Well, another month has gone by. What a beautiful weekend we had to end October with. Rain on Saturday then giving way to the most beautiful autumn day on Sunday. Very pleasant weather for trick or treaters to prowl around Idyllwild. With weather predictions being sunny and mild for the next few days, I am looking forward to getting out into the garden and finishing up my end of summer chores.
One thing I always try to do at this time of year is to add compost and/or manure to the garden so it can sit all winter long. I have noticed that sometimes when I add it in the spring, it is a little to potent and by letting it sit all winter, it mellows out just a little and my little seedlings love it.
With winter fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get the garden ready to go to sleep for the long winter months ahead. With predictions of a dryer than normal winter ahead, it is also the perfect time to get your trees and plants all mulched in as well. This not only protects the roots, but helps the soil to retain what ever moisture we do happen to get. We have to make the most of the moisture we do receive, so being that we have FREE mulch available, why not take advantage of the situation and do your garden a favor?
You can also mulch down your veggie garden, even though there is nothing growing in it right now. This helps prevent it from getting water logged through out the winter. The snow will gently melt down through the mulch and into the soil, rather than sitting on top of it and melting and creating mud puddles.
Remember we have FREE mulch for anyone to help themselves too and we also have bags of manure available for Pine Cove Water District customers as well. Each customer can have one bag for free. Just come in and ask for it!
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organic. Show all posts
Monday, November 1, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
It's Frugal Friday!
Ok, here we are in the middle of October and the weather has been beautiful so far. This is wonderful news for gardeners and their gardens. Working in this beautiful weather makes even garden chores seem pleasant. This is also a great time to plant trees, bare root roses or shrubs and bulbs. Fall planting gives plants a chance to establish roots and eliminates the need to water during the winter months. Come spring, your plants have had a head start and reward you by springing to life.
Since we are trying to be frugal while gardening, now is the time to clean, oil, sharpen and put away those garden tools. By taking care of them, they will last much longer than if you don't. Who wants to keep spending money on the same things over and over again just because you let them sit outside all winter long?
If you do have some tools that have seen their better days, why not recycle them into the garden? Even household items that have outlived their usefulness indoors, can find their way into the garden to continue being useful. Old tool handles can become stakes for vines. Metal headboards can also be used as supports for climbing plants. Clam shell contains, like the kind muffins come in, can be re-purposed into mini greenhouses for winter seed sowing.
Old pantyhose and T-shirts can be used to tie up plants and old shower curtains can find a new use as tarps out in the yard. They are great to lay out on the ground when you are raking leaves and need to move them to the compost pile. Simply pile them up on top of the shower curtain and then pull it over to the compost pile. If you use your imagination, I am sure you can come up with lots of uses.
Now is also a perfect time to add a layer of mulch to your garden if you haven't already done so. And guess what? We are giving it away, free of charge! What could be more frugal than getting something great for your garden for free? Adding mulch to your garden will help it retain moisture over the winter months as well as protect plant roots from harsh winds and freeze and thaw cycles. The mulch will also slowly decompose over time, enriching your soil with wonderful compost. Compost rich soil retains water better as well, thereby reducing your need to water as often come summer.
So get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather and get some autumn gardening done before it is too late!
Since we are trying to be frugal while gardening, now is the time to clean, oil, sharpen and put away those garden tools. By taking care of them, they will last much longer than if you don't. Who wants to keep spending money on the same things over and over again just because you let them sit outside all winter long?
If you do have some tools that have seen their better days, why not recycle them into the garden? Even household items that have outlived their usefulness indoors, can find their way into the garden to continue being useful. Old tool handles can become stakes for vines. Metal headboards can also be used as supports for climbing plants. Clam shell contains, like the kind muffins come in, can be re-purposed into mini greenhouses for winter seed sowing.
Old pantyhose and T-shirts can be used to tie up plants and old shower curtains can find a new use as tarps out in the yard. They are great to lay out on the ground when you are raking leaves and need to move them to the compost pile. Simply pile them up on top of the shower curtain and then pull it over to the compost pile. If you use your imagination, I am sure you can come up with lots of uses.
Now is also a perfect time to add a layer of mulch to your garden if you haven't already done so. And guess what? We are giving it away, free of charge! What could be more frugal than getting something great for your garden for free? Adding mulch to your garden will help it retain moisture over the winter months as well as protect plant roots from harsh winds and freeze and thaw cycles. The mulch will also slowly decompose over time, enriching your soil with wonderful compost. Compost rich soil retains water better as well, thereby reducing your need to water as often come summer.
So get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather and get some autumn gardening done before it is too late!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A Kitchen Garden
When I hear the term Kitchen Garden, it conjurs up all sorts of images of a lovely, large picket fenced garden which sits right outside the kitchen door of a quaint little cottage and is just teeming with all sorts of herbs and vegetables. A large willow baskest sits at the ready just outside the garden gate and when I arrive back inside the kitchen, the basket is overflowing with just picked goodies.
But then I wake up and I realize I am still in Pine Cove and that gardening just isn't that easy. While gardening here in the mountains can be challenging for sure, it is not impossible. A lot of gardening success or failure depends on what you are trying to grow. Obviously there are always going to be certain plants that we can't grow due to their water requirements, light requirements or other things that perhaps can't be provided during out short growing season. But there are some things that will grow well up here given the right care and conditions.
I, personally have noticed that herbs seem to do fairly well up here. So that leads me to believe that a Kitchen Garden might be a really great way to start gardening, since it pretty much guarantees some gardening success. While herbs do require sun, they also do great in pots, making it easy to put the garden where the sun is. So instead of saying my yard is too shady to grow anything, you can put a container garden where ever you have some sun. That problem is solved.
Over the past several years I have noticed in my own garden, that rosemary and lavender seem almost indestructable. They pop up in the spring no matter how much snow has been piled on them over the winter and they seem to grow no matter how sporadically I water them. Since both rosemary and lavender like more arid conditions than some other plants in the garden, it makes them an idea choice for here in Pine Cove. It also makes them good to plant in the same area since they have similiar sun and water requirements.
Plus you may not realize that rosemary can be used for more things than just flavoring that chicken you are making for dinner tonight. It can actually be used as ground cover or for topiaries. This makes it not only a fragrant, edible addition to your garden, but a decorative one as well. There is no need to keep this herb only in the kitchen garden. It can go anywhere it will get a fair amount of sun and it will thrive.
Some other things I have had success with is basil, parsely, oregano and sage. These all grow fairly well and I have been able to harvest them and dry them for use throughout the winter. If you have ever stopped to figure out the cost per pound of those little jars of herbs they sell in the grocery stores, you would be flaberghasted at the price. For a few dollars spent on plants and seeds, you can create a wonderful, organic herb garden for all your cooking needs.
A Kitchen Garden can can be as small as a few herbs in pots or as large as a vegetable garden or anything in between. How about a salad garden? A few varieties of leaf lettuce, a couple cherry tomatoe plants and a cucumber vine set the stage for some really yummy summer salads. Remember that a lot of things can be grown in containers making gardening much more portable and attainable for a larger amount of people. So when next spring rolls around, why not give a Kitchen Garden a try?
But then I wake up and I realize I am still in Pine Cove and that gardening just isn't that easy. While gardening here in the mountains can be challenging for sure, it is not impossible. A lot of gardening success or failure depends on what you are trying to grow. Obviously there are always going to be certain plants that we can't grow due to their water requirements, light requirements or other things that perhaps can't be provided during out short growing season. But there are some things that will grow well up here given the right care and conditions.
I, personally have noticed that herbs seem to do fairly well up here. So that leads me to believe that a Kitchen Garden might be a really great way to start gardening, since it pretty much guarantees some gardening success. While herbs do require sun, they also do great in pots, making it easy to put the garden where the sun is. So instead of saying my yard is too shady to grow anything, you can put a container garden where ever you have some sun. That problem is solved.
Over the past several years I have noticed in my own garden, that rosemary and lavender seem almost indestructable. They pop up in the spring no matter how much snow has been piled on them over the winter and they seem to grow no matter how sporadically I water them. Since both rosemary and lavender like more arid conditions than some other plants in the garden, it makes them an idea choice for here in Pine Cove. It also makes them good to plant in the same area since they have similiar sun and water requirements.
Plus you may not realize that rosemary can be used for more things than just flavoring that chicken you are making for dinner tonight. It can actually be used as ground cover or for topiaries. This makes it not only a fragrant, edible addition to your garden, but a decorative one as well. There is no need to keep this herb only in the kitchen garden. It can go anywhere it will get a fair amount of sun and it will thrive.
Some other things I have had success with is basil, parsely, oregano and sage. These all grow fairly well and I have been able to harvest them and dry them for use throughout the winter. If you have ever stopped to figure out the cost per pound of those little jars of herbs they sell in the grocery stores, you would be flaberghasted at the price. For a few dollars spent on plants and seeds, you can create a wonderful, organic herb garden for all your cooking needs.
A Kitchen Garden can can be as small as a few herbs in pots or as large as a vegetable garden or anything in between. How about a salad garden? A few varieties of leaf lettuce, a couple cherry tomatoe plants and a cucumber vine set the stage for some really yummy summer salads. Remember that a lot of things can be grown in containers making gardening much more portable and attainable for a larger amount of people. So when next spring rolls around, why not give a Kitchen Garden a try?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
What the heck is permaculture?
As a gardener, I am constantly doing research trying to find the best methods for growing things. Since it is a challenge to grow anything here on the hill, I am always hoping to find ways of growing things that are natural and will attract the local wildlife to my yard. Working in harmony with nature, rather than working against it. In my research I constantly see the word permaculture being thrown around. But what exactly is permaculture anyway? Is it the same as organic gardening? Sometimes I find all these terms to be confusing, and so I thought I would try to sort them out and shed some light on them so we all understand them better and can therefore put them to better use in our own gardens.
From the research I have been doing, I have found that permaculture is primarily about design, while organic gardening is a way of gardening. While an organic garden is a part of permaculture, it couldn't be called a permaculture unless it has been permaculture designed, in which case it would then be more than just an organic garden. Here is a wonderful description of permaculture from the IDEP Foundation's website:
Permaculture design seeks harmonious integration of landscape and people to provide food, shelter, energy and other material or non-material needs in a sustainable way.
This holistic ecological approach to the design and development of human settlements takes into account food production, structures, technologies, energy, natural resources, landscape, animal systems, plant systems, and social and economic structures.
Permaculture is applicable to both urban and rural contexts, and to any scale of design. It is about working with, rather than against, nature.
Permaculture draws upon traditional practices of earth stewardship and integrates this with appropriate modern technology. The term ‘permaculture’ was coined in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Work is now being carried out in over 100 countries by many thousands of permaculture design graduates.
Permaculture is about the whole picture, not just the how to's of composting or organic gardening. It is about designing a sustainable environment. It is about providing our needs in a way that works in harmony with nature. It is not only about food production, but about utilizing all our resources. It is about how and what we build and how we live. So just what would a permaculture look like?
Well, in addition to just growing food, it will have habitats for wildlife, birds and pest predators. It should consider the elements of fire, sun and wind in creating micro-climates for plants, animals and for the home. It will also address the cycles of water. It is about placing things in relationship to each other so that they work in harmony as a whole.
The following is a list of design principles from the IDEP Foundation's website:
Permaculture Design Principles
Diversity : Aims to integrate a variety of beneficial species of food, plants and animals into design. This builds a stable interactive polycultural system which provides for human needs and also for the needs of other species.
Edge Effect : In general, there is more energy and more diversity of life on the edge where two types of natural systems overlap. On these borders one can access the resources of both sides. Using the edge effect, and other natural patterns that you observe, creates the best effect.
Energy Planning : Placing the elements of your design in such a way as to minimize the use of energy (including fossil fuels and human labor). Utilizing the energy and resources that you have, first on-site and then from outside the system, as effectively as possible. Onsite energy resources include natural forces such as gravity, windpower and waterpower. This saves time, energy and money.
