Saturday, July 31, 2010

Vertical Gardening

I have been asked by friends to describe exactly what a vertical garden is and how to make one and grow veggies in it. So here goes. I first learned about this process from Mel Bartholomew's book, Square Foot Gardening. He advocates building raised beds in square foot increments, in narrow long beds as this conserves on weeding among many other benefits. I suggest you find the book. It's been around since the 1980's and is pretty easy to find. The New Square Foot Gardening includes more versions for roof top gardening and gardening in 6 inches of soil.


Generally speaking, Square Foot Gardening consists of dividing a 1' x 1' garden space up and figuring how many plants you can put in that space. For example in a 1' x 1' space, sixteen radishes or nine spinach or one eggplant could fit. He has carefully planned everything out and it really does work! It saves space, water and weeding.


Vertical gardening is an extension of his space saving ideas. Peas and beans are natural climbers and everybody trellises them or stakes them. But how about cucumbers and melons? Anything that grows on a vine can grow vertically. I have had better luck with my cucumbers since they stay off the ground and get more sunshine. I can also see them better and can determine when they are ready to harvest. The ones on the ground tend to hide out longer and get a scaly appearance and some don't get enough sun and are yellowish instead of dark green.


My vertical cukes could win a county fair ribbon, but not the ones on the ground. Everybody asks if it damages the veggies. You can see from my pictures that it doesn't. They seem to be growing perfectly fine. One suggestion, if you are growing melons, find a knee high hose and put the melon in it and tie it up so the melon has some support, but can grow as large as it needs. I did this and it also kept the bugs off of the fruit. If you look really hard in the center of the picture below you can see a cantaloupe hanging in a knee high hose!

I set up my vertical garden with stakes and 2” x 4” fencing wire. I built the garden on a u-shape with the stakes in the center of a 18” wide space. I plant on both sides, alternating the seeds as I plant. During winter and early spring I plant snap peas and in the summer, cukes and melons. It has been tremendous satisfying this summer.


Mel's support frames in his vertical garden is made of electrical conduit. He uses string to trellis his plants but also mentions netting. I have seen snow drift or construction netting which is bright orange used too.


If you have any interest in creating square foot gardens or vertical beds, I highly suggest buying this book. You can easily find it used for under $10 and it is worth every penny. Happy Vertical Gardening!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Summer Vacation

Having just returned from three very different vacations practically back to back, I am feeling rested, invigorated and inspired. Yet, it makes me ask the questions.

Did pioneers need vacations to “get away from the farm?” Could they in fact take vacations? And if they did, who watched the farm?

My first getaway was to the San Francisco Bay area where I feasted on fabulous friendships and panoramic views. As I truly did leave my heart in San Francisco. Flying into the Bay area I am always surprised at the landscape as the plane hurled across the San Joaquin Valley, truly the big valley. The giant lush irrigated valley produces more than 10% of the food consumed in the United States. It seems to go forever and then abruptly ends at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Crossing the Sierras, brown and barren, give way to the massively populated peninsula known as the Bay Area. The development emerges past the mountains and like the valley seems endless.

The second trip involved family and a wedding. I traveled back to my mid western roots to the farmlands of Northern Ohio just south of Cleveland. Out the window of the plane I saw neat and tidy, brown and green patchwork of endless farmland. The corn was knee high and the tomatoes still small and green. I was disappointed that the wedding was in early summer and not late August when the harvest is plentiful. My summers as a youth were spent eating thick slices of beefsteak tomatoes sprinkled with salt, fresh picked corn on the cob and juicy watermelon. Spending days with cousins around Granny's kitchen table crunching potato chips and drinking Pepsi from glass bottles and spending nights in a trailer at the Lorain County Fair while my cousins showed horses and shoveled horse manure.

