Unique and Colorful Seeds That Will Bring Health

  I am so excited about my future garden this year. Already I have picked a purple jalapeno (sounds like Peter Piper doesn't it?) and a pepperocini, which I have never been successful at growing. Albeit, the peppers were not very big, but they were better than nothing, and hopefully just the beginning of many more to come.
   Now, I just ordered seeds for atomic red carrots along with purple carrots (what is it with the color purple and vegetables with me?). I wanted to order the yellow carrots but they were out of stock. And I get to grow catnip, but I will have to keep it on the balcony because of the neighborhood cats who like my back yard. I wonder if they will be able to climb on the balcony? Also golden beets are cool too. The more colorful the vegetables, the more nourishment they will give us, or at least that is what I have heard.
  But the best part is that I actually found seeds for soursop, also known as graviola, and have planted them already. Soursop is supposed to be 1000s of times more potent than chemo for killing cancer. I also found the seeds to yellow mangosteen, which I have heard also can help protect against cancer. I hope that it is the same ones that do protect us from cancer. I'm sure the nourishment will be good anyway. But I also found Wolfberry seeds, which are also known as 'goji berries' which are grown in the Himalayas and are extremely nourishing. Now to hope and pray that the plants will grow and do well (and will not be destroyed by the cats!).
   Speaking of cats, I want to grow my own catnip to make the cat toys with. But, I have even a better idea. Now I can grow my own cotton as well. I use cotton to stuff the toys with along with the catnip.
   I will have to prepare the plants for the cold weather. In the past, I have not done well with this and one time I lost a lot of papaya plants (that had nice papayas growing on them) due to a freeze. They were too tall for me to reach to place something over them, and they died. It was terrible. I want to make some type of covering for my plants and attach the covering to poles that surround the garden beds. This should be very helpful to the plants during the cold months ahead.

Soursop aka Graviola - courtesy of Damien Boilley from suburbs of Paris, France

Purple jalapeno - heirloom plant

The Soap Plant

 In studying soap, I had learned that there was such as thing as a soap plant. Of course, I'm sure that it isn't equal to the real thing, but, I knew it existed. 

  One of the Facebook groups I am on deals with natural, organic products. One of the members recommends using something called, 'Soap Nuts'. Being curious, I wondered what these soap nuts were. I found out that they are the fruit of a plant called the Soap Plant, which has a more technical name of chlorogalum. This plant produces a fruit that is used in cleaning, and it is natural. I wondered, of course, if I can grow this kind of plant. Is it specific to certain parts of the world? In my search, I found out that it has been grown by Native Americans. 

  I love the resourcefulness of the Native Americans. For example, they would take a bison and kill it, and every part of this bison was used for something. The bones were used as we would use silverware. The hides were used in making tents. The meat was eaten and the oil was used as fuel. Many things were used by these early American dwellers that we would have little appreciation for today. 

  Here is a video containing information on the soap plant. Maybe one day, along with growing my own soursop and coffee plants, I will be growing soap nuts. Maybe, just maybe, one day, if I have a big back yard....with chickens....maybe some sheep too.....

And Then There Was One.....

One little, two little, three little squirrels... I started making popcorn for the squirrels in order for them to get filled up and not be tempted to go into the garden and destroy the corn I am trying to grow. So, I made popcorn every day for them. I called them by name. Jenny, Jimmy, Johnny, your meal is ready! They became less afraid of us, and it seemed like each day more squirrels were out there eating the popcorn!
  At one point, I counted 12 squirrels. So, I made sure there was plenty of popped corn available for them. But after a while, I noticed that the squirrel population began to decline. Over a period of a couple of weeks, we were down to a couple of squirrels. Either they got tired of the popcorn or they disappeared for some unknown reason.
  Now when I put popcorn out, only one squirrel usually is there to eat it. But fear not, there is a cat and a raccoon who both love the popcorn! They come around and enjoy the meal originally intended for the squirrels.

    I have a theory, and I think I know what really happened to the squirrels. You see, we have owls and predator birds living in the wildlife conserve we have in the back. Me thinks the squirrels became a tasty meal for them. Sad to think the Jenny, Jimmy, Johnny and the rest are gone. Rest in peace, squirrels. The hawks enjoyed their popcorn flavored rodents for a nice midnight snack. Now we don't have to fear the squirrels getting into the corn. But we do have to prepare for the raccoon and cat, to keep them away from the garden plants!

I Got My Straw Bales, Finally!