Energy Cycling : In a natural system there is no waste or pollution. The output from one natural process becomes the resource for another. Recycle and reuse all of resources as many times as possible.
Scale : Creating human-scale systems. Choose simple, appropriate technologies for use in designs. Only create systems that are manageable. Start small and take achievable steps towards an ideal goal.
Biological Resources : Use natural methods and processes to achieve tasks. Find things in nature (plants, animals, microbes) that are supportive of the system design and minimize outside energy input.
Multiple Elements : Support each vital need and essential function in more than one way, so that a temporary failure in one element will not stop the functioning of others. Also, recognize that there is almost always more than one way to achieve any task.
Multiple Functions : Most things can be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of functions. One rule of thumb in Permaculture is to try to design three uses for every element of the system. This can save space, time and complication in any particular project.
Natural Succession : Work with nature and the processes of natural systems. Anticipate future developments through research and observation when necessary.
Relative Location : Place every element of your design in relationship to others so that they benefit from each other. For example, store tools near where they will be used.
As I read more about permaculture, it is becoming very simple and clear. It is basically a method of living and working with nature instead of against it. It is using natural methods to accomplish what we need to do. Most of it is common sense and being organized. Things like putting your kitchen garden that needs tending the most, closest to your back door. Using trees to cool your house instead of air conditioners. Collecting rain water for use during dry periods. Having a compost pile near the garden.
An easy way to think of it is as zones. Zones are guidelines to help plan where things will be placed in a landscape. The key to efficient energy planning is the use of zone and sector planning. To plan what elements to put in various zones, consider how many times per year they will be visited. Put what you use most near to your house or the center of activity. Put those things which are visited least and need the least maintenance in areas farthest from the center of activity. Makes sense, right?
ZONE 0: This is your house zone and the center of activity. It should be an energy efficient, easy to maintain design that provides all your basic needs for your lifestyle.
ZONE 1: Contains your kitchen gardens. These are gardens which need continual observation, frequent visits, watering and work input. This zone would include garden areas for vegetables and herbs, small animals, a place for your garden tools, a compost system, rain water storage, clothes lines, greenhouses and so on.
ZONE 2: This is your Food Forest. A food forest is a dense planting of mixed orchard trees, shrubs, windbreaks, larger vegetables, terraces, possible grey water drainage, bees, bird and bee-attracting plants and so on. Plant and animal species which require care and observation would go in this zone. For example, milking goats or a flock of backyard chickens, fenced in from a pasture.
ZONE 3: This is a Farm zone. Most of us won't have this zone unless we have a large amount of land and live somewhere like Anza. It would include commercial crops, pastures for animals, green manure, aquaculture, low maintenance trees, large systems, big sheds, woodlot, windbreaks and so on.
ZONE 4: This is known as the Harvest Forest and again, most of us won't have this zone in our yards here on the hill and won't be chopping down trees for wood. Zone 4is a semi-managed/semi-wild area which borders forest and is managed for wild gathering, forest and fuel needs, hardy food, unpruned trees, grazing and so forth.
ZONE 5: This is a Wilderness Unmanaged area or a barely managed natural wild area. If you have a large property, you might have a zone like this. Again, many of us will not. This zone is a place for learning and observing. A place where we are "visitors", not "managers".
When you start looking at your house and your yard as zones, it soon becomes clear what the principles of permaculture are and with a little research, you will soon be making effective use of the property you have, not matter how large or small it is. From there you can move onto sustainable and organic practices both in your home and in your garden. Before long you will have your own permaculture happening right in your own backyard.
From the research I have been doing, I have found that permaculture is primarily about design, while organic gardening is a way of gardening. While an organic garden is a part of permaculture, it couldn't be called a permaculture unless it has been permaculture designed, in which case it would then be more than just an organic garden. Here is a wonderful description of permaculture from the IDEP Foundation's website:
Permaculture design seeks harmonious integration of landscape and people to provide food, shelter, energy and other material or non-material needs in a sustainable way.
This holistic ecological approach to the design and development of human settlements takes into account food production, structures, technologies, energy, natural resources, landscape, animal systems, plant systems, and social and economic structures.
Permaculture is applicable to both urban and rural contexts, and to any scale of design. It is about working with, rather than against, nature.
Permaculture draws upon traditional practices of earth stewardship and integrates this with appropriate modern technology. The term ‘permaculture’ was coined in the 1970s by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren. Work is now being carried out in over 100 countries by many thousands of permaculture design graduates.
Permaculture is about the whole picture, not just the how to's of composting or organic gardening. It is about designing a sustainable environment. It is about providing our needs in a way that works in harmony with nature. It is not only about food production, but about utilizing all our resources. It is about how and what we build and how we live. So just what would a permaculture look like?
Well, in addition to just growing food, it will have habitats for wildlife, birds and pest predators. It should consider the elements of fire, sun and wind in creating micro-climates for plants, animals and for the home. It will also address the cycles of water. It is about placing things in relationship to each other so that they work in harmony as a whole.
The following is a list of design principles from the IDEP Foundation's website:
Permaculture Design Principles
Diversity : Aims to integrate a variety of beneficial species of food, plants and animals into design. This builds a stable interactive polycultural system which provides for human needs and also for the needs of other species.
Edge Effect : In general, there is more energy and more diversity of life on the edge where two types of natural systems overlap. On these borders one can access the resources of both sides. Using the edge effect, and other natural patterns that you observe, creates the best effect.
Energy Planning : Placing the elements of your design in such a way as to minimize the use of energy (including fossil fuels and human labor). Utilizing the energy and resources that you have, first on-site and then from outside the system, as effectively as possible. Onsite energy resources include natural forces such as gravity, windpower and waterpower. This saves time, energy and money.
Energy Cycling : In a natural system there is no waste or pollution. The output from one natural process becomes the resource for another. Recycle and reuse all of resources as many times as possible.
Scale : Creating human-scale systems. Choose simple, appropriate technologies for use in designs. Only create systems that are manageable. Start small and take achievable steps towards an ideal goal.
Biological Resources : Use natural methods and processes to achieve tasks. Find things in nature (plants, animals, microbes) that are supportive of the system design and minimize outside energy input.
Multiple Elements : Support each vital need and essential function in more than one way, so that a temporary failure in one element will not stop the functioning of others. Also, recognize that there is almost always more than one way to achieve any task.
Multiple Functions : Most things can be used in a variety of ways and for a variety of functions. One rule of thumb in Permaculture is to try to design three uses for every element of the system. This can save space, time and complication in any particular project.
Natural Succession : Work with nature and the processes of natural systems. Anticipate future developments through research and observation when necessary.
Relative Location : Place every element of your design in relationship to others so that they benefit from each other. For example, store tools near where they will be used.
As I read more about permaculture, it is becoming very simple and clear. It is basically a method of living and working with nature instead of against it. It is using natural methods to accomplish what we need to do. Most of it is common sense and being organized. Things like putting your kitchen garden that needs tending the most, closest to your back door. Using trees to cool your house instead of air conditioners. Collecting rain water for use during dry periods. Having a compost pile near the garden.
An easy way to think of it is as zones. Zones are guidelines to help plan where things will be placed in a landscape. The key to efficient energy planning is the use of zone and sector planning. To plan what elements to put in various zones, consider how many times per year they will be visited. Put what you use most near to your house or the center of activity. Put those things which are visited least and need the least maintenance in areas farthest from the center of activity. Makes sense, right?
ZONE 0: This is your house zone and the center of activity. It should be an energy efficient, easy to maintain design that provides all your basic needs for your lifestyle.
ZONE 1: Contains your kitchen gardens. These are gardens which need continual observation, frequent visits, watering and work input. This zone would include garden areas for vegetables and herbs, small animals, a place for your garden tools, a compost system, rain water storage, clothes lines, greenhouses and so on.
ZONE 2: This is your Food Forest. A food forest is a dense planting of mixed orchard trees, shrubs, windbreaks, larger vegetables, terraces, possible grey water drainage, bees, bird and bee-attracting plants and so on. Plant and animal species which require care and observation would go in this zone. For example, milking goats or a flock of backyard chickens, fenced in from a pasture.
ZONE 3: This is a Farm zone. Most of us won't have this zone unless we have a large amount of land and live somewhere like Anza. It would include commercial crops, pastures for animals, green manure, aquaculture, low maintenance trees, large systems, big sheds, woodlot, windbreaks and so on.
ZONE 4: This is known as the Harvest Forest and again, most of us won't have this zone in our yards here on the hill and won't be chopping down trees for wood. Zone 4is a semi-managed/semi-wild area which borders forest and is managed for wild gathering, forest and fuel needs, hardy food, unpruned trees, grazing and so forth.
ZONE 5: This is a Wilderness Unmanaged area or a barely managed natural wild area. If you have a large property, you might have a zone like this. Again, many of us will not. This zone is a place for learning and observing. A place where we are "visitors", not "managers".
When you start looking at your house and your yard as zones, it soon becomes clear what the principles of permaculture are and with a little research, you will soon be making effective use of the property you have, not matter how large or small it is. From there you can move onto sustainable and organic practices both in your home and in your garden. Before long you will have your own permaculture happening right in your own backyard.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Free Wood Chips!
We have free woodchips available to anyone who would like to have some. Just come on up and help yourself. They are located behind the water district's workshop. You may come anytime to pick them up. They are great around plants and trees to help with water retention.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Sustainable Thursday
As Easter looms in the not to far off distance, we are reminded that spring is a renewing time of year. It never ceases to amaze me each year how the plants here on our mountain know it is spring and time to bloom and grow. While some are slower than others, it is amazing to walk through the yard and see all the activity going on. Bulbs are springing to life, leaves on certain trees are budding up. Roses are growing after being dormant for the long, cold winter. Things just seem to be re-born everywhere you look.
It doesn't stop with the plants either. All of a sudden the birds are a buzz with activity and the squirrels are out and about in full force. I am sure it won't be long until the insects figure out it is spring and arrive in full force as well. The ants already seem to have figured that out, so the others can't be far behind.
In order to avoid a mosquito invasion, make sure you do not have any standing water around your house or yard. With all the snow we have had this past winter, it is easy for any type of a container left outside to become full of water and harbor a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Check around your property and make sure you empty out any standing water. Mosquitoes can carry diseases and it is best to play it safe.
As always, we have to be aware of the danger of rattlesnakes. While this is a subject that sends fear through my entire being, it is something we must be aware of. Always take precautions around wood piles and any other places you think a snake could be hanging out. After almost stepping on a rattlesnake in my own front yard one day, I am now more observant when I am outside gardening or walking around. One favorite hide out for them is under propane tanks and under the lids on the propane tanks. While rattlesnakes are a part of nature, they are a part I do not wish to encounter, so being extremely cautious is how I deal with the situation. As it warms up and we are outside cleaning up our yards, remember that the rattlesnakes may be warming up as well and ready to come out for that first sunbath of the year. Keep yourself safe.
If you have the urge to start planting, remember to add compost to your soil so that it will retain water better and then top that with mulch to keep the moisure in. We are still offering a free bag of compost to Pine Cove Water District customers and we are offering FREE wood chips to anyone who wants them. Come and take advantage of these offers while you can.
We are also giving away blue bird houses. Now is the time to come and pick one up and get it hung up in a tree so the birds can make their nests. We also have water saving kits available to our customers. They contain a water saving shower head as well as an aerator and low flow spigots and they are absolutely FREE!
It doesn't stop with the plants either. All of a sudden the birds are a buzz with activity and the squirrels are out and about in full force. I am sure it won't be long until the insects figure out it is spring and arrive in full force as well. The ants already seem to have figured that out, so the others can't be far behind.
In order to avoid a mosquito invasion, make sure you do not have any standing water around your house or yard. With all the snow we have had this past winter, it is easy for any type of a container left outside to become full of water and harbor a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Check around your property and make sure you empty out any standing water. Mosquitoes can carry diseases and it is best to play it safe.
