Earthly Garden

Mornin’ friends!

A few have asked me why I go to such great lengths to make my garden organic when there are more and more organic items in the grocery stores these days. There are several reasons for that.

One, the items in grocery stores (unless they are supplied by local farms) have been shipped thousands of miles before they get to my local store. It’s a big waste of energy and resources, and the food just isn’t as fresh as your own or locally grown produce. Frozen organic foods are a good compromise if you can’t grow your own, but it takes a lot of energy to process those.

Two, I can also grow things that you just can’t find in the stores…heirloom tomatoes, fruits that might not make it through the shipping, etc.

If you can’t grow your own, there are hundreds of small organic family farms around the US….buying locally is a great thing to do, and a great alternative to having your own organic gardens.

After seeing the news reports about all the snow in New England, I’m thankful that I don’t have to deal with that. Our weather has been somewhat cool, not too humid yet, but it’s been very overcast and rainy, and the garden is just in a neutral mode right now…..waiting for sunshine!

dig it!

bobbi c.
Copyright © 2007 Bobbi A. Chukran

why grow organic, local small family farms, transportation costs of food

I was horrified when I read a news item yesterday that links the use of chemicals in our environment to obesity. It seems that scientists have found a link between certain chemicals and obesity. If so, then we’re all doomed. I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I’ve felt for quite some time that chemicals, pesticides and such in our environment was bad news, and cause many of the diseases and health problems that we all face these days. I myself have lingering health problems as a result of a chemical exposure in my home years ago–a supposedly “natural” product that was anything but natural.

This news story has links to the Washington Tribune and the Columbia Tribune, where the story was first reported. And it’s not just the chemicals in food that are problematic; chemicals in other things, such as plastics, are also blamed for numerous maladies.

I know how hard it is to avoid plastics, but we can avoid chemicals in our foods. Grow organic, use organic seeds if at all possible (I’ll be talking about that in a future blog post), buy and eat organic produce, and suggest to your favorite restaurants that they also buy and use organic foods. Every little bit helps!

dig it!

bobbi c.
Copyright ©2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran

organic foods, obesity caused by chemicals, organic seeds, organic produce, chemicals in plastics

We haven’t had rain for months here, and we desperately need some. Not only for our garden and landscaping, but also because we drink rainwater! Yep, that’s right….we collect rainwater and use it for ALL our water needs…we cook with it, bathe with it, wash our clothes in it, AND drink it. It’s filtered out the wazoo and treated with UV light, so it’s safer than the local city water or well water out here.

Rainwater is great for plants because it’s pH neutral…not too acidic, not too alkaline. To catch rainwater, you don’t have to have two humongous fiberglass tanks like we do, holding 17,000 gallons. You can buy yourself a cool galvanized bucket (I love that galvanized stuff!) and plop it outdoors next time it rains. Store it covered so that insects don’t get in and use it for a breeding ground. Next time you need to water a houseplant, dip into it and give that green baby a drink! Use it to water seedlings; they’ll appreciate the clean water. There are also larger systems that you can buy from online garden suppliers to collect rain from the gutters of your house, etc. if you want to tackle it on a larger scale.

Start small, see how well your plants do when they get to drink rainwater. (And ya know, it’s GREAT for human hair, too!)

dig it!

bobbi c.

organic gardening, rainwater collection, plant seedlings, watering plants

Something a little more serious this morning….In more than 24 states across the country, bees are disappearing at an alarming rate. According to Ann Johansson of the New York Times and other journalists across the country, this is not only threatening the livelihood of beekeepers, but is also a threat to many of our important crops, such as the almond industry in CA. Not to mention our entire food supply!

Researchers aren’t sure where the bees are going. Some hives have died off, some have simply vanished.

For sure, widespread pesticide spraying of agricultural crops can kill bees, as can small doses of spraying, such as a homeowner might do in their gardens or yards. That’s just another reason that organic gardening is friendly to the environment.