  For the past couple of years, I have been interested in doing Straw Bale Gardening. In Straw Bale Gardening, you take some straw bales and use them as a garden bed. Potatoes grow well in them and they also make the garden very pretty, at least in the beginning.
   I do not live in a place where straw bales are easily found though. And if I do find them, I would have to make sure that they have not been sprayed with pesticides.
  While I was at a store to pick up an outdoor table to put my hydroponic garden system on, I noticed that there were straw bales. They were small and I asked about them. The cashier didn't know, so he paged someone else, who never responded. I could have waited, but had to get home.
   I called the company who sells the small straw bales and they researched for me whether or not there were pesticides used on them. There are no pesticides used and I was very happy to find that out. So, out to the store, I picked two of them up.
   I had a bale of hay a couple of years ago, and placed in between some garden beds. What was so good about this was the ground underneath the bale was protected from the outside elements. It served much like mulch would have. I spread it around and it was very helpful to the garden, except for the fact that it contained seeds, which eventually caused some grass to start growing in the garden. But I just pulled it out and to this day I am still impressed on how it benefitted that area of the garden.
   The small bales are around $6 a piece, but I think they will serve the garden well this time. Now, to study about straw bale gardening!

Why Grow Cotton?

   As I emptied one of my supplement bottles this morning, I remembered the time I actually grew cotton. Whenever I am on the last capsule and it is time to dispose of the bottle, I always save the cotton ball on the top. Kind of like recycling and saving money at the same time. I will use the cotton balls for skin care or for stuffing toys, like catnip toys for the cats.
   Cotton was actually fun to grow. I primarily grew cotton as an education experience for my children. The problem was, I didn't know what to do with the cotton once I harvested it. Because it was so precious (homegrown by me) I didn't even want to use it. But what could I do with cotton anyway?
   I could have used it for skin care. If I were really creative, I would use it for making fabric! We could actually grow our own clothing now! But only if I grew tons of cotton, I guess.
  Well, like I said above, I could use them to make catnip toys. If there were any way to protect the gardens from the outside cats, I could grow catnip (Been there. Done that). Forget growing catnip though, if you have neighborhood cats. Cats have a very keen sense of smell and can detect catnip from very far away.

Why Corporate Agriculture is a Problem

Why Corporate Agriculture is a problem

I am not going to write on this now, but I will give a url of a web site that lists the problems with corporate agriculture and how it affects us today.

Why Corporate Agriculture is a Problem-Article

Why We Appreciate Heirloom Seeds

   When I was a kid, every once in a while, someone would give us some vegetables from their garden. I was just thinking about the tomatoes we got one time, that my mom sliced up and served with mayonnaise. Green beans were another vegetable that was on the table from someone's garden. Most people today struggle with liking vegetables, but I don't, and I think this is the reason why. Vegetables were precious to my mom, and now even to me.
    Growing up in the Garden State enhanced my love for vegetables and fruit. One time, we went over to my grandparent's house and my grandmother was so excited. I guess she hadn't looked in her back yard for a couple of weeks, but when she went out there that morning, she found a full grown water melon that she didn't even plant! It must have come from the seeds that were spit out by the consumers a couple of weeks ago. You don't see this happening very much today, for some reason.
   Did you know that the honeybee population is declining? It is declining for reasons unknown to even the experts. No one knows what to do to remedy the problem. The decline and possible extinction of honeybees will have a serious impact on our ability to grow quality food in the future. But not only are we losing our honeybees, but some plants are even on the decline. They seem to be disappearing. In spite of that fact, there are things we can do to help remedy the problem. In fact, we should be doing things today that will have a positive impact on our future.

    Heirloom plants are plants that have not been genetically modified or tampered with. They are plants that are basically the same as when they were originally created, around 6,000 years ago. Of course, there are some minor changes that occur over time, but heirloom plants produce food that is packed with nourishment and at the same time, full of color and beauty.
   One thing that we can do to protect and preserve heirloom plants is to find where the seeds are located and sold. There are people who have carefully saved seeds from these plants down through the years. They have replanted these seeds and are growing crops from the heirloom seeds they have collected. We can do this too. There are a few companies that focus on heirloom seeds and sell them to the public.
   Part of the problem we are facing today, has to do with the need to produce as much food as possible. There are a few different ways that this is accomplished. A more recent way that is used in this country, is to develop industrialized farms. In the past, people have always depended upon local farms to supply the food they needed. People used bartering, which is a form of payment which uses produced items as commodity instead of using cash. For example, if you grew asparagus, but needed eggs (because you grew plenty of asparagus on your farm), you would take some of your asparagus and trade it with someone who had plenty of eggs. But we don't do bartering today. We simply go to a grocery store and pay cash for our food. While this is not necessarily wrong, it does lend itself to a wrong conclusion about growing food. Because we live in a culture which prizes convenience, we will take the easiest road possible to provide for our needs. We will not consider the ramifications of what we do today, nor will we consider what the future holds for us and our descendants when it comes to eating/buying food choices.
   Industrialized food is intended to grow a lot of food for a lot of people, but in one large 'farm'. Produce has to be sprayed in order to protect against bugs. Seeds have to be genetically modified also to help produce a defense against insects. It is cost effective to use chemical fertilizers in place of compost and other natural fertilizers when trying to produce a ton of food. The food that is produced goes to big named companies which pack the food and send it to the stores. The food also must have the same features such as flavor and texture, so that it is uniform wherever it is sold. This kind of food production can only happen on large farms which use cost effective means to produce the amount of food needed by the companies who use the end product. These farms are also inhumane in the way they treat their animals. Chickens have been hatched and live their lives in a dark, unsanitary place before being slaughtered. Cows are kept in a small space, feed some kind of grain diet (cost effective. little nutritional value), and are very unsanitary due to the fecal matter they must stand in.
   Most people don't like the term 'olden days', so consequently when something was used a hundred years ago, we think of it as being  passe. We discard the idea. We think of it as primitive. We pridefully acknowledge the accomplishments of technology and place food production in that category. Farmers have become a stereotype. When we think of a farmer, our minds think of a man wearing a plaid shirt holding a pitchfork in his left hand and a cowboy hat. We discard this idea. We disdain this idea. This idea violates our idea of progress. Also, if this idea is a valuable one, it will mean that we will have to do some hard work and give up some of our conveniences, which is too hard for us to do.
   The answer is obvious though. We need more local farms. We need to support local farmers. Today, there are doctors who are discouraging their sons from becoming doctors, because of the hardships involved with the profession of physicians. The same thing is happening with farmers. It is becoming increasingly harder to be a farmer today. Industrialized farming is supported in many ways by the government, and lately, bills are being passed to make local farming much harder. If the trend continues, local farming could come to an end. So, if we can't be farmers, at least we can find local farms in our areas and we can support them. Do research. Find the farmer's markets in your area. Support them whenever possible. Our future, and the future of our children and grandchildren depends on it.
Of Pasta And Self Preservation article