As always, we have to be aware of the danger of rattlesnakes. While this is a subject that sends fear through my entire being, it is something we must be aware of. Always take precautions around wood piles and any other places you think a snake could be hanging out. After almost stepping on a rattlesnake in my own front yard one day, I am now more observant when I am outside gardening or walking around. One favorite hide out for them is under propane tanks and under the lids on the propane tanks. While rattlesnakes are a part of nature, they are a part I do not wish to encounter, so being extremely cautious is how I deal with the situation. As it warms up and we are outside cleaning up our yards, remember that the rattlesnakes may be warming up as well and ready to come out for that first sunbath of the year. Keep yourself safe.
If you have the urge to start planting, remember to add compost to your soil so that it will retain water better and then top that with mulch to keep the moisure in. We are still offering a free bag of compost to Pine Cove Water District customers and we are offering FREE wood chips to anyone who wants them. Come and take advantage of these offers while you can.
We are also giving away blue bird houses. Now is the time to come and pick one up and get it hung up in a tree so the birds can make their nests. We also have water saving kits available to our customers. They contain a water saving shower head as well as an aerator and low flow spigots and they are absolutely FREE!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Sustainable Thursday
After a week of fairly nice weather, it seems everyone is ready for spring to arrive. It feels good to have the sun upon my face when I go outside and it is wonderful to see the actual ground again. I know it is early and I shouldn't get too excited yet as Old Man Winter could still throw us a few punches.
However, while the weather is nice it gives us a break and we can enjoy a few spring time activities while waiting to see if winter is gone for good.
1. Hang your clothes outside to dry. Since the sun has been shining and it has been over 50 degrees outside, why not use your solar clothes dryer? You will save energy and your clothes will smell so fresh and good. I can remember during the summer as a child, climbing into freshly washed sheets that were dried on the line outside and smelled so good that I would just bury my face into my pillow and take a deep breath. Then my mom got a new dryer and all that ended.
At my house though, that tradition was revived. When my first child arrived in May of 1977, it turned out to be twins and so I spent all summer that year hanging out dozens and dozens of receiving blankets, crib sheets, undershirts and sleepers. Even though I had a dryer, the clothes came off the line smelling so fresh and clean that it was worth the extra effort. Add to that a couple of freshly bathed and powdered baby girls and the sweet smell of the baby and the line dried clothes mixed together was intoxicating to a then new mom.
It is my hope that all 4 of my daughters will have memories of climbing into sheets dried outside on the clothes line and I hope my grandbabies will have memories of visiting Grandma & Grandpa in the mountains and remember how good the sheets smelled when they were tucked into bed while visiting. Drying clothes outside on the line not only saves energy, it makes memories!
2. Get some compost and mulch into your yard. I love working in the yard at this time of year. Mainly because the soil is so moist and easy to dig up. While it is still to early to do a lot of serious planting, it is a great time to add compost to your soil. We sometimes forget that our trees can use some extra nutrients as well as our garden plants. Once you get your soil amended, don't forget to add a layer of mulch to help the soil retain moisture. Well composted soil holds water much better than uncomposted soil and a layer of mulch will not only help retain moisture, but if you use something natural like woodchips, they too will break down into compost over time and add even more nutrients to the soil.
If you are gardening on a budget, don't forget that Pine Cove Water District is giving away FREE bark chips to be used as mulch. We are also giving away one free bag of COMPOST to any Pine Cove Water District customer that comes in an requests one. We want to get everyone off to a good start this spring, so stop by and pick yours up now!
3. Stop water runoff in your yard. Now is also a great time to go out into your yard and add berms and swales to retain and hold water and/or snow runoff. Check your rainspouting for leaks and add rainbarrels to catch the runoff from your roof. This water can then be used later in the year for irrigation. Check for leaks and repair any you find immediately. Winter can be hard on our pipes and our outdoor irrigation systems. Customers are responsible for all the water that runs through their meter, so catching leaks early saves money, time and property. Don't wait until it becomes a major problem that is going to cost thousands of dollars to fix. What is that old saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is very true when it comes to keeping your irrigation system in top notch shape.
4. Get a jump start on your fire abatement. I know it is hard to think of fire season when we have just seen the last of the snow melt, but we have to remember it is fire season up here all year round. Take advantage of this nice weather to clean off your roof and get your yard raked up. It is easier to work in this cooler weather than it is to work in 80+ degrees. Plus, if you do it now, while others are scrambling to get their abatement done, you can sit smuggly back with your feet up, sipping on an iced tea, reading a good book. When it comes to fire prevention, you can never do too much or do it too soon. Keeping up with fire abatement makes the job easier than when you let it go for long periods of time and saves you from being cited or fined for not complying.
So even though spring may or may not have sprung, there are still somethings we can get a jump start on. Doing some of your gardening chores now will leave you more free time to play when the nice weather does finally comes to stay.
However, while the weather is nice it gives us a break and we can enjoy a few spring time activities while waiting to see if winter is gone for good.
1. Hang your clothes outside to dry. Since the sun has been shining and it has been over 50 degrees outside, why not use your solar clothes dryer? You will save energy and your clothes will smell so fresh and good. I can remember during the summer as a child, climbing into freshly washed sheets that were dried on the line outside and smelled so good that I would just bury my face into my pillow and take a deep breath. Then my mom got a new dryer and all that ended.
At my house though, that tradition was revived. When my first child arrived in May of 1977, it turned out to be twins and so I spent all summer that year hanging out dozens and dozens of receiving blankets, crib sheets, undershirts and sleepers. Even though I had a dryer, the clothes came off the line smelling so fresh and clean that it was worth the extra effort. Add to that a couple of freshly bathed and powdered baby girls and the sweet smell of the baby and the line dried clothes mixed together was intoxicating to a then new mom.
It is my hope that all 4 of my daughters will have memories of climbing into sheets dried outside on the clothes line and I hope my grandbabies will have memories of visiting Grandma & Grandpa in the mountains and remember how good the sheets smelled when they were tucked into bed while visiting. Drying clothes outside on the line not only saves energy, it makes memories!
2. Get some compost and mulch into your yard. I love working in the yard at this time of year. Mainly because the soil is so moist and easy to dig up. While it is still to early to do a lot of serious planting, it is a great time to add compost to your soil. We sometimes forget that our trees can use some extra nutrients as well as our garden plants. Once you get your soil amended, don't forget to add a layer of mulch to help the soil retain moisture. Well composted soil holds water much better than uncomposted soil and a layer of mulch will not only help retain moisture, but if you use something natural like woodchips, they too will break down into compost over time and add even more nutrients to the soil.
If you are gardening on a budget, don't forget that Pine Cove Water District is giving away FREE bark chips to be used as mulch. We are also giving away one free bag of COMPOST to any Pine Cove Water District customer that comes in an requests one. We want to get everyone off to a good start this spring, so stop by and pick yours up now!
3. Stop water runoff in your yard. Now is also a great time to go out into your yard and add berms and swales to retain and hold water and/or snow runoff. Check your rainspouting for leaks and add rainbarrels to catch the runoff from your roof. This water can then be used later in the year for irrigation. Check for leaks and repair any you find immediately. Winter can be hard on our pipes and our outdoor irrigation systems. Customers are responsible for all the water that runs through their meter, so catching leaks early saves money, time and property. Don't wait until it becomes a major problem that is going to cost thousands of dollars to fix. What is that old saying? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is very true when it comes to keeping your irrigation system in top notch shape.
4. Get a jump start on your fire abatement. I know it is hard to think of fire season when we have just seen the last of the snow melt, but we have to remember it is fire season up here all year round. Take advantage of this nice weather to clean off your roof and get your yard raked up. It is easier to work in this cooler weather than it is to work in 80+ degrees. Plus, if you do it now, while others are scrambling to get their abatement done, you can sit smuggly back with your feet up, sipping on an iced tea, reading a good book. When it comes to fire prevention, you can never do too much or do it too soon. Keeping up with fire abatement makes the job easier than when you let it go for long periods of time and saves you from being cited or fined for not complying.
So even though spring may or may not have sprung, there are still somethings we can get a jump start on. Doing some of your gardening chores now will leave you more free time to play when the nice weather does finally comes to stay.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Earth Fair
Sitting here looking out the office window at the snow and ice covered trees, the dark skies, the wind blowing through the trees and the ice covered road, it is hard to imagine that in approximately 9 weeks the weather will be nice enough to hold an out door festival. But every year when the Earth Fair comes around, the weather is usually co-operative. So I am hoping that is the way for this year's festival which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 15th from 11 am until 5 pm. This year PCWD will have it's first ever booth there.
We are very excited about this. We are planning to bring a variety of demonstrations and lots of handouts. We feel that education is an important part of running the water district responsibly. We can't expect people to conserve if we don't teach them how to do it.
Vicki will be manning the booth and it is our hope that many of our customers will stop by and say hello and take a look at our demonstrations and information. In the meantime, we will just keep trying to stay warm and hope that the weather warms up sooner rather than later.
We are very excited about this. We are planning to bring a variety of demonstrations and lots of handouts. We feel that education is an important part of running the water district responsibly. We can't expect people to conserve if we don't teach them how to do it.
Vicki will be manning the booth and it is our hope that many of our customers will stop by and say hello and take a look at our demonstrations and information. In the meantime, we will just keep trying to stay warm and hope that the weather warms up sooner rather than later.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Free woodchips
If anyone wants to get a jump on their spring mulching, we are still giving away free woodchips to anyone who would like some. They are great for mulching your yard and garden and help retain all this lovely moisture we have had recently. Since we have had such a wet winter, it is a good idea to get them down early if you don't already have any mulch in your yard. Just come by and pick some up!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sustainable Thursday
As a long time plastic bag washer, the winter months always present the problem of how to dry them. In the summer, it is easy. I wash and rinse them and then just hang them out on my clothesline to air dry. However, I haven't really found a good place in my house to string up a line to dry plastic bags on. I guess I could do it in the bathroom over the tub or in the kitchen over the sink but I am not sure I would like the looks of such a set up though. I couldn't help but think that there has to be a better way to dry my plastic bags. Throwing them over the handles of the knives in my knife block isn't really cutting it.
So I decided to peruse the web and see if some clever person has come up with a better way or if there is actually a device to aid one in their bag drying dilema. Sure enough, there is a real bag dryer that is made called The Bag-E-Wash Dryer. It is a wooden gadet and either sits on your counter top or can be hung on a wall.
But before I would run out and buy something new, I thought I would like to try to find other items that could be re-purposed and used as a bag dryer. Some things I came up were a retractable rack for drying clothes. The kind that hangs on the wall and then pulls out. You can hang towels, stockings or other lightweight items on it. I have one of these in my shed. It is made from wood and I have been looking for something to do with it for years now. It was given to me and I keep thinking someday I will find something to use this for. I could pull it out and hang bags on it with clothes pins and when it wasn't needed, push it back in again. It wouldn't take up much room and perhaps it could be hung from the ceiling, which would really be out of the way when not in use.
Folding racks that are used for drying clothes could be turned into a bag dryer. I think they would also make great dryers for herbs. If you have had a baby recently, you might have a bottle dryer kicking around that could be re-purposed as a bag dryer.
Another option might be to make one out of chopsticks and small block of wood for the base. All you would have to do is save up your chopsticks and then drill small holes the size of your chopsticks in to the block of wood. Add a little wood glue and push the chopsticks into the holes and viola. Instant bag dryer. I think this would work really well and be very inexpensive to make. Since plastic bags are light, you don't need something real heavy duty.
What about one of those vintage triple rack towel holders? They have the 3 arms that swing out to the left or the right. You could dry 3 bags on one of those if you had one around. Places like eBay or Amazon.com often have vintage items like this for sale and by buying something used, you are recycling and keeping things out of our landfills. Plus there is something very special about previously loved items. They make a house into a home and help save the earth all at the same time.
The website GreenHome.com, reports that a July 2002 EPA report stated that Americans discarded more than 3.3 million tons of low and high density polyethylene bags in 2000. Of those 3.3 million tons only 5.4% were recovered and recycled. Plastic bags are also among the the "dirty dozen" - the top 12 items most often found in coastal cleanups.