Our entire food supply relies on pollination by bees and other such insects. There are many alternatives to synthetic pesticides on the market today. Next time you’re at your local garden center, look for the natural or organic section…see what’s there, and follow the directions on the label.

dig it!

bobbi c.

disappearing bees, pollination, insects, natural gardening, organic gardening, food supply

Mornin’ all!

I was excited to find a good selection of heirloom tomato plants at our new garden center last night. It’s hard to find heirloom anything around here, much less ready-grown plants. I bought a few Roma tomatoes and a Cherokee Purple. I wasn’t going to buy plants this year, opting instead to start my own from seeds, but I’m a sucker for the heirlooms.

Here’s an article I found that talks about heirloom plants and why you might want to grow them.

I like to grow heirlooms mostly because of their connection with gardeners of the past…gardeners who lovingly saved seed from their favorite vegetable because it had been given to them by their grandmother or had been carried from one home to the other. And if it tastes great, well, that’s just a bonus!

dig it!

bobbi c.

heirloom vegetables, seeds, seedsaving, antique seeds, heirloom plants, grandmother’s garden

I stooped over one of my raised garden beds on Saturday morning and planted at least 70 very teeny little scallion onion babies. I haven’t planted onions in years, because, as we all know, they are so cheap in the stores. But when we started buying organic onions, the price went up. Well worth the extra cost, I thought, especially given the problems that some restaurants have had lately with scallions.

I had already planted a bunch of onion bulbs in a pot inside, and in a larger tub outside, but wanted some of the long thin onions to use on salads, stir frys, etc.

After planting the first 25 or so, I got the hang of it, and started using my finger to poke just the right sized hole in the soil. I would poke, put the onion in, pinch the soil around the neck of the onion, poke, put in, pinch, etc. It became a meditative Zen thing, and while doing that I managed to turn off the Critic for a while, and actually got a few ideas for short stories, maybe even a short play. Amazing how that works–the garden has always been a source of inspiration for me in so many ways.

Onions are simple, take care of themselves, and can be harvested in a short period of time. You can find scallion starts in garden centers, hardware stores, some grocery stores and even at Wal-mart in their garden section.

It’s much warmer here the last few days, spring can’t be far behind!

dig it!

bobbi c.

scallions, raised bed gardening, onions

I’m sitting gazing out the window to my garden, and am happy to see that my little swarm of wild bees are back! They disappeared for a few months, and I was worried about them. I have no idea where they live, but a beekeeper friend identified them for me soon after they appeared here a few years ago…turns out they are honeybees! He told me he’ll help me capture them and put them into a hive, but I’m not sure I want the responsibility of tending a beehive. The bees seem to be doing fine on their own.

One surprise…they LOVE rosemary! My rosemary plants bloom off and on year-round here, and I never thought about that being a good source of pollen, or nectar. Apparently the bees think otherwise. I see a handful of them swarming the plant this morning, but last August there were thousands out there. The idea of rosemary-flavored honey is intriguing, I will admit.

I was glad to see the bees in the garden because they help the plants with pollination. One reason I have a totally organic garden is so that the beneficial insects can thrive in it and aren’t killed off by pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Too many of our native pollinators are disappearing because of widespread spraying of crops. For me, that’s reason enough to go organic.

Until tomorrow….dig it!

bobbi c.

insects, herbs, rosemary, bees, honeybees, beekeeping, pollination, native bees, native pollinators, nectar, organic gardening

Mornin’ all!

I picked up the current issue of Mother Earth News magazine the other day, and this particular issue is chock full of great articles. It includes a great article about how to grow tomatoes all year long, how to grow cherries and asparagus, and an especially important feature on “Real Food…Why Growing Your Own is Best.” Pick it up on the newstand, check it out in a library, or subscribe. I find it a valuable resource for organic gardening and general DIY projects.