My niece's beautiful chicken

OK What Went Wrong This Time?

   I was so happy to have grown a couple of potted plants so successfully that I decided it was time to plant them in the garden.
   The tomatoes were so long that they got tangled with each other. I tried to untangle them, but I think I lost a couple because I did that. Lesson #1- Don't plant tomatoes in pots next to each other!
   The peppers did fine when I transplanted them. Today though, when I checked on them later in the day, they were both wilted. Not only that, but the tomatoes looked like they were on death's door. I lost one complete tomato plant and now it looked like I would lose the other two, but I watered them well, and had to leave to go shopping. I worried about the plants while I was gone, but when I got back three hours later, and checked on them, they looked fine!
   The pepper plants are Purple Jalapeno, and Pepperocini (my spell check doesn't know what to do with this type of pepper!). Both are mildly hot and it will be interesting to grow a purple pepper (sounds like a tongue twister). The tomato plants I'm growing are German Lunchbox and Amish Paste. Both are heirloom plants. Now to look  for some recipes for salsa, tomato sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, and a whole bunch of other things. Pepperocini is the pepper that is used in the Papa John's Pizza boxes. When you order pizza from Papa John's, and open the box up, you will find a pepper in each box. That is what I am growing and if I do well at that, will be selling. I will dry my peppers and process them in a food processor, then put them in a jar to supplement my bird's diet. Plus, I can use the Jalapenos in Hot Pepper jelly, aka Sweet and Sour sauce. Years ago, I searched for a recipe that would be like the bottled sweet and sour sauce you get in the Chinese section of the store, but never did I find one, that is, until I made Hot Pepper Jelly. The finished product is the same thing. It could be used as a copy-cat recipe! Yum.
   So, what did I do wrong then, to make the transplanting event so difficult on my plants? The only thing that comes to mind is that it was too hot out today, and the plants weren't happy. Whenever it's hot like that, I will have to go out and water several times a day. It's worth the effort to keep them alive.

Vermicomposting or Worm Composting

    If you want to make your own plant food, try worm composting, or vermicomposting. Vermicomposting can be done on a small scale or it can be done using a lot of room. You can do this indoors or outdoors (provided the weather and location of bin doesn't get too cold or hot). A video is on the side that helps explain how worm composting is done.

Homemade Peanut Butter Here We Come!

   One of the most fun things about gardening is planting a garden for the pets. I tried catnip one time, but the neighborhood cats enjoyed it as soon as it was planted! When I brought it inside the house, my cat about destroyed the plant! So much for growing catnip!
   Peppers are fun to grow for the bird and lizard. Birds like hot peppers too, and peppers can add a lot of color to the garden. This time, I am growing pepperoncini (not pepperoni, although both go well on pizza) and purple jalapeno peppers to make jelly with and to serve with my pizzas. I think I will like my pepperoncinis dried out rather than pickled.
 But, I am going to grow peanuts for us. I'm only growing them in order to make peanut butter with. Some companion plants for peanuts are corn, melons, and sunflower seeds. I could imagine the squirrels having a heyday if I were to plant peanuts and sunflowers! Peanuts are easy to grow, and I am going to use heirloom peanuts to plant. Should I plant them with the corn, or should I plant them with the cantaloupe?
   Update on squirrels: When I started serving popcorn to the squirrels, everyone and their brother came out for the meals. At one particular time, I counted a dozen squirrels. The popcorn went fast and I was starting to make  bigger batches, but, I noticed the squirrel population has decreased. Now there are usually between 1 and 3 squirrels out there. We also have a cat and raccoon enjoying the popcorn as well. Whatever happened to the squirrels? Only the squirrels know. But we do have hawks in the back and I did hear some animals fighting one night. It did not sound pretty. After that, I noticed less squirrels. Perhaps the hawks had a nice midnight snack of popcorn stuffed squirrels?

