Long before i read a book or took a course on gardening, of any kind, i had already figured out bare ground is never good. Better to leave weeds if you are';t going to use a patch of ground. at least the ground will be there when you get around to it.
I often filled in new flower beds with mint. if there;s too much, make some mint tea. rip some out. it's EASY. and in drought years, it made a definite difference.
the next thing i became happy with was violets ( note-both of these ground covers are indeed edible. just a little plus on their side) my mother gave me some;her neighbor had been selecting for bigger clumps and flowers.It was just put in the grass haphazardly;I like the flowers and it;s easy enough to mow.After about 2 years, I started transplanting into various beds. it looks great under the cherry tree, even looks good on the wilder northwest corner of the house ( where even my other standby, liriope, was failing)
hostas get moved into any shady spot; i started with a bunch pulled up from a friend;s house; little white grassy leaved flowering bulbs hitched along and also play their part.I have to split those hostas so often, i've used mulch to build a bit of soil and started planting under every tree near the house.
point is, you can keep the ground moist, and in place, without hauling mulch;just rip out what isn't needed for a new planting. most of these things are shallowly rooted.
won;t they-spread? well yes. and that scares some people. I just thank them for doing their job if I have to remove them.I haven;t done too much of this (more woody branches cut to let in more light) but the goats might enjoy bucketfuls of freshly pulled greens.
my new best friend is comfrey, I intend to split the plants this year and move them everywhere I can. nutrient accumulator, mulch builder, medicine, healing tea for growing plants-they do it all.Their flowers attract bees.They are just darned pretty.
Have you noticed most of this is cheap or free? makes it easy to go from a deep mulch ( back breaking and expensive) system. I might buy some thyme this year to fill in around stepping stones. the ajuga did';t do well, unfortunately.
and in some sort of the same vein, I intend to spread dill, coriander, marigolds, even morning glories wherever I can. the insects love them-and they are easy to pull up if in the wrong place. Most of us have plenty of these seeds; maybe excess garlic bulbs as well, which can go under the roses or apple trees, etc, for a little insect repelling boost.
so try it-using nature;s way of covering the ground. you might be surprised.
Polyculture
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Follow the money
Well, the news is out.freezes down south, a Chilean earthquake, and our prices have skyrocketed.
So what can you do?
Grow yourself or
Buy locally.
these things are not mutually exclusve!
it is perhaps time to relearn the simple things-eating in season ( or frozen/canned from your own garden) instead of the luxury of fruits from all over the world, every day of the year.
if not the price, the fear of unknown sprays, etc should be enough to scare anyone into buying locally.
buying locally keeps your money local, usually costs less, and is better for you.
growing your own when you can control exactly what the plants "eat" is even more ideal.
so what;s a garden really worth? if lettuce is $3 a bag and you grow your own say, 20 weeks a year, that;s $60. tomatoes are so expensive-but you can have an endless supply with about 6 plants,which would cost you on average $4 a week. even if only for 2 months, 8 weeks, that's $48. A bag of potatoes is usually $5 now. if you use them a lot, you could save big bucks. Corn at the farmer;s market is often a $1 per ear.a small patch -say 50 ears....are you getting the point?
Herbs are expensive when you need them, throw a few into various sunny spots, and you have all you could use.
one estimate is that a small garden, even plants worked into a suburban backyard, could net $700 in veggies a season. Now we are talking!
if you have to buy pots, potting soil, etc, the first year won;t save as much as it could. but start that compost pile...save some seeds..and you are on your way to helping meet your family's needs.
just try it.....
So what can you do?