I returned just a few days ago from the last part of this three-legged adventure from New Mexico, an Enchanted Land of Spirit and Sky. Having spent a week at a yoga camp for women, submerged in practice and meditation, renewing my spirit and inspiring my life, I have returned to my small backyard garden. Relieved that the hurricane rains and some very helpful friends sustained my vegetable garden while I was away. I sit happily munching on cucumbers in the hot Texas heat.

As a part time pioneer, I have the luxury of growing what I can and if I am not successful, driving to the store or farmer's market where someone else has done a better job. My life is not dependent on my harvest and I have the freedom that in a day's time I can travel to another geographic region and find pleasure in those surroundings. Truly the best of both worlds, content and grateful, all at the same time.



Monday, June 21, 2010

Radical Homemaking


After having read Spike Gilespie's blog at http://austinist.com/2010/05/21/i_am_so_popular_removing_sex_from_t.php I purchased the book Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture by Shannon Hayes. This book centers around an emerging wave of feminism that honors domestic skills as a fundamental step to heal and solve many of today's global crisis. As Shannon Hayes boldly states, “radical homemakers are men and women who have chosen to make family, community, social justice and the health of the planet the governing principles of their lives.” Furthermore she raises the question, “How might I advocate for a meaningful and sustainable domestic life without inadvertently condoning the further subjugation of women?”


Pioneers had no struggle or confusion with personal identity connected to domesticity. Men and women shared equally with the variety of chores necessary to create a sustainable existence. There was no other choice. Today industrialization and technology have created so many more choices and so much confussion and struggle.


I have chosen to investigate an alternative lifestyle as a radical homemaker and a part time pioneer as well as being an artist, full time mother and public school teacher. I embrace the philosophy of this book. Having only read the preface and introduction, I am filled with an overwhelming wave of emotion and that emotion is hope.







Sunday, June 20, 2010

Squash Bugs

Well, it happened. My beautiful yellow neck and zucchini squash, dead and flattened to the ground, attacked by some unknown pest. Last year I thought it had been roly poly bugs and had spread the compost out early before planting to release the bugs to the top of the soil to either roly poly off or be eaten by birds. I felt somewhat confident that I would not have that pest to contend with since there were no roly polys in sight at planting. But, I have discovered a new garden nemesis, the squash bug, or so I think. I never actually saw this bug. My friend told me that they had destroyed his plants.

I was out of town for 6 days and my squash plants went from this....


....to this in just a few short days.


I think that I am giving up now on planting yellow neck and zucchini since this is the third year that I have grown great foliage only to have the plants destruct before the sight of any vegetable. I did however get three beautiful straight neck yellow squash. The plant itself had grown rigorously from the small seedling that I started in the cold frame. They had survived the month long stretch uncovered in the garden after the cold frame theft. See blog entry, March 27, 2010 for details. I had babied them along in the garden, suspiciously wondering if in fact they would make it. How did the real pioneers manage crop failure? It was a matter of life and death, whether or not your family lived or starved. Me, I'll just buy my veggies at the farmer's market or grocery where someone else has figured out how to keep off squash bugs. But, what was it truly like back them?


On the internet, I did find a few ways to control squash bugs. One being physically picking off the bugs, another being better variety selection as there seems to be certain varieties more or less susceptible to the pest. Planting catnip, tansy, radishes, nasturtiums, marigolds, bee balm and mint may help repel the bug to some degree. As well as by adding to the garden environment natural enemies of the bugs like spiders and ground beetles and other beneficial insects that might curb the population. Me, I have determined my solution to pest control, I just won't plant them next year and use that precious garden space for something a little bit more pest hardy and heat loving like okra or eggplant. I love my summer squash, so I will see you at the local farmer's market instead!

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Agarita Farms

Last Saturday I went out to a friend's farm in Fredricksburg, Texas just 90 miles west of Austin in the spectacular Hill Country. I bribed my 14 year old daughter with ten bucks and dinner to join me. We made out way west listening to Blink 182 and reading the latest Seventeen magazine. Two hours later, we meet Tom and Bev Carnes at their home on the 365 acre family farm around 4:00. Tommy is a high school friend of mine from Denton where we graduated a year apart. I found him on Facebook and was curious about his farming life.