FREE $2500+ Heirloom Vegetable Seed Giveaway

This video looks helpful and interesting. You can learn a lot about the heirloom vegetables plus there is a free seed giveaway. I wish I had room for more seeds! I'm going to try some heirloom corn and carrots. Tomatoes and peppers are growing too. Can't wait to see all the colors and cut the veggies up to dry for Petra, my parrot. She will love them!
  I saw a picture of beautiful heirloom corn this morning, and I saved it. Heirloom vegetables came from way back when, and the seeds were saved and passed down to other farmers. Now they are available from heirloom seed companies like Baker's Creek. Heirloom seeds are not GMO seeds!

Isn't this heirloom corn beautiful?

Why We Need Local Farms and Gardens Instead of Industrialized Food

  Over the weekend, I went to a little store that had a grain mill in the back yard. There was a river that powered the grain mill. It was quite an experience. We came out of the store with white speckled grits, whole wheat bread flour, and yellow cornmeal. Everything that was milled there came from a nearby farm.
   Next door was a store that sold coffee beans and ground coffee. The coffee roaster was a couple of miles away, but the coffee beans were imported. I was hoping the coffee would have been locally grown, but it wasn't. I also learned a couple of weeks ago, that coffee beans are heavily sprayed with insecticides, but I didn't ask anyone if the coffee beans that I was going to buy were sprayed with insecticides. All I can do is pray over my food and trust that God will make it safe to eat.

Grain milled at Nora Mill Granary in GA.
We might not see these in the future as
industrialized farming takes over.

   This is just one example of why we should experiment and learn how to grow our own food. First of all, the art of milling is almost unknown to people today. We go to the store and buy our flour, without even really studying how it came to us in a 5 pound bag. We take it home and don't think twice about making a cake or a loaf of bread. It doesn't even enter our minds whether pesticides were used or not.
   Many, many years ago, I saw on television a show which depicted the activity of farmers using pesticides on wheat that was used to make flour with. I had a hard time thinking that if that were really true, then stores shouldn't sell that stuff. But stores do. And the FDA approves it, as well. Why? Because they don't have a choice. If we want to sell a name brand flour, there has to be enough room for a farm to provide that much wheat. Much of our food has been genetically engineered to make it stretch in order to make enough to feed everyone in this country who will buy the finished product, and that requires pesticides, insecticides, chemical fertilizers, and genetic engineering to make it work. But what would happen if these industrialized farms didn't do those things? Obviously, what they are growing wouldn't grow, for locusts would destroy them. Other insects and animals would come in and eat what was left. The food industry would go bankrupt and people would starve. What is the alternative, and could it possibly work?
    The alternative would work, but it would take a lot of time and effort. You see, we live in an industrialized culture, and for the alternative to work, we would have to humble ourselves as a people and go back to farming. The problem is, people who live in America today, are too prideful to be farmers. Farmers seem to be second class citizens in our society, but they are really the heroes.
   This whole problem goes back to our worldview. We want to continue in what we would call, 'progress'. We think of farming as a primitive skill, something people used to do in the olden days. People today do not want to do the hard work that was done on farming. While I appreciate many features of the Amish, I don't think we have to go that far back to have successful farming in America today. I think we have to realize what is going on in this country, behind the scenes to come out of the 'farming' mentality. We are deceived into thinking that progress is better. Leave the old methods behind. Farming is passe.
  One of the goals of our culture is to take the easy way out. We look for shortcuts. We try to get out of any difficulties instead of working through them. My dad used to say, of young men that were growing up in my generation, that they needed to go into the army. The army taught people to grow up. They learned that life is hard. There is no easy way out. Everyone has their share of difficulties that they need to work through.
  Farming and gardening are hard work, but the payoff is great! Organic gardening is even better. I believe the choices are simple; make life easy now, and pay off later, or, work hard and become skilled now, and enjoy the benefits that come as a result of hard work. The benefits of farming are that good, wholesome food is produced. It is food that will actually nourish our bodies. It will help us live longer and have more strength.
   According to the Juice Plus+ research, America is a very sick nation. Cancer, diabetes, and a host of other illnesses unknown to prior generations, at least in the prevalence of them. Even when I was a kid, cancer was rare. I never heard of diabetes until I got older.
   Americans aren't very healthy

(Did we think that they were?)

