day and keep it in the sun. Got any ideas?

  83. Yes, but think for a second. Where will the healthy nutrients come from? Water? The soil contains the minerals that make vegetables healthy.

  84. I have been doing this for years, with pineapple and beets of all colours and just cut the top and stick it in the ground…It is as easy as that provided the doggies don’t dig them up!!!

  85. This is so awesome! After I read this I tried it that night! It really works. In two days u could c growth! Amazing!!!! Thanks for sharing

  86. how do you do this with ginger?

  87. Saying this is cool is an understatement. I’ve thought about starting my own indoor garden in my small home http://awesometinyhouses.com and this is the perfect solution of function and design.

  88. I didn’t read all the comments so somebody probably already said this but you can grow pineapple heads i moist soil. I think they make beautiful ornamentals.

  89. This is brilliant i grow wheatgrass for my fiance juatdid my first harvest after 10 days and put it in juicer.. I got a glass worth but it tasted delicious and it helps his liver problems! I had some too and am pregnant 5 minutes later my tummy looks like ufo is jumping on a trampoline in my tummy. Am gona try the onions then

  90. Reblogged this on Jasmine Sumayyah Washington and commented:

    This is totally awesome and very practical. I absolutely HATE to waste food. My grandma grew up on a farm and her favorite saying was, “We ate everything on the pig but the oink." haha People need to learn maximize usage of all goods and materials. And, minimize waste. We all should focus more on preservation and recycling as well. Global sustainability and practicalities. It may seem “obnoxious" to go to so much trouble over leftover lettuce but it’s really quite ingenious. These are the types of activities we should be integrating into our public school curriculum. If nothing, at least students will have learned a cool agricultural science lesson. Bottom line, so many people across the globe are starving and our ecosystem is collapsing. Learn to truly appreciate what you have and also, appreciate the bigger picture.

  91. This is awesome! I just started mine last night and I can’t wait! I did pretty much the same thing with sweet potatoes last year, plucked of the sprouts and put those in water for a few days and planted them in the garden voila! sweet potatoes! I love it!

  92. I grew romain lettuce inside last year untill it was warm enough to plant it outside in my garden. It grew all summer. I also grew celery and kale which lasted all the way up till Oct planted in my garden. Also turnip greens. All were bought at the grocery store and put in water in my kitchen then planted outside in dirt.

  93. Pingback: Regrowing Vegetables With a Little Magic & Patience | Tania Marie's Blog

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  95. Brenda Fiedler | April 25, 2014 at 02:26

    Just planted my romaine lettuce in soil. It has roots about an inch long. Hoping for some nice lettuce this summer.

  96. I was researching my own blog post and found you on Pinterest. I do this with green onions but my eyes are open now to all of the other foods that can re-grow themselves quote easily in my windowsill or garden! Great post:)

  97. Pingback: Easily Re-Grow Your Organic Food Scraps | bloomlisa

  98. I planted ginger into the ground and it just grew. It does not matter the size, use what you have. It does multiply. To have a larger grouping and prettier stand you would need to break up or use a hand size ginger from the store. It roots and sends up shoot in a few weeks, if I remember correctly.

  99. I used toothpicks with parsnip and carrots, no probem.

  100. Tried it for the first time with celery an just set it in a bowl of water an in 1 week it was growing great so planted it in soil then an now just wait.

  101. Dis is amazing

  102. Pingback: Interesting Re-Grow Opportunity! | nancykarsh.com

  103. Im so going to try this!

  104. Got to try this with all kinds of veggies and herbs!!

  105. You can place root veggies like scallions, carrot scrap, potato on to a plate just make sure there’s water on plate. Roots will grow!! So will veggie

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Build a Bug Out Kindle: A Digital Survival Library at Your Fingertips

bug-out-kindle-pack

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Creek Stewart, Senior Instructor at the Willow Haven Outdoor School for Survival, Preparedness & Bushcraft.

A “bug out situation" is the phrase used to describe a survival scenario which makes staying at home more dangerous than leaving. Disasters — natural and manmade — happen to regular people on a regular basis, driving them from their homes in search of a safer destination. Oftentimes, evacuees are forced to survive with their wits and the survival supplies they can carry on their back. You may have read my article here — How to Make a Bug Out Bag — or my book which that article inspired titled Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag. If so, you already have a head-start in building your own personal 72-hour disaster kit to help you and your family survive a potential bug out evacuation. This article is written with that same conviction — to help further prepare you for when the unthinkable knocks at your front door.