The end of May is hot and humid, but there were a few clouds in the sky that kept the sun from constantly beating down on us as we toured the crops, some fading out while others were just getting started. Unlike my backyard garden, Tommy has rows and vast varieties of veggies I only have a few each of. I really liked the mixed lettuce garden that he lets go to seed in the summer so it can reseed itself in the fall when things cool down.

He and Bev have been selling their vegetables at the local Fredricksburg Farmer's Market on Thursdays making about $200 a week. No, the farm does not support them, rather Tom hangs a shingle in Kerrville where he practices law. Bev works on the farm and helps manage Tom's financials and books guests into their two farm-stay cottages at the far end of the property and works part time as a speech pathologist. It's a two person operation, work is slow, but there is always new innovations while they learn through trial and error.

Grazing on diverse meadows and pastures are some 100 plus Jacob and Navajo sheep. They raise them to sell and for their coats. Shearing took place a few weeks ago, and yes I did bring home both a Jacob and Navajo fleece, but that is another entry on another day.

I plan on returning to Agarita Farms to encourage and support these two hard working folks while they create more sustainability for themselves and others. For more information you can reach them at http://www.agaritacreek.com/

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Lazy Blogger

OK, so are you still a blogger even though you haven't blogged in over a month or more?? My day job, teaching art to 180- 6th, 7th and 8th graders and full time parenting of two teenagers has kept me busy, but enough with the excuses.

Garden update- Well, a few of the seedlings that survived the stolen cold frame (see 3/27 blog - The Cold Frame) were planted. I did go to my local nursery for summertime favorites like eggplant and cucumbers. And after only 7 weeks in the ground I ate my first cuke. Tonight I will harvest from the garden for a first of the season mini feast, some eggplant, green beans, a cuke, tiny pear tomatoes and some swiss chard.

The onions that my son planted last October were finally pulled and a friend made some green onion kim chee. For fun and color, I planted some zinnias and nasturtium flowers. Growing up in upstate New York, my mom saved us a bed that we seeded with zinnias for summer cut flowers and I have always enjoyed their hardy color in the heat of the summer.

The yellow neck and zucchini plants are huge. They were seedlings that made it out of the cold frame that last month. They were the easiest to start from seeds, but I still hold my breath as the flowers bloom and die off and wonder if they will ever actually turn into squash or mysteriously die or not even grow before the harvest. Last year rolly polly bugs enjoyed them before we ever got a chance to see the squash grow. I tried treating them with diatomaceous earth, but it was too late. The bugs had been in the compost I spread and they did what they were supposed to do which is devour and decompose everything in sight. This year, I spread out the compost on the soil for about 2 weeks before I tilled it into the soil, so the bugs could wander off to find new food or be eaten themselves by birds. That seemed to do the trick and I don't have them in them in the garden. Tilling in diatomaceous earth might have been a good preventative as well.

I have many part time pioneering projects this summer planned. With only 2 more days of school left and 2 ½ months of vacation, I am looking forward to spending time doing the things I love. Next, a four chicken backyard coop. I have only been talking about this for over a year. After that I'll be making and installing another rain barrel. Later today, I'll be heading out to Agarita Farms in Fredricksburg, Texas. This family farm is owned by a high school friend and his wife in the picturesque Hill Country about 90 miles west of Austin. You can check out the farm at www.agaritacreek.com or on Facebook.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Native Plants

It's official. Between the twenty plus days of 105° heat last summer and the 20° hard freeze of this winter I have lost a dozen plants in my xeriscape yard. Purple Fountain Grass, Plumbago, Milkweed and even a Crepe Myrtle to name a few of the casualties. For the past ten years in both Florida and Texas I have dug up grass and replaced it with a water-wise landscape. I love the variety, texture and color of the native plants, grasses and flowers. Why have short green grass that you have to water, edge and mow when you can trade it for continuous flowering and minimal maintenance? The annual mulching, which I have yet to do, follows a rigorous weeding and cutting back. The spring rains hasten new growth and the heat of the summer brings it into bloom.