America alone produces 10 pounds of plastic bags per year for every person on earth! That is a lot of plastic bags. Washing and re-using plastic bags can make a huge dent in the number of bags that wind up in the landfills. One box (30) of gallon size bags washed and reused 50 times each keeps 1,500 bags out of the landfill!
One additional tip I have found helpful is that if you buy only freezer bags, they last much longer and you can wash them many times over before they wear out or spring a leak.
So I decided to peruse the web and see if some clever person has come up with a better way or if there is actually a device to aid one in their bag drying dilema. Sure enough, there is a real bag dryer that is made called The Bag-E-Wash Dryer. It is a wooden gadet and either sits on your counter top or can be hung on a wall.
But before I would run out and buy something new, I thought I would like to try to find other items that could be re-purposed and used as a bag dryer. Some things I came up were a retractable rack for drying clothes. The kind that hangs on the wall and then pulls out. You can hang towels, stockings or other lightweight items on it. I have one of these in my shed. It is made from wood and I have been looking for something to do with it for years now. It was given to me and I keep thinking someday I will find something to use this for. I could pull it out and hang bags on it with clothes pins and when it wasn't needed, push it back in again. It wouldn't take up much room and perhaps it could be hung from the ceiling, which would really be out of the way when not in use.
Folding racks that are used for drying clothes could be turned into a bag dryer. I think they would also make great dryers for herbs. If you have had a baby recently, you might have a bottle dryer kicking around that could be re-purposed as a bag dryer.
Another option might be to make one out of chopsticks and small block of wood for the base. All you would have to do is save up your chopsticks and then drill small holes the size of your chopsticks in to the block of wood. Add a little wood glue and push the chopsticks into the holes and viola. Instant bag dryer. I think this would work really well and be very inexpensive to make. Since plastic bags are light, you don't need something real heavy duty.
What about one of those vintage triple rack towel holders? They have the 3 arms that swing out to the left or the right. You could dry 3 bags on one of those if you had one around. Places like eBay or Amazon.com often have vintage items like this for sale and by buying something used, you are recycling and keeping things out of our landfills. Plus there is something very special about previously loved items. They make a house into a home and help save the earth all at the same time.
The website GreenHome.com, reports that a July 2002 EPA report stated that Americans discarded more than 3.3 million tons of low and high density polyethylene bags in 2000. Of those 3.3 million tons only 5.4% were recovered and recycled. Plastic bags are also among the the "dirty dozen" - the top 12 items most often found in coastal cleanups.
America alone produces 10 pounds of plastic bags per year for every person on earth! That is a lot of plastic bags. Washing and re-using plastic bags can make a huge dent in the number of bags that wind up in the landfills. One box (30) of gallon size bags washed and reused 50 times each keeps 1,500 bags out of the landfill!
One additional tip I have found helpful is that if you buy only freezer bags, they last much longer and you can wash them many times over before they wear out or spring a leak.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Sustainable Thursday
My apologies for being a day late. Some other writing had my attention for most of the day yesterday.
I was pondering what to write about this week and I thought since I talked about eggs and animal welfare in factory farming last week, I should talk about farming of fruits and veggies this week.
In a perfect world, all of our food would be raised locally, humanely and organically. I personally hope that some day that is how it is. But in the meantime, we are faced with dozens of choices on what to buy and what to put into our bodies each and every time we enter a supermarket.
There is also a lot of conflicting information out there about our food and it's sources and organic vs. non organic. Should we spend the extra for organic or not? That is always the question that I wrestle with. My mind is telling me one thing, but my checkbook is telling me something else. If I buy all organic I will get enough food for my family for about 3 days vs. a week if I buy non organic. So what is the average person to do?
Personally I try to go by the Dirty Dozen. You may have seen this list elsewhere as it has been published over and over again, but I think it is a really good place to start if you want to start switching to organic. I think dairy and the Dirty Dozen list are probably the easiest way to start. In case you haven't seen it before, here it is again.
The dirty dozen below have the highest levels of pesticides when grown conventionally. The thin skins on many of them make it easy for pesticides to penetrate to the food and impossible for us to wash away the chemicals. Opt for USDA certified organics of these foods and you're ensuring your salad wasn't raised using man-made chemical pesticides, fossil fuel or sewage-based fertilizers or genetically-modified seeds.
apples
sweet bell peppers
carrots
celery
cherries
grapes (imported)
kale
lettuce
nectarines
peaches
pears
strawberries
If you are unable to afford these items in your local grocery store,try going to your local farmer's market where the prices are often lower than the grocery store, and the farmers raise their crops using organic methods but don't opt to go through the costly and lengthy organic certification process. You can usually talk directly to the grower and get to know him and how he runs his farm. Making the switch to organic is possible if you just start slowly and shop around.
I was pondering what to write about this week and I thought since I talked about eggs and animal welfare in factory farming last week, I should talk about farming of fruits and veggies this week.
In a perfect world, all of our food would be raised locally, humanely and organically. I personally hope that some day that is how it is. But in the meantime, we are faced with dozens of choices on what to buy and what to put into our bodies each and every time we enter a supermarket.
There is also a lot of conflicting information out there about our food and it's sources and organic vs. non organic. Should we spend the extra for organic or not? That is always the question that I wrestle with. My mind is telling me one thing, but my checkbook is telling me something else. If I buy all organic I will get enough food for my family for about 3 days vs. a week if I buy non organic. So what is the average person to do?
Personally I try to go by the Dirty Dozen. You may have seen this list elsewhere as it has been published over and over again, but I think it is a really good place to start if you want to start switching to organic. I think dairy and the Dirty Dozen list are probably the easiest way to start. In case you haven't seen it before, here it is again.
The dirty dozen below have the highest levels of pesticides when grown conventionally. The thin skins on many of them make it easy for pesticides to penetrate to the food and impossible for us to wash away the chemicals. Opt for USDA certified organics of these foods and you're ensuring your salad wasn't raised using man-made chemical pesticides, fossil fuel or sewage-based fertilizers or genetically-modified seeds.
apples
sweet bell peppers
carrots
celery
cherries
grapes (imported)
kale
lettuce
nectarines
peaches
pears
strawberries
If you are unable to afford these items in your local grocery store,try going to your local farmer's market where the prices are often lower than the grocery store, and the farmers raise their crops using organic methods but don't opt to go through the costly and lengthy organic certification process. You can usually talk directly to the grower and get to know him and how he runs his farm. Making the switch to organic is possible if you just start slowly and shop around.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Sustainable Thursday
We have been hearing a lot lately about eating organically and sustainably. I think everyone knows what organic is but what exactly is eating sustainably? According to the website sustainabletable.org, it is about several things.
First it is about Conservation and Preservation. What is taken out of the environment is put back in, so land and resources such as water, soil and air can be replenished and are available to future generations. The waste from sustainable farming stays within the farm’s ecosystem and cannot cause buildup or pollution. In addition, sustainable agriculture seeks to minimize transportation costs and fossil fuel use, and is as locally-based as possible.
Second is Biodiversity. Farms raise different types of plants and animals, which are rotated around the fields to enrich the soil and help prevent disease and pest outbreaks. Chemical pesticides are used minimally and only when necessary; many sustainable farms do not use any form of chemicals.
Third is Animal Welfare. Animals are treated humanely and with respect, and are well cared for. They are permitted to carry out their natural behaviors, such as grazing, rooting or pecking, and are fed a natural diet appropriate for their species.
Fourth would be Economically Viable. Farmers are paid a fair wage and are not dependent on subsidies from the government. Sustainable farmers help strengthen rural communities.
Fifth is Socially Just. Workers are treated fairly and paid competitive wages and benefits. They work in a safe environment and are offered proper living conditions and food.
If you go to sustainabletable.org, you can read about each one of these topics in much more depth.
The one thing that really stands out to me though is the way factory farms treat their animals. Here is what sustainabletable.org says about that.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of animals raised for food experience terrible living conditions because the majority of meat, dairy, and poultry production in the U.S. takes place in industrialized or factory farms. These factory farms are large, profit driven companies which view animals as units of production, rather than living creatures, and exchange the animals' health and welfare for efficiency and profit. While views differ about the degree of comfort and freedom that farm animals deserve, most people can agree on a minimum standard of cleanliness and space, and that animals should not needlessly suffer.
The basic structure of industrial farms is at odds with the well-being of the animals they raise. Confining animals indoors as closely together as possible, rather than letting them graze on open land, exposes them to high levels of toxins from decomposing manure. To counteract the disease inherent in such conditions, animals are given constant low daily doses of antibiotics which are contributing to problems with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Though they are also exposed to pesticides, other unhealthy additives, and types of food they wouldn't normally eat. The animals can also be bred and given hormones only to increase production.
Life on a Factory Farm
Other common practices, such as debeaking chickens or cutting off cows' tails, are said to increase efficiency and safety, but they also cause discomfort, pain, and stress for the animals. Though these tactics may help "mechanize" the animals and can increase yields by causing less interference with production, this does not justify the resulting suffering. In every stage of development on a factory farm, animals suffer needless mutations and cramped, confined living conditions. Scientists have even linked animal stress to food quality and safety. When an animal is subject to stress and pain, it is more prone to disease and can produce lower quality meat, milk, or eggs.
Cows
The First Year
Calves born into dairy production are usually removed from their dam, or mother, after only about 12 hours. Once a male calf born into a dairy factory farm is weaned, he will be raised for veal, castrated and sent to feedlots to be fattened, or in rare cases raised for breeding. The heifers, or young female cows, will be raised as "replacement heifers" on the same farm or sold to another dairy farm. All calves born into factory farms undergo procedures usually unnecessary outside of a factory farm setting. They are dehorned, have extra teats removed (if a heifer), and are usually fed a milk replacer (a dried product made from cheese-making by-products or other sources of proteins like soy). The use of a milk replacer brings up concerns about the spread of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or Mad Cow's Disease) because some of the allowable protein content in milk replacers is derived from cow's blood cells. Common practice on dairy factory farms also includes tail docking, or the removal of approximately two-thirds of the tail. This painful procedure is conducted without anesthetic and is supposedly meant to keep the cow from developing infections caused by constant exposure to manure. Studies have shown that this process not only causes the animal a significant amount of pain and stress, but also has no benefit for the animal's health. In fact, tail docking has been shown to moderately increase stress for cows because they are no longer able to use their tails to swat flies. This results in a greater number of flies around the cattle and the use of other fly-avoidance behaviors. For these reasons, the American Veterinary Medical Association officially opposes the routine tail docking of cattle.
Breeding and Growth
In the U.S., dairy cows have been bred to produce higher and higher amounts of milk, and evidence shows this practice has led to a higher occurrence of disease. While the average dairy cow produced almost 5,300 pounds of milk a year in 1950, today, a typical cow produces more than 18,000 pounds. In addition to the breeding, in order to artificially increase milk production, a certain number (estimated around 33%) of dairy cattle are injected with rBGH, an artificial growth hormone.
For the duration of their productive lives, factory farmed dairy cattle are kept in one of three types of housing units: tie-stall barns, where they spend their life tethered by their neck to a stall; free-stall barns, where cattle are kept indoors and provided stalls for milking and rest; or dry lots, which is an area with no vegetation where the cattle are kept between trips to the milking barn11. Beef cattle are usually raised on dry lots, but so are some dairy cows. In all of these situations, cattle are in high concentrations and often suffer diseases of the feet and udder from standing in their own manure and being exposed to harsh weather conditions. Stripped of the ability to graze, cattle are given feed which contains some straw and grass, but also protein sources from "by-product feedstuffs", including meat and bone meal, an inappropriate food for herbivorous (vegetarian) cattle. The harsh living conditions, excess hormones, and inappropriate diet provide a perfect mixture for disease and injury.