1. 80 million people have some form of heart disease. - National Heart Association

2. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will have cancer in his or her lifetime. - National Cancer Institute

3. Over 20 million children and adults have diabetes. - American Diabetes Association

4. 64% of adults are overweight - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

5. About 59% of adults do not engage in any vigorous leisure-time physical activity - Center for Disease Control and Prevention

6. Our national health care expenditures were 2 trillion in 2005 or $6,700 per person. - National Coalition on Health Care

Taken from the booklet The recipe for better health is as simple as 1-2-3.

   So, what is the answer? I think we need to get back to organic farming and gardening. Our health is at stake. We can't trust the decisions of the FDA as there are financial interests involved. The words 'food' and 'drug' and both in the title. Could there be a connection somewhere? I think so, especially since a lawyer for Monsanto (a corporation that promotes industrializing food and uses genetic engineering on food products) has also been the head of the FDA at times. How can the FDA stay in business and make big bucks? By not promoting good health and keeping people ignorant of the relationship of eating food lacking nourishment and sickness. So, the answer in one sense is simple; go back to organic gardening and farming. But it is not as simple as we wish. We have to learn how to garden and farm again. Learning is hard work. It will cost money to start out. We have to invest in something, if we believe in it. 

    This is the reason why we must go back to local farming, once again. Instead of big corporate, industrialized farms, which are intended to feed a whole nation, yet employ methods that are unsanitary, and unhealthful for us, we need more local farms. We are educated enough to know how we can work with issues such as companion planting and planting bug resistant crops among other plants. Cities can handle food on a small scale. Sure, our hamburgers won't taste like McDonald's. They will probably taste better! We need to come to our senses, for if we don't change our ways soon, we might not last much longer.

Wide Variety of Vegetables and Fruits

  I love the different types of vegetables and fruits, but what I really find fascinating is the variety in the particular plant or vegetable itself.
  For instance, I belong to an organic vegetable co-op and receive all kinds of beautiful vegetables and fruit every other week. We got these carrots that were different colors. One was a whitish yellow, while there was a purple one as well, as the orange ones. I ordered some carrot seeds that are dark-red. What a pretty vegetable dish these carrots would make.
  Peppers are interesting also. They come in different colors and flavors, as well as hot or sweet. I have always wanted to grow the type of pepper that comes in the box of pizza from Papa John's. The type of pepper is called 'pepperocini' and is a mildly hot pepper. I saw a jelly recipe using Scotch bonnet peppers, so I would like to try them as well. Right now, I have just planted a purple type of jalepeno pepper and will use it in the hot pepper jelly recipe that is equal to Chinese sweet and sour sauce.
   The strawberries are interesting too. I am going to grow three different colors of Alpine strawberries. One is white, another is deep red and one is yellow. When they get big enough, I will grow them hydroponically. Yes, there is a way to grow them organically, but I understand that this is a hard classification for gardeners who grow hydroponically, for if they are to be considered organic, they must be grown in soil. So, it will be an interesting experiment, if nothing else. All I ask is that everything grows and doesn't die off (or I don't kill the plants!).
   Corn comes in different types and colors as well. There is flint corn, which is used to make cornmeal and grits with. There is popcorn types of corn, and then the corn plant for eating. I am growing a flint corn that is colorful as well as large. I hope to see the plants grow and develop before the squirrels and raccoons get a hold of them!

Update on the Strawberry Plants or Learn From My Mistakes

    About two months ago, I started to grow some Alpine strawberry plants to go in a hydroponic garden that I have sitting in the garage. I have the little wool rock (or is it 'rock wool') to plant the seeds in, and a base I can put the rock wool squares in. I got some nice little strawberry plants growing, plus, I have a special plant food to use on them since there is no soil involved in growing these plants.
   The plants were doing ok, but they looked a little spindly, so I decided to put them outside during the day. I picked out a 'safe' place where they wouldn't get hurt by anything (or so I thought). I left them out though, one time, when it rained. Still not a big problem unless the rain is strong. The rain was strong and knocked over some of the rock wool squares. I lost a couple of tiny plants : (
   I brought the plants over to someone's house to babysit them while we were on vacation. When I got back, I could tell the plants were well taken care of and had grown. They had some exposure to sun, and looked healthy. We got them back into our house and a couple of days ago, I put them outside again. Again, I forgot about bringing them back into the house, and I am not sure what happened, but when I remembered to bring them in, a couple of the rock wool squares were knocked over again. Every time that happens, it seems like I lose a couple of plants. I need to take some more rock wool and seeds and find another base and just take into consideration the fact that I am going to lose some plants in the process.
   One more idea I have also. The Alpine strawberries that I am now growing are going to be white. Wouldn't it be cool to have a wide variety of colors for them? I am going to look around and see what other colors are available. I know there are deep red ones that I tried to grow one time, but they all died at an early age : (     I can look around again and see what is out there.