Grow yourself or
Buy locally.
these things are not mutually exclusve!
it is perhaps time to relearn the simple things-eating in season ( or frozen/canned from your own garden) instead of the luxury of fruits from all over the world, every day of the year.
if not the price, the fear of unknown sprays, etc should be enough to scare anyone into buying locally.
buying locally keeps your money local, usually costs less, and is better for you.
growing your own when you can control exactly what the plants "eat" is even more ideal.
so what;s a garden really worth? if lettuce is $3 a bag and you grow your own say, 20 weeks a year, that;s $60. tomatoes are so expensive-but you can have an endless supply with about 6 plants,which would cost you on average $4 a week. even if only for 2 months, 8 weeks, that's $48. A bag of potatoes is usually $5 now. if you use them a lot, you could save big bucks. Corn at the farmer;s market is often a $1 per ear.a small patch -say 50 ears....are you getting the point?
Herbs are expensive when you need them, throw a few into various sunny spots, and you have all you could use.
one estimate is that a small garden, even plants worked into a suburban backyard, could net $700 in veggies a season. Now we are talking!
if you have to buy pots, potting soil, etc, the first year won;t save as much as it could. but start that compost pile...save some seeds..and you are on your way to helping meet your family's needs.
just try it.....
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Organic is no better than conventional (chemical based) farming?
That's the verdict.I'd like to see what actual organic practices were used, what varieties were tested..as heirlooms have so many interesting properties,,,and I doubt that's what was tested.
BUT: all things being equal, a plant with enough in the ground to meet its needs, probably is equal in nutrition no matter how it is grown. That isn;t the why behind organic gardening at all.
First and foremost, chemicals from farming are showing up in strange places. herbicides in compost? it happened last year. from the feed for the horses or cows i believe. We have a farm near us-organic-everything died along one fence line. that was a kick in the teeth. and that ground is worthless for a long while to come.
anyone remember agent orange and the prediction it would prevent growth for 50 years? 50 years!)Being told not to eat any chicken organ parts, becouse of contamination from chemicals, that build up generation
after generation? that bald eagles were dying out due to thin egg shells from the same problem? Do we really have to sicken for twenty or thirty years before a government study confirms what we already know? this stuff isn;t good for us!
Chemicals and prescription drugs are in city water! and lastly, the number of chemicals found in baby cord blood ( many cords are now saved in case of future need) was astounding, in one recent study.
We just heard flea spot on for dogs and cats have killed or injured pets. NO chemicals are completely safe, that;s the truth.
One of the only ways to lower the chemicals you are exposed to is to grow your own food and control inputs. yes, almost any land could have farm chemical dumps, or the water night be not so good...but it;s a start.(silver colloidal filters are available for your hose.look for pet water filters you can clean up the water if you need to)
A second source is a farmer;s market or local stand.. though MOST say organic now whether or not they are. Ask when the produce was harvested!
We might want to change our language...we are looking for fresh, locally grown, naturally encouraged produce.
Why fresh? veggies lose some of their goodness if out of the ground for long. and even more when you cook them. We are talking hours, not days. so we want to find farmers ( or grow ourselves) so that we are getting peak nutrition from our veggies.
Organic or natural farmers concentrate on meeting all the plants needs, as a rule. fast growing produce tastes better-and there is every reason to believe trace elements should be supplemented, not just the big 3 nutrients.Selenium, lithium, and several other trace elements are known to be deficient in the US. A natural farmer is going to notice produce that isn;t as healthy as it should be much faster than a regular farm where maximum growth is the only yardstick.
Organic practices heal the ground, allow earthworms and other critters to flourish. a more complete ecosystem probably is better for plants, and us too! The bees and bugs sure like healthy gardens with no herbicides or pesticides. they go crazy.More natural practices might help restore some of our pollinating friends
It's cheaper. it uses up what we think of as garbage. crushed rock from other rock uses. Manure-which is a horror otherwise. it is more responsible in every way.
and-cheaper!
recovering huge amounts of conventionally farmed land,,,and the losses to insects and disease while the changeover occurred, might not be feasible.
But niche markets, etc have opened up possibilities for farmers that have not existed for 2 generations. let's hope some take advantage of that.
BUT: all things being equal, a plant with enough in the ground to meet its needs, probably is equal in nutrition no matter how it is grown. That isn;t the why behind organic gardening at all.