Slaughter
Once beef cows have grown to an adequate size and dairy cows are no longer producing milk at an acceptable rate, the cattle are taken to be slaughtered. In August 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will draft legislation completely banning the slaughter of any downer-cattle (those too sick or lame to walk) - though as of September 2008 no legislation or regulations had been passed. Before May 2008, USDA regulations stated that downer-cattle could be slaughtered for food if they passed the ante-mortem, or before slaughter, inspection at the slaughterhouse. This practice of slaughtering sick or injured cattle caused much pain to the already suffering animal, as they were pushed, prodded and shoved into the slaughterhouse by any means possible, since they were unable to walk. While slaughterhouses are required to meet USDA standards for cleanliness and humane treatment during slaughter, they are also in the business of killing animals: the faster the slaughter and butchering, the more meat produced and the more money made. Because of the pressure to slaughter animals quickly, mistakes that result in the violation of USDA regulations and lead to the mistreatment of the animals, unavoidably occur. In some slaughterhouses, almost 400 cattle per day are slaughtered, and at this speed it is "nearly impossible to guarantee each is slaughtered within the regulations". Cattle are ushered as quickly as possible from farm to truck to slaughter, sometimes resulting in injury. In addition, slaughterhouses have been reported as regularly failing to completely stun animals before the slaughtering process begins. This results in cows being hung and bled while they are still conscious.
Pigs
The First Year
On a factory farm, just before giving birth, a sow, or mother pig, is placed into a small crate on her side, completely limiting her movement, but still allowing the piglets to feed16. Sows will often spend their entire life encaged in the crates or in a cramped pen that encourages pregnancy17. The piglets' teeth and tails are clipped soon after birth. The practice of tail clipping or docking is done to prevent the piglets from biting each other's tails, but this phenomenon has only been observed in pigs in a factory farm environment.
Growth and Development
Once the piglets are weaned, they are separated from their mother and confined in pens with concrete floors. Rooting, or digging in the dirt and straw, is a natural activity for pigs; and when restricted from this activity, they show visible signs of stress and aggression, such as tail-biting. The concrete floors have also been linked to skeletal deformities of the feet, and the poorly ventilated confines have resulted in frequent lung damage and pneumonia.
Slaughter
The stress and mistreatment pigs experience during transport, in combination with illness and injury from the poor housing conditions, causes many pigs to die on the way to the slaughterhouse.
Chickens
Breeding
Broilers (chickens raised for meat production) have been bred to grow muscle at a rate faster than ever and now reach market weight in half the time than they did in the 1940's. This fast rate of muscle growth is often not matched by bone growth and can cause serious deformities and loss of the ability to walk.
Growth and Development
Approximately 98% of chickens used in egg production live in a cage of only about 48 sq. in. (about half as big as a piece of letter sized paper). Broiler chickens are often reared at similarly high densities in pens with concrete slatted floors or occasionally litter (straw) covered concrete floors. Because of this high density and a limited ability to forage, chickens often display aggression and can peck each other to death. In order to prevent this, it is common practice to sear off approximately half the chickens' beaks, which has been shown to cause severe and lasting pain. The close quarters is also a haven for the spread of disease.
I for one will be seeking out sources to purchase sustainably raise meat. Perhaps a co-op needs to be started!
First it is about Conservation and Preservation. What is taken out of the environment is put back in, so land and resources such as water, soil and air can be replenished and are available to future generations. The waste from sustainable farming stays within the farm’s ecosystem and cannot cause buildup or pollution. In addition, sustainable agriculture seeks to minimize transportation costs and fossil fuel use, and is as locally-based as possible.
Second is Biodiversity. Farms raise different types of plants and animals, which are rotated around the fields to enrich the soil and help prevent disease and pest outbreaks. Chemical pesticides are used minimally and only when necessary; many sustainable farms do not use any form of chemicals.
Third is Animal Welfare. Animals are treated humanely and with respect, and are well cared for. They are permitted to carry out their natural behaviors, such as grazing, rooting or pecking, and are fed a natural diet appropriate for their species.
Fourth would be Economically Viable. Farmers are paid a fair wage and are not dependent on subsidies from the government. Sustainable farmers help strengthen rural communities.
Fifth is Socially Just. Workers are treated fairly and paid competitive wages and benefits. They work in a safe environment and are offered proper living conditions and food.
If you go to sustainabletable.org, you can read about each one of these topics in much more depth.
The one thing that really stands out to me though is the way factory farms treat their animals. Here is what sustainabletable.org says about that.
Every year, hundreds of thousands of animals raised for food experience terrible living conditions because the majority of meat, dairy, and poultry production in the U.S. takes place in industrialized or factory farms. These factory farms are large, profit driven companies which view animals as units of production, rather than living creatures, and exchange the animals' health and welfare for efficiency and profit. While views differ about the degree of comfort and freedom that farm animals deserve, most people can agree on a minimum standard of cleanliness and space, and that animals should not needlessly suffer.
The basic structure of industrial farms is at odds with the well-being of the animals they raise. Confining animals indoors as closely together as possible, rather than letting them graze on open land, exposes them to high levels of toxins from decomposing manure. To counteract the disease inherent in such conditions, animals are given constant low daily doses of antibiotics which are contributing to problems with antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Though they are also exposed to pesticides, other unhealthy additives, and types of food they wouldn't normally eat. The animals can also be bred and given hormones only to increase production.
Life on a Factory Farm
Other common practices, such as debeaking chickens or cutting off cows' tails, are said to increase efficiency and safety, but they also cause discomfort, pain, and stress for the animals. Though these tactics may help "mechanize" the animals and can increase yields by causing less interference with production, this does not justify the resulting suffering. In every stage of development on a factory farm, animals suffer needless mutations and cramped, confined living conditions. Scientists have even linked animal stress to food quality and safety. When an animal is subject to stress and pain, it is more prone to disease and can produce lower quality meat, milk, or eggs.
Cows
The First Year
Calves born into dairy production are usually removed from their dam, or mother, after only about 12 hours. Once a male calf born into a dairy factory farm is weaned, he will be raised for veal, castrated and sent to feedlots to be fattened, or in rare cases raised for breeding. The heifers, or young female cows, will be raised as "replacement heifers" on the same farm or sold to another dairy farm. All calves born into factory farms undergo procedures usually unnecessary outside of a factory farm setting. They are dehorned, have extra teats removed (if a heifer), and are usually fed a milk replacer (a dried product made from cheese-making by-products or other sources of proteins like soy). The use of a milk replacer brings up concerns about the spread of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or Mad Cow's Disease) because some of the allowable protein content in milk replacers is derived from cow's blood cells. Common practice on dairy factory farms also includes tail docking, or the removal of approximately two-thirds of the tail. This painful procedure is conducted without anesthetic and is supposedly meant to keep the cow from developing infections caused by constant exposure to manure. Studies have shown that this process not only causes the animal a significant amount of pain and stress, but also has no benefit for the animal's health. In fact, tail docking has been shown to moderately increase stress for cows because they are no longer able to use their tails to swat flies. This results in a greater number of flies around the cattle and the use of other fly-avoidance behaviors. For these reasons, the American Veterinary Medical Association officially opposes the routine tail docking of cattle.
Breeding and Growth
In the U.S., dairy cows have been bred to produce higher and higher amounts of milk, and evidence shows this practice has led to a higher occurrence of disease. While the average dairy cow produced almost 5,300 pounds of milk a year in 1950, today, a typical cow produces more than 18,000 pounds. In addition to the breeding, in order to artificially increase milk production, a certain number (estimated around 33%) of dairy cattle are injected with rBGH, an artificial growth hormone.
For the duration of their productive lives, factory farmed dairy cattle are kept in one of three types of housing units: tie-stall barns, where they spend their life tethered by their neck to a stall; free-stall barns, where cattle are kept indoors and provided stalls for milking and rest; or dry lots, which is an area with no vegetation where the cattle are kept between trips to the milking barn11. Beef cattle are usually raised on dry lots, but so are some dairy cows. In all of these situations, cattle are in high concentrations and often suffer diseases of the feet and udder from standing in their own manure and being exposed to harsh weather conditions. Stripped of the ability to graze, cattle are given feed which contains some straw and grass, but also protein sources from "by-product feedstuffs", including meat and bone meal, an inappropriate food for herbivorous (vegetarian) cattle. The harsh living conditions, excess hormones, and inappropriate diet provide a perfect mixture for disease and injury.
Slaughter
Once beef cows have grown to an adequate size and dairy cows are no longer producing milk at an acceptable rate, the cattle are taken to be slaughtered. In August 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it will draft legislation completely banning the slaughter of any downer-cattle (those too sick or lame to walk) - though as of September 2008 no legislation or regulations had been passed. Before May 2008, USDA regulations stated that downer-cattle could be slaughtered for food if they passed the ante-mortem, or before slaughter, inspection at the slaughterhouse. This practice of slaughtering sick or injured cattle caused much pain to the already suffering animal, as they were pushed, prodded and shoved into the slaughterhouse by any means possible, since they were unable to walk. While slaughterhouses are required to meet USDA standards for cleanliness and humane treatment during slaughter, they are also in the business of killing animals: the faster the slaughter and butchering, the more meat produced and the more money made. Because of the pressure to slaughter animals quickly, mistakes that result in the violation of USDA regulations and lead to the mistreatment of the animals, unavoidably occur. In some slaughterhouses, almost 400 cattle per day are slaughtered, and at this speed it is "nearly impossible to guarantee each is slaughtered within the regulations". Cattle are ushered as quickly as possible from farm to truck to slaughter, sometimes resulting in injury. In addition, slaughterhouses have been reported as regularly failing to completely stun animals before the slaughtering process begins. This results in cows being hung and bled while they are still conscious.
Pigs
The First Year
On a factory farm, just before giving birth, a sow, or mother pig, is placed into a small crate on her side, completely limiting her movement, but still allowing the piglets to feed16. Sows will often spend their entire life encaged in the crates or in a cramped pen that encourages pregnancy17. The piglets' teeth and tails are clipped soon after birth. The practice of tail clipping or docking is done to prevent the piglets from biting each other's tails, but this phenomenon has only been observed in pigs in a factory farm environment.
Growth and Development
Once the piglets are weaned, they are separated from their mother and confined in pens with concrete floors. Rooting, or digging in the dirt and straw, is a natural activity for pigs; and when restricted from this activity, they show visible signs of stress and aggression, such as tail-biting. The concrete floors have also been linked to skeletal deformities of the feet, and the poorly ventilated confines have resulted in frequent lung damage and pneumonia.
Slaughter
The stress and mistreatment pigs experience during transport, in combination with illness and injury from the poor housing conditions, causes many pigs to die on the way to the slaughterhouse.
Chickens
Breeding
Broilers (chickens raised for meat production) have been bred to grow muscle at a rate faster than ever and now reach market weight in half the time than they did in the 1940's. This fast rate of muscle growth is often not matched by bone growth and can cause serious deformities and loss of the ability to walk.
Growth and Development
Approximately 98% of chickens used in egg production live in a cage of only about 48 sq. in. (about half as big as a piece of letter sized paper). Broiler chickens are often reared at similarly high densities in pens with concrete slatted floors or occasionally litter (straw) covered concrete floors. Because of this high density and a limited ability to forage, chickens often display aggression and can peck each other to death. In order to prevent this, it is common practice to sear off approximately half the chickens' beaks, which has been shown to cause severe and lasting pain. The close quarters is also a haven for the spread of disease.
I for one will be seeking out sources to purchase sustainably raise meat. Perhaps a co-op needs to be started!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Green Living Thursday
Well the storms seem to be over for now, but we are left with a lot of snow piled up on the ground. With seed catalogs piling up in the mailbox, and spring planting time still far off, what is a gardener to do? Two words. Winter Sowing.
What is that you might ask? Well, according to the website www.wintersown.org, winter sowing is an easy germination method that allows you to start seeds during the winter. Seeds are sown into mini-greenhouses that you make yourself from recyclables. After sowing, the mini-greenhouse is placed outside to wait for the end of winter. The seeds will begin to germinate at their own right time when weather warms.