However for the last four years since I moved to Texas, we have broken all sorts of weather records. Wettest summer. Driest summer. Coldest winter. Longest days with rain. Almost the longest days of heat. You name it, we've had it. There is one plant out of all my plants that doesn't seem to mind the vast disparity of fluctuating weather conditions. That winner would be the humble beauty, salvia greggii, also known as Autumn Sage. It shows up red, pink, white or coral and practically blooms continuously. If you brush up next to it, it smells strongly of its herby cousin. These hardy evergreens will stand up to extreme weather and soil conditions and survive on the craggiest hillsides in a variety of terrains.


Here in Texas and and in Florida, both counties put out helpful books through cooperative extension centers that list appropriate native and adaptive plants for the area. In Central Texas go to www.growgreen.org or to your nearest local native nursery. Talk with someone who is knowledgeable about your soil and weather conditions and who will encourage and not discourage you to get rid of your grass and replace it with native and adaptive plants.



Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Bluebonnet Blanket

Right about the time of Spring Break and South by Southwest around mid March I start scouring the sides of the highways and checking the weather report. I scan the grassy edges and medium of Mopac just hoping to catch a glimpse of the first brave bluebonnet beginning to bloom. The early risers begin to show after it rains and I am amazed beyond belief because within a day or two, carpets of bluebonnets blanket the byways. It's hard to keep my eyes on the road and not get into a wreck. I can't stop looking at the flowers because they are SO FREAKIN' BEAUTIFUL. Each new patch appears more stunning than the last. How can that be? A purplish shag carpet of nature's beauty hanging out on the side of the road.

Thank you Lady Bird and Mother Nature for your ongoing symphony that begins when the days start to warm and the nights are still cool and continues on through the dog days of summer and beyond. They are Texas Paintbrush, Mexican Blanket, Prairie Phlox, Pink Evening Primrose, Black-eyed Susan to name just a few since there are more than 48 varieties in the Hill Country alone. Each flower blooms at its own special time to keep me amused and amazed and make me smile. The wildflowers bloom without knowing how beautiful they really are and how happy they make me. What Grace.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

The Cold Frame

I decided that this year instead of buying $3.00 transplants for my garden I would try growing my own from seeds. I have in the past grown lettuce, radishes, beets and snow peas from seeds, but have relied on store bought transplants for that extra pre-planting growing time. I don't have anywhere indoors that I could set up a shelves, nor is there any great direct lighting through a window, so I decided that I would build a cold frame.


A cold frame is basically a sloping box with a glass or plexi lid. Historically it was used in conjunction with a greenhouse as a place to put plants to harden off before planting. The temperature in the cold frame is generally 10-15 degrees warmer than the outdoor temperature, so my early planting in the cold frame would be protected from the cold night air and any early spring cold fronts that move through the area.


I was using it to grow seedlings for transplanting after the last frost date of mid-April. A friend of mine and my son made the cold frame on a Saturday afternoon in February and I was thrilled to set it up and start sowing. The ideal location for it was a southwestern wall of my house butted up against the foundation for warmth. Placed near the garage door so when I left in the morning I could check on the seeds and water them. Diligently nurturing them daily, they began to sprout. Success or at least the beginning stages.


A month went by, some seeds were growing better than others. Cantaloupe, gourds and zucchini were the early runners, with strong and thick stems. Eggplant, peppers and tomatoes seemed to be little, struggling wisps of green. As the days got warmer, I was sure to vent the top of the box so that the interior of the cold frame did not get to steamy.


Then one morning I went out to water and the cold frame was gone. My seedlings where unprotected and dumped over, dirt spilling out. I was pissed. I had not even taken a picture of it yet since I was waiting for the seedlings to grow a bit more before I blogged about it. Had someone taken it who needed it more than me to grow a garden to feed their family? Was someone just lazy and did not want to build one themselves? Was it some kid who was going to use it to make a window in their fort? That's what my son thought.