Here’s the good news: survival knowledge weighs nothing.

This is true for those who practice and study survival and preparedness skills on a regular basis. But for those who don’t, access to that survival knowledge only has to weigh about 1 pound – the weight of an Amazon Kindle. I’m not at all suggesting that the practice and study of survival skills should or can be replaced by ebooks. However, an entire survival library of information at your fingertips just may be the one survival tool in your Bug Out Bag that saves your life.

book-stacks

Until recent years, carrying millions of pages of survival information in your Bug Out Bag was not only impractical, it was impossible. Digital readers such as the Amazon Kindle have been a game changer in how we buy, store, organize, and read books. I’ve traditionally been very anti-digital when it comes to packing electronics in my Bug Out Bag. Their fragility and short battery life have always fallen short of the demanding requirements that a bug out situation presents. The recent advent of lightweight portable power and waterproof/shock-resistant cases (both discussed later) now makes this bug out survival resource very durable and practical, no matter what Mother Nature throws your way.

Building Your Survival Library

boy-scouts

No digital reader will ever replace the feeling of sitting back in my favorite chair and leafing through the tattered pages of my very early Boy Scout Handbook that I picked up at a flea market for fifteen cents when I was a kid. I’ve dissected that manual for more than 30 years and it never gets old. I’ll hate to leave it and many of my other favorite hard copy books behind when I bug out. But, I have most of them on my Kindle just in case.

When it comes to stocking your Kindle or tablet with survival related information, I definitely have some recommendations. This is far from an exhaustive list, but it is a great start for anyone interested in building a good foundation on a Bug Out Kindle. I’ve divided these suggestions into 6 main categories: Survival Skills, Shelter, Water, Fire, Food, First Aid, and Documents.

Survival Skills

These are titles that discuss a variety of well-rounded survival skills. Many of them are complete survival manuals, and therefore touch on all 6 categories mentioned above.

How to Stay Alive in the Woods: A Complete Guide to Food, Shelter and Self-Preservation Anywhere by Bradford Angier

how-to-stay-alive
This is a classic wilderness survival book originally written in the 50s. It’s packed full of practical wilderness survival skills revolving around shelter, water, fire, and food. Bradford wrote several other outdoor skills books worth considering as well.

Wilderness Survival by Gregory J. Davenport

WildernessSurvival-Davenport.2

Greg is an Air Force SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) specialist and this is one of the best books written on the subject. His discussion and illustrations of protection, sustenance, signaling, travel, and health is as good as it gets.

US ARMY Survival Manual FM 21-76

FM-21-76-US-Army-Survival-Manual

This is a very straightforward and to-the-point survival manual with field-tested survival techniques bought and paid for by hard-earned US tax dollars. This manual is packed full of great survival know-how and should be in every survival library.

Back to Basics by Abigail Gehring

back-to-basics

This book is packed full of practical pioneer-type homesteading skills such as growing food, canning, keeping chickens, generating energy, and herbal medicine. This is a great read for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of living like our grandparents did at the turn of the century.

Basic Safe Travel and Boreal Handbook by Mors Kochanski

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One of the best books written about surviving in the north woods and Canada. Mors is one of the most articulate and intelligent survival authors I have ever read. He has several smaller ebooks available (some mentioned later) that are excellent reads and are very inexpensive. I own pretty much all of them. Some of my favorites are: Basic Wilderness Survival in Cold Lacking Snow, Fire Skills of the Northern Forest, The Lean-To and It’s Variants, A Survival Kit Shelter, and Top Seven Knots.

Outdoor Survival Skills by Larry Dean Olsen

outdoor-survival-skills

Larry is truly a master of the primitive arts and is an icon in the world of primitive survival skills. His use and skill with natural materials such as leather, bone, rock, and wood are unparalleled. Whether making a bow and arrow or tanning hides, this guy teaches a huge variety of primitive skills.

US Air Force Pocket Survival Manual

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This is my favorite of the government survival manuals. I really like the illustrations and it seems to contain a bigger variety of skills. There is also a huge section on the psychological effects of survival and evasion. Most survival guides lack in these categories.

Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-hour Disaster Survival Kit by Yours Truly – Creek Stewart

build-the-perfect-bug-out-bag

If you haven’t yet begun the process of building a Bug Out Bag, this book is a great start. It’s more of a manual to help get it done than it is a survival skills book, but I do list tons of survival tips and tricks for getting the biggest bang for your buck when building a Bug Out Bag.

Shelter

Many of the books in the Survival Skills category above cover shelter in one way, shape, or form, but the books below discuss this topic almost exclusively.

The Lean-To and It’s Variants Used in Survival and Bush Bough Beds by Mors Kochanski

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One of the best cold weather shelter reads available. I love Mors’ intellectual approach to survival and shelter building.

The Super Shelter by Mors Kochanski

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Mors pretty much invented the “super shelter" design which uses plastic sheeting and mylar blankets to create an amazing cold weather survival shelter.

Shelters, Shacks, and Shanties by D.C. Beard

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From lean-tos to log cabins, mountain man shelter ideas abound in this book. This is one that will make you want to go out, build a fort in the woods, and sleep there.

Water

Titles in this category deal almost exclusively with finding, collecting, filtering, and purifying wild water.

Harvesting H2O by Nicholas Hyde

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An excellent discussion about the collection, treatment, and storage of water while living off the grid.

Water Purification by Will Jameson

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An incredibly thorough discussion about water purification, storage, and acquisition.

Water 4 Survival by Paul Andrulis

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Another helpful read about finding water, determining whether it’s safe to drink, and teaching how to make it safe for consumption.

Fire

I’ve only listed one title in this category, as many of the titles in the Survival Skills category discuss fire in great detail and are excellent fire resources.

Fire Skills: 50 Methods for Starting Fires Without Matches by David Aman

fire-skills

This is a great primer in exploring many different methods of making fire. It lists 50 different fire-starting methods, some of which are very inventive and fun. Reading this book will not make you a fire master; only practicing fire starting will do this, but you can use this book to get different ideas to challenge your skills and broaden your knowledge base.

Food

Whether foraging for wild foods or stockpiling your own, these titles deal exclusively with sustenance.

21 Native Wild Edible Plants by Mors Kochanski

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This inexpensive ebook is worth the money simply to read Mors’ discussion on the plants listed. The line drawings aren’t much for reference so you’ll need a better photo guide for that, but it’s the words that are important in this book. I like that this little guide just covers a few plants because that fits into my personal 80/20 wild edible plants rule which states: “FOCUS on the 20% of the wild edible plants you see 80% of the time. FORGET the rest!"

Wild Edibles by Sergei Boutenko

wild-edibles

Sergei is an enthusiastic author and wild edible plant fanatic. I really enjoy his approach to wild edibles. His photos are some the best I’ve seen and his discussions are easy to understand and straight to the point. He covers 60 plants in this book.

The Trapper’s Bible by Dale Martin

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This is an older title which discusses traps and snares exclusively. This is a great read for studying a variety of trap triggers and designs. I personally really enjoy the study of traps so this one is one of my personal favorites.

Harvesting Wild Meat by Stephen Coote

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This New Zealand author has put together a really fun read about primitive trap designs. His personal insights are really helpful. I really enjoy leafing through this title and looking at the different trap designs.

Food Storage for Self-Sufficiency and Survival by Angela Paskett

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Angela is a personal friend of mine and she practices what she preaches. I would consider this a definitive guide in learning and understanding best practices when it comes to long-term food storage. She covers everything from types of containers to methodology. If you’re looking to stockpile your survival pantry, this read is for you.

Backyard Foraging by Ellen Zachos

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This is a great wild edible plant book covering 65 plants you didn’t know you could eat. There is certainly some redundancy with other titles mentioned, but this book is a good stand alone resource for eating your backyard!

The Hunter’s Guide to Butchering, Smoking, and Curing Wild Game and Fish by Philip Hasheider

butchering

This book delivers on the title. It teaches you exactly what it says it’s going to. The description and photos are all excellent and coincide with everything I’ve been taught and learned on my own over the years.

Build Your Own Underground Root Cellar by Phyllis Hobson

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An underground root cellar has been on my project list for several years and this is the book I purchased to help get the job done. It’s a great little read. This title is part of a series of very informative ebooks called Storey Country Wisdom Bulletins. You may consider a search for this in Amazon, as there are many other titles that may pique your interest.

Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living by Stacy Harris

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Preparing wild foods can be tricky. Stacy flattens the learning curve for you with this book of recipes and tips. With this book, there is no reason your survival meals should be anything short of fantastic. The photos alone will make you want to grab that old 12-gauge and hit the woods.

Urban Foraging by David Craft

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This title might be of interest to all of you city dwellers. I enjoyed the urban angle of searching for wild edibles in the city. There is literally food around every corner!

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

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I love this author’s approach to gardening. He is all about growing more in less space and it just makes sense. His methodical approach to planting in a square-foot design is impressive to say the least. My personal experiments from the skills taught in this book have proven successful beyond measure and I highly recommend this style of growing for any gardening enthusiast.

First Aid

The need for first aid supplies and services go through the roof during disaster and survival scenarios. These are also the first services to become overwhelmed and unavailable. The ability to provide for yourself and loved ones with basic first aid is critical. These books will help.

Where There Is No Doctor by David Werner

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Don’t expect to read this in one sitting – it’s LONG! It covers medical advice for everything from toothaches to survival childbirth. I would consider this manual an indispensable guide in any survival library. The premise of the book is that medical knowledge should not be a guarded secret by a select few, but should be freely shared by everyone, and that ordinary people who are provided with clear, simple information can prevent and treat most common health problems in their own homes.

Outward Bound Wilderness First-Aid Handbook by Jeffrey Isaac

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I like the wilderness-specific angle of this title. If it can happen in the outdoors then it’s probably covered in this book. From altitude illness to constipation, this is a no-nonsense guide to address first aid issues in the wilderness. Outward Bound is a very reputable organization and this handbook has become a classic resource for adventurers all over the world.

The Survival Medicine Handbook by Joseph and Amy Alton

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I especially like this title because it’s written by preparedness-minded people for preparedness-minded people. They write from the perspective of asking, “What if access to modern medical facilities no longer exists?" They do not end each scenario or sentence with, “Go to the hospital." I like that. This is an A-Z medical guide for true survival scenarios written in plain English.

Documents

One cool thing about the kindle (at least the newer models) is that you can upload PDFs into an accessible documents area for easy reference. The sky is the limit when it comes to this option. From maps and GPS coordinates to addresses and telephone numbers, this puts literally any kind of information that you wish at your fingertips in the middle of a bug out scenario. I’ve loaded tons of medical documents such as antibiotic doses and measurements to this folder. I also include chemical water purification ratios and PDF manuals for some of my electronics, such as my handheld HAM radio.

This feature, which some e-readers lack, gives you the option of loading personal documents such as insurance paperwork, pet shot records, marriage licenses, bank information, and the like for easy reference. I prefer to keep my personal documents on a secure, password-protected thumb drive, but the Kindle is a great option for less sensitive information.

One other category worth mentioning within this heading is games. I know this sounds crazy initially, but a few games can be a huge asset when bugging out with young children. Anything to distract their minds from the craziness is a good thing. An idle mind leads down troubled paths. Many simple games can be downloaded free of charge.

Protection and Power

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Protecting and powering your Bug Out Kindle are two absolute requirements. If both of these options were not possible, a Kindle would not be included in my Bug Out Bag. Options abound when it comes to both.

protective-case

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Military-grade cases and covers are readily available on-line that are shock-resistant and waterproof – two absolute bug out necessities. A durable waterproof sleeve or map case will suffice at a bare minimum.

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Solar power and manual crank USB chargers are readily available as well. Most hand crank emergency radios now have a USB charger built in, which will power the Kindle. Stand alone Pocket Sockets are also available. I prefer the hand crank power options for recharging, but I have several friends who swear by solar. Ultimately, it’s a personal choice.

Conclusion

Packing a sizable survival library along with hand-picked PDFs which catalog a plethora of facts and references in your Bug Out Bag just makes survival sense. Affordable portable power and protective cases make a Bug Out Kindle a very feasible and practical survival tool that can handle the worst of scenarios. The built-in camera and video features allow the capture of important information for future reference as well.

Albert Einstein once said, “Information is not knowledge." This is true. However, access to information about a subject which you’re not knowledgeable can be a huge survival advantage. In survival, I’ll take every competitive advantage I can get, including a Bug Out Kindle.