This may sound far fetched to some, but think about it. Have you ever had a tomato plant spring up out of no where or flowers come up across the yard from where you planted them? I know myself, I get rogue cherry tomato plants coming up all over my garden because the seeds winter sowed themselves from the year prior. Many vegetables and flowers can be winter sown with very little effort.
But I don't have a greenhouse you may be saying. Or I don't have the room to set up an indoor lighting system. Well, the good news is that you don't need any of that stuff. Winter sowing is great because it uses recycled containers of all kinds. Milk jugs, plastic produce containers, take out food containers, those disposable tin pans with the clear plastic lids from the supermarket, juice cartons, cool whip containers, 2 liter soda bottles and so on. Anything with a clear plastic lid or that can be put into a plastic bag will work. Re-using containers not only saves you money, but it is good for the environment as well. Here is how to get started.
To make a flat you take the container (after washing it in hot, soapy water) and a paring knife. Stab a few slits in the bottom of the pan, this is for drainage. Now fill the pan with soil to about a half inch from the top. Give it a real good drink and let it drain. I do this in my kitchen. You can use the sprayer on your kitchen sink or a watering can for this step. After the pan has drained, sow your seeds and pat them down. Cover the seeds with more soil to the correct depth, if necessary.
Next you need to put the lid on, but first...and this is the very most important step...take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini-greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun, you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. Okay, now put the lid on or put the container into a plastic bag. The bag will need slits cut into it as well. If you used a gallon jug, simply let the top off.
Now it is time to label your containers, unless you like surprises. You will never remember what is in each container, so make sure you label them. Use something that will stand up to winter weather like duct tape or freezer tape.
All right, the flat is now sown and covered (with little slits in the top, yes? don't forget!!). Now take it outside to somewhere it will be safe for the winter. A protected area with a southern exposure is best.
Now you can just sit back, relax and wait it out. When the weather warms, the flats will freeze and thaw repeatedly as winter gives way to spring. This action of freezing and thawing out helps loosen the seed coat. You'll often see the term "nick or file seeds prior to sowing" in germination databases: this is to duplicate Mother Nature's work. (Now you won't have to do that anymore!)
Amazingly, just when winter is about to break, and you're still getting nightly freezes, the first of your flats will begin to germinate. At this point, you might think that the seedlings are goners, but they will thrive. The seeds know when it's safe to come up; it's part of their genetics. Now is the time to check the moisture in the flats. On an above-freezing day, open them up and if they look like they need a drink give them one. The excess water will drain away. Don't forget to replace the lids tightly.
As your seedlings grow, start widening the slits in the covers, once a week or so make the slits a little bit bigger, eventually you'll have more open areas than covered. Eventually, you will be opening the lids all the way each day and you'll be able to transplant the seedlings into the garden because they are completely hardened off.
After transplanting, care is typically the same as for indoor sown seedlings. They need a drink and just a little bit of food: 10% strength after their first week in the ground, then increase slowly as the season progresses. After about eight weeks and a few feedings your seedlings will be able to take a full strength feeding.
Proper seed selection is the most important part of winter sowing. When selecting the seeds you wish to winter sow look for the seed's germination requirements. This will help you pick up a few phrases that will clue you in as to the needs of the seed and if it is appropriate for winter sowing or not.
1. Look for these terms:
Needs Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of days or weeks), Needs Strarification, Will Colonize, Self Sows, Sow outdoors in early autumn, Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool, sow outdoors in early spring while frosts may still occur, hardy Seeds, seedlings can withstand frost, can be direct sown early, wildflower, or weed (such as butterfly weed, joe pye weed, jewel weed.)
2. Look for Common Names indicating a natural environment:
Plains, Prairie, Desert, Mountain, Swamp, Field, River, etc.
3. Look for names that might indicate an origin in a temperate climate:
Siberian, Chinensis, Polar, Alpine, Orientale, Canadensis, Caucasian, Russian (indicating Soviet origin), etc.
Think about your own garden, and your neighbors' gardens too. Do you find plants that have volunteered each spring and showed up as seedlings that you didn't sow? These are very good choices. Let's say that your orange marigolds have returned in Spring as volunteer seedlings.......you can then be pretty well assured that gold, or lemon, African or French varieties will re-seed for you too. When it comes down to it, a marigold is a marigold is a marigold.
Some seed catalogues have a germination table or some sort of guide or other information about germination. Look at them, study them, and learn. This will help you decide which seeds to select for the best outcome.
Winter sowing is fun, easy and cheap. Forget expensive greenhouses or indoor lighting set ups. You won't need to line your windowsills with pots or make room for an indoor set up. With winter sowing, you are working with nature and letting things take their course naturally. By doing a little homework first, you can have a wonderful new crop of seedlings come spring, for very little money or effort. Give it a try and see what you think!
What is that you might ask? Well, according to the website www.wintersown.org, winter sowing is an easy germination method that allows you to start seeds during the winter. Seeds are sown into mini-greenhouses that you make yourself from recyclables. After sowing, the mini-greenhouse is placed outside to wait for the end of winter. The seeds will begin to germinate at their own right time when weather warms.
This may sound far fetched to some, but think about it. Have you ever had a tomato plant spring up out of no where or flowers come up across the yard from where you planted them? I know myself, I get rogue cherry tomato plants coming up all over my garden because the seeds winter sowed themselves from the year prior. Many vegetables and flowers can be winter sown with very little effort.
But I don't have a greenhouse you may be saying. Or I don't have the room to set up an indoor lighting system. Well, the good news is that you don't need any of that stuff. Winter sowing is great because it uses recycled containers of all kinds. Milk jugs, plastic produce containers, take out food containers, those disposable tin pans with the clear plastic lids from the supermarket, juice cartons, cool whip containers, 2 liter soda bottles and so on. Anything with a clear plastic lid or that can be put into a plastic bag will work. Re-using containers not only saves you money, but it is good for the environment as well. Here is how to get started.
To make a flat you take the container (after washing it in hot, soapy water) and a paring knife. Stab a few slits in the bottom of the pan, this is for drainage. Now fill the pan with soil to about a half inch from the top. Give it a real good drink and let it drain. I do this in my kitchen. You can use the sprayer on your kitchen sink or a watering can for this step. After the pan has drained, sow your seeds and pat them down. Cover the seeds with more soil to the correct depth, if necessary.
Next you need to put the lid on, but first...and this is the very most important step...take the knife and poke several slits in the clear plastic lid. This is for air transpiration. Think about it, you're making a little mini-greenhouse. If you don't vent the air that is heated by the sun, you'll cook your flat and the seeds won't germinate. Okay, now put the lid on or put the container into a plastic bag. The bag will need slits cut into it as well. If you used a gallon jug, simply let the top off.
Now it is time to label your containers, unless you like surprises. You will never remember what is in each container, so make sure you label them. Use something that will stand up to winter weather like duct tape or freezer tape.
All right, the flat is now sown and covered (with little slits in the top, yes? don't forget!!). Now take it outside to somewhere it will be safe for the winter. A protected area with a southern exposure is best.
Now you can just sit back, relax and wait it out. When the weather warms, the flats will freeze and thaw repeatedly as winter gives way to spring. This action of freezing and thawing out helps loosen the seed coat. You'll often see the term "nick or file seeds prior to sowing" in germination databases: this is to duplicate Mother Nature's work. (Now you won't have to do that anymore!)
Amazingly, just when winter is about to break, and you're still getting nightly freezes, the first of your flats will begin to germinate. At this point, you might think that the seedlings are goners, but they will thrive. The seeds know when it's safe to come up; it's part of their genetics. Now is the time to check the moisture in the flats. On an above-freezing day, open them up and if they look like they need a drink give them one. The excess water will drain away. Don't forget to replace the lids tightly.
As your seedlings grow, start widening the slits in the covers, once a week or so make the slits a little bit bigger, eventually you'll have more open areas than covered. Eventually, you will be opening the lids all the way each day and you'll be able to transplant the seedlings into the garden because they are completely hardened off.
After transplanting, care is typically the same as for indoor sown seedlings. They need a drink and just a little bit of food: 10% strength after their first week in the ground, then increase slowly as the season progresses. After about eight weeks and a few feedings your seedlings will be able to take a full strength feeding.
Proper seed selection is the most important part of winter sowing. When selecting the seeds you wish to winter sow look for the seed's germination requirements. This will help you pick up a few phrases that will clue you in as to the needs of the seed and if it is appropriate for winter sowing or not.
1. Look for these terms:
Needs Pre-chilling (freeze seeds, refrigerate seeds, stratify for x amount of days or weeks), Needs Strarification, Will Colonize, Self Sows, Sow outdoors in early autumn, Sow outdoors in early Spring while nights are still cool, sow outdoors in early spring while frosts may still occur, hardy Seeds, seedlings can withstand frost, can be direct sown early, wildflower, or weed (such as butterfly weed, joe pye weed, jewel weed.)
2. Look for Common Names indicating a natural environment:
Plains, Prairie, Desert, Mountain, Swamp, Field, River, etc.
3. Look for names that might indicate an origin in a temperate climate:
Siberian, Chinensis, Polar, Alpine, Orientale, Canadensis, Caucasian, Russian (indicating Soviet origin), etc.
Think about your own garden, and your neighbors' gardens too. Do you find plants that have volunteered each spring and showed up as seedlings that you didn't sow? These are very good choices. Let's say that your orange marigolds have returned in Spring as volunteer seedlings.......you can then be pretty well assured that gold, or lemon, African or French varieties will re-seed for you too. When it comes down to it, a marigold is a marigold is a marigold.
Some seed catalogues have a germination table or some sort of guide or other information about germination. Look at them, study them, and learn. This will help you decide which seeds to select for the best outcome.
Winter sowing is fun, easy and cheap. Forget expensive greenhouses or indoor lighting set ups. You won't need to line your windowsills with pots or make room for an indoor set up. With winter sowing, you are working with nature and letting things take their course naturally. By doing a little homework first, you can have a wonderful new crop of seedlings come spring, for very little money or effort. Give it a try and see what you think!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Green Living Thursday
I have talked a lot here about gardening and composting, but haven't really touched on what to do with all the wonderful fruits and veggies you will be growing in your garden this summer. So it is time to discuss canning. You heard right. Canning. You may have heard your grandmother talk about this 2 centuries old technique of preserving food. Perhaps you helped her can or have eaten something canned, but do you can yourself? If not, it is time to start.
Canning is making a comeback in a big way. Mainstream publications like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have published articles about canning. Canning classes are springing up all across the country. Everyone, young and old wants to learn how to can. Since canning has pretty much gone by the wayside and was looked at as only something our grandmothers did, why the sudden interest in it?
Well, there are several reasons. Canning has found new appeal for those who want a healthier alternative to the chemical, preservative, salt and sugar laiden foods found in the grocery stores. By preserving their own fruits and vegetables, people can control and customize the amount of sugar or salt used as well as the quality of the foods preserved. If they are canning from their garden, they also have control over how the food they are canning is grown. Many people use organic gardening methods and by canning what they have grown, they know they are eating healthy, organicly grown produce.
Others may be turning to canning due to the weak economy, hoping it will save them money in food costs. A few seeds planted in the spring can yield enough canned produce to last a year. Initially, canning may not be cheaper than purchasing the same amount of these foods, but the quality is almost always better. Plus, once you get set up with the intial supplies, the cost then goes down each year as you are able to reuse jars, rings, pots and racks. Eventually you only have to purchase new lids for the jars and if you had a prolific garden, I personally think it is well worth the effort to can and you do indeed save money.
But what if you don't have a garden? Are you left out of the canning revolution? Not at all. There are many u-pick places, farmers markets or CSA's where you can purchase the fruits or vegetables you wish to can. Being an apartment dweller or a non-gardener in no way excludes you from joining the canning revolution. You can even watch the supermarkets for sales on your favorite items, buy in bulk and bring it home and can it.