Two days later, a cold front moved in with 30 degree weather and chilling winds. I had to bring the plants into the house for 2 days. I have since moved them out into the garden. I put plastic bins over them at night to protect them from the cold night air. Don't know if they will make it to planting, I'll probably end up making a visit to the nursery for transplants, but at least I know that I tried.


Next winter when I build my cold frame again, I am going to put it in the same place and bolt it to the foundation.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Spring has Sprung

In the yard, clearing away last summer's now dormant growth, I am reminded of the cycle of life. Breaking off the empty seed pods that once where last season's flowers I am mindful of the new growth as it timidly pushes its way up through the earth. But mostly I am sore and tired. Seven lawn bags and still a bit more that needs my attention, I have a sense of accomplishment as I soak in the tub and take another ibuprofen.


I practice the springtime ritual of clearing away the old to allow the new. In the house, I am purging old files and income tax records from 2002. This is the time of year that I find hope. Every day a new bud on a tree or a tiny flower adds color to the landscape. The chill in the air contains a ray of sunshine. I open the windows. The air smells fresh. We set the clocks ahead. I've lost an hour, but gained more light....


Update, March 20th, first day of Spring and a cold front blows in north Texas and the Panhandle is under snow again. In central Texas, we are in the low 40's with wind gusts up to 30 miles an hour. Guess Old Man Winter needed another day.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

The Language of Marketing


Starbucks makes me a pioneer just by drinking their coffee. Recycled cups, 10% post consumer waste, free trade coffee. Somehow I am the hero consumer, spending money for the good of all.


I suppose that I would have to take this notion further, much further and examine our current state of crisis within the world wide food production and distribution system. Having recently read The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan and upon watching The Future of Food and Food Inc. and following a burgeoning “Go Local” movement in Austin, I am keenly aware of the bargain sale price of 2 for $4 blueberries in February at my local health food store may not be such a bargain after all. I first become excited at the price and snatch up 4 boxes for my breakfast fruit bowl. My excitement turns sour as I note that they are from Chile and I begin to add up the transportation cost of finding these ripe berries on the shelf. I am almost certain that the sale price of these particular blueberries this week does not begin to cover the full amount of the production and transportation costs of this box of blueberries. Cheap prices are the hook, as I reach for food that is not in my particular seasonal growing cycle. It is really hard to put them down because I love blueberries and they are filled with those helpful antioxidants. Next week when they will be at their full price of $3.99 a box, I will not be having this dilemma.


So, today I am headed to the local Farmer's Market where I get to see the variety of foods that are in season for my particular growing cycle. I am lucky to live in a region that supports fall and winter gardens. Personally, this is my favorite growing season. I am already on my second rotation with peas, lettuce and herbs. We have been lucky this winter because we have seen lots of rain and I have not had to resort to using city water to help my plants grow.


Farmer's Markets are at the heart of the answer to the food crisis as each individual begins to become aware of the part they play as a consumer. Buy from your local source or learn how you can grow your own.


Check out these websites or find your own answers to the question, “Just because it is there, do we really need it.......now?”


http://www.slowfood.com/

http://www.edibleaustin.com/content/

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Corn Huskers Lotion

I suppose that I know about this lotion because my mom had it in her cabinet and so did her mom and probably her mom's mom too. Corn Huskers has been around a long time because it works. Sometime around the turn of the 20th century, this lotion was developed by a pharmacist and sold in the corn growing regions of the Midwest to help heal and sooth the dry cracked hands of the corn pickers and shuckers. Today Johnson and Johnson, who owns Pfizer, owns the patent to Corn Huskers Lotion.