Remember, it’s not IF but WHEN,

Creek

___________________________________

Creek Stewart is a Senior Instructor at the Willow Haven Outdoor School for Survival, Preparedness & Bushcraft. Creek’s passion is teaching, sharing, and preserving outdoor living and survival skills. Creek is also the author of the book Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag: Your 72-Hour Disaster Survival Kit. For more information, visit Willow Haven Outdoor.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain Toolkit


Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

For less than $50, I've built a keychain toolkit that's fixed cars, motorcycles and once kept me out of jail. It's even legal on airplanes. Here's how you can build yours.

All this might be legal on airplanes, but it will raise the TSA's eyebrows. As I pass through security, I put it in the tray next to my laptop so it's visible, then try and tell an agent about it before it goes through the X-ray machine, just to manage their reaction.

As I've explained to the TSA countless times, I carry all this wherever I go because I like to be prepared. Maybe because I'm an Eagle Scout or maybe because I used to be a handyman, but a big part of my own sense of identity is fixing my own problems. And those of others. If my computer breaks or I need to rewire something in a hotel room or fix a flat tire or breakdown a door or deal with a real emergency, I've got it handled, all with what's in my pocket. And, if I do need to call for help, that's in there too.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

Multitool: Leatherman Style PS — $20

This is actually my second Style PS, the first was just confiscated by airport security in Madrid, who were also convinced my dog whistle was some sort of weapon. But, I'd carried that old one on countless flights over the last two years, both domestic and abroad, without any other issues.

This thing is so handy, that I've stopped carrying or using larger multitools. It's typically the first tool I grab for small home repairs and it's helped me adjust the suspension on motorcycles, fix my Macbook, pull splinters, remove split fingernails and plug car tires.

What's IndefinitelyWild?

With pliers, wire cutters, scissors, a small flathead driver (perfect for eye glasses!), tweezers and a carabiner/bottle opener, all wrapped up in a package made from strong, reasonable quality materials, this thing's just perfect and is the most-used item here.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

Flashlight: ITP A3 EOS — $19

LED flashlights are amazing. At 90 Lumens, this little guy is often my go-to while camping and I was using it just the other day to spotlight rats in my attic, before killing them. It'll give you more than two days of light on its lowest setting, which is perfect for reading maps at night or finding the keyhole when you come home late at night.

There's a lot of keychain flashlights out there and this one is by no means the best. Things to consider are:

Battery type — standard AAA and AA batteries are much easier to come by and far cheaper than their exotic CR123 and CR2 counterparts.

Switch mechanism — twisty ones like this are more compact and less prone to accidental activation than push buttons

Waterproofness — look for lights made to the IPX8 standard, which means they'll work while submerged

Keychain attachment — this has a solid ring welded to the light body, some lights use flimsy clips held on with friction

The situations in which a flashlight would just be nice to have or an absolute lifesaver are endless. Take the subway to work? Sure would be dark down there if the power went out.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

Pry Bar: Gerber Shard— $6.70

The screwdriver blades were too dull to actually fit into screws as stock, so I put them on a grinding wheel until they resembled an actual tool. Consider that modification essential.

This is the tool that kept me out of jail. While partying in the paddock during a race weekend, some friends and I got a little out of control and caused some damage to the facilities. The cops were called, but we were able to break into a supply closet, find and open a can of paint and repair much of it before they arrived. The cops saw nothing but some idiot racers having a good time and just ordered us to sleep it off. Phew.

Day to day, this opens my beers, saves my knife from prying duties and is killer to have with you in an office, where it can jimmy open stuck drawers.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

Duct Tape — Free

Tie a loop on one end of a piece of paracord to go around your keychain, then tightly roll duct tape around it. I've got about 18 inches of tape stored here, in a package no bigger than a tube of lip balm.

Unlike cordage or a cutting edge or a blunt object or whatever, duct tape isn't something you'll be able to replicate with a found object. It's killer for patching torn clothes, tents or other materials, repairing shoes, performing first aid (need pressure and a bandage held on?) or even fixing problem wires in your bike or car. Feel a blister coming on? Cut a small piece of duct tape to shape, stick it to your foot and voila, the tape now gets rubbed instead of your skin.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain ToolkitSExpand

Safety Pin — Free

I just used this two days ago to pop the SIM card out of my iPhone. But really, I carry it to fix wardrobe malfunctions. It'll replace a button or connect a strap or hold a bandage on someone.