If there isn't a class near you to learn about canning, there are many books available as well as websites which will give you details instructions on how to can many different foods. Once you have the first batch under your belt, you will see how incredibly easy it really is. It is also a great activity to bridge the gap between generations. Preserving traditional skills, such as canning, is a very important step in becoming self sufficient. It would do you no good to grow tons of wonderful fruits and vegetables and then not be able to preserve them for use through out the winter. In this day and age of genetically modified foods, factory farming, animal cruelty and tainted foods, it is becomeing vitally important that we learn some of the old ways and be ready and able to provide for ourselves and our families.
Canning nourishes your soul as well as your body. To me, there is nothing more satisfiying than looking at cupboard full of delicious, preserved food and knowing that I was able to provide for myself and my family in such a wonderful, nutritious and loving way.
Canning is making a comeback in a big way. Mainstream publications like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have published articles about canning. Canning classes are springing up all across the country. Everyone, young and old wants to learn how to can. Since canning has pretty much gone by the wayside and was looked at as only something our grandmothers did, why the sudden interest in it?
Well, there are several reasons. Canning has found new appeal for those who want a healthier alternative to the chemical, preservative, salt and sugar laiden foods found in the grocery stores. By preserving their own fruits and vegetables, people can control and customize the amount of sugar or salt used as well as the quality of the foods preserved. If they are canning from their garden, they also have control over how the food they are canning is grown. Many people use organic gardening methods and by canning what they have grown, they know they are eating healthy, organicly grown produce.
Others may be turning to canning due to the weak economy, hoping it will save them money in food costs. A few seeds planted in the spring can yield enough canned produce to last a year. Initially, canning may not be cheaper than purchasing the same amount of these foods, but the quality is almost always better. Plus, once you get set up with the intial supplies, the cost then goes down each year as you are able to reuse jars, rings, pots and racks. Eventually you only have to purchase new lids for the jars and if you had a prolific garden, I personally think it is well worth the effort to can and you do indeed save money.
But what if you don't have a garden? Are you left out of the canning revolution? Not at all. There are many u-pick places, farmers markets or CSA's where you can purchase the fruits or vegetables you wish to can. Being an apartment dweller or a non-gardener in no way excludes you from joining the canning revolution. You can even watch the supermarkets for sales on your favorite items, buy in bulk and bring it home and can it.
If there isn't a class near you to learn about canning, there are many books available as well as websites which will give you details instructions on how to can many different foods. Once you have the first batch under your belt, you will see how incredibly easy it really is. It is also a great activity to bridge the gap between generations. Preserving traditional skills, such as canning, is a very important step in becoming self sufficient. It would do you no good to grow tons of wonderful fruits and vegetables and then not be able to preserve them for use through out the winter. In this day and age of genetically modified foods, factory farming, animal cruelty and tainted foods, it is becomeing vitally important that we learn some of the old ways and be ready and able to provide for ourselves and our families.
Canning nourishes your soul as well as your body. To me, there is nothing more satisfiying than looking at cupboard full of delicious, preserved food and knowing that I was able to provide for myself and my family in such a wonderful, nutritious and loving way.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
FREE COMPOST!!!
In order to help encourage people to amend their soil during the fall season, we have decided to give away one bag of compost to the first 50 people who come into the office and ask for it during the month of November only. We have been giving away free bark chips for quite a while now and it has become very popular, so we thought we would take it one step further and give away some free compost. So don't wait. Come and get your bag before they are gone.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Potager vs Cottage
If you have decided to put in some edible landscaping, you may be wondering where to start. There are a couple of types of gardens that blend edibles with ornamentals. One is an English cottage garden and the other one is a French potager garden. Both can be beautiful and as simple or as grand as you would like. I will try to explain the difference.
The confusion between the two gardening styles are more practical vs esthetic, but borrowing on one another. The French and English had ties through the monarchies and borrowed from one anothers cultures and customs, including gardening and animal husbandry. Modern-day "organic gardening" and "intensive gardening" have their origins in old French gardening practices using companion planting of flowers and herbs with veggies and fruits, composting and keeping small barnyard animals, as well as many other simple and practical gardening-homesteading methods.
Potager is French, basically a kitchen garden, and traditionally was fairly structured in layout, often with potted plants and ornamental structures as well as herbs and flowers. It was separate from purely ornamental gardens, and close to the kitchen (potage itself meant soup). The potager had no association with poverty, as large estates kept them for the household. In France, approximately 23% of the fruits and vegetables consumed are home grown.
The Potager Garden was a designated plot; a special garden wherein was grown veggies & herbs for 'potage' (meaning, any plant you can eat), with flowers that were good companion plants for insect control or to improve the growth and production of the vegetables and herbs, and for attracting bees to pollinate. Many of the flowers were to be eaten, as well, i.e. Calendulas (Pot Marigolds), Nasturtiums, chives, chamomile, peas, and others, even roses. Orchards were often planted nearby for convenience as well as beauty and pollination, as both attract bees.
Potager Gardens could be quite formal (for the wealthy), or not (for the more humble classes). Paths could be paved and plots geometrically layed out and fenced with shrubberies or permanent structures (lovely, formal French manor-style gardens), or as in the provential kitchen "yardens" or small acreages, potage gardens more often had paths of dirt that merely wound casually through informal, asymmetrical plots of this and that. They were more often found right out the kitchen door of the humble French home for easy access and for safety and security.
Potager gardens were designed to be more practical, but not to ever be at the expense of 'esthetic appeal'. Even the practical could be beautiful. Beautiful and fragrant gardens promoted good mental health. It was a chance for some fresh air and sunshine out of dreary, dark, often ill-lit and sometimes dank houses. If your mind was happy & well, your body often was too.
Cottage gardening is English in origin and originally focused on edibles out of necessity. The "cottages" were just that: small houses occupied by people of very modest means, perhaps originally serfs who were allowed to grow for personal use or even market on the small plots allocated to them. Space was at a premium, so things were crammed together to get the most out of the growing space available-- also why cottage gardens include so many trellises, arbors, etc. Most would have had animals as well. Chickens for eggs, a pig for meat, a cow or goats for milk.
Cottage Gardens were designed to utilize a limited space around the home, often the front yard. They were neither formal nor geometrical in design. They seldom utilized perfect symmetry in lay-outs. Dirt or gravel paths that would lead you from one garden area to another, often totally obscured from the view by hedgerows of privet, evergreen, ivy clad rock walls or fences with tall flowers, like hollyhocks, foxgloves, or rambling, climbing roses. Arches and trellising extended the gardens farther into the air, so more could be planted on less ground and they could completely block out their neighbors for more privacy.
This lead to the romantic, flower filled gardens, complete with a rose covered cottage, that we envision today when we hear the term cottage garden. Clearly, the meaning of both has evolved over the years, particularly in the last century, as fewer people in western society depended on what they could produce to eat. Now we often think of the cottage garden as strictly ornamental, a style rather than a necessity; and of the potager as a charming way to grow vegetables in an ornamental setting.
No matter which style of garden you decide will work best for you, remember to amend your soil with lots of organic compost, water deeply and less frequently using drip irrigation or other water wise irrigation, and mulch to retain as much moisture as possible. If you are going to plant a lot of ornamentals, look for native plants that will thrive in our mountain landscape and have low water requirements. If you are going to do a mix of edibles and ornamentals, make sure you plant plants with similiar water and light requirements together, such as roses and tomatoes.
By doing your homework on a plant's light and water needs, you can create a beautiful garden that thrives here on our mountain and provides you with fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and is beautiful to look at as well.
The confusion between the two gardening styles are more practical vs esthetic, but borrowing on one another. The French and English had ties through the monarchies and borrowed from one anothers cultures and customs, including gardening and animal husbandry. Modern-day "organic gardening" and "intensive gardening" have their origins in old French gardening practices using companion planting of flowers and herbs with veggies and fruits, composting and keeping small barnyard animals, as well as many other simple and practical gardening-homesteading methods.
Potager is French, basically a kitchen garden, and traditionally was fairly structured in layout, often with potted plants and ornamental structures as well as herbs and flowers. It was separate from purely ornamental gardens, and close to the kitchen (potage itself meant soup). The potager had no association with poverty, as large estates kept them for the household. In France, approximately 23% of the fruits and vegetables consumed are home grown.
The Potager Garden was a designated plot; a special garden wherein was grown veggies & herbs for 'potage' (meaning, any plant you can eat), with flowers that were good companion plants for insect control or to improve the growth and production of the vegetables and herbs, and for attracting bees to pollinate. Many of the flowers were to be eaten, as well, i.e. Calendulas (Pot Marigolds), Nasturtiums, chives, chamomile, peas, and others, even roses. Orchards were often planted nearby for convenience as well as beauty and pollination, as both attract bees.
Potager Gardens could be quite formal (for the wealthy), or not (for the more humble classes). Paths could be paved and plots geometrically layed out and fenced with shrubberies or permanent structures (lovely, formal French manor-style gardens), or as in the provential kitchen "yardens" or small acreages, potage gardens more often had paths of dirt that merely wound casually through informal, asymmetrical plots of this and that. They were more often found right out the kitchen door of the humble French home for easy access and for safety and security.
Potager gardens were designed to be more practical, but not to ever be at the expense of 'esthetic appeal'. Even the practical could be beautiful. Beautiful and fragrant gardens promoted good mental health. It was a chance for some fresh air and sunshine out of dreary, dark, often ill-lit and sometimes dank houses. If your mind was happy & well, your body often was too.
Cottage gardening is English in origin and originally focused on edibles out of necessity. The "cottages" were just that: small houses occupied by people of very modest means, perhaps originally serfs who were allowed to grow for personal use or even market on the small plots allocated to them. Space was at a premium, so things were crammed together to get the most out of the growing space available-- also why cottage gardens include so many trellises, arbors, etc. Most would have had animals as well. Chickens for eggs, a pig for meat, a cow or goats for milk.
Cottage Gardens were designed to utilize a limited space around the home, often the front yard. They were neither formal nor geometrical in design. They seldom utilized perfect symmetry in lay-outs. Dirt or gravel paths that would lead you from one garden area to another, often totally obscured from the view by hedgerows of privet, evergreen, ivy clad rock walls or fences with tall flowers, like hollyhocks, foxgloves, or rambling, climbing roses. Arches and trellising extended the gardens farther into the air, so more could be planted on less ground and they could completely block out their neighbors for more privacy.
This lead to the romantic, flower filled gardens, complete with a rose covered cottage, that we envision today when we hear the term cottage garden. Clearly, the meaning of both has evolved over the years, particularly in the last century, as fewer people in western society depended on what they could produce to eat. Now we often think of the cottage garden as strictly ornamental, a style rather than a necessity; and of the potager as a charming way to grow vegetables in an ornamental setting.
No matter which style of garden you decide will work best for you, remember to amend your soil with lots of organic compost, water deeply and less frequently using drip irrigation or other water wise irrigation, and mulch to retain as much moisture as possible. If you are going to plant a lot of ornamentals, look for native plants that will thrive in our mountain landscape and have low water requirements. If you are going to do a mix of edibles and ornamentals, make sure you plant plants with similiar water and light requirements together, such as roses and tomatoes.
By doing your homework on a plant's light and water needs, you can create a beautiful garden that thrives here on our mountain and provides you with fresh, organic fruits and vegetables and is beautiful to look at as well.
De-Lawning and Edible Landscaping
Here on the hill, lawns are few and far between. However, approximately 40 million acres across the U.S. are covered in lawns. An estimated 238 gallons of fresh water are needed per lawn, per day, to keep them green, making lawns the largest irrigated crop in the nation. To conserve water and decrease your monthly lawn-related expenditures, consider de-lawning a portion or all of your lawn space by replacing your turf grass with an organic garden. This will also give you a lot more to show for your efforts!
But what do you put in it's place you may ask? Why not plant fruits and vegetables? Instead of planting ornamental trees, plant fruit trees. By mixing vegetable plants and ornamental plants, you can create a lovely, lush looking garden with no lawn in site. This is much more productive than just watering a lawn.
Other excellent methods of conserving water include rainwater harvesting—by which runoff rainwater collects in rain barrels and we discussed in a previous post. Also remember that watering your garden deeply encourages deep rooting, and that watering in the evening or early morning cuts down on evaporation, leaving more water for the roots that need it.