Corn Huskers is the only lotion that will, after only one application, soften the tips of my fingers when they become like tiny bits of sandpaper. The weather was incredibly nice on Sunday so I spent a while in the garden digging around, pulling weeds and planting. By evening, my fingers were so rough to touch that they hurt. Just a little dab will do ya of this powerful water and glycerin based lotion. It's all you need to moisturize and repair. Lacking color and fragrance additives, this lotion takes on a gooey phlegm like consistency which cannot compete with its high end drug store companions in scent and appearance, but the price is right at just about $4.00 for a seven ounce bottle. Its my best investment for those times when daily body lotion just isn't doing the job.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Digital Divide


Even if move to the most remote and rural land on Earth, I will still be a part time pioneer. I cannot get away from the river of technology flowing all around me. Today I attended the Texas Computer Education Association Convention in Austin. The convention center was filled with the latest cutting edge software curriculum and hardware devices to educate our K-12 digital natives. As a middle school art educator it is imperative to grab the attention of hormone driven adolescents in order to trick them into learning.


Animoto (http://animoto.com/) did just that. Not only is it slick and sophisticated, it is fast and satisfies the need for instant gratification that they/we crave. In just a few minutes I uploaded about 15 pictures to the online program, added copyright free music from their collection and rendered a professional quality video. The program adds edits and transitions to the tempo of the music in a seamless intuitive Pandora-like (http://www.pandora.com) style.


I think that this free program will keep me and my students amused for awhile or until the next wave of technology flows my way.


Saturday, February 6, 2010

Canning 101

My Granny canned everything Pap grew. She preserved the harvest for the winter months. Down in their basement which was really just a bit more than a root cellar, she stored mason jars filled with beans and corn and tomatoes. I loved the taste of corn off the cob during our Christmas vacation. Ohio is known for its sweet corn, tasty on the cob during those summer months, but equally as delicious in the winter when we'd come for a visit.

Granny and I can for different reasons. Hers was out of necessity and mine for novelty. She had to keep all of those garden fresh veggies, well fresh, in some form or another. Me, I like the alchemy of turning a rather small amount of fruit and a huge amount of sugar into a jellied substance that you can spread on bread.


My first canning experience was many years ago when the kids were tiny and we lived in Florida. We would drive south over the Sunshine Skyway bridge to Parrish to vast fields of strawberries where pick-your-own flats sold for $8. I started with strawberry jam, kumquat chutney and orange marmalade. I once canned a corn relish, but I never enjoyed it as much as the sweet stuff. One year for our wedding anniversary, Tom bought me a canning book and the one tool for canning that is really necessary, a rubber coated pair of tongs shaped like a jar used for pulling hot mason jars out of boiling water. It is one of those kitchen gadgets that I use only occasionally, but really can't do without.


The canning bug crept back in when I saw a recipe for Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Marmalade in the Austin American Statesman. I decided to give it a try. I made the honey version and it came out delicious. My favorite way to eat this marmalade is on a perfectly toasted and buttered English muffin. Yum. Here's the recipe.


Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit Marmalade

Honey version:
5 medium-sized Texas `Rio Star' grapefruit, cut in half horizontally
Juice of 4 lemons
6 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup local honey

Vanilla version:
5 medium-sized Texas `Rio Star' grapefruit, cut in half horizontally
Juice of 4 lemons
8 cups sugar
1 vanilla bean, split open lengthwise, seeds removed, pod reserved to add to pot


Put grapefruit halves in a large soup pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered until very soft, about 2 hours, adding more water from a simmering kettle if needed. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Place a cutting board inside a roasting pan and cut grapefruit into large chunks, removing seeds as you go.


Place chunks (rind, pith, flesh and all) in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and whirl, in batches, until pieces are finely chopped. Add back to large pot with remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Set pot to simmer and stir frequently until mixture reaches jell point, tasting as you go to see if it needs more sugar. Allow mixture to sit off heat for about 5 minutes, and then stir before filling jars. Process in a water bath for 15 minutes. Makes about 11-12 half-pint jars.