Fix Absolutely Anything, Anywhere With A Keychain Toolkit1SExpand

Clip or Carabiner — Free

This is a fancy one a friend gave me, but any clip will do. They're nice to have when you're using your keychain tools; I carry mine in my pocket 99 percent of the time, but will clip them to a belt loop if I need easy access, such as while up a ladder or in a crawl space. A good idea for connecting your car or motorcycle key too, you don't want all this hanging from the ignition. You can also use a clip to connect other things besides your keychain. I used mine to clip a stray dog to Wiley once, until we found its owner.

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Dog Whistle — $1

I use mine to call Wiley, but whistles are great if you ever need to grab people's attention. That might be if you need help or want to warn others of danger. This thing's LOUD; three sharp bursts is the international call for help.

What's on your keychain?

IndefinitelyWild is a new publication about adventure travel in the outdoors, the vehicles and gear that get us there and the people we meet along the way. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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It's June 7 and the Great Lakes Are Finally Ice-Free

It's June 7 and the Great Lakes Are Finally Ice-FreeS

For the first time since the end of last November, there is finally no ice left on the Great Lakes. Goodbye and good riddance to the winter that just wouldn't die. Now that there's no more ice, what does this mean for weather patterns in the northern United States?

It's June 7 and the Great Lakes Are Finally Ice-FreeS

The year's lake ice was one for the record books. This was the latest complete melt on the Great Lakes since NOAA started keeping records back in the 1970s. The season also saw the second-highest amount of ice ever recorded, with just over 92% covering the five bodies of water at the beginning of March, coming close to the all-time record 94% coverage seen in 1979. This year also broke the record for the most ice seen so late in the season, with over one-third of the lakes still covered in ice on April 23.

The lack or presence of ice can have a huge impact on the weather, but it depends on the season.

The most obvious effect that lake ice has on the weather is lake-effect snow, which occurs when cold air moves over the warmer waters. The warmer lake water heats up air at the surface through conduction, and the warmer air begins to rapidly rise through the much colder air above.

The result is convection, which sets up as heavy snow bands that move over land. When the lakes freeze over, lake-effect snow stops. This is why areas on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario some of the highest annual snowfall totals in the country; Lake Ontario hardly ever freezes over during the winter.

The brutal winter the eastern half of North America experienced this year took a heavy toll on the… Read moreRead on

It's June 7 and the Great Lakes Are Finally Ice-FreeS

On the summer side of things, the lakes don't have too much of an impact on the weather.

During the warm months, the lakes can have a cooling effect on areas immediately along the coast depending on the direction of the winds.

On rare occasions, the water can have an effect on storm systems. This was most notable in 1996, when a low pressure system sat over Lake Huron and started to take on characteristics of a subtropical cyclone, lending it the nickname "Hurricane Huron."

One of the most spectacular sights over the Great Lakes are waterspouts that tend to form during the summer and fall months. Waterspouts form when a column of rising air stretches out and begins to rotate; the low pressure inside the rotating column of air condenses the water vapor, leading to the visible condensation funnel.

Waterspouts are different from tornadoes in that tornadoes form from processes within a thunderstorm, whereas waterspouts are usually independent entities. Waterspouts can easily form in thunderstorms, though, due to the ample amount of rising air they require to survive.

Provided we don't have any freaky weather over the next couple of month, the Great Lakes should remain ice-free until sometime around Thanksgiving.

[Images via AP / GLERL / NWS]

Chainsaws 101: How to Use a Chainsaw Safely

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Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Uncle Buzz Surwilo.

So you had a tree service come out to the house and give you an estimate to take down that pine tree that’s shading your wife’s petunias, and the figure that they quoted made you stagger. “Heck," you thought, “for that much money I can buy a chainsaw and cut that pine down myself. And cut up the wood and sell it to Joe down the street to burn in his wood stove, and actually make money. How hard could it be?"

Hang on there, Paul Bunyan. There’s a good deal about chainsaws you should know before laying waste to the backyard woods.

All tools have some potential to inflict harm. Hammers can mash thumbs and slipped wrenches can inflict skinned knuckles, but chainsaws bring the potential for injury to a whole new level. We are talking about razor sharp (more on that later) metal teeth moving at blinding speed, often just inches from the saw operator’s nice soft flesh. Saws spit out small pieces of wood at high velocity. Branches can be under tremendous tension, and may spring when cut like a rifle shot. An improperly felled tree can, at best, flatten that bed of petunias; at worst, flatten you.