My Indoor Garden Today

Here is a pic of wheatgrass I am growing in a used ice cream container. I'm growing this inside the house. I must say that it is growing really fast. I took some wheat berries I got at the store and put them in some garden soil. I guess I am supposed to cut it down often. It reminds me if mowing the lawn with scissors!

Wheat Grass growing indoors

10 Things Monsanto Does Not Want You to Know

   Please understand that I want to keep this blog free from politics as much as possible, but I think every gardener in America today deserves to hear this. I am concerned that if we ignore this subject of Monsanto and the governmental interactions together with Monsanto and the FDA, we might not be able to garden in the future. There are moves taking place to start limiting organic gardening and local farming, and much, if not most of this, is tied in with Monsanto and their goals for ultimately controlling the food industry universally.

  Keep in mind the Mike Taylor has been the lawyer for Monsanto as well as the head of the FDA. Where's the check and balance system here? I'm glad that the this is being made known to the public and we are able to take action now. Too bad this has been brewing for so many years before we figured it out.

10 Things Monsanto Does Not Want You to Know
What's wrong with Genetic Engineering?
Genetic Engineering refers to a set of technologies used to change the genetic
makeup of cells and move genes across species boundaries to produce novel
organisms. Once released, these genetically modified organisms (GMO's) can
easily spread and interbreed with other organisms, and they are virtually
impossible to recall back to the laboratory.

Monsanto provides roughly 90% of GMO seeds in the world. These seeds have been
genetically modified to produce their own pesticide or to survive repeated
spraying of Monsanto's toxic herbicide Roundup. Monsanto's GMOs are not
designed to increase yields to feed the world, but rather to increase Monsanto's
profits. Monsanto sells high-priced, patented seeds to farmers who are required
to sign contracts stating that they will buy new seeds every year. And as their
crops become increasingly herbicide-resistant, Monsanto sells more and more
chemicals to farmers who are caught in this vicious cycle.

Due to the enormous political clout of Monsanto, the American public is being
denied the right to know whether their foods are genetically engineered or not.
Following is a list of 10 facts about Monsanto and GMOs, and how they can
adversely affect your health, local farmers, and the planet.

1. No GMO Labeling Laws in the US
More than 70% of processed foods in the US contain GMO ingredients. Yet because
Monsanto has fought hard to prevent labeling laws in the US, this information is
kept from consumers. The US is the only developed country in the world that
does not have mandatory GMO labeling laws – even though more than 62 other
countries, including Japan, China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the entire
European Union, have either banned GMOs or have laws requiring mandatory
labeling.

2. Lack of Adequate Safety Testing
In May 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle announced the FDA's consumer
right-to-know policy which stated that GMO foods need not be labeled nor
safety-tested. Meanwhile, prominent scientists such as Arpad Pusztai and Gilles
Eric Seralini have publicized alarming research revealing severe damage to
animals fed GMO foods.

3. Monsanto Puts Small Farmers out of Business
Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian farmer whose canola fields were contaminated with
Monsanto's Roundup Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby GMO farm. Monsanto
successfully argued in a lawsuit that Schmeiser violated the company's patent
rights, and tried to force Schmeiser to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in
damages. This type of biotech bullying is happening all over North America.

4. Monsanto Products Pollute the Developing World
According to plant pathologist Don Huber, Glyphosate, the active ingredient in
Monsanto's Roundup, changes soil ecology, making plants susceptible to diseases
that could eventually cause diseases in humans. Glyphosate kills many bacteria,
giving other bacteria a competitive advantage. It also makes plants highly
susceptible to soil borne diseases. With increasing use of glyphosate, Huber
said a number of plant pathogens are "emerging" or "re-emerging," including a
number of fusarium and root rot diseases. At the same time that diseases are
increasing, glyphosate has a negative effect on a number of beneficial soil
organisms, including those that fix nitrogen, mycorrhizae, plant growth
promoting organisms and earthworms. Huber's allegations of the impact of
glyphosate in soil sterility echo those of Elaine Ingham, a soil ecologist with
the Rodale Institute.

5. Monsanto in Bed with Government Regulators
A revolving door exists between Monsanto and US regulatory and judicial bodies
making key decisions. Justice Clarence Thomas, a former Monsanto Lawyer was the
one who wrote the majority opinion on a key Monsanto case. Michael Taylor once
worked for the FDA, later represented Monsanto as a lawyer, and then returned as
the FDA's Deputy Commissioner for Policy when rBGH, a growth hormone used to
make dairy cows produce more milk, was granted approval.

6. Monsanto Guilty of False Advertising
France's highest court ruled in 2009 that Monsanto had lied about the safety of
its weed killer Roundup. The court confirmed an earlier judgment that Monsanto
had falsely advertised it herbicide as "biodegradable".