Going green with your gardening is physically and mentally rewarding, and it also provides you with an endless supply of the freshest produce and most delicious organic food at the lowest possible cost.
But what do you put in it's place you may ask? Why not plant fruits and vegetables? Instead of planting ornamental trees, plant fruit trees. By mixing vegetable plants and ornamental plants, you can create a lovely, lush looking garden with no lawn in site. This is much more productive than just watering a lawn.
Other excellent methods of conserving water include rainwater harvesting—by which runoff rainwater collects in rain barrels and we discussed in a previous post. Also remember that watering your garden deeply encourages deep rooting, and that watering in the evening or early morning cuts down on evaporation, leaving more water for the roots that need it.
Going green with your gardening is physically and mentally rewarding, and it also provides you with an endless supply of the freshest produce and most delicious organic food at the lowest possible cost.
Going Green with Gardening
Does anyone remember the Victory gardens from WW I and WWII? The United States government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year. Emphasis was placed on making gardening a family or community effort -- not a drudgery, but a pastime, and a national duty.
Over the years, we have gotten away from growing our own fruits and vegetables, however, now is the time to bring that tradition back again. Why plant a victory garden you might ask? Well,
today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, spraying with insecticides, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming. Planting a Victory Garden to fight global warming would reduce the amount of pollution your food contibutes to global warming. Instead of traveling many miles from farm to table, your food would travel from your own garden to your table.
Having your own garden allows you to provide your family with healthy, organically grown fruits and veggies because you control how it is grown. You can feel good serving food to your family that isn't full of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Plus, our current economic situation is other good reason to start a Victory Garden. Every time that food is shipped from the farm to the store and your table, gasoline is used. As gasoline prices rise, food costs rise. Add to that the freshness factor. What could be tastier than a salad freshly picked from your garden or berries just plucked off the vine?
An organic garden can supply you year after year with fresh and healthy organic food for a fraction of the price you would pay in a grocery store. While establishing an organic garden does take time and patience, there are ways to plan your green garden so that it practically takes care of itself. Let’s dig around and unearth the very best ways for going green with gardening.
As a whole, American homeowners use millions of pounds of fertilizer and pesticides on their lawns and gardens every year. The use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers is responsible for an alarming toxic buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water. Inorganic fertilizers often contain heavy metals and other dangerous ingredients disguised under the term "inert" on product labels. These ‘inert’ ingredients in our garden products are subject to little regulation and yet they abound in our most personal spaces, affecting our health and that of the planet.
A healthy and prolific organic garden takes time and effort to establish, but it teaches the green gardener valuable lessons about patience and provides a new appreciation for the subtle relationships that exist in nature.
Non-organic methods also often produce an effect opposite of the one intended—would-be pest control methods contribute to an increased incidence of pest problems that lead to an endless cycle of even heavier applications of toxic chemicals. Chemical salts and fertilizers cause an initial burst of lush and succulent growth, which is a veritable magnet for pests. Meanwhile the same chemicals are wrecking havoc on the soil below, weakening its natural defenses against pests and disease by discouraging earthworms and beneficial micro-organisms from inhabiting the area.
Healthy Soil
Successful organic gardening begins with healthy soil. By working to create a balanced soil, you naturally reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers. In healthy soil, nutrients, trace minerals, and helpful fungi are stored in the many organisms living under the ground that can be accessed by your plants as they need them. Compost is a superior alternative to chemical fertilizers because it improves soil structure and texture, allowing the soil to hold more water. Composting also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development. You can find compost from a local organic supplier or your local recycling center, or you can easily set up a compost bin for a composting operation of your own. Recycling your own garden and kitchen waste can provide you with a rich amendment for your soil at no cost whatsoever, while drastically reducing your contribution to the garbage that goes into the county landfill. The average person throws out 1,500 pounds of trash per year, says Mark Harris, author of Embracing the Earth. This excessive number is reduced to 375 pounds of trash annually when you compost!
Another organic gardening trick for preserving healthy soil is keeping it covered at all times. Sun and water wash away and destroy vital nutrients, harming the soil’s structure. Drastic fluctuations in soil moistness can also slow plants’ growth. Just consider what adding a 3-inch layer of mulch—weathered straw, grass clippings, shredded leaves, bark chips—can do.
Mulching:
Helps keep the soil moist
Conserves water
Discourages weeds
Prevents nutrients from being washed away
Adds humus and nutrients to the soil as the mulch material decays
Avoid using peat in green gardens as peat bogs are an essential part of the ecosystem–taking peat from them destroys valuable wildlife habitats. So many great alternatives to peat are now available that there is no reason to diminish the dwindling peat bog supply and threaten the survival of wildlife species.
Plant foliage also acts as a living mulch by keeping the soil cool and providing shade for underlying plants. You can employ companion planting in your organic garden with plants that have different sun and shade requirements–you’ll be planting shade-loving plants beneath taller shade-providing ones. Gardens planted in this intensive manner conserve soil area and resources and allow green gardeners to take advantage of the chemical and symbiotic interactions between plants. Every plant releases different chemical agents through its leaves and roots that in turn affect plants growing in close proximity. Plants that promote each other’s growth may be planted together to boost the health and productivity of the garden as a whole.
Successful Methods for Organic Gardening
Intensive intercropping, by which one crop is grown between rows of another, has multiple benefits. It maximizes your garden size while minimizing your water and nutrient requirements, allowing you to grow the healthiest plants. Your garden’s immunity to insects is further increased when you plant herbs and flowers—including basil, chives, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and mint—known to help keep pests away. Using disease-resistant and pest-resistant plants, in addition to plants that attract natural predators such as ladybirds, and rotating the crops in your garden also help to deter pests from returning while adding varied nutrients to the soil.
Successive planting allows you a continuous supply of produce throughout the growing season. By timing your crops to provide a constant harvest you keep your organic garden busy and active all season and you save money all year. Planting pollinator-friendly plants such as wild lilac, goldenrod, and lemon balm attracts butterflies, bees, and moths to your garden. Pollinators affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production and are directly linked to the pollination of 87 of the leading food crops. By growing a variety of native flowers that pollinators are drawn to, you positively contribute to the output of food crops worldwide. Planting local species is also important for ensuring the vitality of your garden. Choosing well-adapted plants for your soil, weather, and sun or shade exposure increases plants’ ability to deter pests and requires less effort from you to grow and maintain.
exerpts taken from greenlivingideas.com
Over the years, we have gotten away from growing our own fruits and vegetables, however, now is the time to bring that tradition back again. Why plant a victory garden you might ask? Well,
today our food travels an average of 1500 miles from farm to table. The process of planting, fertilizing, spraying with insecticides, processing, packaging, and transporting our food uses a great deal of energy and contributes to the cause of global warming. Planting a Victory Garden to fight global warming would reduce the amount of pollution your food contibutes to global warming. Instead of traveling many miles from farm to table, your food would travel from your own garden to your table.
Having your own garden allows you to provide your family with healthy, organically grown fruits and veggies because you control how it is grown. You can feel good serving food to your family that isn't full of chemical pesticides and fertilizers. Plus, our current economic situation is other good reason to start a Victory Garden. Every time that food is shipped from the farm to the store and your table, gasoline is used. As gasoline prices rise, food costs rise. Add to that the freshness factor. What could be tastier than a salad freshly picked from your garden or berries just plucked off the vine?
An organic garden can supply you year after year with fresh and healthy organic food for a fraction of the price you would pay in a grocery store. While establishing an organic garden does take time and patience, there are ways to plan your green garden so that it practically takes care of itself. Let’s dig around and unearth the very best ways for going green with gardening.
As a whole, American homeowners use millions of pounds of fertilizer and pesticides on their lawns and gardens every year. The use of pesticides and inorganic fertilizers is responsible for an alarming toxic buildup of chemicals in our soil and drinking water. Inorganic fertilizers often contain heavy metals and other dangerous ingredients disguised under the term "inert" on product labels. These ‘inert’ ingredients in our garden products are subject to little regulation and yet they abound in our most personal spaces, affecting our health and that of the planet.
A healthy and prolific organic garden takes time and effort to establish, but it teaches the green gardener valuable lessons about patience and provides a new appreciation for the subtle relationships that exist in nature.
Non-organic methods also often produce an effect opposite of the one intended—would-be pest control methods contribute to an increased incidence of pest problems that lead to an endless cycle of even heavier applications of toxic chemicals. Chemical salts and fertilizers cause an initial burst of lush and succulent growth, which is a veritable magnet for pests. Meanwhile the same chemicals are wrecking havoc on the soil below, weakening its natural defenses against pests and disease by discouraging earthworms and beneficial micro-organisms from inhabiting the area.
Healthy Soil
Successful organic gardening begins with healthy soil. By working to create a balanced soil, you naturally reduce the need for pesticides and fertilizers. In healthy soil, nutrients, trace minerals, and helpful fungi are stored in the many organisms living under the ground that can be accessed by your plants as they need them. Compost is a superior alternative to chemical fertilizers because it improves soil structure and texture, allowing the soil to hold more water. Composting also promotes soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development. You can find compost from a local organic supplier or your local recycling center, or you can easily set up a compost bin for a composting operation of your own. Recycling your own garden and kitchen waste can provide you with a rich amendment for your soil at no cost whatsoever, while drastically reducing your contribution to the garbage that goes into the county landfill. The average person throws out 1,500 pounds of trash per year, says Mark Harris, author of Embracing the Earth. This excessive number is reduced to 375 pounds of trash annually when you compost!
Another organic gardening trick for preserving healthy soil is keeping it covered at all times. Sun and water wash away and destroy vital nutrients, harming the soil’s structure. Drastic fluctuations in soil moistness can also slow plants’ growth. Just consider what adding a 3-inch layer of mulch—weathered straw, grass clippings, shredded leaves, bark chips—can do.
Mulching:
Helps keep the soil moist
Conserves water
Discourages weeds
Prevents nutrients from being washed away
Adds humus and nutrients to the soil as the mulch material decays
Avoid using peat in green gardens as peat bogs are an essential part of the ecosystem–taking peat from them destroys valuable wildlife habitats. So many great alternatives to peat are now available that there is no reason to diminish the dwindling peat bog supply and threaten the survival of wildlife species.
Plant foliage also acts as a living mulch by keeping the soil cool and providing shade for underlying plants. You can employ companion planting in your organic garden with plants that have different sun and shade requirements–you’ll be planting shade-loving plants beneath taller shade-providing ones. Gardens planted in this intensive manner conserve soil area and resources and allow green gardeners to take advantage of the chemical and symbiotic interactions between plants. Every plant releases different chemical agents through its leaves and roots that in turn affect plants growing in close proximity. Plants that promote each other’s growth may be planted together to boost the health and productivity of the garden as a whole.
Successful Methods for Organic Gardening
Intensive intercropping, by which one crop is grown between rows of another, has multiple benefits. It maximizes your garden size while minimizing your water and nutrient requirements, allowing you to grow the healthiest plants. Your garden’s immunity to insects is further increased when you plant herbs and flowers—including basil, chives, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and mint—known to help keep pests away. Using disease-resistant and pest-resistant plants, in addition to plants that attract natural predators such as ladybirds, and rotating the crops in your garden also help to deter pests from returning while adding varied nutrients to the soil.
Successive planting allows you a continuous supply of produce throughout the growing season. By timing your crops to provide a constant harvest you keep your organic garden busy and active all season and you save money all year. Planting pollinator-friendly plants such as wild lilac, goldenrod, and lemon balm attracts butterflies, bees, and moths to your garden. Pollinators affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production and are directly linked to the pollination of 87 of the leading food crops. By growing a variety of native flowers that pollinators are drawn to, you positively contribute to the output of food crops worldwide. Planting local species is also important for ensuring the vitality of your garden. Choosing well-adapted plants for your soil, weather, and sun or shade exposure increases plants’ ability to deter pests and requires less effort from you to grow and maintain.
exerpts taken from greenlivingideas.com
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