First and foremost, chemicals from farming are showing up in strange places. herbicides in compost? it happened last year. from the feed for the horses or cows i believe. We have a farm near us-organic-everything died along one fence line. that was a kick in the teeth. and that ground is worthless for a long while to come.
anyone remember agent orange and the prediction it would prevent growth for 50 years? 50 years!)Being told not to eat any chicken organ parts, becouse of contamination from chemicals, that build up generation
after generation? that bald eagles were dying out due to thin egg shells from the same problem? Do we really have to sicken for twenty or thirty years before a government study confirms what we already know? this stuff isn;t good for us!
Chemicals and prescription drugs are in city water! and lastly, the number of chemicals found in baby cord blood ( many cords are now saved in case of future need) was astounding, in one recent study.
We just heard flea spot on for dogs and cats have killed or injured pets. NO chemicals are completely safe, that;s the truth.
One of the only ways to lower the chemicals you are exposed to is to grow your own food and control inputs. yes, almost any land could have farm chemical dumps, or the water night be not so good...but it;s a start.(silver colloidal filters are available for your hose.look for pet water filters you can clean up the water if you need to)
A second source is a farmer;s market or local stand.. though MOST say organic now whether or not they are. Ask when the produce was harvested!
We might want to change our language...we are looking for fresh, locally grown, naturally encouraged produce.
Why fresh? veggies lose some of their goodness if out of the ground for long. and even more when you cook them. We are talking hours, not days. so we want to find farmers ( or grow ourselves) so that we are getting peak nutrition from our veggies.
Organic or natural farmers concentrate on meeting all the plants needs, as a rule. fast growing produce tastes better-and there is every reason to believe trace elements should be supplemented, not just the big 3 nutrients.Selenium, lithium, and several other trace elements are known to be deficient in the US. A natural farmer is going to notice produce that isn;t as healthy as it should be much faster than a regular farm where maximum growth is the only yardstick.
Organic practices heal the ground, allow earthworms and other critters to flourish. a more complete ecosystem probably is better for plants, and us too! The bees and bugs sure like healthy gardens with no herbicides or pesticides. they go crazy.More natural practices might help restore some of our pollinating friends
It's cheaper. it uses up what we think of as garbage. crushed rock from other rock uses. Manure-which is a horror otherwise. it is more responsible in every way.
and-cheaper!
recovering huge amounts of conventionally farmed land,,,and the losses to insects and disease while the changeover occurred, might not be feasible.
But niche markets, etc have opened up possibilities for farmers that have not existed for 2 generations. let's hope some take advantage of that.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Well of course!
In a spring where I planned-with seeding in flats, with row covers, to get plants out early...it's looking like a warm spring. much of what I have done, I didn;t need to.
but the potatoes and peas will go out next week....could have been TOMORROW the traditional St Paddy;s day...but I have gone off Good Friday for the past few years...also traditional.
but the potatoes and peas will go out next week....could have been TOMORROW the traditional St Paddy;s day...but I have gone off Good Friday for the past few years...also traditional.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Yes, it can be depressing for garden lovers...
to see all that snow, the cold temps.The damage that becomes obvious as the snow melts (boxwoods are crunched, many of the azaleas look drunk but they are alive...)....but i decided to do what i could.Gardeners are nothnig if not a hopeful lot :)
the daffs and iris and things are green and growing, despite everything. amazing. we found the little cocker stature and the house sign-WAY over in the yard. why did the local guy think piling EVERYONE'S road snow up on my property was OK? sigh.as it runs, huge ruts are appearing in the driveway. thanks, guys. uh, really.You choose the steepest driveway in the neighborhood to pile stuff on. yup, sure makes sense to me..not the driveways in the EMPTY houses or those driveways that are flat and have ditching to carry off water..