7. Consumers Reject Bovine Growth Hormone
In the wake of mass consumer pressure, major retailers such as Safeway, Publix,
Wal-Mart, and Kroger banned store brand milk products containing Monsanto's
controversial genetically engineered hormone rBGH. Starbucks, under pressure
from the OCA and our allies, has likewise banned rBGH milk.

8. GMO crops Do Not Increase Yields
A major UN/World Bank-sponsored report compiled by 400 scientists and endorsed
by 58 countries concluded that GM crops have little to offer to the challenges
of poverty, hunger, and climate change. Better alternatives are available. The
report championed organic farming as the sustainable way forward for developing
countries.

9. Monsanto Controls US Soy Market
In 1996, when Monsanto began selling Roundup Ready soybeans, only 2% of soybeans
in the US contained their patented gene. By 2008, over 90% of soybeans in the
US contained Monsanto's gene.

10. GMO Foods May Lead to Food Allergies
In March 1999, UK researcher at the York Laboratory were alarmed to discover
that reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year.
Genetically modified soy had recently entered the UK from US imports and the soy
used in the study was largely GM.

Avoid processed foods, especially those containing corn, soy, cottonseed oil and
canola, canola and sugar beet sugar unless they are organically certified.

My comment: They are using sugar beet for sugar in all sodas, juices and
anything else that has sugar in it. Unless it states on the label that it has
cane sugar in it, you can bet your last dollar that the product has sugar beet
sugar in it.

Pass this on to your friends, neighbors and family along with everyone you come
in contact with on the internet via e-mail.

Laszlo

++++++++++++++++++++++

My comment: I have gone to our local grocery store and asked if their corn is GMO. No one who works there really knows if it is or not. I think it would be good if we all went to the store managers and asked questions like this to them. The grocery store I go to listens to the public. If they hear enough people complaining about GMOs, they would take an interest and do their own research.

   I have wondered about corn being GMO. Most corn that is grown in the US is GMO produced, but popcorn isn't. So, I am relieved to hear that, but, I am also challenged and encouraged to grow my own corn from heirloon/organic/non GMO seeds. 

Your Soil Needs Some TLC Too!

    Unless you are gardening with hydroponic or aeroponic methods, you will need to take care of your soil. Your soil has to be healthy in order for plants to grow properly. If you want healthy plants, you will need to work with your soil.
  In different places on the earth, the composure of soil can vary. Some places have soil that is very sandy. Some soil is filled with clay. Soils need to have the proper ratio of ingredients. A recommended recipe for soil mixture is 1 part peat moss, 1 part vermiculite, and 1 part compost. Mel Bartholomew recommends this in his 'Square Foot Gardening' book. I believe he used to recommend adding sand, but sand is so common and perhaps he has changed his mind.
  Here is an article on the working of microbes in the garden soil. It is from a book called, 'Teaming with Microbes', which you can order through amazon.com

Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener's Guide to the Soil Food Web, Revised Edition

The 2011 Garden Writers of America Gold Award for Best Writing/Book proves soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life -- not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web -- the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.

You can view the book details here:http://amzn.to/143XQAc

  This article brings out a very important fact; that chemical fertilizers injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants. We so often want a 'quick fix' that we settle for commercial, name brand fertilizers, that produce big green plants quickly, but in the long run, the fertilizers ruin the soil. You want to use natural, organic fertilizers in order to help the ecosystem going on in the soil. You want the right kinds of bugs in your garden. It might be a little more work to start off with, but it will pay off in the end if it is done properly. 

Happy Gardening!

Pictures of my Garden Beds

Pictures of my garden beds.

  In the one on the bottom, you can see the motion detector. It works at night by flashing a red light that is supposed to scare some animals away. In the top garden, I'm growing golden beets, corn, and tomatoes. I also just noticed some pepper plants growing behind the tomatoes. I don't know if they are from seeds I planted or if they are from the compost I put out in the gardens. 

   In the bottom garden, I am growing corn and scarlet runner beans. The corn seems to be growing well, though not all the corn seeds germinated. 

My First Piece of Homegrown Asparagus

Here is the first successful piece of asparagus I have ever pulled from my garden. I have tried to grow asparagus three times during my lifetime and have never been successful in growing it until tonight. Last week, I saw a stalk that looked ready to pick but I did not pick it. The next day it looked like a fern so I cut it up and put it in a pot of stew. When the stew was finished, the asparagus was not edible. I learned that as soon as the stalk is the right size around ( the width of a pencil) then you pick it., I picked the first stalk too late. I was surprised to see another ready stalk tonight, but since I did, I made sure I picked it. I bit into it slightly and it wasn't tough like the first one was. I will cook it up tomorrow and will determine for sure if it is edible.

10 Gardening Recommendations From Safer® Brand

Here is a list of 10 recommendations from a company the sells organic bug killers and gardening products. This was written for spring of 2011, but the principles still apply in 2013:

Now that you have healthy soil and rich organic humus prepared to be used in planting, it is time to plant your organic fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Now that Spring is upon us and many of you have already planned out what you will grow this year, we at Safer® Brand, felt this is a good time to arm you with the information you need grow a bountiful organic garden in 2011. That is why we have created the 'Organic Gardening Toolbox – 10 tips for a healthy organic garden in 2011.'