Thanks to Susan from my Writing the West writing group for her tip about using a heat mat. She says that she uses one in CO when starting tomato and basil seedlings, and that the extra heat underneath the plants makes for a stronger root system. Thanks, Susan, I’m going to add a heat mat to my “things I have to have” list!

Speaking of things I have to have, I finally bought an Earthbox this weekend. I’m looking forward to using it and testing it here in my garden. An Earthbox is a container gardening system, self-watering and highly efficient.

Dig it!

bobbi c.

Mother Earth News, garden magazine, Writing the West, Earthbox, container gardening, self-watering plant container

Hi all….the winter weather continues here. It was 17-degrees when I woke up, NOT something that this thin-blooded Texan wants to even think about. I comforted myself by rushing into my office and looking at the wee little basil seedlings struggling along here. They are coming up, slowly, mostly because this room gets chilly at night. I’m thinking of adding a warming mat to my stash of seed-starting tools!

Here’s a great website I just discovered….it covers info. on organic gardening, farming, sustainable agriculture, heritage (heirloom, or antique) vegetables, organic food on a budget, etc.

Even though the site is maintained in the UK, the information applies to anyone, anywhere. Enjoy!

Dig it!

bobbi c.
All text and photos Copyright©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran

organic gardening, organic farming, sustainable ag, sustainable agriculture, heritage vegetables, heirloom seeds, antique vegetables, organic food on a budget

When we first moved out here to the country, I thought it odd that there weren’t many birds other than the native roadrunners and a few sparrows. But when we hung a few birdfeeders and added a few birdbaths to our yard, they came. Slowly, but surely. Now, ten years later, we commonly get birds such as hummingbirds, tufted titmouses (titmice?), cardinals, mockingbirds, painted buntings and some of the native endangered or rare birds such as cedar waxwing and golden cheeked warblers.

In order to get a good look at these birds, I placed a birdbath right outside my office/studio window. Yesterday I was treated to a cardinal pecking at the small piece of ice in there, and another as-yet-unID’d bird that I’ve never seen here before.

I have several cement birdbaths, and one beloved cast iron one, but you know what? The birds don’t care what they’re made out of! I even have a few that are cheapy galvanized pans I found at the local hardware store for less than $5 each. Filled with water and a rock for the birds to stand on, they make great birdbaths for the birds who like to drink their water lower to the ground. Here’s an example of one I made:

Birds make great additions to an organic garden, since many of them eat their weight in bugs!

Dig it!

bobbi c.
Anxiously awaiting spring…
Copyright ©2005-2008 by Bobbi A. Chukran

birdfeeders, birdbath, inexpensive birdbath, DIY birdbath, galvanized birdbath

This morning it’s 27-degrees and all thoughts about early planting of spring tomatoes have been replaced by worries that I might lose my little lime tree that’s been living in a pot on the porch since last year at this time. Actually, I’m surprised it has lived this long. This winter has been harsh here for us in many ways–more icy storms and colder temperatures. Maybe it will be a blessing in disguise, and will kill off some of the grasshopper eggs I know are lurking underneath the cedar mulch that covers my garden paths…nature’s way of dealing with bugs!

My new grow light stand (a late Christmas gift) I ordered finally got here, and even though it’s a bit late for us, I’ll be starting tomato, pepper and herb seedlings myself this year. It will be nice not to be tied to the small inventory of hybrid varieties that the local garden center sells, and I can space the timing out instead of buying them all at once. I’ll be starting some Brandywine tomatoes, a popular, tasty heirloom. I always grow cherry tomatoes, too, for salads, and those do well in pots as long as they are fed some fish emulsion or liquid seaweed.

I’ve been going through all my garden photos, and will be posting more of those as I find them.

Happy Valentine’s Day, all!

Dig it!

bobbi c.
All photos and text Copyright©2005-2007 by Bobbi A. Chukran

insects in garden, grow light stand, antique rose, white heirloom rose, lime tree in container