There is skill involved in deftly and safely operating a chainsaw, and a learning curve to become proficient. In fact, I don’t think any experienced saw operators would say that the learning curve ever plateaus. When using a chainsaw, every situation is different, and grasping each of these unique situations builds onto your skill level, as would taking a practical chainsaw operator’s course.

Today we’ll cover the basics of how to operate a chainsaw safely. Tomorrow, because proper maintenance is a key to optimum, injury-free use, we’ll cover how to keep your saw in tip-top condition.

Keep in mind that volumes have been written on chainsaw use, so we’re just scratching the surface here. Plus, it’s somewhat analogous to learning to drive: the written motor vehicle operator’s manual is valuable and necessary, but having hands-on training and the explanations of the driving instructor (or yelling parent) in the passenger seat is far superior. The same holds true for using a chainsaw. This column may be informative, but the way to learn is by doing, preferably with an experienced sawyer showing you the ropes.

With that said, let’s talk about how to use a chainsaw without buzzing off your leg.

Chainsaw Safety Basics

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Personal protective equipment. Let’s start with the basics: your personal protective equipment or PPE. Any time that you operate a chainsaw you really need to wear eye protection, ear protection, good sturdy boots, long pants, a long sleeve shirt, gloves, and chainsaw chaps. Especially when felling — putting an upright tree on the ground — a hard hat is a great idea. Yeah, it seems like overkill if you are just going to cut up a few limbs that came down in last night’s high winds, and you may hear snickers from the neighbors, but full PPE is a good habit to get into, as nonchalance can be tragic.

I like to use a chainsaw helmet with an attached flip-up, mesh face shield and flip-up ear muffs. I find it very comfortable on my noggin and like being able to just flip the ear muffs up, rather than deal with the little foam hearing protectors that I always lose, never stay in, and don’t work for beans.

Chainsaw chaps are worth their weight in gold. How they work is so: There are multiple layers of Kevlar (yup, the same stuff as bulletproof vests) beneath the nylon outer shell. If the saw chain hits and penetrates the shell, the Kevlar first resists the cutting action, but then the fibers are pulled into the saw’s sprocket, stopping the spinning chain in just a few seconds. Not to be too graphic, but realize how fast a chainsaw can go through wood, then imagine what it could do to a person’s unprotected leg. Like I said, chaps are worth their weight in gold.

Creating a safe environment. Before you begin any cutting, check the environmental safety of the specific situation. Particularly with felling, look up, look down, look around. Is there an escape route for you to take for when the tree falls? Is there a clear path for the tree to fall? If it goes in an unintended direction, what would be the consequence — the doghouse gets it, or the power line? Is the tree weakened by bugs or disease? Is the wind blowing from the direction that you want the tree to fall? In the end, ask yourself if you are comfortable with the sawing task at hand, and don’t be afraid to say “no." In fact, if you are seriously concerned about the risk, you probably should bite the bullet and call the tree service guy back.

Using the Chainsaw

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Chainsaw operations are basically divided into three tasks: limbing, bucking, and felling. Limbing is the removal of branches from a downed tree. Bucking is cutting the trunk of the downed tree to length. And felling is cutting an upright tree in a controlled manner so that it falls where expected, and hopefully that’s in a good place! Remember the lingo for conversations around the office water cooler, and you’ll impress your co-workers: Unless you are like a young George Washington with your trusty ax, a tree is never “chopped down," but “felled," just as firewood is not chopped, but split. Save chopping for how to prepare onions for your home fries.

For specifics on how to limb, buck, and fell, check out this primer.

Below are safe usage guidelines and techniques to employ regardless of which job you’re tackling:

Before you begin. We’ll discuss maintenance in some detail tomorrow, but for now, before you start the saw, make sure everything is in working order with a quick check of the controls, handles, bar, and chain sharpness and tension. It may seem obvious, but fill both the gas and bar oil reservoirs each time that you use the saw, even if you are only going to cut for a few minutes. It is a good habit to get into to ensure that the saw will never run out of lubricating oil while it’s being used. Saws are designed to run out of a full tank of fuel before running out of a full tank of bar oil. Why? Running out of fuel is no big deal, just fill the tank again and the saw is good to go. But running out of bar oil causes friction and heat enough to seriously damage the saw.