1.	We recommend your garden receives at least 6 hours of direct
	sunlight per day during your main growing time. If you do
	not have a space available that receives this amount of
	sunlight, look for plants that can grow without full sun.

2.	When planting tomatoes, be sure to stake your tomatoes. This
	prevents root breakage and keeps them off of the ground,
	where they are less susceptible to insect infestation. A
	product like Stake It Easy provides a perfect way to stake your
	tomato plants easily and safely.

3.	Plants started indoors need to become acclimated to the
	sunshine and weather before they are placed in the garden soil.
	a. Take the plants outside each day for about a week or so and place them in the sunlight for graduated periods of time throughout the week.

4.	Water your seedlings the day before you place them in your
	garden.

5.	Soil not the best in your area?? Created a raised bed where you
	can create the optimal soil for your plants.

6.	Grow companion plants such as basil or plant marigold in
	between your vegetables (common pests do not like the strong
	smell of these plants).

7.	Use a soaker hose – This is a far more efficient way to water a
	garden.

8.	Add 1" of organic material including nutrient rich humus
	(compost), and a natural fertilizer such as Ringer® Lawn
	Restore, as it conserves water, adds nutrients, discourages
	weeds, and gives your bed a clean look.

9.	Water your soil completely once a week. You must provide
	enough water to soak down through the soil to the roots.
	a. New plants need to be watered daily for several weeks to initiate root growth. b. Once they are established, do not overwater them!!

10.	Morning is the preferred time to water your plants, as it
	allows enough time for the water to sink in before the heat
	and sun cause evaporation.
	a. Watering your garden in the evening also works, but be sure to provide enough time for the plants and soil to dry before dew forms in the night. If the soil is wet for too long, it may allow fungal spore to germinate and thrive.

The Garden Beds Today

As you might know from reading this blog, I have 8 garden beds that were started when we moved to this house 10 years ago. A couple if years ago we had the garden beds completely cleaned out. I had brought some blackberry plants from the other house and they had taken over the whole garden area. For a while we had a lot of blackberries but that was short lived. Well I let the blackberries grow back last year to see if they would grow fruit on them. My experiment showed that no fruit would grow on them, plus, it would take a lot of work to get them out if the garden area again.

I am using black and white newspapers for mulch, plus shred up vegetable and fruit scraps. The squares that are between the garden beds need to have more mulch added to them. On the bottom picture, you can see the contrast of the fresh mulch I put in, as compared the the other squares that have mulch that has been in there for years. I have faith that it will all come together as soon as I get the last two garden beds in the back cleared out.

Squirrel and Bird Problems - Solved? Maybe

Squirrels, raccoons, and birds. I love them! But not in my garden! Here is one option I am going to try. The only problem is, when I make popcorn for the squirrels, I have to make some for us! It's a good excuse to use coconut oil anyway!

You can find the popcorn pile in the center of the pic, almost exactly but a little more toward the top.

Yum Popcorn. Now I have to make some for us.

Go Away Squirrels and Raccoons!

I don't know about you, but I have an everlasting battle in my gardens between me and wildlife. Years ago, I wanted to get a BB gun and use it on the squirrels, however after I obtained one, I didn't have the heart to use it.
  Squirrels are prolific. Sometimes, I would give in and get food or toys for them. I was hoping to distract them from the garden, but the raccoons ended my fun when they tore down the spinning toy I had attached to the tree in the back. Now I have two different animals to contend with.
   So, I broke down and bought some alarms for the garden. One is a sound alarm. It makes a high pitched noise when an animal gets in front of it. The other is a light that blinks on and off all night. I am going to add some wind chimes and may perhaps get a few more alarms and see how they work (or don't work!) It will be a good experiment.
   We watched a raccoon come up to the window not too long ago. Then he headed right for the garden and went in! These little animals are real buggers. I used to blame the birds for destroyed the produce in the garden, but now I know who the real culprits are!
   There are two thoughts of feeding animals. One of them is not to feed any outside animals and hope that they will go somewhere else for food. The other is to feed them all they want so they leave the garden alone. That is the option I am opting for this time. I have popcorn to make and give them so they will be so full that the gardens won't even tempt them.
   We'll see how the garden grows this spring, and if the corn ends up staying up until its ready to pick!

Growing Celery From Discarded Bottoms

I thought this was a cool idea. You can take your leftover celery bottoms that you would probably discard, and put them in a glass or container with water and you will have a new celery plant growing.



Growing Celery From Discarded Bottoms

Sweet Surprise

I was digging around the garden this evening and pulled these guys up. I never planted sweet potatoes but obviously they ended up in the compost pile.