I moved the lettuce and spinach to the end of the green house still standing. they don;t care how the roof looks-should grow into nice salads anyway. I started some broccoli and fennel.....the little asparagus plants are so cute! lots of onions in the little soil blocks-maybe too many, considering we probably can only throw on compost and gently shape the bed-no tilling even broadfork with ground this wet.will make it hard to get the onions set out. so glad I started multiplier onions, garlic and shallots last fall.we will have SOME crop :)
still have flowers tomatoes , squashes and basil to start-potatoes to chit, sweet potato slips to cut, but that comes as things finally warm up.Peppers finally beginning to sprout. I'm sort of out of room under the grow lights.....will have to figure some solution; older plants could sit on the shelves in the greenhouse in a few more days.I guess I'm really determined not to let it all go flat to the ground! have it propped with bamboo stakes..
then I have to decide when to start stacking plants in the parsnip bed (using the Gaia's Garden seven plant species self care bed)-April I think...though i will then worry about enough sun for the parsnips, at least I might be able to broadfork that bed.
and one final chore-currants, cherries, siberian peabush and autumn olive bushes for the apple trees. and fennel, comfrey, dill, flowers, turnips and dutch clover...under them. Maybe a strip bed of horseradish-dont; thin, deer like them. and oh-cutting up the fallen pines trees laying over the berry patch.the other permaculture was completely swamped when the creek came up over the roadbed; not sure what can be done down there. wonder if the chinese yams survived? skirret was down low and I have little hope for those plants.
I want to sprout the peas inside and then move out and cover with row covers for a few days. that should keep us on track. the potato grow bags can sit in the ruined green house too, for a few weeks.Maybe it will be OK.
just bites.I want to reposition the white fabric strips at more of a angle, by rebuilding the front edges of the raised beds, but really cant...with this much precip.it'll be August....well maybe some things will be done and I can rebuild beds/amend then :) I did A LOT of work last fall.
the daffs and iris and things are green and growing, despite everything. amazing. we found the little cocker stature and the house sign-WAY over in the yard. why did the local guy think piling EVERYONE'S road snow up on my property was OK? sigh.as it runs, huge ruts are appearing in the driveway. thanks, guys. uh, really.You choose the steepest driveway in the neighborhood to pile stuff on. yup, sure makes sense to me..not the driveways in the EMPTY houses or those driveways that are flat and have ditching to carry off water..
I moved the lettuce and spinach to the end of the green house still standing. they don;t care how the roof looks-should grow into nice salads anyway. I started some broccoli and fennel.....the little asparagus plants are so cute! lots of onions in the little soil blocks-maybe too many, considering we probably can only throw on compost and gently shape the bed-no tilling even broadfork with ground this wet.will make it hard to get the onions set out. so glad I started multiplier onions, garlic and shallots last fall.we will have SOME crop :)
still have flowers tomatoes , squashes and basil to start-potatoes to chit, sweet potato slips to cut, but that comes as things finally warm up.Peppers finally beginning to sprout. I'm sort of out of room under the grow lights.....will have to figure some solution; older plants could sit on the shelves in the greenhouse in a few more days.I guess I'm really determined not to let it all go flat to the ground! have it propped with bamboo stakes..
then I have to decide when to start stacking plants in the parsnip bed (using the Gaia's Garden seven plant species self care bed)-April I think...though i will then worry about enough sun for the parsnips, at least I might be able to broadfork that bed.
and one final chore-currants, cherries, siberian peabush and autumn olive bushes for the apple trees. and fennel, comfrey, dill, flowers, turnips and dutch clover...under them. Maybe a strip bed of horseradish-dont; thin, deer like them. and oh-cutting up the fallen pines trees laying over the berry patch.the other permaculture was completely swamped when the creek came up over the roadbed; not sure what can be done down there. wonder if the chinese yams survived? skirret was down low and I have little hope for those plants.
I want to sprout the peas inside and then move out and cover with row covers for a few days. that should keep us on track. the potato grow bags can sit in the ruined green house too, for a few weeks.Maybe it will be OK.
just bites.I want to reposition the white fabric strips at more of a angle, by rebuilding the front edges of the raised beds, but really cant...with this much precip.it'll be August....well maybe some things will be done and I can rebuild beds/amend then :) I did A LOT of work last fall.
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