Fill the saw with fuel and oil while the saw is on the ground, not on the ungrounded tailgate of a truck. And be sure that the saw is not hot when fueling. Of course, don’t smoke while fueling…well, just don’t smoke, period.

Starting the saw. There are two methods to safely start a chain saw: on the ground and, yes, between your legs. For both, first make sure that the chain brake is engaged (push the handle forward), that the choke is closed (“on"), and that the start switch is on. My saw has a little primer button that I need to press a few times, but not all saws do.

start on ground

For ground starting, place the saw on the ground, grip the handlebar with your left hand, place your right toe in the handle where the throttle trigger is, and pull the starter rope. After a couple of pulls, the saw should pop but not start. Disengage the choke, and pull the starter rope again. The saw should start right up.

between legs

To start the saw between your legs, place the rear of the saw against your right leg, tilting it towards the right, and sort of squeeze the saw with your left leg. Follow the starting procedure above.

Vroom! The saw started! Tap the throttle trigger to set the saw to an idle, and it should be purring like a kitten.

Handling the saw. Some common sense rules apply to how to handle a chainsaw, regardless of what you’re using it for. Maintain good footing, watch for tripping hazards, and keep a good balance by not overreaching with the saw running or getting into some weird body contortion. Keep your left hand firmly around the front handle, including the thumb. (My saw instructor reminded us that we “were operating a saw, not driving a car," as you tend to rest your thumb on the handle, rather than wrapping it around.)

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Dealing with kickback & pinching. If you dimly remember physics class, you may recall that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Saw kickback is a demonstration of that principle (Or is it a law? Theory? Hypothesis? I forget.), and occurs when the top corner of the bar tip hits some unforgiving object or is pinched. When that happens, the energy of the saw forces the bar up and towards the operator with terrific speed and power — faster than the user can react. The first line of defense against kickback is never to engage the saw with the upper corner of the bar — be aware of the position of the tip at all times. Otherwise, practice good operating techniques: a firm, two-handed grip on the saw; a balanced stance; a sharp, tensioned chain; and being alert to situations when the bar may be pinched by the wood that is being cut through.

“Pinching the bar" is a good segue into the directional pressures present in the limb, log, or standing tree that dictate how the saw operator will approach the cut. These pressures — tension or compression — are present to varying degrees in every limb, log, or tree. Tension is when the force present causes the wood fibers to be stretched apart, and the kerf — the groove in the wood made by the saw — will tend to widen as the cut deepens. Compression is the opposite: the pressure on the log or tree is pushing the fibers together which, in turn, will cause the kerf to narrow as the cut deepens, and if the operator is not alert, pinch the bar and violently stop the chain’s spinning. The best advice that I can give is to take a moment before cutting to size up the situation. Think, “This log is suspended between two high points of ground; where is the bind, and where should I cut?" Or, “This limb is really bent by the adjacent tree and under great tension. If I cut it, will it spring back towards me?" Often an operator can detect a slight opening or closing of the kerf as the cut deepens. The kerf opening means full speed ahead, a kerf beginning to close means pull the saw out and cut from the other side, if possible.

Tomorrow we will turn to the subject of maintenance.

______________________
Buzz Surwilo has been cutting his own firewood for years, is a Wildland Firefighter Type 2 (FFT2), recently completed training for Sawyer B certification, and still has all his body parts intact.

Photographs by Deborah Johnson-Surwilo

Slash Your Energy Bill with Smart Landscaping


Slash Your Energy Bill with Smart Landscaping

With temperatures rising in many parts of the world—air conditioning season!—it's good to know some cheap tricks for lowering energy costs. Energy.gov offers this infographic with helpful landscaping tips that can make a surprisingly big difference on your budget.P

Planting a shade tree on your property, for example, can help insulate your home both in the summer and winter and cut your utility bill by as much as 25 percent. No room for a tree? Even groundcover can cool the air before it gets to your home, and you can conserve water by letting your grass grow a little taller than normal.P

Here's the full energy saver graphic:P

Slash Your Energy Bill with Smart Landscaping1SExpand

Energy Saver 1010 Infographic: Landscaping | Energy.gov via CleanTechnicaP

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