Chris & Calvin LaMont: How They Got to ‘Build It or Buy It’

Canning corn is a wonderful way to enjoy the summer’s bounty all year round. In this article, I’ll show you exactly how to do it in a few easy steps.

When it comes to interior design, it can be tricky to know what decor trends to buy into and what to skip. While 2023 trends included leaning into bold color, maximalist style, dark countertops, and a nod to Art Deco, some others like all-white interiors, sparse spaces, and wiggly furnishings weren't as popular. They may not be entirely trends to skip, but at least ones to put on the back burner if you are currently designing or updating your space. Looking for some advice? We sat down with interior designers to get their take on design trends they wish they'd skipped.

Watering spider plants correctly is key to keeping them healthy and looking their best.

Freezing tomatillos is a great way to preserve them so you have some on hand whenever you need them.

Russian sage is easy to care for and fun to grow in any perennial flower bed or landscaping.

Header image: <a href=«https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pink-water-lily-lake-goldfish-142067443?src=» http:>NagyDodo/Shutterstock

This is a really fun video (12:24 long) from Adam Savage’s Tested series, in which a chef tries to help astronauts on the ISS eat nicer meals by combining foods they already have in stock. Chris Hadfield is their astronaut guinea pig, and demonstrates very effectively why it’s so hard to prepare meals in space!

Header image: Out of this world. NASA

So… we have a few hundred more mouths to feed, as I went to a Master Composter training day at the weekend, and during the afternoon we made our own wormeries out of stacking plastic crates, and were each given a couple of handfuls of composting worms to get us started.

Just over a year ago, when we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing, I talked about the lack of diversity in space and mentioned Mary Jackson. In 2016, the movie Hidden Figures shared the stories of Mary Jackson and two other Black female mathematicians – Katherine Johnson and, Dorothy Vaughan. They worked at NASA when a ‘computer’ still meant a person carrying out mathematical calculations. The film is based on a book by Margot Lee Shetterly, which I am reading at the moment. The book offers a more detailed and accurate account of the prejudice these women (and others) had to overcome.

In this latest episode, Emma the Space Gardener talks with Dr Christina Johnson, who works with microgreens at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. She explains the benefits and challenges of growing microgreens in orbit, and what it’s going to take to get them onto astronaut menus.

Prof Mark Weislogel from Portland State University joins Emma the Space Gardener to explore engineering solutions to the challenge of watering plants in space.