Adapted by Stephanie McClenny from a recipe by Nigella Lawson


Note: This recipe assumes that you know a lot about canning such as the temperature your mixture needs to reach to become a jelly (220 degrees.) After you wash/sterilize the jars, let them stand in a warm oven to dry and keep them there till you fill them. How to “process” cans (upside down in boiling water). I also added tons more sugar as it cooked, in total probably about 9 cups or so.



Sunday, January 31, 2010

C is for Composting

My very first composting experience resulted in my breeding a healthy colony of maggots which completely grossed me out. Having searched the internet to find directions in constructing a compost bin, I settled on a lidded metal trash can with holes poked in on the sides. My thinking was that I could roll it around to mix the contents and not have to stir it. Mistake. Not only did I have too much “green”, vegetable and fruit waste, and not enough “brown”, dried leaves and paper, I added too much water and kept the lid on which did not give the mixture enough air. So, the little critters grew and I stopped composting.

A few years later, I got some info about making a bin using wooden palettes and threw one together with jute twine. It worked great. Fortunately I do not have a dog that is interested in rotting vegetables and the other wildlife in my backyard don't seem to bother with it either. After a season of composting, I added an addition of two more palettes so I could have one side resting and decomposing while the other side is actively getting filled up with fresh waste and leaves. This system seems to work fine although I do not generate a large amount of organic kitchen waste, it is a great way to lessen the amount of trash I send to the city's landfill.

Some folks shy away from composting because they think that it is going to smell and attract pests. I think that the smelliest part of the operation can be the plastic bucket next to the sink. If I don't empty it on a daily basis, the scent of that decomposing organic matter can get pretty rank. Another deterrent for others may be finding the right location for a pile. My site is about 20 steps out my back door, so I'll dump the rotting stuff in the plastic bucket in my kitchen more often which makes for a handy location in the corner of my yard. Of course there are others who just can't have an open bin or pile. For them, there are a plethora of composting set ups that can be commercially purchased ($$$) for apartment dwellers or those with small yards or shared common spaces. Search the internet for various other designs of composting bins that suit your needs and lifestyle.

Here are a few things to remember about composting.
  1. No protein, meat or dairy products in your compost.

  2. Keep the pile damp, not too wet, but like a wrung out sponge.

  3. Turn it every time you add something to it.

  4. Try to keep a 50/50 mix of “green” to “brown”.

  5. Add manure to create a richer mixture.

  6. Stop adding organic matter to the pile and let it rest for a few months before you spread it around your garden.

  7. Pee on your pile. That's right, the nitrogen in urine helps decompose the pile faster. I have also read that pickle juice is good too.

Composting creates a circle of sustainability from growing plant matter, to human consumption, to decomposition and to growing plant matter again. You can start composting today.


Monday, January 18, 2010

Beginnings



I am a part time pioneer dreaming of a rural life. I have harbored a rural fantasy for as long as I can remember. My cousins all had horses and my grandfather promised to get me one if only we'd move back to Ohio. I begged my dad to move, but we didn't. We lived in a suburban tract home outside of Rochester, NY. It was the the Cape Cod style, not the Ranch style, white with black shutters. My mom had a green thumb and grew the tastiest tomatoes and biggest cucumbers during the summer. What we couldn't eat, we'd give away to the neighbors carrying bags across the street for delivery.

For all practical purposes I'm a city slicker with a hillbilly heritage. My dad and his two sisters were born in a log cabin in West Virginia at a time when home births were not the fashion, but the necessity. Their family moved to northern Ohio so Pap, my granddad, could get a job at Westinghouse working there for over 30 years before retiring. Granny never learned how to drive, but she could pluck a mean chicken and fry it up.

One winter in West Virginia, Pap worked as a lumberjack cutting down trees and made $75. When he told the story he added, “It didn't take much back then. No, it didn't take much.” Today it seems to take a whole lot more. With more stuff to buy and own and consume, it is hard to even imagine a time when we didn't need all of this stuff. I think about that a lot. I'd like to think that part time pioneering means that I am finding ways to be resourceful, conserving and creating energy in my own backyard.